Until a few weeks ago, this village hadn’t seen tourists in 10 years,” says local guide Viktor, as we tread across a stilted log platform in Yuan Yufri, a secluded village in the Asmat region of West Papua. “The only way to get here is by boat. There are no roads. But we’re happy to see tourists coming again.”
West Papua is the western half of New Guinea, belonging to Indonesia. To reach this remote corner, it took two flights from Jakarta, two full days sailing the Arafura Sea and a final boat ride through jungle waterways. Boutique cruise line Aqua Expeditions began offering occasional sailings in October 2025, bringing guests aboard the Aqua Blu, a sleek yacht with 15 suites that travelled 320 nautical miles from Kaimana without passing another ship.
The region has a notorious history: in the early 1960s, Michael Rockefeller, son of the New York governor, disappeared while exploring Asmat territory in search of wood carvings. While Dutch authorities said he drowned, author Carl Hoffman later theorised he was attacked and eaten as revenge against colonial conflict; the Asmat tribe were once known for cannibalistic practices.
Today, the Asmat welcome visitors with ceremonies. Members paddled canoes singing in a synchronised welcome, while others lined the riverbank. Village chief Sylvester wore ceremonial dress with etchings of black and white chalk from burnt sago and crushed shells, and skirts made from sago leaves. The Asmat are renowned for intricate wood carvings; wood is considered sacred, and legend says the Asmat were born from wood carvings that sprang to life.
In the jeu house, the community hub, we saw tifa drums carved from single pieces of softwood, necklaces with boars’ teeth, headdresses from cassowary feathers and noken bags woven from palm leaves, a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Preserving these crafts is a main goal of small-scale tourism; income from visitors is spread evenly among the tribe. Aqua Expeditions also provides books, school equipment and sports gear.
The following day, we sailed to Biwar Laut for a spirit mask ceremony, one of the most important Asmat rituals. Selected tribe members wore full-body rattan masks representing ancestral spirits, as the crowd sang and danced to a drumbeat, commemorating the passage of the deceased.
