Upon arrival at Jackson's International airport in Port Moresby, you will be met by Trans Niugini Tours' staff and transferred to the nearby Airways Hotel. There your escort will introduce you to the other travelers in your group and orient you to the journey ahead.
Transfer from the Airways Hotel back to the airport for your flight to Mount Hagen. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred directly to the Mount Hagen Show. The Mount Hagen Show is truly a unique and splendid cultural experience, unparalleled both in diversity and authenticity. The show itself is a stunning reflection of the incredible diversity of Papua New Guinea’s cultural landscape.
The Show brings together more than 80 unique and colourful sing-sing groups from across Papua New Guinea; each of whom share their unique celebration display through colorful traditional dress, dance and song. The show will begin as each tribal group enters the showground and proudly performs their unique sing-sing to the enchanted audience. The performance gradually builds until each of the tribes is simultaneously performing to a cacophony of rhythmic drumming and hundreds of voices. It is truly an awe-inspiring experience.
Later in the afternoon you are driven up a picturesque road past highlands gardens and on to Rondon Ridge Lodge. Perched high above Mount Hagen, Rondon Ridge boast a stunning vista of the Wahgi Valley below.
This morning you will return to the Mount Hagen Show grounds to further experience this fascinating cultural festival. This morning’s celebrations will begin as the tribes arrive and gather to carefully adorn themselves with their complex headdresses, face and body paint and traditional clothing. You will arrive at the showgrounds with ample time to wander throughout the tribal groups where you can interact with and photograph the performers as they prepare themselves for the festivities. After which the performance will begin with each tribal group entering the showground and proudly performing their unique sing-sing.
Transfer from Rondon Ridge for your charter flight to the remote Lake Murray Lodge. Watch as the landscape below transforms to unveil the vast Lake Murray in the flat lands of Western Province. Nestled among the trees on an island spit, Lake Murray lodge overlooks beautiful Lake Murray. Here in the remote reaches of Papua New Guinea, one truly feels that they are on the edge of the earth. The almost unbroken quiet of the lake is barely disturbed by the gentle sounds of dugout canoes seamlessly gliding through the water. Enjoy your own lake side veranda, taking in the silence of this steamy remote world. After lunch enjoy a guided walk around the island to acquaint yourself with the beautiful surroundings.
Spend your day in the local villages where you will experience the unique customs of the local tribes. The beliefs and customs of the Lake Murray tribes are centred around the water and the rich food source that it offers. You will travel by boat to 2 or 3 different villages to gain insight into the daily lives of the tribes, their ancient customs and the ways in which their traditional ways of life are evolved with western world influences. Your experiences in the villages will include exposure to their unique tribal arts and traditional crafts, traditional face/body painting, tribal warrior dress and the complex rituals of each tribe.
This morning fly by charter plane into the deep heart of the jungle, where your wondrous journey continues at the Karawari Lodge in the Sepik region. Sitting on a ridge above the Karawari River, the lodge boasts a spectacular view of hundreds of kilometres of dense tropical jungle. Proceed with lunch, followed by an afternoon visit to a nearby village to learn about the customary process of harvesting and preparing the sago palm. Sago is the staple food for the Karawari tribes.
This morning transfer to the Sepik Spirit river boat. Its’ unique design was inspired by the local art and architecture of the "Haus Tambaran" or Spirit House. Enjoy lunch onboard as you begin the cruise along the swirling waters of the Karawari river, cruising past the remote villages and wild jungle that line the banks of the river. This afternoon travel into one of the local villages to catch your first glimpse into the unique tribal traditions of the river people.
Your journey on this trip will focus on the tributary system of the Sepik River, beginning at the Karawari river and traveling to the Krosmeri river junction and Black water Lakes.
This extremely remote area of the East Sepik Province is home to some of the most untouched villages in the region. Find yourself meandering along the dark water as it weaves through thick jungle, past small riverside villages and men poling silently through the waters in traditional dugout canoes. You will wake the first day at the Karawari and Krosmeri river junction area, where you will begin to gain a sense of life on the river. More than just a cruise, each day you will travel via open-air jet-boat to reach the remote villages, where you will learn the Sepik customs and experience their day-to-day life in modern times (which still closely reflects their traditional tribal lifestyle). These daily trips offer a true sense of the nature, village life and the tranquil atmosphere of life on the river. The tribes here still maintain long-held traditions, steeped in the ancient stories of the spirits of the rivers and jungles and their ancestors that inhabited them. These beliefs are expressed in the artistic carvings and indigenous art that is entirely uniquer to this region. You will have plenty of opportunity to admire or purchase some of their unique artifacts while visiting the local villages.
Begin the journey back up the Karawari River and prepare to leave the Sepik Spirit for your journey to Ambua Lodge in the highlands of PNG. A short flight across untouched rainforest and mountains will bring you to the Tari Valley; the home of the famous Huli tribe. Once you arrive you will be transferred to the Ambua Lodge; nestled at the edge of the lush green rainforest and overlooking the serene Tari valley below. Spend the afternoon enjoying Ambua’s winding forest trails that take you through lush rainforest, past gushing waterfalls and over traditional vine bridges.
Spend two days touring the Huli villages and countryside. The Hulis are famed for their colourful bilas (traditional dress) and unique traditions. The Huli men pride themselves on their beautiful bilas with its’ elaborately constructed human hair headdress which they lavishly decorate with flowers, mosses and ornate bird feathers. Their bilas combined with their unique sing sing is intended both to impress their audience, as well as intimidate enemies. Visit the mens wig school and tour the local villages to experience how this proud mountain tribe has evolved in the modern age, while still maintaining the stories, beliefs and traditions of their ancestors.
This morning you will fly from Tari to Port Moresby to meet your international flight home
Departure
