Aventura «2» in the jungle. Mamberamo Expedition

At a time where adventure seems impossible, where the world has slowed down, the most unexplored places on the planet remain virtually unexplored. In this special month of sustainability, we wanted to remember and review the most surprising moments of the Mamberamo Expedition, in which nature is the protagonist.

Diego Cortijo, a member of the Spanish Geographical Society (SECFT) traveled to Indonesia accompanied by TwoNav’s Aventura 2 GPS, to remote Papua, trying to collect information from one of the most unknown places on the planet, the Mamberamo River. The expedition was a success and we thank both Diego and his team formed by Tatiana Pankratof and Olmo Romero for their fantastic work.

“TwoNav‘s Spanish technology has allowed me to embed images, old maps, orthophotos… in the device, since the area to be explored in my last expedition to Papua, was totally unknown, with very poor cartography.

I handle equipment very rough and I need something sturdy, agile and above all, with a simple interface, that’s what made the difference with TwoNav. I loved the simple interface and design of Aventura 2. Diego Cortijo”

The team’s exploration area was planned from Spain. After his eight expeditions to the Peruvian Amazon, Diego Cortijo opted to enter another jungle to explore those lands near the sacred Foja Mountains. A challenge.

The complete travel notebook can be found on the website of the Spanish Geographical Society. In this article we will highlight several moments of the Mamberamo Expedition in which the team gave us several impressive images, among them, those that prove that our GPS Aventura 2 is perfect for this type of expedition.

The days after preparing for the trip, the team was not short of small brakes that were encountered during their journey to the Mamberamo River. From rodents, insects and humidity to an unexpected increase in the rental price of the 4 × 4 that would take them into the jungle and that they had previously agreed to. They also had to be careful with the dreaded crocodiles, the river’s own flow or the huge bats that came out at dusk. However, in several interviews with the team, they agreed that what really frightened them was being associated with the Free West Papua independence movement.

According to Diego, when they reached the border with Papua New Guinea, in the town of Mosso, they received something that pleasantly surprised them: the hospitality of the villagers. There was no tourism, no interest of any kind, only the goodwill of the inhabitants of that inhospitable place. It was here that the team stopped for a few days to continue doing the relevant Covid tests, and to get supplies to continue with the expedition.

During their journey, the team toured the river by boat, traversed the thick Papuan jungle, and collected information from several isolated tribes in the area. It was quite a fit, similar to puzzles, to put together the collected information.

Diego pointed out for an interview in «El Confidencial» that “People have to be made aware of the dangers involved in entering the territory of isolated communities. It requires a very respectful process, always guided by local people and keeping a great distance. Not only for our own safety, but because we can transmit serious diseases to them. “

Diego and his team achieved their objectives, they sent us the map thanks to our LAND software, although due to the privacy of some areas it is not possible to show the waypoints since there is sensitive community data.

Once again, invite you to know the entire expedition and to see the incredible images in the Gallery on the SGE website.

For more information about our GPS Aventura 2, follow this link.