EM206 2010 TUFI CULTURE FESTIVAL AND PAPUAN GULF MASK FESTIVAL TOUR – 11-24 JUNE 13 nights Tufi, Kerema, Mt Hagen, Simbai, Madang (escorted small group tour minimum 8 maximum 16 people) This is an off-the-beaten-track tour for culture-philes, an opportunity to meet three contrasting tribal cultures and artistic peoples of Papua New Guinea that the rest of the world has forgotten … or perhaps never discovered in the first place. Two of these locations – Kerema and Simbai – rarely receive visits from tourists or outsiders and this provides a unique opportunity to study traditional lifestyles that have not been modified for tourist consumption as well as witnessing a concentrated display of their traditional dress and cultural icons such as dance masks and head-dresses during these festivals and sing-sings. The Tufi Culture Festival is less than 10 years old and was established as a means of keeping the Tufi culture alive while attracting more tourists to stay in the village guest houses scattered along the coast. Village groups from throughout the Tufi district put on their best displays of dancing, handicrafts and traditional activities like making sago. Colourful and exquisite tapa cloth and bird of paradise feathers are the trademark traditional dress of the Tufi people. Less than 100 overseas and local tourists make it to Tufi for the culture festival every June. For more information on Tufi go to our web site www.em.com.pg and follow the links to “PNG TOURIST INFORMATION” then “Oro Province” and “Tufi”. The Papuan Gulf Mask Festival started in 2004 as a means of preserving the mask culture of the people of the Gulf of Papua. Photographs taken by explorers and ethnographers in the early 1900s indicate a vibrant and unique mask culture but this had all but disappeared by the 1990s. The National Cultural Commission mooted and sponsored the establishment of an annual festival to encourage mask makers to pass on their skills and knowledge to the next generation. Although the festival has been running for several years, it has only had a local audience of villagers from the Gulf region and it has not been picked up by any tour companies yet. Ecotourism Melanesia is the first inbound tour operator to include this festival on a tour program and 2010 will be our first tour group to attend the festival – and probably the first tour group to visit Kerema – ever! Our visit to Simbai does not coincide with a festival (their tribal festival is in September following the Goroka Show) but the indigenous culture of Simbai is easy to experience at any time without the need for a festival. This fascinating exotic tribe live traditional lifestyles in little family hamlets in the Simbai Valley, and visiting them is like walking through a living museum of primitive Man. For more information on Simbai and the Kalam tribe click on “PNG TOURIST INFORMATION” at left then follow the links to “Madang” and “Simbai”. Click here to download the full, detailed itinerary for EM206 2010 with prices, tour inclusions and trip notes (PDF format)
Charter plane arriving at Tufi airstrip Tufi "station" with Tufi resort at top and Tufi wharf at the base of the cliff. Tainabuna village guest house Village guest house accommodation, Tufi	DAY 1: FRI 11 JUNE 2010 PORT MORESBY / TUFI Flights arrive today from Singapore, Brisbane and Cairns. If you arrive on a morning flight our staff will take care of you for the day with some private sightseeing around Port Moresby and an opportunity for you to stop at a cafeteria or restaurant for lunch. 15:00 As a group we check in at the charter terminal for our flight to Tufi. This may be your first opportunity to meet the other travellers joining you on the tour. 16:30 We arrive at Tufi airfield adjacent to the Tufi government “station” (about 50 houses, a couple of little shops and a few provincial government offices) and the Tufi Resort. If time allows we can stop at the resort for a quick drink by the pool and enjoy the stunning fjord views before continuing down to the waterfront to board our speed boat for a 20 minute transfer to the south of Tufi to Tainabuna village. Tufi is a visually stunning area of PNG with unique fjordland geography. The fjords were created thousands of years ago by fingers of lava running into the seas from an erupting Mt Victory. The people of this area are culturally rich with exotic traditional dress and energetic customary dances. The coral reefs around Tufi are pristine and easily accessible. Tainabuna is a tiny village with just a few families, one of which has built a guest house large enough to accommodate groups. The guest house sits on a spit of beach apart from the main village and is open to cool sea breezes. Large trees overhang the beach, perfect for relaxing on the shaded sands. Bliss. You’ll fall in love with this place. The sheltered fjords are wonderfully safe (no sharks, marine stingers or sea snakes), the water is calm and warm (no dangerous currents or sink-holes) and flora and fauna both above and below the waterline is spectacular. After a welcome from the owners and a brief tour of the guest house facilities we will be just in time to view the sun set over the fjords, coconut drink in hand… magic! 19:00 Dinner – lots of seafood and local vegetables washed down with coconut juice. After dinner our hosts will demonstrate some of their local dances, songs and customs. All by the light of Tilly lamps and the bonfire – no electricity here. Overnight Tainabuna Village Guest House (twin-share dormitory-style accommodation, sand floor, bedding and mosquito net supplied, bathe in nearby stream, washbasin with jug of water in room, sit-down outhouse toilets, complimentary fruit, coconut juice and tea/coffee available 24 hours, all meals and activities included, single supplement not available).
