PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SCHEDULE & COST:

Dates: August 15 – 24, 2024

Duration: 10 days / 9 nights

Number of participants: 8 – 12

EXPEDITION FINISHED





TRAVEL PROGRAM: tour Papua New Guinea


Day 1. August 15, 2024 (Thursday). PORT MORESBY – MOUNT HAGEN – PANGA VILLAGE (HULI WIGMEN TRIBE) – MOUNT HAGEN

Very early morning arrival in Port Moresby by international flight, and connection flight to Mount Hagen. Departure from Port Moresby at 8:30 am for Mount Hagen, with the flight PX180 with Air Niugini.
Arrival in Mount Hagen at 09:30. Meet the guide and transfer to the McRoyal Hotel 3*. Check-in and briefing on afternoon's activities.
After lunch, at 13:00, depart hotel for a 30 minutes scenic Waghi valley drive to Panga village to see the Huli Wigmen tribe and the rest of the afternoon will be spent at the Wigmen village. The Wigmen are famous with their ceremonial wig made out of human hair. They do distinctive face paintings and body decorations for special occasions like marriage and compensation or other special rituals. Their dance is very unique and they imitate the Bird of Paradise mating dance.
After private photo session with the Wigmen, we drive back to the hotel.
Briefing on the next days' activities. Dinner. Overnight at McRoyal Hotel 3*.

Meals included: lunch, dinner
Accommodation included: McRoyal Hotel 3*

Recommended flights to Port Moresby:
– direct flight from Singapore with Air Niugini (flight PX393), departure from Singapore at 20:35 on August 14, arrival in Port Moresby at 5:15 am on August 15,
– or any other flight from Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila or any other city, arriving in Port Moresby no later than at 5 am on August 15.

Recommended flights from Port Moresby to Mt Hagen:
- direct flight PX180 with Air Niugini, departure from Port Moresby at 8:30 am on August 15, arrival in Mt Hagen at 09:30 am on August 15,
- or any other flight arriving in Mt Hagen no later than at 9:30 am on August 15.


Day 2. August 16, 2024 (Friday). PAIYA PRE-SHOW

Today after breakfast, will be transferred to Paiya village for Pre-show Cultural activities (1 hour drive).
Upon arrival within 1 hour photograph the dancers applying their body painting and body decorations. A 10 am the Sing-Sing show begins.
Traditionally in Papua New Guinea, sing-sing is a gathering of a few tribes or villages. People arrive to show their distinct culture, dance and music. The aim of these gatherings is to peacefully share traditions as each tribe has its own dance. Villagers paint and decorate themselves for sing-sings which they only have once a year. The Paiya sing-sing is held on the day before the Mount Hagen Show every year and has been performed for the past 20 years. It is a private show for tourists and photographers only – no local crowds. Excellent photography in rural setting in Melpa village.
There are usually about 50 different cultural/dancing groups that perform at this Sing-sing. Usually it is a good selection of the best groups that will perform at the Hagen Show, including always the Huli Wigmen and Asaro Mudmen. Local people are not allowed to enter except only the people of Paiya area and the families of the dancers coming to help them with costumes.
The Paiya sing sing is mainly arranged for tourists and amateur photographers who want to photograph the dancers in a more natural setting (bushland) without visual pollution as it is the case with big shows. Before and after the main dancing, we can make portrait photography of individuals and groups. We can also scout a group we like to photograph separately.
Traditional style lunch is served by the show organizers: local food cooked in aluminum foil in a fire put underneath hot stones (Papuan earth oven).
At 4 pm Sing-sing finishes, depart Paiya village and return to hotel. Dinner in the hotel or at local restaurant. Overnight in the hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation included: McRoyal Hotel 3*


