Papua New Guinea: The Goroka Festival

Upon arrival in Brisbane, you are met by an Abercrombie & Kent representative and transferred to your hotel. Refresh from your travels and prepare for the exciting journey to come. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner served at the hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Papua New Guinea, an island chain of undisturbed Indigenous tribes and sweeping natural beauty.

Early this morning, head out to the Sogeri Plateau and Varirata National Park. Enroute visit the Bomana War Cemetery, the largest World War II cemetery in the Pacific, where those who lost their lives fighting on Bougainville Island and the former territory of Papua are buried. Continue on a scenic drive to the countryside and the Sogeri Plateau, which is almost 2,000 feet above sea level. This is a great viewing point and offers an excellent opportunity for bird watching. Along the way, you might spot local wildlife including wallabies, bandicoots, cassowaries and deer and take in stunning views of Rauna Falls, the Laloki River and Varirata National Park.

Fly to Mount Hagen. Upon arrival, embark on a visit to the highlands area, stopping at a local settlement of the iconic Huli tribe. These highland people are admired for the practice of bilas (elaborate body decoration), face painting and colorfully-decorated wigs of feathers, flowers and moss. Visit another local village before transferring to your lodge for the evening.

Continue your explorations of the gorgeous highlands area of Mount Hagen in the fertile Wahgi Valley. Take a moment to admire the surrounding area filled with mountain ranges, covered with lush tropical rainforest, rugged limestone bluffs and valleys dotted with small traditional farming communities. Then, discover the traditions and customs of the Melpa People. First contact with the Melpa was made in the mid-1930s. Visit local villages where the villagers will share their fascinating tribal traditions; such as the rites of widowed women, the ceremonies surrounding marriage and funerals, the traditions of tribal warfare and the day-to-day life of the Melpa people.

Fly by private charter to Karawari, where you Ride Like a Local from shore to board ‘Sepik Spirit,’ your floating home for the next three nights. Settle into life aboard this three-level, 98-foot river cruiser featuring a lounge, dining room, bar, screened-in observation deck, air conditioning and nine comfortable cabins with en suite bathrooms. Your riverboat home is an oasis in this remote jungle, affording an exceptional vantage of the riverine wilderness that surrounds you. After lunch on board, embark on your voyage of discovery along the Karawari River, a remote tributary of the mighty Sepik.

After breakfast on board, disembark for a full-day excursion to the remote villages of Black Water Lake. Bask in a warm island welcome as you observe a way of life that has remained largely unchanged for centuries. Learn about the local rituals, warfare, ceremonies and ancestral beliefs, visiting the various houses of the village. Browse tribal handicrafts such as masks, flutes and spirit figures in the villages’ low-pressure markets. Relax with a picnic by the densely forested banks of the Karawari River, watching as local men gather on their clan’s bench, children paddle canoes to school and women fish with hand lines.

Disembark to visit Mumeri, a remote village whose people have preserved their ancestral traditions for centuries. Take in the same warm village welcome enjoyed here by pioneering anthropologist Margaret Meade over 80 years ago. Next, cruise to the confluence of the Krosmeri and Karawari rivers, where you rendezvous with ‘Sepik Spirit’ for lunch. Continue to visit the villages of Mindimbit, taking in the spectacular carvings and elaborate coming-of-age rituals of the locals. Rejoin ‘Sepik Spirit’ for your final night on board and enjoy a Scenic Sundowner as you cruise back toward Karawari.

This morning, fly by private charter to Mount Hagen. Upon arrival, travel overland through the upper Wahgi Valley, a rich, fertile farmland that witnessed some of the world’s earliest agriculture. Continue to Rondon Ridge for spectacular panoramas of the verdant valley. After lunch at your lodge, set out on a guided nature walk and birding tour of the grounds. Over 180 species of birds have been recorded in the rainforests surrounding Rondon Ridge, including 10 species of birds of paradise. The pristine rainforest also boasts numerous vibrantly colored orchid species. Roam the vast trails, racking up exotic sightings with help from your expert guide.

After breakfast at the lodge each of the next two days, transfer to the airport for your convenient, privately chartered flight to the Goroka Show, a two-day celebration of Papua New Guinea’s independence. This vibrant kaleidoscope of song and dance draws over 100 local tribes every year, affording an authentic glimpse into a rarely witnessed tradition dating back to 1957. Following today’s festivities, return by privately chartered air to Mount Hagen and your lodge in time for dinner.

Enjoy another opportunity to immerse yourself in the dazzling spectacle of the Goroka Show. This afternoon, fly to Port Moresby, a capital of sprawling suburbs scattered throughout the hills, and transfer to your accommodations nestled in a lush botanical garden. Tonight, dine privately at a top local restaurant on a Chef’s Table experience featuring freshly caught seafood and locally sourced ingredients.

Fly to Brisbane, where tonight you enjoy a farewell dinner and recap your amazing experience with your fellow travellers.

After breakfast, you are transferred to the airport for your departure.