About Carstensz

Exotic. Enchanting. Challenging.
Puncak Jaya was named “Carstensz Pyramid” after a Dutch explorer Jan Carstenszoon was the first European who saw the glaciers on the peak of the mountain in 1623. The peak was known as Nemangkawi in Amungkal, a local language, or Puncak Jaya in Bahasa Indonesia. Carstenszoon’s finding was unverified for over two centuries. He was ridiculed in Europe when he said he had seen snow near the equator. Another Dutch explorer, Hendrik Albert Lorentz, eventually reached the snowfield of Puncak Jaya in 1909.

Few decades later, over hundred expeditions have been organised to reach this one of 7 summits in the world that well known as Carstensz Pyramid.

Carstensz Pyramid altitude is 4,884m / 16,000 feet. But the altitude is not what makes Puncak Jaya difficult in all honesty. That comes down to both how remote the location is, the cost and most importantly, how technical the climb is. Base camp is located at 4250m, so the Summit Attempt doesn’t cover that much altitude gain, although at nearly 5000m, oxygen isn’t in abundance and things are a little slower.

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