Tufi Culture Festival dancers Traditional dress, Tufi. Married women have extensive facial tattoos.	DAY 2: SAT 12 JUNE 2010 TUFI (culture festival) 06:00 Optional morning beach walk. 07:00 Tropical breakfast. 07:30 We board our open speed boat for a 30-min transfer to Kofure Village, the host village for the Tufi Culture Festival, which is located to the north of Tufi station. There will be a full day program of cultural performances, demonstrations of traditional cultural practices, and preparation and serving of traditional foods. 14:00 We return to Tainabuna in time for some walking, paddling, fishing, snorkelling or napping in the afternoon. Scuba diving organised by Tufi Resort may be possible if you have your dive ticket (extra cost). 19:00 Dinner Tonight is choir night and the village people will sing some of their traditional and religious songs. The use of Melanesian harmony in their singing is beautiful. The children are delightful when they sing and do actions. Overnight Tainabuna Village Guest House
Morning beach walk, Tainabuna Sing-sing performance, Tufi Culture Festival Seafood dinner at Tainabuna village guest house	DAY 3: SUN 13 JUNE 2010 TUFI (culture festival) 06:00 Optional morning beach walk. 07:00 Tropical breakfast. Today we respect the village people’s tradition of religious attendance by laying low until church is out. We are of course welcome to attend the morning service with our hosts: the Anglican (Episcopalian) Church is the dominant denomination here. Otherwise, sleep in, laze on the beach, take a swim, sip tea and nibble on fruit, or climb to the ridge top for some morning photography. Scuba diving organised by Tufi Resort may be possible if you have your dive ticket (extra cost). 11:00 Transfer by speed boat to Kofure Village for an afternoon of activities at the Tufi Culture Festival. 17:00 Boat transfer back to Tainabuna. 19:00 Dinner NB This program is subject to change in accordance with the Culture Festival activities. Overnight Tainabuna Village Guest House
Village guest house breakfast Beach galore at Tainabuna Paddling outrigger canoe over the reef	DAY 4: MON 14 JUNE 2010 TUFI (free day at Tainabuna village) - QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY Today while other visitors are making their way back to Port Moresby we will continue enjoying this delightful little slice of paradise. Available activities: - walking tour of Tainabuna village and surrounds - paddle your own outrigger canoe around the sheltered inlet - walk along the beach, partly shaded by overhanging trees - snorkel on the fringing reef (masks and snorkels are supplied) - line fishing from a canoe (great fun at night too) - relax on the shaded beach right outside the guest house door - sun yourself in a chair - sit in the breeze-house up on the lookout point and watch canoes and boats pass by on their way to/from Tufi - go for a hike up on the ridges between the fjords (rainforest, grasslands, birds and butterflies, great views of the coast, pass through hamlets and greet the locals) - let the experts paddle you on a canoe ride up the fjord to see basalt cliffs and cascading waterfalls - if you have your scuba diving ticket we can arrange with Tufi Dive Resort to pick you up and take you out diving today (extra cost). We’re confident you will rate today as the most enjoyable day of the trip. Overnight Tainabuna Village Guest House
Tufi Resort sightseeing boat Village hospitality, Orotoaba View from Tufi Resort	DAY 5: TUE 15 JUNE 2010 TUFI (fjord tour and overnight Tufi Resort) 06:00 Optional morning beach walk. 07:00 Tropical breakfast. 