Puncak Jaya (Carstensz Pyramid)

4,884 m (16,024 ft)

The climb to the top of Indonesia’s Carstensz Pyramid will take around a week, depending on where you plan on starting the trek.

There are two options to get to ascend the summit. The first is to reach the base camp by helicopter and climb to the summit, and the second is to trek all the way, including the trek up to the base camp through dense jungles. The first option allows mountaineers to complete the summit in 3-4 days, the second option takes an additional 4-5 days to trek to basecamp from Sugapa.

Despite having the lowest elevation among the “Seven Summits,” the Puncak Jaya climb has one of the highest technical ratings. This is a climb for seasoned mountaineers and peak-bagging enthusiasts.

The climbing terrain is composed of 4 distinct sections, the first of which only needs to be negotiated if you are hiking up from the base of the mountain instead of taking a helicopter directly to the base camp.

Getting to the base camp by helicopter can save you around 4-5 days of trekking through dense rainforests, jungle, swamps and incessant rains. Even after that, the standard climbing route is up the north face and along the summit ridge, which is an all-rock surface.

There are also 3 more challenging summit routes for advanced climbers:

The Harrer Route (the ‘normal’ route) has a UIAA difficulty rating of 3 to 4, the East Ridge Trail which has a more challenging and lengthy ascent on some narrow areas and loose rocky areas, or The American Route (also called ‘The Direct Route’) offers the most challenging climbing experience by going straight up to the summit via the Carstensz headwall.

The climate in this region is fairly consistent, making the climb up Puncak Jaya possible all year round. During the day, temperatures range from 12˚C to 37˚C (53.6 ˚F to 98.6 ˚F) in the upper alpine areas, whilst nighttime temperatures drop as low as -8˚C (17.6 ˚F). There’s a little bit of rainfall most days, and you may even experience a little snowfall!

You’ll need advanced technical climbing equipment for this climb, your camping gear, as well as clothing for all weather.

There are no trail facilities, but you will find food and potable water at the trailhead, and only portable water along the trail at the summit base camp.

Both guides and porters are required and necessary. Make sure to book head.

You’ll most likely need to fly first to Nabire Airport on the north coast of Irian Jaya / West Papua, and from there you can take a local flight to Timika to the South of Puncak Jaya.

If you’ve decided to take the helicopter trail, now is when you’ll be taking your chopper to Lake Valley Base Camp. If you plan on starting from the rainforests, you’ll have to take another flight to Sugapa from Timika. The starting point of your trek is a quick motorbike ride from the Sugapa Airport.

It’s always advised to avoid the first few days hiking through the dense forests as it has been reported that local tribes and paramilitary tend to extort tour guides for thousands of dollars and tourists have even been beaten and kidnapped over the years. When attempting the rest of the hike, you’ll need to also keep in mind how technical of a climb this is.

Irian Jaya, also named West Papua, also has an ongoing independence movement. So, It’s best to avoid talking politics, not that there will be many people to chat with up the mountain.