Papua Shopping and Districts

(Papua, Indonesia)

Indonesia shopping can be a real highlight of any holiday in Papua and there are plenty of souvenirs to tempt tourists to spend their holiday money. Popular gift ideas include hand-woven fabrics, 'batik' wax-dyed cloth and wooden carvings.

The Dani people of Papua are true craftsmen and souvenir shopping is in good supply in the villages and resort towns of the Baliem Valley. Here you will find an array of Indonesian handicrafts, ranging from stone axe blades (kapaks) and woven rattan bracelets (sekan), to string bags (noken), feathery head decorations (suale) and tropical grass skirts (jogal / thali).

Where to Shop

In particular, the town of Wamena is known for its lively markets and street vendors, who happily welcome haggling and bargaining. Shopping opportunities are plentiful in Wamena, where Papua souvenirs include Asmat wood carvings, shields, necklaces of cowrie shells and bone (mikak) and even penis gourds, which are unbelievably popular and held in place with a loop of thread around either the waist or chest.

In Central Papua and on the island of Biak (Pulau Biak), the seaside resort town of Kota Biak is a good place for an afternoon's holiday shopping, with no less than two lively markets. The Pasar Lama Market is based on the Jalan Selat Makassar and sells batik sarongs, Baliem and Asmat carvings, and souvenirs made from shells. Nearby and on the Jalan Erlangga, Kota Biak's Pasar Inpres Market is close to the bus terminal and ideal for those shopping for food and clothing.

In Eastern Papua, shopping is at its best in Jayapura, Merauke and Sentani. Where fair-trade handicrafts are sold in some shops in Jayapura, a percentage of the profits are fed back to the local communities of craftsmen.