08:00 A motor boat from Tufi Resort will pick up our group at Tainabuna for a full day tour of the southern Tufi coastline. This will include: - scenic cruising in the fjords (waterfalls, escarpments etc) - visit Uiaku village and see the production of traditional clay pots and tapa cloth - hike to hilltop Orotoaba village for expansive views of the coastline - snorkelling stops with reef commentary by dive master - beach barbeque for lunch. On the way back we will stop at Tainabuna to pick up our luggage and continue northwards to Tufi Resort for overnight. Tufi Resort is a small, boutique dive resort but non-divers are well catered for. The resort is the only place around Tufi that has electricity. The resort has a fully stocked bar and plenty of comfortable deck chairs with panoramic views and wickedly refreshing sea breezes. There is also a small freshwater swimming pool and a great library of books and videos about Papua New Guinea. The only downside of Tufi Resort is that there is NO BEACH in front of the resort - it is situated on a cliff overlooking the fjords with great views, and a nice reef down below, but no beach only mangroves and rocks. You have to travel 10 minutes by motor boat to get to the nearest beach. In the late afternoon, we relax at the resort or you may wish to swim or snorkel on the house reef. 19:00 Dinner Overnight Tufi Resort (twin-share standard bungalow, includes all meals, single supplement available)
The Gulf of Papua Washing sago pith to extract the starch - staple food in the Gulf of Papua	DAY 6: WED 16 JUNE 2010 TUFI / KEREMA 07:00 Breakfast 08:00 Check out of the resort and walk down to the airstrip 08:30 Depart Tufi on our charter flight direct to Kerema (flight may operate via Port Moresby for operational reasons). 10:00 At Kerema airport we are greeted by our hosts from Toare village who will take us for a walk through the town centre (you may wish to grab a few things from the shops) then down to the foreshore where an open speed boat is waiting. 12:00 Water transfer from Kerema town to Toare Village (30 minutes). On arrival at Toare we check in at the village guest house and have lunch. In the afternoon our hosts will show us around. Toare is also a coastal village, but unlike Tainabuna is it located on a black sand beach with mangrove labyrinths nearby. The inland is low and swampy, dominated by stands of sago palm which yield the local food staple, sago starch. Overnight Toare Village Guest House (twin-share dormitory-style accommodation, bark floor, bedding and mosquito nets supplied, bathe in nearby stream or outdoor rainwater tank shower, washbasin with jug of water in room, sit-down outhouse toilets, complimentary fruit, coconut juice and tea/coffee available 24 hours, all meals and activities included).
Eveifiru villagers performing the jou ori mask dance Drama performance of traditional legend	DAY 7: THU 17 JUNE 2010 KEREMA (Papuan Gulf Mask Festival) 06:00 Optional morning walk on the beach 07:00 Tropical breakfast 08:00 Day 1 of the Papuan Gulf Mask Festival. This will be only the 6th time this festival has been held in recent times. Some government officials will attend and there will be some speeches to welcome visitors and open the event, then performances will get under way. Most of the mask dances and tumbuan dances will take place on the black sand beach. A variety of rarely-displayed Papuan masks will be displayed and used in dances. There will be ample opportunities to mingle with dancers, mask makers, old people who know the traditional legends and young people who are also enjoying them for the first time. It is unlikely that any other tourists will be in attendance: only our group. At lunchtime we return to the guest house for lunch and rest. The festival continues in the afternoon. Apart from the mask displays there will also be sports events, choirs and string bands, children’s activities and displays of traditional activities like making sago. You can circulate around these activities, talk with individuals artisans and performers about their dances, masks and village traditions, or take a bush walk or beach walk (followed by a parade of village kids longer than the tail of Halley’s Comet, no doubt…) Overnight Toare Village Guest House
King size kundu from Balimo Balimo Lizard Mask	DAY 8: FRI 18 JUNE 2010 KEREMA (Papuan Gulf Mask Festival) 06:00 Optional morning walk on the beach 07:00 Tropical breakfast 08:00 Day 2 of the Papuan Gulf Mask Festival. 12:00 Return to guest house for lunch, pack up and check out. 13:30 Depart Toare Village by speed boat for Kerema town. 14:30 Visit Kerema Cultural Centre to view displays of Papuan Gulf cultural artefacts 16:00 Check in at Hotel Kerema and take a late afternoon stroll around quiet Kerema town (well, if it’s payday it may not be totally silent…) Overnight Hotel Kerema - or alternative - (twin-share budget room, includes dinner and breakfast, single supplement not available)
