Papua New Guinea
Eco-tours
 EM32 MAINLAND NEW GUINEA CULTURE TOUR – 14 or 21 days FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS (FIT 1-4 people)
Port Moresby, Lake Kutubu, Mt Hagen, Middle Sepik (14 days)
+ Goroka, Tufi (21 days)
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Day 1 PORT MORESBY
Arrive Port Moresby. Ecotourism Melanesia staff will meet you on arrival and transfer you to your hotel, followed by a half-day tour of Port Moresby including national museum and botanical gardens as time allows.
Overnight hotel (includes meals).

Day 2 PORT MORESBY / LAKE KUTUBU
Morning flight from Port Moresby to Moro airfield in the Southern Highlands. From Moro, you will be transferred by road to Lake Kutubu and by longboat to Tubo Lodge, located on an island in the middle of the lake. Here, a conservation project initiated by WWF encourages the local people to protect their culture and environment by providing small-scale ecotourism facilities instead of relying on income from mining developments. The Lake Kutubu people have an ancient longhouse custom, and interesting burial practices: you will be shown all these during your stay. Accommodation at Tubo Lodge is hostel-style with meals included, based on local produce.

Day 3,4,5 LAKE KUTUBU / MT HAGEN
Transfer back to Moro airfield for scheduled flight to Mt Hagen. (This flight does not go every day and some adjustment in this itinerary may be necessary to accommodate the Moro flight schedule). On arrival, transfer to Magic Mountain Hideaway, a set of guest bungalows at Paiya Village which enable visitors to observe the daily village lifestyle at close quarters. Western Highlands culture and customs are authentically demonstrated in the village environment. Village-style food is served and visitors are able to observe and even participate in the preparation. Overnight Magic Mountain Hideaway (includes meals).
Day 6 MT HAGEN
At Magic Mountain, near Mt Hagen
Day 7 MT HAGEN / WEWAK / SEPIK RIVER
Morning scheduled flight from Mt Hagen to Wewak. (This flight does not go every day and some adjustment in this itinerary may be necessary to accommodate the Wewak flight schedule). On arrival, you are met by your local guide and transferred by four wheel drive vehicle from Wewak to the road head at Pagwi, a mission station on the Middle Sepik River (6 hours drive - or Cessna charter flight, at our discretion). A short motor canoe ride brings you to Ambunti township where you will overnight at Ambunti Lodge.
Day 8 SEPIK RIVER
Travel downstream to the Middle Sepik villages of Korogo, Yentchen and Palimbe – home of the crocodile cult (overnight).
Day 9 SEPIK RIVER
Absorb the culture and lifestyle of Korogo, Yentchen and Palimbe (overnight).
Day 10 SEPIK RIVER / WEWAK
Return upstream to Pagwi and meet up with vehicle for road transfer back to Wewak, arriving late afternoon. Overnight Windjammer Beach Hotel (includes meals).
Day 11 WEWAK / KAIRIRU ISLAND
Water transfer from Wewak to Kairiru Island, check in at Polen Guest House. Here, local villagers have worked hard to prepare a menu of cultural activities which both entertain and teach visitors about the culture of the Wewak Islands (Kairiru, Muschu and Walis), through traditional singsings, music and drama. By day you will explore this scenic island, site of a Japanese military outpost in World War 2 and home to hot springs and explorable caves. In the evenings, the village cultural groups will fill the night with dance and song – and some very funny drama about courtship practices – on the lawns in front of the guest house. Ovenight Polen Guest House (includes well prepared local style meals).

Day 12 KAIRIRU ISLAND
Day 13 KAIRIRU ISLAND / WEWAK / GOROKA
Water transfer back to Wewak, dropoff on the beach next to the airport and walk across the road to check in for your flight to Goroka, departing in the early afternoon. On arrival in Goroka, you are met by a local guide and transferred to the Bird of Paradise Hotel (or Inn Goroka) for overnight. Late in the afternoon, your guide will accompany you on a short walk around the town. Goroka is said to have the world’s most pleasant climate but it gets a little chilly in the evenings so bring a light sweater. Overnight hotel (includes set-menu meals).


