PAPUA NEW GUINEA & SEPIK RIVER ITINERARY:
NOTE: Itinerary below applies to the September & October departures. Please see a
separate itinerary for the 19 Day August 12th departure.
DAYS 1-3, Friday - Sunday. Depart for Cairns, AUSTRALIA
Leave your home city on Friday, bound for Cairns. One day is lost crossing the
International Date Line.
Arrive in Cairns on Sunday, where you will be met and taken to your luxury hotel
in the heart of Cairns, with commanding views of the harbor and surrounding hills.
You’ll capture the casual lifestyle of tropical North Queensland without compromising
on style or comfort at the Shangri La Hoel, a haven for relaxation where colonial
charm meets tropical elegance.
You’ll have the remainder of the day to rest after your long flight. This evening,
enjoy a cocktail and dinner party where you’ll meet your fellow travelers and hear
about the wonderful events ahead. Shangri La Hotel
DAY 4, Monday - Port Moresby, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
In a country of over four million people with 700 different
languages, Papua New
Guinea
cannot be compared with any other country for its rich cultural diversity.
More than 200 cultures, each with different traditions, have been
identified.
Transfer this morning to the airport for your flight to Port Moresby, the nation’s
capital. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your luxury hotel.
Port Moresby is a place of stark contrast. Ramshackle huts
sit alongside glistening
glass towers and dusty plains turn corners to expose a glittering harbor. Port
Moresby opens the door to the land of the unexpected.”
During World War II Port Moresby was coveted by both sides for control of the Coral
Sea and the South Pacific Ocean. The Allies defeated Japanese naval forces destined
for Port
Moresby in the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea. Japan suffered a further blow
in 1943 when they were routed on the Owen Stanley Range.
The small town of Port Moresby was transformed into a large military camp,
accommodating tens of thousands of troops during
the Pacific campaigns. At the end
of the war Port Moresby was the only town of any size left standing in Papua
New Guinea and was chosen by the Austrlian administration to be
the seat of
government.
It is now a cosmopolitan city, embracing technology and development while trying
to retain the traditional values of its varied population. A blend of old and new,
remnants of the colonial days can still be found in downtown Port Moresby and
elements of traditional life have been maintained in the nearby villages.
This afternoon, your sightseeing of Port Moresby is centered on a visit to the National
Museum and Art Gallery, which exhibits cultural features of Papua New Guinea's
complex tribal lifestyles and one of the finest collections of primitive art in the world.
The excellent collections of shields and totems, Sepik River carvings, Malagan
masks and Trobriand Island fishing vessels are just some of the unique examples
of Papua New Guinean culture on displa.
Driving back to the hotel, you will see the Parliament House, which exemplifies the
striking harmony of modern architecture and traditional design. It is constructed in
the style of a traditional Sepik River Haus Tambaran, or Spirit House. Artists and
craftsmen from the villages throughout the country were brought together to work on
the impressive carvings, mosaics and murals. The result is a magnificent testimony to
this culturally diverse and fascinating nation. Airways Hotel
DAY 5, Tuesday - Mt. Hagen
Depart this morning on your short flight to Mt. Hagen and transfer to your hotel,
located in the city center and set in delightful gardens. The capital city of the
Western Highlands, Mt. Hagen, is a bustling commercial center where wealth from
coffee and tea plantations has brought rapid change to the traditional
life style.
From the lowland rainforest, to alpine grasslands, to the shrouded misty peaks,
the Western Highlands Province is a land of color and vibrancy. Old and new
ways live curiously together, and Mt Hagen has a reputation as the wild frontier
of the Highlands.
This afternoon you will visit Pogla, a nearby village where you will see the legendary
Mudmen reenact folklore through dance and costume. Tribal folklore records that
centuries ago the warriors of Asaro were defeated in a tribal fight with a neighboring
village. Honor compelled the men to retaliate with a payback raid, and, to make
themselves
look fierce, they covered their bodies with gray mud to give the
appearance of “ancestral spirits” in order to frighten their
foes. According to
legend the ruse worked, and their enemies fled at the sight of these ghostly
apparitions. Handicrafts can be found at the Pogla Village Cultural Center, where they
display exhibits and artifacts. Rondon Ridge
DAY 6, Wednesday - Karawari
Today board your charter flight to Karawari. Watch
as the mountains start to give
way until eventually vast tracts of dense tropical lowland rainforest cover
the
landscapefor as far as the eye can see.
