15 Jul. 2014 – Carstensz Pyramid or Puncak Jaya at 4,884m is one of the 'Seven Summits'.

This name alone evokes adventure for every great mountaineer eager to conquer the seven highest peaks of the seven continents: Africa, Asia, America, Europe, Oceania, Antarctica, and the Arctic.

During a naval reconnaissance mission in southern Papua in February 1623, Dutch explorer Jan Carstensz was intrigued by these towering mountains, where an endless white mantle seemed to shimmer. An expedition of several hundred men was quickly assembled to attempt a crossing through the impenetrable jungle and scale this immense barrier of the Jayawijaya Mountains. After considerable effort, the expedition reached the summit, and the discovery of numerous high-altitude glaciers proved to be an enormous surprise at these latitudes. He gave his name to the highest barrier: Carstensz Pyramid.

Carstensz faded into oblivion for three centuries before American geologists uncovered a genuine mineral treasure composed of copper and, most significantly, gold. Tembagapura (the temple of copper) was born. This open-pit mine became one of the planet's most important. Yet Tembagapura is also a fabulous basaltic plateau within Lorentz National Park, stretching from the Arafura Sea to the foot of Puncak, where a century ago glaciers covered a mountain chain spanning 1,500 km.

Climate change could transform everything within the next decade or so. Glaciers like Nagga Pulu, the Meren tongue, and Carstensz are retreating rapidly. Between 1936 and 2010, at least 78% of the ice has vanished. Who is responsible? The Grasberg mine is mentioned, but the climatic phenomenon 'El Niño' appears to bear greater responsibility.

Kal Muller, an anthropologist overseeing the ecological situation of Tembagapura, and Lonnie Thompson, a professor at Ohio University, both warn that the glacier's disappearance is merely a matter of time and a troubling signal for future local generations.

If you are a devotee of sporting feats, extreme adventure, or simply wish to glimpse Oceania's highest glacier, there is still time to prepare your expedition and set forth to measure yourself against this nature—beautiful, irreplaceable, yet profoundly challenging—that is Carstensz.

Based on the text by Thierry Robinet, adventurer & English-speaking guide in Indonésie since 1977. Charlène Nomadays – Original SEO writer and now content manager and head of communications at Nomadays, Charlène has accompanied the adventure from its inception with passion and loyalty. After seven years living across Asia—from China to Thailand, passing through Mongolia and South Korea—she has made travel a way of being in the world. A lover of words, nature, and human connection, she strives to convey in her writing a sensitive, committed, and responsible vision of tourism. For her, each article is a bridge between curiosity, respect, and wonder.