Day 14 GOROKA / LUPIPI VILLAGE
After breakfast your local guide will drive you out of Goroka to Lupipi village (OR one of the other local villages that host eco-tourists in the Goroka area - Mehenave, Daulo Verulu, or Onkinofi - depending on weather, availability, and the condition of the access roads). Lupipi (and each of the alternative villages) is off the main road requiring a walk of about one hour to reach the village: you can cloak your large luggage at the hotel in Goroka and take only a small overnight bag with you, which village guides will help carry. The village community you will visit has built a guest house for visitors and they have organised themselves to show visitors their unique natural environment including savannah, hardwood forest and high montane forest. This village experience is as real as it gets in Papua New Guinea and you will gain a true feel of these people’s reliance on the natural environment for their food, shelter and livelihood.
Overnight accommodation will be in a neatly constructed village guest house (highlands round house) with a central fireplace and cosy sleeping rooms kitted with beds and blankets … camp style but comfortable. A clean sit-down toilet is available out back.
Day 15 LUPIPI VILLAGE
Lupipi village experience
Day 16 LUPIPI VILLAGE / GOROKA / PORT MORESBY
Morning: explore Lupipi village. After lunch, transfer back to Goroka town in time for late afternoon flight to Port Moresby. Overnight hotel (includes meals).

Day 17 PORT MORESBY / TUFI
Morning flight from Port Moresby to Tufi. (This flight does not go every day and some adjustment in this itinerary may be necessary to accommodate the Tufi flight schedule). On arrival, transfer to Kofure Village Guest House, which is located at the tip of the fjord peninsula on which Tufi airfield and station are located. On arrival at Kofure Village Guest House you will be served a village-style tropical breakfast consisting of fresh fruit, tea and hot scones and you will be able to spend some time getting to know your host. Then your hosts will take you on a familiarisation walk around the village area, meeting village people as you go along and absorbing some of the village atmosphere.
During the morning you will be able to visit vegetable gardens to see how local foods are cultivated, see village people collecting water from a spring and climb a nearby ridge for a view of MacLaren Fjord and Tufi airfield.
As lunchtime approaches you will be able to see how local foods are prepared; lunch is usually local greens and sweet potato or yam cooked in coconut milk with some fresh fish or lobster.
After lunch you may choose from a number of different village-based activities that are included in the cost of your tour:
explore the nearby fjords by paddling an outrigger canoe
take a stroll down to the Tufi market and “station”, meet the locals, check out the local trade store
walk along the beach near the guest house, swim, snorkel or fish over a nearby reef
 In the evening you will enjoy a local-style “mumu” dinner of freshly caught fish or lobster and other seafoods wrapped in banana leaves with ginger root and coconut milk and baked under hot stones with a variety of local vegetables.Tonight some of the villagers will perform a traditional singsing for you: have your camera ready for a vibrant display of colourful feathers and tapa cloth accompanied by harmonious singing and the beating of hand drums covered with lizard skin.
Overnight Kofure Village Guest House (basic bungalow accommodation with simple furniture, clean mattress, pillow and sheets, mosquito net, outside toilet, basic shower).