Upon our arrival, we will travel by riverboat, then four-wheel drive vehicles to
the remote 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. From the lodge verandah, view the setting sun
coloring the clouds and snaking river below. One could almost believe that the
world was born yesterday.
You are in Arambak country one of the most remote and unspoiled areas of Papua
New Guinea. The Karawari River, just 300 feet below, is the only way in or out.
This tropical
lowland rainforest is one of the earth’s most complex of habitats, housing
an immense variety of flora and fauna along with a unique culture.
Take part in our rewarding and exhilarating exploration of the
local villages as we
travel in small riverboats along the junglefringed waterways. See the people at
Kundiman village make use of the land weaving baskets from a mixture of plants along
the river used for catching fish or gathering, and preparing and cooking their staple
food from the sago palm taste for yourself! Karawari Lodge
DAY 7, Thursday - Sepik River
This morning you will board the MV Sepik Spirit, to begin your
cruise along the Sepik
River.
Your home for the next four nights will be the MV Sepik Spirit
a floating lodge offering
the comforts of civilization while traversing the mysterious middle reaches of the
mighty Sepik Rive. The small size of the ship enables an intimate exploration
of the
Middle Sepik region, an area prolific with the traditional
woodcarvings and known for
converting imaginative pictures and dreams into reality through woodcarvings and
other crafts.
Explore the extensive river networks along the Sepik, black water and Karawari Rivers,
as well as the seldom-visited evergreen flood plains. Travel by an 18
seater jet boat
through small river canals, to walk into local villages to experience traditional village life
and culture. If you are more adventurous, try exploring in a motorized canoe.
MV Sepik
Spirit
DAY 8 – DAY 10 , Friday - Sunday Sepik River
One of the world's largest waterways, the Sepik snakes its way through East Sepik
Province. Dense rain forest covers most of the area. Bird life and rain forest creatures
splash color across the blue and green hues.
Discover the mystical world of the Sepik Region, which
encompasses a vast area that
includes the Sepik River, its many tributaries, swamps and lake systems. In the
region are many rarely visited villages where the spirit world and the people’s everyday
life merge in a fascinating miture of ceremonies, carvings and Haus Tambarans.
You will visit villages where the people are prolific and famous carvers. Here you
can purchase many interesting items such as mask, elaborately carved hooks,
ancestral figures, hand drums, baskets, bilums and gourds.
The MV Sepik Spirit is used as our base between forays in 18
seater riverboats and
smaller jet boats to explore the different villages and areas.
MV Sepik Spirit
DAY 11, Monday - Tari
Today board your charter flight to Tari. Upon our arrival, transfer to the spectacular
Ambua Lodge, your mountaintop accommodations for the next two nights.
Accommodation is in luxury bush material huts, set on a hillside of flowering gardens,
with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and rainforest.
The crisp mountain air is perfect for taking advantage of the many guided tours
organized by The Lodge. Walk along rainforest tracks to go bird watching, take a trip
down the river to see the waterfalls or go by four-wheel drive to visit a village and
watch a traditional Sing-Sing.
Sing-Sings are held regularly throughout the province. These are
gatherings of clans
in traditional costume where ritualistic dancing and singing is performed for ceremonial
reasons Ceremonies are presided over by tribal elders, distinguished by their two-meter high headdress displaying the brilliant colors of plumes from the Birds of Paradise.
Proud warriors painted in bright ochre dance long
into the night to the beat of the
Kundu drums.
Tari is one of the few places left where men and women can be seen wearing
traditional dress as part of daily living and men's wealth is still counted by the
number of pigs and wives they possess.
In the center of Papua New Guinea, the Southern Highlands Province was
called
"The Papuan Wonderland" by explorers who discovered these hidden
mountain
valleys in 1935. It is a land of lush, high valleys wedged between impressive
limestone peaks.
The headwaters of the Kikori, Erave and Strickland rivers cross the province
beneath towering Mt. Giluwe, the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea.
This afternoon you will take an enjoyable walk
to the nearby environs. The forest
canopy provides a natural setting and an exhilarating climate for venturing along
the nature trails – cross traditional vine bridges, discover a secluded
waterfall, and
spot high altitude orchids and rhododendrons. Orchids blaze from the green ground
of rainforest canopy. Papua New Guinea has a greater number of orchid species
than any
other country in the world. Another treat is the 13 species of Birds
of
Paradise. The highlights of the insect kingdom you’ll see are
the world's largest moth,
the Atlas moth and scarab beetles, which are often used as headbands.
