SEPIK ADVENTURE TOUR 2024

Designed to fit in with the Highlands Tribes Tour that ends on 17th September, the Sepik Adventure Tour flies you up to Wewak for a night at In Wewak Boutique hotel where you will meet your guide. The following morning you, are driven through the Prince Alexander range to Pagwi, stopping for lunch at a roadside market along the way.

Upon reaching the river at Pagwi, you board a motorised dugout canoe and start your exploration of the river, spending two nights in village guesthouses in the Middle Sepik and Chambri lake. Whilst here will discover daily village life, soak in the stunning scenery, visit spirit houses, and meet some "crocodile men".  You then head back to Wewak the way you came (there are no other options). Max group size is 12, max number of people per canoe is 6. It is possible to add on a stay at Muschu Island to discover Sepik island life, where you could spend two nights with the guesthouse owner, Clem, visit the hot springs in the ocean at Kariru island, snorkel on Muschu's reefs from the beach, and, if you wish, go on a traditional fishing trip with the kids.

The Sepik River stretches from Telefomin in Sandaun Province to its outlet into the Bismarck Sea at Kopar village. There are many villages and hamlets in this culturally and environmentally rich area.  The largest local animal is the wild pig - which is tamed and kept in the villages for use at cultural gatherings and compensation ceremonies. There are many other natural animal inhabitants, such as snakes, lizards, bandicoots, and above all birds. Many of the village songs and dances centre on indigenous animals and birds - the largest of which is the angry-looking flightless cassowary, a relative of the emu and the second heaviest bird on the planet.

The Middle Sepik is the last remaining area where the crocodile skin cutting initiation is still practiced. The villages in this region are more accessible and not so far apart in terms of travel time than on the more remote Upper Sepik. These villages have stood firm against the invasion of Christianity. They still retain their Haus Tambarans and practice their traditional customs including the initiation and scarification of young “crocodile men”. Also, the villages are home to famous artists and their sought-after birds’ head carvings.