Lorentz National Park, the Tourist Attractions in Papua

Lorentz National Park is located in the province of Papua, Indonesian. With an area of 25,056 km², the Park is the largest protected area in the Asia-Pacific region. it represents the most complete ecosystem for biodiversity in either Southeast Asia or the Pacific. It is also one of only three tropical areas in the world that has a glacier. Stretching from snow-covered peaks down to coastal waters and mangrove forest and bordering upon the Arafura Sea, this astonishing ecological spectrum ranges from alpine to lowland and wetland vegetation areas.

Puncak Jaya at the north-western edge of the Lorentz National Park.
Source: wikipedia.org

The park contains Puncak Jaya (Carstensz Pyramid), which at 4,884 metres is the tallest mountain between the Himalayas and the Andes. Puncak Jaya is surrounded by equatorial glaciers, which are rapidly retreating due to the effects of global warming. Lorentz National Park also has other unique features such as a river that disappears under the ground for several kilometres in the Baliem valley.

The forests of Lorentz encompass the traditional lands of eight indigenous ethnic groups, including the Asmat, Amungme, Dani, Sempan, and Nduga. The park contains many unmapped and unexplored areas, and is certain to contain many species of plants and animals as yet unknown to Western science.

There are 34 vegetation types that make up the forest area of the Park, including swamp forest, riparian forest, sago forest, peat forest, coastal forest, coral reef, slope/flat land rain forest, hillside rain forest, montane forest, grassy plains, and moss-covered areas. Among the species of plant that grow in this Park are Podocarpus pilgeri, Rhizophora apiculata, Pandanus julianettii, Nauclea coadunata, Nypa fruticans, and  Colocasia esculenta.

The Southern Crowned Pigeon found in Lorentz.
 Source: wikipedia.org

The Park have over 630 species of bird (around 70% of the total number of bird species in Papua) and 123 species of mammal. Birds include two species of cassowary, 31 species of cockatoo, 31 pigeon and dove species, 29 species of sunbird and 13 species of kingfisher. Six bird species are endemic to the Snow Mountains including the Snow Mountain Robin and Snow Mountain Quail, 26 species are endemic to the Central Papuan Ranges while three are endemic to the South Papuan Lowlands. Threatened species include the Pesquet's Parrot, Southern Crowned Pigeon, Macgregor's Giant Honeyeater, Southern Cassowary and Salvadori's Teal.

The mammal species include the Short-beaked echidna, Long-beaked echidna, and four species of cuscus as well as wildcats, wallabies and tree-kangaroos. Endemic to the Sudirman Range is the Dingiso, a tree kangaroo species only discovered in 1995.

The best time to visit the park is on August to December. Tourist can do cultural tourism, animal observation and mountain climbing.

How to go to the park?

From Timika, to the northern part of the Park by the local air service and to the southern part of the Park by sea from the Sawa Erma Port, then follow the trails to various locations.