Wonders of New Guinea

Upon arrival in Port Moresby you will be met and greeted by Trans Niugini Tours staff and transferred from your incoming international flight to your onwards domestic flight to Mount Hagen. Mount Hagen town is in the upper Wahgi Valley - a valley with some of the oldest evidence of agriculture in the world. Perched high on Mount Kuta is Rondon Ridge, with unbelievable views of the Wahgi Valley.

Fly by charter aircraft to Karawari airstrip over some of the most rugged and impressive landscapes in the world. From the airstrip, you will be transferred by river boat to Karawari Lodge.

Located on a ridge overlooking the Karawari River in the Sepik region, and boasting a spectacular view over hundreds of kilometers of dense tropical jungle, Karawari Lodge is inspired by local architecture and built with traditional materials, whilst still providing modern comforts. It is the perfect base for jungle, river and village exploration. You are in the middle of Arambak country - locals pole dugout canoes, the drums throb, wild birds call, and traditional village lifestyles continue largely unchanged. "Something likes a National Geographic expedition. No roads. Thick jungle. Locals poling dugouts. Crocodiles. You wind up at the surprising Karawari Lodge".

After lunch experience an afternoon visit to Kundiman village for a sago making demonstration. Sago is the staple food for the river people.

Enjoy two full days of cultural touring. Enjoy excursions along the jungle-fringed waterways of the Karawari River where boatmen, standing upright, paddle their slender dugout canoes adorned 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. These tours will enhance your understanding of traditional village culture in the Sepik region.

Spend another day touring in the Karawari area.

Fly by charter from Karawari 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. Perched high on Mount Kuta is Rondon Ridge, with unbelievable views of the Wahgi Valley.

After lunch enjoy an afternoon guided nature walk around the trails at Rondon Ridge.

Enjoy a full day tour featuring the unique culture and tradition of the Melpa people who live near the Mount Hagen town which is the business heart of the Papua New Guinea highlands, supplying a number of important industries, such as tea, coffee and mining. It is a city where stone meets steel, where tradition and history are juxtaposed against modern ways.

A comprehensive touring program takes you 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.

Another full day cultural touring including a visit the Huli people in Mount Hagen. In contrast to the Sepik people whose art is manifested in ceremonial and decorative carvings, these Highland people employ as their art, body decoration, face painting and human hair decorated with feathers, flowers and moss. The Huli culture is the most vibrant intact and colorful to be experienced anywhere.

This morning you depart for Port Moresby on Air Niugini PX881. Upon arrival in Port Moresby, you will be met by Trans Niugini Tours staff and transferred to your ongoing international flight.