Day 18 TUFI
This morning your hosts at Kofure will farewell you and you will be transferred by small boat to either the seaside of Siu, or the hilltop village of Orotoaba which is an easy 30 minutes walk inland from the beach.
Siu village is a small seaside village and the village guest house here is located right on the water’s edge a short distance from the rest of the village (only 8 houses). There is a living reef right in front of your bungalow and you may snorkel to your heart's content all day long if you wish. Your hosts will drag you out of the water to feed you from time to time.
From Siu you can paddle an outrigger canoe up the magnificent Utukwaf Fjord, taking in the breathtaking beauty of the sheer basalt cliffs of the fjord and stopping off to swim and snorkel on the numerous coral reefs that inhabit the fjord area. At one point you will be able to paddle up a freshwater stream, under the shade of the jungle canopy, to a beautifully cool waterfall where you can sit and relax under a refreshing cascade of water. Swimming, snorkelling, paddling, beachwalking and shell collecting will occupy you for the rest of the day (either that or some serious snoozing in the shade of a tree on the water’s edge in front of your bungalow, coconut drink in hand…)
Orotoaba village (pronounced Orro-toe-bah) has green lawns, flowers, cool breezes and 360 degree views of the Tufi coastline. If you are interested in wildlife you can take a foray into the forest to view a variety of insects, mammals and birds. Raggiana birds of paradise nest in stands of tress not far from the village and their loud, raucous calls can be heard during the early mornings and evenings. The Queen Alexandra Birdwing butterfly is native to this area and can be found in the village gardens. Your hosts at Orotoaba will ensure you are well fed throughout the day on pineapple, pawpaw, bananas, sugar cane, mangoes, oranges, coconuts and other fruits, and the usual day’s catch of fish and lobster cooked in a variety of ways.
Day 19 TUFI
At Siu / Orotoaba
Day 20 TUFI / PORT MORESBY
Scheduled flight from Tufi back to Port Moresby and overnight hotel.
Day 21 Fly out of Papua New Guinea
EM 32 ITINERARY-TOUR COSTS Top of page
Group size 1 person 2 people 3 people 4 people
Price per person 21 DAYS USD 9,118 USD 7,189 USD 6,409 USD 5,993
Price per person 14 DAYS USD 6,845 USD 5,035 USD 4,497 USD 4,149
TOUR INCLUSIONS:
• meet and greet at Port Moresby airport
• half-day tour of Port Moresby if time allows
• two nights premier room accommodation at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby (or alternative), including buffet dinner and cooked breakfast
• economy class domestic flights Port Moresby – Moro - Mt Hagen – Wewak – Goroka - Port Moresby – Tufi – Port Moresby
• services of a local guide at each destination throughout the tour
• three nights hostel-style accommodation and meals at Tubo Lodge, Lake Kutubu, including return road and water transfers from Moro airfield
• daily excursions around Lake Kutubu by motorboat
• cultural demonstrations at Lake Kutubu
• two nights bungalow accommodation, meals and cultural activities at Magic Mountain Hideaway, Paiya Village, Mt Hagen, including transfers
• road or air transfer from Wewak airport to Sepik River (Pagwi) and return to Wewak
• three nights Middle Sepik River trip including guides, motorised canoe, fuel, food, accommodation in villages or tents
• one night standard accommodation at Windjammer Beach Hotel, Wewak, with dinner and breakfast
• return boat transfers from Wewak to Kairiru Island
• two nights village guest house accommodation and meals at Polen Guest House, Kairiru Island
• daily guided cultural demonstrations and sightseeing excursions on Kairiru Island
• evening village entertainment at Polen Guest House
• one night premier room accommodation at the Bird of Paradise Hotel in Goroka (or alternative), including buffet dinner and cooked breakfast, including transfers
• brief walk walk around central Goroka with guide, if time and weather allow
• return road transfers to Lupipi Village, near Goroka (or alternative)
• two nights village guest house accommodation and meals at Lupipi Village (or alternative)
• daily cultural demonstrations and nature excursions at Lupipi Village (or alternative)
• one night village guest house accommodation, meals and daily activities at Kofure Village, Tufi
• two nights village guest house accommodation, meals and daily activities at Siu/Orotoaba Village, Tufi
• all boat transfers at Tufi
• Port Moresby airport transfer on departure
• PNG country map
• Ecotourism Melanesia souvenir polo shirt
TOUR EXCLUSIONS:
international airfares
bottled water (BYO or ask village hosts to boil water before you consume)
tips (not essential, but appreciated for exceptional service)
souvenirs and items of a personal nature
bar drinks
lunches on travelling days (purchase snacks from shops en route)
TOUR NOTES:
1. The general terms and conditions applicable to this tour are those specified on your invoice and on the Booking page of our website.
2. Destinations are subject to change in response to local conditions. Where travel to a specified destination is contraindicated by local conditions, travel to an alternative destination of similar value with similar activities will be provided where possible, but claims for partial refunds based on quality of substitute activities will not be entertained.
3. Flight schedules servicing Moro, Wewak and Tufi are not daily. Depending on the day of the week you commence your tour, and the current schedule operated by the airline, it may be necessary for Ecotourism Melanesia to adjust your itinerary with one day extra here, one day less there. Normally there will be no additional cost to you, and no partial refund will be claimable when itinerary adjustments are required due to flight schedules. Sometimes schedule changes are notified by the airlines at short notice and last-minute itinerary changes must be accommodated.