Map of Asmat (IST)
Jayapura, 28/12 (Jubi) – Join Dennis Keser and Phyllis Hischier, a renowned expert on the Asmat culture, as we cruise into the jungles of West Papua, Indonesia, and visit the Asmat people in West Papua. May 15 to 30, 2015. Our 2014 cruise is completely sold out with a waiting list.
The Asmat number approximately 65,000 people and occupy a swampy area about the size of Belgium in West Papua, a province that along with Papua makes up the western half of the island of New Guinea. New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world after Greenland. The island has just 0.01 percent of the world’s population yet contains 15 percent of all known languages. More than 250 different languages are spoken in West Papua, with at least an equal number of dialects. A vital tropical rainforest with vast biodiversity, the ecosystem is home to countless flora and fauna, including many species yet to be discovered. It is said that in each acre of jungle a botanist could possibly discover thousands of distinct species of plant life. Even today, new tribes continue to be discovered in West Papua. With its many hidden valleys and rugged and inaccessible terrain, much of the interior remains uncharted territory.
