Carstensz Pyramid

The highest mountain in Oceania • 4,884 meters • Indonesia

The highest peak in Oceania is the Carstensz Pyramid, also known as Puncak Jaya, at 4,884 meters, in the Papua region of Indonesia. Although it is in a tropical region, it is sufficiently high that there can be low temperatures and snow near the summit. Accordingly, the change in temperature during a climb is quite extreme. 

The mountaineering challenge of the ‘Seven Summits’ – reaching the peak of the tallest mountains on each continent – is widely recognized. There are actually two lists, depending on whether Oceania or Australasia is considered the seventh continent. The first mountaineer to be considered as having completed the Seven Summits is Richard Bass, who climbed Mount Kosciuszko in Australia. Reinhold Messer summited Carstensz Pyramid as his seventh summit, although also climbed Mount Kosciuszko for good measure. Accordingly there are two lists – the Bass List and the Messner List.

The Papua province is half of a large island, shared with the neighbouring country of Papua New Guinea. My flight was to the city of Timika, which lies to the south of the mountain range.

When I arrived on the island in March 2025, a tragic event intervened. Some local climbers became stuck near the summit. There was a rescue attempt, but two of them died. Accordingly all climbs were cancelled for a week. I only had a short period of leave from work, so I decided to abandon the summit attempt on that trip, and to return in August. For the second attempt, after a helicopter flight from Timika to the base camp – which takes you over one of the largest open cast gold mines in the world: a remarkable sight – we arrived at base camp. It is possible to cover the distance by hiking, but this is a route through a tropical forest in which rebel forces had been active, so it was not considered safe.

My companion and guide was Lakpa Tashi, with whom I had climbed Ama Dablam in 2020. The upper sections and the peak of Carstensz Pyramid are very rocky, with many jagged points and sheer drops. Climbing a technically difficult mountain of below 5,000 meters is a very different experience to a Himalayan peak where many days or weeks of acclimatization are required. It is fast, physical and exhilarating – Tashi and I reached the summit and returned to base camp in just six hours, in perfect dry and sunny weather. It was tremendously satisfying for me to reach the peak – my fifth of the Seven Summits.