We are always delighted to secure scarce space at some of Papua New Guinea's most renowned wilderness lodges at a time that coincides with the famous Goroka Show (a highlight of our Papua New Guinea tour) a thrilling traditional costume and dance competitions where you will witness a huge diversity of cultural groups from all regions of the country in all their traditional finery, singing and dancing to the beat of Kundu drums.
Papua New Guinea is, in the truest sense, the last frontier on earth. The first explorers to the country only arrived a little over a hundred years ago, and then, only hovered on the fringe; the vast expanses of thick jungle and razor sharp mountains proved too daunting for even the most intrepid explorer.
The rich wealth of flora and fauna will thrill the nature lover, while the strong and vibrant culture that dominates every day life in Papua New Guinea will fascinate the most seasoned traveller.
If Papua New Guinea is on your "to do" list, this is the trip for you!
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Day 1 Arrival in Port Moresby
Welcome to Papua New Guinea!
Port Moresby is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The city is on the shores of the Gulf of Papua. Its population is around 300,000 and growing quickly. The indigenous people of the area are the Motu-Koitabu. Moresby, as it is commonly known, got its name from Captain John Moresby who arrived in 1873 as the first European visitor.
Due to our early flight tomorrow, we choose to spend tonight at an airport area hotel.
Overnight in Port Moresby.
Included Meal(s): Dinner
Day 2 Port Moresby - Fly to Goroka
This morning we fly to Goroka.*
Goroka, a small outpost station in the 1950's, has developed into an attractive town with modern facilities and relaxed atmosphere. It is a major Highlands commercial centre of 25,000 people and, with an altitude of 1600 m (5,280 feet), it has the climate of perpetual spring.
Today's activity is a highlands village experience. A scenic drive from Goroka brings us to Kemase, a rural village. Here the local people farm the land to support themselves with food, and grow cash crops such as coffee and market vegetables to raise income to buy clothing and other needs, and pay school fees for their children. On arrival at the village you will receive a traditional welcome and meet the village people. A small crowd of enthusiastic "guides" will show you around the village, including private homes, the village school, village church, and important village artifacts such as bride price ornaments and traditional money.
You will be taken to the village gardens and shown how yams and other staple vegetables are cultivated. The spiritual connection between the village people and their gardens will be explained to you: the locals believe that people's behaviour affects the growth of the garden crops.
We drive back to Goroka town, having made a gamut of new friends who we will surely bump into again at the Goroka Show tomorrow.
* PLEASE NOTE that, due to an extreme shortage of accommodation during show time, single accommodation may not be possible in Goroka. If we are forced to double-up single travellers (same sex), your single supplement, if chosen, will be pro-rated and reduced.
Overnight in Goroka.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
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Day 3 The Goroka Show
Each year the highland tribes of Papua New Guinea gather in Goroka to celebrate ancestral traditions that are still an integral part of daily life -- known as the 'Sing Sing,' the Pidgin English word for a sing along! The Goroka Cultural Show generally takes place in mid-September and is not put on strictly for the tourists but is a tradition passed down through the centuries from family member to member.
This thrilling song and dance competition will be a highlight of your trip. During the show you will witness a diversity of cultural groups from both the Highlands and the coastal regions of the country gathered here singing and dancing to the beats of their Kundu drums. Witness hundreds of tribespeople as they proudly display their unique dances, chanting and drumming. Bodies decorated with cassowary plumes, kina shells, aromatic leaves, brightly painted faces and elaborate head dresses will surround you. Mingle with the local people during the day's events and take the most incredible photos ever!
Overnight in Goroka.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4 Goroka Continued
We have another full day in Goroka to enjoy the Goroka show.
The tourist grandstand has good views of the performance area and your pass gives you blanket permission to enter the performance area if you wish to take close-up photographs.
The Goroka Show is partly an agricultural show and partly a highlands 'singsing.' Since colonial days the people of the Eastern Highlands have come together once a year to display samples of their best crops and livestock to compete for prizes, and to show off their most colourful and energetic dance traditions. The pride of each tribe is vested in its dancing groups which vie for attention and prominence on the dance ground -- often there are several groups performing at once in different parts of the arena. Sparks fly occasionally on the field as jealousy and competition fuel conflict between tribal groups. At the end of the show, judges award prizes to the best dancing groups: cash awards have now taken the place of pigs and brides.
At some point during our stay in Goroka we'll visit the interesting JK McCarthy Museum.
