Lake Tigi

Lake Tigi is a large natural freshwater highland lake located in Tigi District, Deiyai Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia. Part of the Paniai Lakes system alongside Lakes Paniai and Tage, it lies at approximately 1,640 meters above sea level surrounded by hills and traditional Mee villages. The lake is notable for its scenic highland setting, clear waters, and cultural importance to local communities.

Visitors can expect a scenic highland lake surrounded by rolling hills, grasslands and small traditional villages. The shoreline offers views of calm freshwater waters used for fishing and small wooden boat transport. Areas around the lake include simple settlements, gardens and viewpoints for photography. The environment is quiet and rural with opportunities for sightseeing, boating on traditional canoes, and observing local daily life and fishing activities.

Lake Tigi is part of the Paniai Lakes discovered and documented during Dutch exploration of the New Guinea highlands in the 1930s. The lakes region has long been inhabited by the Mee people and later became an administrative center with the formation of Paniai and subsequently Deiyai Regency.

The lake holds cultural significance for the Mee (Ekari) people who inhabit the surrounding highlands. It supports traditional fishing, transportation by wooden canoe, and settlement patterns, and remains central to local livelihoods and community life around Tigi District.