Client's Testimonies
EXCELLENTVerified Super Way to See Baliem Valley - Great Guide and Local Porters Raymond was an excellent guide. He picked us up at the airport and kept the four of us under his wing for the week until dropping us back off at the airport. We toured Wamena and enjoyed the culture of Baliem Valley. The cook and porters were local and added a great deal to our enjoyment. Food was very tasty and lots of water to drink - some in our group used flavour crystals when the water had to be boiled near the end of the trek. Be prepared for heat and humidity, but Raymond new some great swimming spots. Sleeping quarters were rustic, but part of the culture to experience - bring a sheet to cover the mattresses. Bugs were no problem. Enjoy the culture and people. Everyone was very friendly. We brought soccer balls to play with the kids at the end of the day, then left the balls at the schools. If you can bring medicine - tylenol and antiseptic cream were the most needed (and lighter to carry)- no clinics but lots of churches. Go before the road goes through to the valley.Posted onVerified Baliem Valley Tour with a great guide for a good price We had a 2 nights/3day trekking with our guide Ray and our porter Miles with overnight stay in the villages Kilise and Syokosimo. Especially trekking lovers will like this tour - 4 to 6 hours per day you walk narrow and rocky paths up and down. All the time you have a breathtaking view to the mountains, to hundreds of gardens and the Baliem river. You path a lot of small villages with the typical huts of the Dani tribe. We really enjoyed and can highly recommend this tour. After talking to two different guides we decided for Ray because: - a tour with him is more individual especially with regard to the food - the price is less in comparison to other guides - his personality is lovely, this guy follows his soul - his English is excellent the guide Ray is 27 years old and has a lot of experience. He is working as a guide since 10 years. Ray grew up in one of the villages in the Baliem Valley. Therefore he knows detailed about the traditions and the culture of the tribes. In the age of 13 years he moved with his family to Wamena and visited the university. He speaks English very well and has a huge general knowledge. He is really motivated, interested, grateful, communicative and has a great humor. Talking to him was always funny and interesting. the homestays The families we stayed with are really friendly and lovely. Please note that they do not speak any English. We sit together with them around the fire, saw how they cook and how they do the traditional Noken bag. We listened to the stories which our guide Ray translated for us and we sang some songs together. For sleeping we had our own hut or a private room in the house . Everything was really basic but therefore authentic. We slept on the ground (in one with mattress), blankets kept us warm. The shared toilet was typical indonesian style and located in the garden. No shower, no water, just the river. the food Before we started we went together with Ray to the market in Wamena and bought the food and some other staff for all of us. That was great and individual. We preferred vegetarian food: - breakfast: fried sweet potato, avocado, banana and coffee. - lunch: fried rice with omelette, avocado and banana - dinner: steamed rice, potatos, mixed vegetables, avocado and banana Ray and his porter Miles prepared the food, everything was made with love and really tasty. It was a pleasure to see how they cook the food on the fire. We had water for three days with us because there is no water in the villages. the costs First of all you need to know that you will pay more money than in other Asian countries but you will expire an adventure and you support the local people with the money. Here a cost calculation in 000 IDR: - food and gifts 1.000 - car transport from Wamena 500 - guide fee 500-800 per day* - porter fee 120-150 per day* - homestay bed 150 per person per night - homestay firewood 30 per night - homestay cooking equipment 50 per night - car transport to Wamena 400-500 (*we paid the guide 800 and the porter 200 per day because we were really satisfied.) Good to know The People in the Baliem Valley villages will be happy if you bring something for them. The adults prefer the Surya cigarettes and the betelnut. The Kids love chocolate and biscuits. There are no hospitals in that area. A lot of people have wounds. I suggest you to bring the following which would be really helpful for them: - antiseptic and antibiotic creams - anti inflammation spray - patches to cover the wounds from the fly’s - first aid kits By the way, we also had two half day tours with Go Visit Papua, especially the village Jiwika was amazing. You can call or message the Baliem Valley tour guide Raymond: +6285346879247 Ray, thanks for all, we hope to see you again. You are welcomed in our home.Posted onVerified A really great experience It was a real fortune to have such a gentle person as Ray for my guide in Balliem Valley. I was impressed of his knowledge of the area but most of all of how much he is respectable by the people we were meeting across the valley.Posted onVerified Una experiencia muy recomendable Hicimos un tour con Ray, de Govist Papua y todo fue perfecto. Muy buen precio para un tour por Wamena y el valle de Baliem. Ray habla muy bien inglés. La comunicación con él fue rápida en todo momento. Muy recomendablePosted onVerified Baliem festival It is the first time of our group to Papua to attend Baliem festival and we have lucky with the help of this tour guide and his group. He take care well and prepare everything we need during festival. A good memory for us in this trip.Posted onVerified Friendly and reliable service I've known Raymond since 2012 and he helped me and my friends to organize great trekking trips around Baliem Valley several times. Sometimes it can be rather difficult to find a reliable and honest guide in that region, hence I consider myself lucky to have met this guy and highly recommend his company for all kinds of trips in Papua.Posted onVerified Authentic Adventures await in the Baliem Valley We want to start this review by saying that we found all previous reviews on here very helpful and accurate in terms of what to expect from a trekking trip with Raymond, the native Papuan entrepreneur who runs 'Go Visit Papua', in the Baliem Valley. After 9 months of travel throughout Southeast Asia and China we can say that visiting the Baliem Valley with Raymond from Go Visit Papua was one of the most raw and authentic experiences we had. The southern valley, which we trekked through for 4 nights and 5 days offers an adventurous mixture of