Facts
| Elevation: | 3,027 m (9,931 ft) | Prominence: | 3,027 m |
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| Ribu category: |  Sangat Tinggi |
Province: | Maluku (Moluccas) |
| Google Earth: | kml | Other names: | Binaia |
| Rating: |  (Bagged it? Be the first to rate it)
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Photos
 The view from Gunung Binaiya (Taufan, 2009)
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 On Gunung Binaiya (Taufan, 2009)
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Bagging It!
This rarely-climbed Ribu is the highest peak on the island of Seram and is part of the Manusuela National Park. Fly from Jakarta to Ambon and take a boat to Seram. The trail starts at only a few metres above sea level so it is quite an undertaking. You will need guides and at least a week camping in the mountains. There is a route from the north and a route from the south, but both are via the villages of Maraina and Kanikeh:
Route from the north: Soulunu – Mangga Dua – Yahe – Piliana – Camp 1 (1,280m) – Air Merah – Camp 2 – Puncaqk Ina Putih (2,280m) – Maraina – Selumena – Kanikeh – Way Huhu – Way Puku – Biniaya Summit (3,027m)
Route from the south: Moso – Liang Amarawele – Way Kapakasitamu – Puncak Nasalala- Manusela – Maraina – Selumena – Kanikeh – Way Huhu – Way Puku – Biniaya Summit (3,027m)
There is a second lesser peak (3,019m) further on from Way Puku.
idGuides are planning a north-south island traverse expedition (including the peak) for August, see…
http://www.idguides.org/programmes-expeditions.html#2010-seram-north-to-south
At November 2009, my team climbed Binaiya mountain. We took North routes from Huahulu Halte – Huahulu Village – Roho Village – Kanikeh – Waiwuhu – Waifuku – Binaiya Summit. We record gps track and waypoint of this expedition using Garmin 60csx. If you need gps record, you can contact me fedi.ydf at gmail.com
I made a trip to Binaiya in January 2012 along the following route.
Day 1, Huaulu (126m) – Roho (82m, 3 hours).
D2, Roho – Kanikeh (595m, 7hrs).
D3, Kanikeh – Way Huhu campsite (2105m, 6hrs).
D4, Way Huhu – summit (2997m, 2hrs30), summit – Way Huhu (2hrs), Way Huhu – Kanikeh (5hrs30).
D5, Kanikeh – Roho (7hrs).
D6, Roho – Huaulu (3hrs).
From the top, there are good views of the coast to north and south. Reportedly Gunung Salahutu in Ambon is also visible; there are certainly lots of mountains to east and west, but the coastline was hard to make out in the haze.
Before anyone dashes off to Binaiya, this trek has several notable drawbacks.
First, the peak you reach (2997m by my GPS) is not the true summit! The true summit stands in plain sight a kilometer or so to the west across a deep valley. According to my porter nobody ever goes there and there is no trail, although there are at least two ridges that look like potential routes up.
Second, the mountain section of the hike is very strenuous, with 2400m of ascent and descent in just two days, on steep, rough jungle trails. You can spread this over three days by staying an extra night at Way Puku (2968m), a spacious campsite with a small tarn. But for us, having had the sky dumped on us at Way Huhu, the prospect of having the sky dumped on us again at Way Puku held no appeal, forcing a swift return to Kanikeh.
Third, the approach hike from Huaulu to Kanikeh is no walk in the park, more a walk in the swamp, with stinging, scratching plants that might cause your wrists or ankles to swell. (The four day southern approach to Kanikeh, from Mosso via Maraina, Manusela, and Selumena, is reportedly even tougher.)
Fourth, you seemingly cannot arrange everything in advance; according to “local rules” you must negotiate for porters and accommodation in each new village. Porters at Rp200,000 per day are excellent value, but “bed and board” at Rp150,000, actually a bed of boards plus sweet tea and fried bananas, is not. Additionally Mr. Hendra, the village chief in Kanikeh, will demand an exorbitant “visitor’s book fee” for climbing the mountain, as well as pryimg into your gear for desirable “gifts”.
Fifth, apart from the aforementioned fried bananas, you cannot get food in the villages. You must take in food for you for your entire trek, plus food for your porter during the two or three days camping section.
Sixth, Seram is a wet island, with 3500m of rain a year in Masohi and probably much more in the interior. We had three days of heavy downpours and two days of absolutely torrential rain that seeped into plastic bags inside other plastic bags inside a rucksack inside a rain cover. Such conditions can also make fords perilous or impossible, forcing you to suspend your journey.
Separately, but relevantly, several hundred thousand rupiah, which I was unable to recover, was stolen from my wallet by the boatman during a boat trip off Sawai on Seram’s north coast.
Seram generally is a segregated island with Muslims and Christians living in separate villages.
If, knowing all this, you still want to do a Binaiya trek, Huaulu is accessible by ojek, 42km west from Wahai and then 5km up a gravel track. Take a good medical kit too!
John how much is the guest book fee? I read many diaries and look like he ask every month more and more.
Did you pay anything as a permit fee to enter in the manusela park?
I was asked for Rp500,000 in Kanikeh as the guest book fee, which I bargained down to Rp100,000 personal gift plus Rp100,000 for a village adat ceremony. I advise you fix all fees on arrival in Kanikeh and write them down on paper to avoid additional requests later.
I did not have a park permit and did not meet anyone who requested or mentioned one; I went by ojek straight from Sawai to Huaulu, where I recruited the first porter.
Do you know any realiable guides I can contact ? ( I know you mentioned ‘according to local rules’ you can’t arrange in advance )….also once you arrived at Ambon airport, how to go to Seram and how long ? Many thanks in advance. Cheers
I don’t know any guides you can contact. My guides all lived in villages with no mobile phone network and were assigned to me by village chiefs.
From Ambon to Seram I used the Tulehu to Amahai jetboat which leaves twice a day and takes about two hours to cross. From Kota Ambon (Mardika terminal) to Tulehu by bemo takes an hour or so; direct from the airport to Tulehu would be about the same, but you would probably have to change bemo. (There are other boats which are reportedly slower.)
From Amahai I took an ojek to Masohi (20 minutes) and then a share taxi to Sawai (about five hours and Rp700,000 per vehicle). There are also buses from Masohi to Wahai at least once a day, which could drop you off directly at the turning to Huaulu, but you might have trouble finding an ojek there for the ride in.
Thanks…this very useful..!