The word Asmat refers both to a people and to the region they inhabit. The western half of the region falls inside Lorentz National Park, the largest protected area in the Asia-Pacific and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that runs from equatorial glaciers on Puncak Trikora down to coastal mangroves on the Arafura Sea. About 70,000 Asmat people live across the region. Their woodcarving tradition is one of the most celebrated in the Pacific; their ceremonial culture is still practiced despite a century of pressure from missionaries, colonial administrators, and Indonesian integration. Asmat is divided, in traditional reckoning, into about twelve sub-areas: Joerat, Emari Ducur, Unir Siran, Unir Epmak, Bras, Bismam, Simai, Kenakap, Aramatak, Yupmakcain, Becumbub, and Safan. The main town is Agats.

The easiest way in is through Timika, the mining town on the south coast roughly 200 kilometers to the west. Semi-regular flights and ships move between Timika and Agats, landing at Ewer Airport or docking at the town's elevated port. Flight schedules respond to weather and demand rather than to the tidy timetables that tourists from elsewhere might expect. A boat might run every few days. A flight might cancel when the clouds close in. Plan loosely. Carry more patience than money; you will need both.

Once you are here, dugout canoes with small outboard motors are how everything happens. Villages connect by water. Supplies arrive by water. Visitors travel by water. Fuel costs have risen significantly in the last decade, which makes every trip a real expense for communities whose cash economy is limited. Walking between villages is essentially impossible. The ground does not allow it. Accept the rhythm of the rivers, which is the rhythm of the whole region. Mornings bring light and calm water. Afternoons bring storms and chop. The canoe driver will know when to go.

The reason to make this trip is cultural and natural in equal measure. Village life is conducted largely outdoors, around ceremonial houses on stilts, with woodcarvers still producing work that outsiders collect and insiders use. Ceremonies continue, though visitors should approach them with permission and genuine invitation. The birdlife across Asmat forests is among the most diverse in the world. Multiple species of birds of paradise, parrots, lorikeets, and hornbills inhabit the canopy. Birdwatching here is difficult in the physical sense, wet, humid, sometimes muddy, often delayed by weather, and extremely rewarding for anyone who accepts that kind of deal. The forests feel untouched because in many senses they are.

Locals speak Indonesian and Papuan Malay, alongside Asmat and related indigenous languages. Food is built around sago, the starch from palm pith that forms the base of regional dishes like papeda and sago bread. Crocodiles inhabit the rivers; mosquitoes inhabit everything. Drink only bottled water or properly treated water; the rivers carry heavy sediment and, near settlements, significant contamination. Alcohol is restricted regionally and should not be brought in. The local government operates a public hospital in Agats, but serious medical emergencies require evacuation to Timika or beyond. This is remote country. Prepare accordingly, travel respectfully, and leave the place you visited cleaner than you found it.