THE BALIEM VALLEY: the valley was discovered by a wealthy American explorer during his botanical and zoological expeditions. In 1938, who first reposed that this 1,600 meter-high valley appeared to be inhabited by a lost civilization. When the cloud cleared, the expedition members be held a vast, beautifully tended garden of checker-board squares with neat stone fences, clean-cut networks of canals, and meticulously terraced mountain slopes, (read of this discovery In the March 1941 issue of "National Geography'). The grand valley of the Baliem received worldwide publicity in 1945 when a sightseeing plane out of wartime Hollandia crashed and its survivors had to be rescued in a daring glider operation.

An American nurse in this group called the valley a shang-rila. The first outsiders to settle here were missionaries landing by a float plane on the Baliem river in 1954. The Dutch established a settlement at Wamena. In 1956, bringing in school teachers, new breeds of livestock, modern clothing and metal tools. Wamena continued under their control until Indonesia Wrested West New Guinea from Holland in 1962.

The Grand valley is 72 km long by 16-32 km wide, has magnificent scenery and unlimited tourist potential. It Is inhabited by tribes of Neolithic ex-warrior farmers, the DANI's. The Baliem River runs like a snake through a valley of stony river beds, jungle ravines, "Kampung" of Honnai (the round houses), plots of green cultivated fields, and stone walls. The Dani are today some of the most skilled and meticulous gardeners in the world. The temperature is mild and In the rainfall moderate (through highly variable). If it's raining In the southern part of the valley. It might be sunny in the north, or vice versa, September through October is the season of high winds, usually rising in the afternoon. It is frequently cloudy except In the early morning when all the surrounding mountains are in clear view.