Paiya village chief and his three wives Melpa tribe sing-sing, Paiya village	DAY 9: SAT 19 JUNE 2010 KEREMA / MT HAGEN (village experience and nature tour) 06:30 Breakfast and check out of hotel. 07:00 Walk down to the to airport terminal and check in for Mt Hagen flight 08:15 Airlines PNG flight departs Kerema for Mt Hagen via Kikori and Wabo. 10:30 On arrival we claim our baggage and transfer direct to Paiya, a typical western highlands village. We’ll be privileged to visit the skull house where the villagers keep their ancestors bones, and see demonstrations of Melpa tribe cultural practices such as courting behaviour, wig-making and tribal initiation. We’ll also meet the chief and his three wives. A traditional-style highlands lunch is served and we will watch a Melpa tribe sing-sing. A short distance further on from Paiya is Magic Mountain, a peak which got this name because it is said to look the same no matter from which direction you view it. Up on Magic Mountain we’ll take a nature walk and local guides will introduce us to some native botany of the highlands. On the way back to Mt Hagen we’ll stop at a bird-watching site where we expect to be able to view the raucous Raggiana bird of paradise which is active in the late afternoons. Overnight Highlander Hotel, Mt Hagen (twin share, room only).
Central Aviation Pilatus charter aircraft flies into Simbai Kalam tribesman with green beetle head dress Initiated boy, Simbai with long nose ornament	DAY 10: SUN 20 JUNE 2010 MT HAGEN / SIMBAI 08:00 We check out from the hotel and transfer to the Mt Hagen airport. 09:00 Our charter flight departs for Simbai, a 45-minute flight north of Mt Hagen. On arrival at Simbai airstrip we will be met by local guides with plenty of helpful hands to carry our bags for the 30 minute walk to the Kalam Guest House, a basic but comfortable facility built in local style. Simbai government station is the district headquarters. It is just a remote outpost, not a town. There is a two-man district office, a primary school, a small trade store, a couple of little churches, and a dozen prefabricated houses for the small number of provincial government staff, local missionaries and school teachers. Thirty to sixty minutes walking time from the “station” are the first Kalam tribal villages, constructed of bush materials. More villages are located deeper in the surrounding hills. The village people live subsistence lifestyles: hunting, gathering and gardening. Apart from a few coffee plots there is very little commercial agriculture here because there is no vehicular access for transporting crops out. For more information on Simbai and the Kalam tribe go to our web site www.em.com.pg, click on “PNG TOURIST INFORMATION” at the bottom of the left hand menu bar then follow the links to “Madang” then “Simbai”. The weather at Simbai will be warm by day (20-25 Celcius) and cool at night (10-15 celcius). After checking in at the guest house we will begin a program of village tours and cultural activities. Today we expect to: - visit the Kalam tribal cultural museum (a quaint display of tribal artifacts including weapons, elaborate head-dresses, bride price ornaments, traditional gardening and cooking implements, and nose pieces) - visit the exotic orchid gardens where wild orchids and other native flowers are in bloom - visit a local hamlet not far from the guest house and meet locals going about their daily business - sit with initiated men and hear them explain the importance of their trademark tribal head-dresses and explain how these are made - witness a Kalam tribal sing-sing with head-dress parade Overnight Kalam Guest House (twin share - includes all meals – single supplement not available). Kalam Guest House is built in traditional style with bush materials - each room has two beds with rubber mattresses, pillow and bed covers, protected by an insect net. The rooms have a table and chair and somewhere to hang your towel and clothes. Toilets are outdoor pit latrines and showering involves scooping water over yourself from a drum of rain water in an enclosed outdoor bathroom.
