Indonesia has more than 1,100 ethnic groups throughout its territory. Because travel is also about encounters, we invite you to meet four isolated ethnic minorities with unexpected ancestral traditions. From Papua to Borneo via Sumatra, we take you to discover the daily life of indigenous tribes with whom you will live experiences that you will not soon forget!

Meeting the Dani in Papua

A true land of adventure with wild spaces and untouched nature, Papua is the ideal place to meet indigenous Indonesians with ancestral and tribal traditions. Generally called the Papuans, there are several ethnic groups such as the Dani, the Lani, the Asmat or the Korowai. Here, we invite you to discover one of them: the Dani. Living in the highlands of Papua, the Dani can be found around the famous Baliem valley. It is through long hikes that we can discover the most remote villages of the Dani who live mainly from agriculture. While staying with the Dani, you can participate in one of their celebrations: the pig festival and the war dance.

Meeting the Korowai in Papua

Still in Papua, this time we invite you to meet the Korowai who live in the lowlands in the southern part of Indonesian New Guinea. The Korowai are people discovered barely 40 years ago. Living in small groups, they are nomads who move around every three years and who are known to build their houses in trees at an average height of 10 to 15 m. During an immersion among these people from another time, you will be able to understand their way of life by learning their own survival techniques. Building houses and shelters, making hunting and fishing tools, gathering and making sago flour... These are all activities that await you during a survival stay with the Korowai!

Meeting the Mentawai in Siberut

Head to the large island of Siberut on the Mentawai archipelago (west of Sumatra) to discover those we call the flower men. The Mentawai are an animist people who worship nature by feeding on the riches of the forest and healing themselves through shamanic rituals. They are recognizable by the red hibiscus flowers that they wear in their hair and by their bodies covered with tattoos which, according to their beliefs, help preserve their soul and prevent it from detaching from the body. The Mentawai live in collective houses on stilts called 'uma' and live mainly from hunting and fishing. Going to meet them means treating yourself to a special moment in the great outdoors where you can learn how to make traditional loincloths called “kabit”, prepare poison for their poisoned arrows, fish in the river with the women of the clan… lucky ones might even be able to attend shamanic ceremonies!

Meet the Mentawai with our Sumatra tour: immersion among the flower men of Siberut

Meeting the Dayak in Borneo

It is now on the island of Borneo that we invite you to meet the Dayak. An emblematic indigenous people of Borneo, the Dayak are one of the best-known ethnic groups in Indonesia. FYI, the word “Dayak” is a term invented by the Dutch to designate all non-Muslim and indigenous people living inland from Borneo. Among them, we find the Iban or “Dayaks of the sea” as well as the Bidayuh or “Dayaks of the land”. These native tribes originating from Indonesian Kalimantan are renowned as ancient headhunting warriors. Although they have been converted to Christianity, these people still practice their animist beliefs by celebrating harvests, the dead, the hornbill, and practicing traditional war dances...