Days 3 – 4. August 17 – 18, 2024 (Saturday – Sunday). MOUNT HAGEN FESTIVAL

We spend 2 days at Mount Hagen festival. Each day, after breakfast, we depart hotel at 08:30 and depart show at 15:00 or so (depending on the time the festival activities finish) back for the hotel. Proper packed lunches cooked by our hotel and bottled water will be provided at the show ground on both days.
Each year, during August, Mount Hagen hosts the Mount Hagen Cultural Show. The Mount Hagen Show is the first, one of the largest and the most famous Sing-sing of Papua New Guinea. It is a mass festival where all the tribes in the surrounding regions meet up to display their amazing elaborate traditional costumes and performances. The festival began in the 1960s as a way to promote peace between warring tribes. They now compete not by fighting each other, but by using and displaying their indigenous traditional culture in competing with other tribes. This event continued up till this present day and has gotten bigger each year.
We spectate at the incredible Festival, with all kinds of performances and costumes of more than 100 tribes from the 7 Highlands Provinces with their ethnic traditional cultural ritual performances. There will also be other tribes from the 2 neighboring coast Provinces of Madang and Morobe, taking part in the festival as well. It will be the great 2 days full of rich and colorful cultural activities, we spectate at the incredible festival, with all kinds of performances and costumes that we will experience and photograph. The highlights of the show are Skeleton men, Asaro Mudmen, the Huli Wigmen, as well as the Waipa mass dance.
After finishing the Festival activities, both days, in the afternoon, we will scout the ethnic group we like (one group each day), for the private photo session in the wild environment, without any visual pollution.
Dinners and overnights at McRoyal Hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation included: McRoyal Hotel 3*


Day 5. August 19, 2024 (Monday). MOUNT HAGEN – SIMBAI (KALAM TRIBE)

Today after early breakfast, we will depart hotel at 07:30 (time may change) for the airport for our charter flight to Simbai.
Together with our guide and cook, we fly by small aircrafts with the capacity of 8 pax. Thus, we will take 2 flights, one by one. We are allowed to take only 20 kg of overall (together with hand luggage) baggage per person. The rest of the baggage we shall keep in Mount Hagen, as we fly to Simbai for only 2 nights.
Flight takes 30 minutes, but soon we find ourselves in Simbai village, in the middle of mountainous ridges, among the jungle, to where there are no any roads. This is the innocent land of Kalam tribe.
Upon arrival in Simbai, we will be met by our local team on the ground. They will assist us to the Guest House and the Kalam traditional activities.
We will be accommodated in the simple local guest house in the village, with 2 shared bathrooms and 2 shared pit toilets (however with comfortable toilet bowls). The local team does their best for our comfort, so the hot water in the buckets is always available, both in the evening and in the morning. Accommodation is basic, 2 people in each room. We are in the wild.
Hike to the guest house takes up to 40 minutes uphill.
In the afternoon we take scenic walk around the nearby village, visiting local homes, families and gardens. Also taking pictures of Kalam people in the natural environment.
Hot lunches, dinners and overnight in the guest house.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation included: village guest house (basic conditions)


Day 6. August 20, 2024 (Tuesday). KALAM SMALL AD HOC FESTIVAL IN SIMBAI

This day we spend in the amazing village of Simbai witnessing small festival specially arranged for our visit. The scale of the festival is rather small, but we will witness a variety of cultural activities to be performed at this day.
Kalam tribe is one of country's isolated tribes, still live an authentic traditional lifestyle with their natural environmental in the mountains of Simbai. Due to its isolation, the Kalam tribe is fortunate to maintain its original culture, tribal traditions and rituals that are incredibly unique to the Kalam people.
The Kalam tribe is famous for their biggest and the most sophisticated headwear made of cuscus fur, feathers and thousands of heads of emerald green beetles. They also wear necklaces made of kina shell and hornbill bills. Young boys get their nose pierced as a sign of becoming adult. Women cover their bodies with pig fats to give them more shine.
It is surely incredible to see and experience the Kalam culture. It will be a unique photogenic and photographic experience of a lifetime.
The program will be announced closer to the date but festival activities will include traditional dancing (sing sing), pig slaughtering ceremony, earth oven cooking (mumu), demonstration and feasting, traditional courtship ceremony, payment of bride price and traditional wedding, visiting to men's house and women's house for witnessing initiation procedure.
Unlike the Mount Hagen show which takes place in an urban setting with fences, crowds, umbrellas and Coca Cola signs in the background spoiling the photography, the Kalam traditional ceremonies will take place in a village environment with nearby nature attractions including rivers, waterfalls, jungles and mountains to use as scenic backgrounds.
In the afternoon we will scout the Kalam people we like, for the private photo session in the nice environment that we choose on our own: especially at the waterfall and the top hill, as well as inside the dwellings for ideal portraying.
Hot breakfasts, lunches and dinners at the guesthouse including blend of local food, tinned and packaged foods carried from Mount Hagen, variety of local fruits (passion fruit, pineapple, avocado etc.), soft drinks, bottled water and hot drinks (tea, coffee).
Overnights in the village Guest house with basic conditions and always hot bucket shower.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation included: village guest house (basic conditions)