Waim village men Food preparation, Waim village near Simbai Host of "No Frontiers" Kathryn Thomas learns about traditional cooking at Waim village	DAY 11: MON 21 JUNE 2010 SIMBAI (Waim village experience) Today’s activity involves hiking 2 hours to a more remote village south of Simbai (Waim) for a full day village experience focused on the preparation of a traditional feast. The hike passes through open grasslands and forested areas with waterfalls - a beautiful experience of nature with many photo opportunities. The terrain is undulating but not difficult. At Waim we will watch (and join) the village people preparing food to be cooked in an earth oven for our lunch. A pig will be slaughtered and butchered before our eyes although the locals will not be offended if we stick to the vegetables when it comes time to eat! The whole village is involved in preparing this traditional feast and we rub shoulders with children, old people and everyone in between. When the food is ready we will sit on the ground with the locals and share the meal with them. Everything is rather primitive at Waim but that, of course, is what we have come to see. Mid-afternoon we hike another 2 hours back to the guest house at Simbai. (If you are unable to hike today, alternative activities will be arranged for you closer to the guest house). In February 2008 we brought a three-person film crew to Waim from the Irish TV travel show “No Frontiers”. You can view their PNG footage online at www.rte.ie/travel/nofrontiers/20080323_papuanewguinea.html Overnight Kalam Guest House, Simbai (twin share, includes all meals)
Chance meeting with local family, Kaironk River valley Kalam tribesmen going hunting with bows and arrows	DAY 12: TUE 22 JUNE 2010 SIMBAI (hiking in the Kaironk River valley) Today’s program will involve a full day of quite challenging hiking – this time in an easterly direction towards the Kaironk River valley. The terrain on this side of Simbai consists of steep ridges and we will be doing quite a bit of scarpering up and down hillsides to get to remote little hamlets. The village people will not know we are coming and we will enjoy chance encounters on mountain paths with people on the way to and from their gardens, as well as surprising family groups in their little hamlets. Europeans are not seen very often in this area and we will be the centre of attention when we pass through each little village. “Dr Livingstone, I presume?” We will be crossing streams and the Kaironk River several times today, climbing pig fences and straddling fallen tress across our path, so be prepared for anything. Overnight Kalam Guest House, Simbai (twin share, includes all meals)
Poolside at quiet little Jais Aben Resort Handicraft and artifact market, Madang	DAY 13: WED 23 JUNE 2010 SIMBAI / MADANG This morning we will fly by charter aircraft from Simbai to Madang. From Madang airport we will take the scenic route via Madang town and foreshore through to Jais Aben, a mid-range beach resort located twenty minutes drive out of town. After lunch at the resort we will offer a choice of activities in the afternoon: water activities at Jais Aben or a sightseeing tour of Madang. From Jais Aben it is a short paddle by canoe or kayak to mangrove labyrinths and offshore islands. There is a pretty little beach for paddling and swimming and a motor boat available for a snorkelling trip to the lagoon reef. There is also a swimming pool with sun chairs for relaxing. Scuba diving is available if booked in advance. All activities at Jais Aben except scuba diving are included in your accommodation package. Alternatively, an afternoon tour is offered will including the Madang produce market, handicrafts markets, war memorials and lighthouse, Alexishafen colonial cemetery and the NobNob lookout. Overnight Jais Aben Resort, Madang (standard twin share bungalow, room only)
Bomana War Cemetery, Port Moresby Stilt villages, Port Moresby	DAY 14: THU 24 JUNE 2010 MADANG / PORT MORESBY / FLY OUT Today we depart Madang on a morning flight to Port Moresby which connects with afternoon flights to Cairns, Brisbane and Singapore. OR extend to Sepik River If you have time in Port Moresby between flights Ecotourism Melanesia vehicles and drivers are available for your last-minute touring, souvenir shopping or errands before we farewell you at the airport. Places you might like to visit: - the national museum (mainly cultural displays and takes about 1 hour to look through) - the PNG Art artifact showroom (okay it’s a tin shed) which has the largest range of artifacts, arts and crafts from all over the country. They will fumigate, pack and ship your goods overseas so you can avoid carrying stuff with you on the plane if you wish. Especially important if you are travelling to Australia where non-fumigated artifacts may be confiscated and destroyed by Quarantine officers. - the rare books section of the University bookshop which has several cabinets of out-of-print goodies scoured from the internet including Papua New Guinea biology, anthropology, ethnomusicology, geology, sociology and modern history. Expect to pay K200-K300 per out-of-print volume. - the Bomana War Cemetery which is mainly of interest to Australians. Almost 3400 graves of mainly Australian servicemen killed in action in World War 2, including 600 on the infamous Kokoda Track. Click here to download the full, detailed itinerary for EM206 2010 with prices, tour inclusions and trip notes (PDF format)