Mount Hagen is a city in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea overlooking the spectacularly scenic Waghi Valley. The area is home to the Melpa people who, in the face of ever encroaching modernity, continue to live largely traditional subsistence lifestyles. The town’s population is around 50,000 and increases significantly for the Mount Hagen Show, an annual dance festival where costumed locals come from all over the country to represent their tribe in an extravagant sing- and dance-off. Those not lucky enough to visit during these annual festivities can get a taste of the action at the Mount Hagen market which is a bustling meeting place filled with colourful fruits, scurrying chickens, and some fabulously friendly locals dressed in fascinating native attire.
There are numerous excellent spots for bird watching, and half-a-dozen different species can be found in a day witht eh help of a good guide, more over a longer periods if one is patient.
Goroka is the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province. A town of approximately 19,000 people, 1600m above sea level. it is on the "Highlands Highway", about four hours from Mt. Hagen. It has a mild climate, known as a "perpetual Spring". The mountains and valleys around are fertile and produce some of the finest coffee beans in the world.
Half-an-hour west of the town lies the Asaro Valley and its fascinating Asaro Mudmen, one of the iconic cultural groups of the country. That's some going for a country that is home to up to 900 different languages. The Asaro ae happy to explain their story, through eery representations of battle, cannibalism, and communion with their gods.
The valley also has some stunning walks and viewpoints, birds of paradise and many orchid species, as well as the refreshing Asaro River.
Every September the town hosts the amazing and unique Highlands Cultural Festival, when up to 150 different tribal groups gather for the weekend closest to independence day, the 16th of September. Around 350 foreign visitors are privileged to be able to attend, vastly outnumbered by tens of thousands of locals from the surrounding areas.
