Mount Trikora, Snow Mountains, West Papua, Indonesia 2-17 July 2007

Abstract

The central mountains of New Guinea are up there among the world’s highest – at just over 4,750m, Mount Trikora (or Mt. Pirgin to those who still know the local name) is the second highest peak in New Guinea after Puncak Jaya (5040m).

Puncak Jaya lies some way to the west, and visiting it would require a charter flight and/or a much longer hike. One advantage of visiting this more remote peak, however, would be the chance to see some of the remaining glaciers on New Guinea, fast melting but still extant, unlike the glacier on Trikora but disappeared sometime in the mid-1900s.

The logistics of travelling in this part of the world are described and the birds seen in a recent 2-week trip to the area are reported.