Day 7. August 21, 2024 (Wednesday). SIMBAI – MOUNT HAGEN – MINDIMA VILLAGE (CHIMBU SKELETON TRIBE) – GOROKA

Today, after breakfast, farewell with Kalam land. We will be assisted to the airstrip for charter 30 minutes flight back to Mount Hagen.
Upon arrival in Mount Hagen, transfer by our bus to Goroka via Mindima village to see the Chimbu Skeleton people.
Skeleton tribe (or Chimbu, or Omo Bugamo) have the tradition to paint their bodies with skeletons and other ghoulish designs to frighten their enemies. There is little known about this tribe due to their remoteness, but it is estimated that around 60 000 live in the highlands. They are recognizable by their distinct skeleton body paint, featuring fierce skeletal teeth. The stylized lines of a human skeleton drawn on their bodies conferred a truly sinister air to this tribe's hunters. They cover themselves with simple loincloths made of mesh and shells.
According to local legend, the people of this tribe were eaten by the evil forest spirit of Omo Masalai. Then they decided to pretend to be spirits themselves in order to expel the evil spirit. Until now, the ritual to expel an evil spirit is repeated during their dancing ceremonies. People repaint themselves in skeletons and chase after Omo Masalai (a person who is dressed in an evil spirit).
Upon arrival in Mindima village, we attend an amazing Omo Masalai Spirits performance of Skeleton people in natural environment. We will have the opportunity of photographing the Skeleton men from their decoration stage to end of the show.
Then together with Chimbu Skeleton people we hike together to the mountains in order to attend the photo session in the semi-dark limestone cave with very authentic environment. Hiking to the cave takes some 45 minutes.
Continue driving into Goroka. Check-in at Bird of Paradise Hotel 4*. Dinner and overnight.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation included: Bird of Paradise Hotel 4*


Day 8. August 22, 2024 (Thursday). GOROKA – ASARO MUDMED AT TOP HILL – GURUPOKA TRIBE'S VILLAGE – ASARO MUDMEN VILLAGE – GOROKA

Today, with packed breakfast well before sunrise, we depart hotel for an 1 hour drive to Asaro Mudmen people, where we will have a beautiful photo session with Asaro Mudmen on a top hill with amazing view. In order to get there, it will take us some 45 minutes. And we must get there before sunrise in order to take our best pictures. If we are lucky, we will see the fog lying down in the valley in between mountains.
After early photo session, on the way back we will stop at the village of Gurupoka tribe, where we have our breakfast, and also witness the remarkable Moko-Moko dance.
Short drive further to the Asaro Mudmen village, where we will be greeted with a welcome dance into the heart of the village. At the village, we will spend time with the Asaro Mudmen tribe photographing their rituals from preparation stage to the end.
According to Asaro Mudmen mythology, once upon a time 2 neighboring tribes live in the Asaro valley. One day the 2 tribes disputed over land boundary issue and eventually that resulted in tribal fight. The first tribesmen were stronger in the battle and chased the other tribesmen who were weaker up into nearby mountains. The stronger tribe then took their land and lived there.
One day, the weaker tribesmen who were living up in the mountains, came up with a plan to take revenge in getting their land back from stronger tribesmen, but not through tribal fight again. Early in the morning, the weaker tribesmen went down to the nearby creek, collecting white mud clay and making ugly looking masks. The following day, very early in the morning, they covered themselves with mud and wore the ugly masks that they made and went down to the village and hid in nearby woods, grasses and graveyards. At first day light, the wives of the stronger tribesmen when to collect firewood and suddenly they were confronted by the ugly looking Mudmen Spirits, and were chased back into the village. The wives quickly went and told the husbands and children that they were attacked by the Spirits, and they were still following them, so they must leave the village immediately, because the Spirits were coming in full force to attach the whole village. The stronger tribesmen eventually left the village and this was how the weaker tribesmen came back to their village down in the Asaro valley.
In the afternoon, after private photo session, we depart the Asaro village and driving back for 1 hour or so to Goroka.
Dinner and overnight at Bird of Paradise Hotel 4*.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation included: Bird of Paradise Hotel 4*


