Despite having the lowest elevation among the “Seven Summits,” the Puncak Jaya climb has one of the highest technical rating. This is a climb for seasoned mountaineers and peak-bagging enthusiasts. Getting to the base camp by helicopter can save you around 4-5 days of trekking through dense forests and incessant rains. Even after that the standard route to climb is up the north face and along the summit ridge, which is an all rock surface.



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.

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.