Overnight in Goroka.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5 Goroka - Fly to Karawari
Fly by charter aircraft to Karawari airstrip over some of the most rugged and impressive landscapes in the world.
The country between Ambua and the Sepik region is an amazing array of jagged limestone that seem to rise and drop at impossible angles. From the airstrip, we will be transferred by river boat to Karawari Lodge. Sitting on a ridge above the Karawari River, Karawari Lodge boasts a spectacular view over hundreds of kilometers of dense tropical jungle. Inspired by local architecture and built with traditional materials, while still providing modern comforts. Located on a ridge overlooking the Karawari River, in the Sepik region is a time-warped mixture of pre-technological and technological architecture -- is the perfect base for some old-fashioned jungle, river and village exploration. You are in the middle of Arambak country -- locals' pole dug-out canoes, the drums throb, the wild birds call, and, traditional village lifestyles continue largely unchanged.
Proceed with lunch then follow by an afternoon visit to Kundiman village for sago making demonstration. Sago is the Staple food for the river people.
Overnight Karawari Lodge.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6 Karawari & Sepik Region
Today we have a day excursion along the jungle-fringed waterways of the Karawari River where boatmen, standing upright, paddle their slender dugout canoes with sculpted silhouettes of crocodile masks. Village life including carved totems, drums, woodcarvings and different expressions of art are also experienced. See bountiful bird life along the rivers and nearby lakes. Excursions will enhance your understanding of traditional village culture in the Sepik region, including a Yimis village to see a fish Sing Sing ritual and a visit to the basket weaving villages of Manjemai and Konmi.
Overnight Karawari Lodge.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7 Karawari - Fly to Tari
Today we fly by charter aircraft to Tari, a thrilling flight past the twin peaks of Mount Giluwe and over the alpine grasslands of the Tari Gap. On arrival we transfer by road to Ambua Lodge located high on the slopes of the Tari Valley.
Ambua Lodge, located at 2100 m (7,000 ft) in the Tari Gap area, borders on pristine mid- montane rainforest and the beginning of the valley grasslands. This location promises the visitor spring-like temperatures and magnificent views of the Tari Valley. The forest canopy, a dense mass of interlocking tree tops of all shades of green and the occasional bright splash of colour, provides a natural setting and an exhilarating climate for venturing along the graded nature trails -- crossing traditional vine bridges, discovering secluded waterfalls. High altitude orchids, gingers, rhododendrons and many more will be highlighted by the guide. Your guide will also point out the ways in which the Huli people utilize the abundant natural resources around them and also the great variety of plants and animals found in the area.
After the nature walk you will take advantage of the birding in the Tari Gap area where one may chance to observe up to 13 species of the birds of paradise. As the birds of paradise display in the late afternoon you may be lucky enough to see the King of Saxony, Stephanie's Astrapia, Ribbontail Astrapia, and the Sicklebill Bird of Paradise.
Overnight at Ambua Lodge.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8 Tari Area
The great Tari Basin and surrounding mountain slopes are the home of the Huli Clans, one of the largest ethnic groups in the Southern Highlands and one of the most culturally intact in all of PNG. The Huli were only discovered in 1935 and were one of the last groups to come under government control. The men take great pride in their appearance, cultivating everlasting daises and collecting bird of paradise feathers to decorate their wigs. They were particularly skilled in warfare and merciless to the opposing clans. Huge inter-connecting trenches (dug by hand with wooden paddle-like spades) were used to delineate clan boundaries, to control the movement of pigs and as secret passageways for warriors during clan fights.
You will meet these proud people and learn much of their traditions and way of life which are still governed by their belief in ancestral spirits and sorcery.
Overnight at Ambua Lodge.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9 Tari - Fly to Mount Hagen - Rondon Ridge
We enjoy an early breakfast before our transfer to the airstrip for departure.
We fly by charter to Mount Hagen; during the flight mountains rise up to startling heights out of the flat lands of the Sepik Basin. Mount Hagen Town is in the upper Wahgi Valley – a valley with some of the oldest evidence of agriculture in the world. Upon arrival we continue by road to Rondon Ridge, located at 2164 m (7,100 ft) above sea level on the outer fringes of the Kubor Range. Our lodge boasts panoramic views of the Wahgi Valley below and provides luxury in a remote and rural setting.
Proceed with lunch then follow by an afternoon guided nature walk around the trails at Rondon Ridge.