Day 9. August 23, 2024 (Friday). GOROKA – KEMASE VILLAGE (LUFA PEOPLE) – BENABENA CANE SWALLOWING RITUAL – GOROKA

After breakfast, we will drive to the south west of Goroka, to the village of Kemase in the Lufa district (about 2 hours drive to the village). Upon arrival in the village, the local tribe (Kemase tribe of Lufa people) will welcome the team with a traditional war dance. They will then lead the group to discover their Sacred limestone cave to see where the ancestors of the Kemase people performed Human Cannibalism ritual. While walking into the cave, we will undergo the ritual and really feel a scary atmosphere of spirits "watching" us while coming into their world. We will be lectured on the history and ancestral mythology of human cannibalism in area and told of when the last cannibalism was practiced in here.
Magnificent location for a spectacular photogenic tour with its natural surroundings is guaranteed.
Return to hotel for late hot lunch.
After lunch, visit the BenaBena tribe in order to see famous Cane swallowing ritual.
Cane Swallowing is a traditional initiation ceremony performed exclusively by men in this part of Eastern Highlands. The ceremony requires that a cane of about 2 to 3 meters in length be inserted into the throat. It is believed that upon initiation, young men will be good leaders in their community, attract beautiful women to marry and live a healthy and long life. The cane swallowing ritual is for boys at puberty and young men. There is the sacred understanding that this ritual clears the mind and enlightens the heart and body.
It is considered as a purification of the body after a man takes and eats food from a menstruating woman, or engages in coitus with a woman. Generally, the ritual is seen as a way to restore the inner strength of a man and inspire him to live a happy and successful life.
However, with the arrival of Christianity in the 1950s, many practices like this have been banned by churches and are now close to extinction. In recent years, the cane swallowing ceremony has been revived with the help of village elders who hope to pass on these traditions to future generations.
Return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight at Bird of Paradise Hotel 4*.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation included: Bird of Paradise Hotel 4*


Day 10. August 24, 2024 (Saturday). GOROKA – PORT MORESBY

Today, after breakfast, we will be transferred to the airport to catch flight to Port Moresby. Depart from Goroka at 10:35 am with Air Niugini flight PX161.
Arrive in Port Moresby at 11:25.
Catching your connection international flight from Port Moresby out of the country.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation included: no

Recommended flights from Goroka to Port Moresby:
- direct flight PX161 with Air Niugini, departure from Goroka at 10:35 am on August 24, arrival in Port Moresby at 11:25 am on August 24,
- or any other flight departing from Goroka any time on August 24 (should be connected with your further international flight from Port Moresby).

Recommended international flights back from Port Moresby:
– direct flight to Singapore with Air Niugini (flight PX392), departure from Port Moresby at 14:50 on August 24, arrival in Singapore at 19:20 on August 24 (extra night in the hotel in Port Moresby may be needed),
– or any other flight from Port Moresby to Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila or any other city, departing from Port Moresby no earlier than at 15:00 on August 24 (should be connected with your flight Goroka – Port Moresby).