Elevation	4,760 m (15,617 ft); Prominence: 2,760 m
Province	Papua
Ribu Category	Sangat Tinggi
Also known as…	Mount Juliana
Links	Wikipedia English

Photos

coming soon…

Bagging It!

Puncak Mandala is the highest peak in the Star Mountains and had an ice cap until very recently. Apparently, the usual trek to the peak begins in the village of Bime to the north of the mountain and follows hunting trails up a reasonably gentle incline. The first expedition to the summit on the route was made by a Dutch group in 1953. However, the approach sounds very difficult indeed – one Australian expedition failed to reach the mountain on this route in 1996.

The approach from the south (via the South Face) is a lot more difficult in technical terms – it has only been successfully climbed from the south on one occasion in 1990 by Bruce Parry and Mark Anstice. It sounds very much like a route only suitable for experienced rock climbers. Ricky Munday is leading a party to attempt a second ascent via this route in December 2010. It will involve flying into Sumtamon and then trekking in for a week to the Eilanden River. After that they will rely on information provided by Mark Anstice and follow hunting trails used by men from the village of Tabasyk and onwards up the southern cliffs. Good luck Mr Munday!