Overnight at Rondon Ridge.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 10 Rondon Ridge
Today’s tour will take place in the gorgeous highlands area of Mount Hagen in the fertile Wahgi Valley. The area surrounding the city of Mount Hagen consists of mountain ranges, covered with lush tropical rainforest, rugged limestone bluffs and small valleys dotted with small traditional farming communities.
A comprehensive touring program takes us on a journey through the traditions and customs of the Melpa People.* First contact with the Melpa was made in the mid-1930s when the Leahy brothers were prospecting for gold. The Melpa are said by anthropologists, to be "predisposed to capitalism," because of their complex traditional society in which "big men" earn status by accruing wealth and then giving it all away in ceremonial exchanges.
* Please note that the villages that you will visit are determined close to the tour date as availability is affected by the current affairs in the village (such as deaths or weddings which close down the villages to guests).
Overnight at Rondon Ridge.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 11 Rondon Ridge - Mt Hagen - Port Moresby
Today we fly back to Port Moresby; time-permitting we may be able to take a look around Port Moresby and its botanical garden upon arrival.
Overnight in Port Moresby.
Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
Day 12 Departure
Departure from Port Moresby.
BON VOYAGE!
Included Meal(s): Breakfast
Inclusions
Most meals (at hotels and lodges). Tour Leader services, all transport, twin-share accommodation, sightseeing and entrance fees for sites noted as 'visited' in the detailed itinerary. Gratuities for local guides, drivers, restaurant staff, porters. Airport transfers for land & air customers.
Exclusions
International airfare to/from the tour. Tour Leader gratuity, drinks, personal items (phone, laundry, etc), departure taxes, visa fees, domestic and international air taxes (if applicable). Airport transfers for Land Only customers. Optional trip cancellation insurance. Our post-reservation trip notes offer further guidance on optional meal costs, weather, what to bring, recommended reading and shopping.
Seasonality and Weather
Papua New Guinea lies just south of the equator. The climate is generally warm with a 'wet' and 'dry' season, the timings of which vary from one part of the country to another. The wettest months for most regions are Nov-March. Temperatures around the coastal areas are reasonably stable and vary between 25 and 30C (78-85F) with high humidity. The Highlands are cooler and temperatures can fall dramatically at night.
Our September trip coincides with the famous Goroka Show (see itinerary).
Transport and Travel Conditions
Ground transport via nus or mini bus is provided locally. Internal flights via scheduled carriers and charters on light aircraft with VERY limited capacity for luggage (maximum 10 kg).
This is not a strenuous trip per se, but it is busy with nature walks and village visits on pathways and uneven surfaces. Heat may be a factor in some locations. We visit remote locations where our access to modern medical treatment is very limited.
Though food provided is hearty and plentiful, travellers with very specific dietary restrictions or preferences may find their needs challenged at this destination.
Am I suitable for this tour? Please refer to our self-assessment form.
Activity Level: 1
No particular physical activity is involved other than town/city walks and short walks to dinners and sites of interest, some of which are large.
To learn more about the Activity levels, please visit our tour styles page.
Accommodation
Well-located, air-conditioned hotels/lodges with en-suite toilet and bath throughout. Single rooms are EXTREMELY limited in number and are likely smaller than doubles. Porter service is usually available at hotels though you should be independent with your luggage, especially at airports.
Those who have paid the single supplement may also be required to share in Goroka due to a severe lack of rooms; if this occurs we will prorate/reduce the single fee retroactively for those three nights. Please also note that if you have selected our share program and we fail to pair you (ie there is no one else booked who is willing to share), the mandatory or "forced" single supplement is 100% of the regular single supplement fee due to the high cost of single accommodation at all locations.
Staff and Support
Tour Leader, drivers, local guides in several locales.
Group Size
Maximum 15 plus Tour Leader
Regions visited: Down Under
Countries visited: Papua New Guinea
*The red tour trail on the map does not represent the actual travel path.
The following is a list of sample hotels at some locations included on this tour. The hotels shown here are meant to provide a general sense of the standard of hotel we usually aim for; they are not necessarily confirmed for your chosen departure.
The Bird of Paradise features an outdoor swimming pool and access to a Fitness Centre with Goroka Squash Club located within the hotel grounds. Enjoy the pleasant surroundings of the Deck Bistro, offering Buffet and A la Carte dining options, featuring mouth-watering modern dishes from around the globe. A popular meeting place and home to renowned Enzo’s pizzas, available dine-in or take-out.
