Korowai Tree House, West Papua, Indonesia

This unusual tropical house on the crown of the tree is located in the West Papua (former West Irian Jaya province) province of Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is said that extremes are dangerous and you should choose the golden mean. But it's all the same to me! I like this extreme tree house. And if you get up with your wrong foot foremost, be careful, you may put your neck into the noose. After all, you are higher and higher above the ground!

An unusualness of this house is not just that it is nestled in a tree, or rather in its branches, but the fact that this dwelling is perched on the tip top of the tree, where you can get up using the ladder. I am sure that all sorts of insects and mosquitoes will not let you to have a good rest, although the nature is so lovely and fabulous that will make you forget about any discomfort.

But this house built not for rest time or holiday recreation: this is a home for permanent residence. There are many tree houses like this in the south-east part of West Papua. These houses are made by New Guinea Korowai tribe and are homes for them. By building such high (nearly 40 meters) houses the Korowai people protect themselves and food from the wild animals and their lives from the more dangerous enemy – the neighboring head-hunter Citak tribe.

By Lilit Khalatyan, www.building.am

Photos: www.georgesteinmetz.com