nature's brute forces and a cultural experience of Papuan tribal life like no other. It is not a trip for everyone. There are many discomforts that are rarely experienced by westerners and locals from more industrialized regions of SE Asia. That being said the adventure itself and seeing an unfiltered perspective of the local life in the mountain tribes is unforgettable and worth every struggle along the way. In hindsight, we wouldn't consider choosing anyone else but Raymond to guide us through this experience. He is honest, motivated, passionate about Papua and his work, and perhaps most importantly he is a true local highlander. Raymond also speaks excellent English, has a university degree, travelled abroad, and has a bright personality, which makes him the perfect proxy between a western visitor and the local tribal cultures. Yes, you can trek alone without a guide in the Baliem Valley or hire a big Indonesian tour agency, and yet you will miss so many intricacies without the help, understanding, and support of a local like Raymond. In an region which is just picking up tourism Raymond stands alone in offering a professional and safe service that feels personal. We can only endorse his professionalism and cheer him on as he continues to develop and improve his service through continuous customer feedback. A few words of advice about the trekking conditions and local realities that are out of Raymond's control are warranted though. First and foremost, do not assume any of the accomodations along the way will provide western standards of hygiene and comfort. Most are simple roofs and four walls. If you are lucky a mattress and blanket will be provided, but don't assume they will be clean. In fact, it is essential to bring your own sleeping bag and camping pillow in order to avoid feeling cold at night or getting bit by all sorts of bugs. Second, your personal hygiene will also be tested to the limit as shower opportunities are not available everywhere although Raymond will do his best to point out where showering is possible in rivers or at homestay that have rain water tanks. Again, it's essential to bring your own towel and soap. Thirdly, bring all the medicines you may need in an emergency. Even in Wamena the local pharmacies only sell a limited offering of basic generic drugs. You will struggle to find more powerful and specialized medicine in case you need it. Hand sanitizer is also essential as the local customs dictate a lot of handshaking with everyone on the trails. Fourthly, Raymond provides safe eating and drinking facilities and usesa mix of local or Indonesian products for his meals. Generally all meals were great and we also got to try truely local food at the homestays, but you should consider bringing your own power booster snacks like protein bars, nuts, or chocolates. Finally, the locals kids have come to expect candies from passing tourists and occasionally sell some local handicrafts. The adults sometimes ask for a cigarette when chatting and for a small tip of $1-2 if you want to take their portrait. So bring alongs some small change in cash (10,000 and 20,000 rupea bills are most useful) and consider buying 2 packs of cigarettes before you leaving Wamena (obvious not a very healthy habit to support but that's the local way of showing respect and socializing with the local adults). For the kids it is arguably much better to consider bringing pencils and paper as gifts rathet than the candy they ask for. Usually the candy wrappers end up on the floor and will not be disposed off properly and only stimulate a sugar addiction and a culture of begging. Pencils and paper are also rare in the highlands and will have a much more favorable and long lasting effect on the youth. Lastly (for real this time ☺️), cash is also useful if you decide to buy a souvenir in one of the homestays where inevitably the locals congregate with curiosity towards the visitor and offer their handicrafts for sale. Considering all of the above we still think it's a great experience to visit the Baliem Valley with someone like Raymond. It is authentic and not commercialized yet. We have never shaken so many stangers' hands and received so many smiles in rerurn anywhere else in the world. Go visit Papua before the masses arrive. In May 2019 we only met 2 other westerners trekking the valley throughout our 5 days on the trails, which in itself is extraordinary in this day and age. Raymond, thank you for showing us the real Papua and for taking care of us every step of the way! Keep in touch and do let us know when one day you decide to visit Europe.Posted onVerified wonderful adventure the fact that you are reading this means you have a sense of adventure and can cope for a few days without luxurious hotels! I had an amazing adventure with Raymond and Go visit Papua. From the outset Raymond was always prompt and efficient to reply to my questions and I was able to attach to a 5N tour in the Baliem valley. The highlights were visiting the caves in the north and seeing a mock battle and pig feast. Followed by a 3D 2N trek amongst the Dani tribes. On arrival in Wamena all was well organised bearing in mind the general lack of tourist facilities there. (It's why we go there!) The first afternoon saw us visit a local waterfall and natural areas and then Raymond took us all for dinner in downtown Wamena.. The second day saw us visit a natural cave which was very impressive for its rock formations and extent.This was followed by a visit to a local tribe to witness a mock battle. This was a really fun experience and the participants entered into it with great enthusiasm. Then back to the village for the preparation of the pig feast (best to look away for this part if you are squeamish or vegetarian). It was a lot of fun conversing with the locals about their way of life (even if language was a bit of a struggle). the trek began on the third day, beginning with a couple of memorable river crossings. It seems that bridges are not essential in this part of the world! Raymond had brought 5 porters with him to carry all of the food and water for the trip. They were all super smiley and helpful...they also prepared the food as we went. After 2-3 hours of walking we arrived in the 1st village. Accommodation was in simple huts with a mattress and blankets...obviously set up for tourists...but a very nice spot on the side of the hill. The following day we walked for about 5 hours, crossing 2 more rivers and taking in some breath taking scenery. we were roundly welcomed at the 2nd village where the accommodation was a little more primitive in the headman's house. We all managed to clean up in the local river! It was all a wonderful experience and highly recommended