Ambua Lodge
DAY 12, Tuesday - Tari
This cool alpine setting is the home of the Huli Wigman and your excursion today takes
you to the Huli Village, a typical village in Western Highlands. These proud warriors,
famous for their elaborate and colorful dress, have a great reverence for birds –imitating them in ceremonial dances and decorating their wigs with feathers, flowers
and cuscus fur.
They paint patterns with yellow and ochre on their faces and adorn themselves
with rolls of necklaces and beautiful headdressesmade from many bird feathers,
including the Emperor and Raggiana Birds of Paradise. Their wigs are woven from
human hair, donated by teenage and young adult males. Everlasting daisies are
cultivated for use in the wigs. The women by contrast wear black for their wedding
and coat themselves with blue-grey clay when mourning.
Clans in the Southern Highlands have a strong and intricate social system, little
affected by change. It is one of the few places where the traditional way of life can be
seen in everyday living. Ceremonial rituals are strongly observed. Men and women
can still be seen wearing traditional dress, tending their gardens and pigs and building
their bush material huts.
Take advantage of the birding in the Tari Gap area where you may
observe Birds of
Paradise. Bird life proliferates in the forests of Papua New Guinea, including many
species of Birds of Paradise – of the 43 known species, 38 are found in Papua New
Guinea. These brilliantly colored birds perform bizarre ritualistic and mating dances and
were hunted by early traders for their feathrs.
The flamboyant Huli Wigmen of the Tari Valley have formed a strong bond between
themselves and these beautiful birds. Men revere the birds, decorating their human
hair wigs with the plumage of only the most beautiful birds.
Ambua Lodge
DAY 13, Wednesday - Madang
This morning fly to colorful Madang, which has been
called the prettiest town in the
South Pacific. A hidden jewel in the South Pacific, Madang is a totally
unexpected
montage of tribal cultures, immense beauty, friendly people and pristine diving.
Its peninsula setting is a showplace of parks, waterways, luxuriant shade trees
and sparkling tropical islands. The two volcanic islands of Manam and Karkar have
volcanic cones rising 1800 meters above sea level and provide a spectacular
sight for
visitors.
You’ll stay at one of the great hotels of the Pacific, Madang Resort Hotel. It is set
alongside the beautiful entrance of Madang Harbor, among five acres of exotically
landscaped gardens of native and hybrid orchids, palms and native flora. In the
grounds there is a Haus Tambaran (Spirit House) where you can see carvings,
bilums (string bags) and other handicraft being made by the Sepik people. There are
aviaries, animals and birds indigenous to Papua New Guinea and a waterfall into a
barramundi pond.
Depart this afternoon for a tour of Madang and its environs, including nearby villages
of Bilbil and Yabob to see traditional clay pots being made, and the cocoa plantations.
A variety of local markets sell artifacts, shell jewelry, carvings and pottery. Madang
Resort Hotel
DAY 14, Thursday - Madang
The most popular location in Papua New Guinea for divers, Madang Province consists
of reef-fringed lowlands, backed by some of the most rugged mountains in Papua
New Guinea, and the offshore volcanic
islands. The area is world famous for its coral
reefs and superb visibility making diving good all year round.
This afternoon take a special boat excursion to Kranket Island where you’ll swim and
view the vibrant tropical fish and coral frmations. You’ll find a variety of easily
accessible
places to swim, an abundance of reef and pelagic fish, dramatic drop offs,
shells and soft and hard corals. Madang Resort Hotel
DAY 15, Friday - Madang, Port Moresby & Cairns
Today you will fly to Port Moresby with an onward connecting flight to
Cairns. Upon
your arrival in Cairns, you will be met and transferred to your luxury hotel.
This evening join your Travel Director and fellow travelers in celebrating
your journey
of discovery with a farewell cocktail ad dinner party.
Shangri-La Hotel
DAY 16, Saturday - Depart for Home
This morning you will be taken to the Cairns airport for your flight home or on to your
next destination.
NOTE: The Daily Itinerary above is subject to change dependent
upon local conditions
and/or operational changes or improvements. The specific times and order of inclusions
within each destination
may also be altered to best accommodate unscheduled
closure, special events, weather, traffic, etc. Please contact your Vacation Planner
before scheduling any coinciding appointments. You will receive an updated itinerary
approximately 30 days prior to your journey’s scheduled departure date.
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