EM207A GOROKA SHOW WEEKENDER – 16-20 SEPTEMBER 2010 4 nights Goroka - semi-escorted program for independent travellers The Goroka Show (also known as the Goroka Festival) is partly an agricultural show and partly a highlands sing-sing. Since colonial days the people of the Eastern Highlands have come together once a year to display samples of their best crops and livestock, and to show off their most colourful and energetic dance traditions. The pride of each tribe is vested in its dancing groups which vie for attention and prominence on the dance ground – often there are several groups performing at once in different parts of the arena. Sparks fly occasionally as jealousy and competition fuel conflict between tribal groups. At the end of the Show, judges award prizes to the best dancing groups. Cash awards have now taken the place of pigs and brides. This four night program is designed for independent travellers requiring managed arrangements for visiting the Goroka Show. It offers a selection of accommodation options – subject to availability at time of booking – and organised excursions to local villages, cultural attractions and the Goroka Show. Flights or road transfers in and out of Goroka are not included. When making your travel plans, bear in mind that there is a relatively high risk of flight disruption on the day before, and after, the Goroka Show. Air Niugini flights in and out of Goroka immediately before and after the Show are usually overbooked and even if you hold a confirmed ticket there is still a chance that you will be denied boarding. Also there is a relatively high frequency of flight cancellations and delays in and out of Goroka due to bad weather. Therefore we suggest you consider the merits of either flying in and out of Goroka at least 24 hours before and after the Show, or flying in and/or out of Lae or Madang and travel at least one way to or from Goroka by road. Neither public road transport (PMV) nor self-drive by rental car are recommended during busy Show periods but private vehicle hire or one-way rental with chauffeur drive can be arranged. Click here to download a detailed itinerary for EM207A with price options, tour inclusions and trip notes (PDF document, opens in new window)
Handicraft market, Goroka Bird of Paradise Hotel, Goroka	DAY 1: THU 16 SEP 2010 ARRIVE GOROKA Arrive Goroka by air or road (own arrangement). A representative of Ecotourism Melanesia will meet you on arrival and transfer you to your accommodation. An optional afternoon sightseeing tour around Goroka is available for those who arrive early including (as time allows) the University of Goroka (a small teacher training institution), Mt Kiss scenic lookout, JK McCarthy Highlands Culture Museum, Raun Raun Drama Theatre, Goroka Coffee factory, and the handicraft market (an opportunity for first dibs on village artifacts before the main crowds of tourists arrive tomorrow). An extra charge of PGK 250 per person applies. (This trip does not include the Asaro mudmen – you will see this attraction at the Goroka Show). Unconfirmed, there may be an exhibitions of bilum-ware (bags and clothing hand-made from twine) and traditional tattooing on display in Goroka today and tomorrow which we may be able to stop at if they eventuate, and if time allows. Overnight Goroka (accommodation only)
Welcome at Kemase village Kemase villagers Bones of the dead in burial cave, Kemase	DAY 2: FRI 17 SEP 2010 GOROKA (village trip) Today’s activity is a full day highlands village experience. A scenic drive 90 minutes from Goroka brings us to Kemase, a rural village. Here, the local people farm the land to support themselves with food, and grow cash crops such as coffee and market vegetables to raise income to buy clothing and other needs, and pay school fees for their children. On arrival at the village you will receive a traditional welcome and meet the village people. A small crowd of enthusiastic “guides” will show you around the village, including private homes, the village school, village church, and important village artifacts such as bride price ornaments and traditional money. You will be taken to the village gardens and shown how yams and other staple vegetables are cultivated. The spiritual connection between the village people and their gardens will be explained to you: the locals believe that people’s behaviour affects the growth of the garden crops. Near the village is a spooky gorge populated by large boulders. The people believe the boulders are the spirits of the dead. It is forbidden to speak while walking among the boulders. In the gorge is a burial cave where the bones of ancestors are displayed. Children dressed in traditional costume as a sign of respect for the ancestors will guide you into the cave. The caves were also used as a hiding place during tribal fights in the past. A demonstration of tribal fighting with spears and “bunara” (bow and arrow) will be performed. At the end of the gorge is a feasting ground where the village people usually gather for special occasions. Here your lunch has been prepared: chicken and vegetables stuffed into bamboo nodes and roasted under hot stones, with fresh fruit on the side. After lunch we walk back to the village by a different scenic route and drive back to Goroka town, having made a gamut of new friends whom we will surely bump into again at the Goroka Show tomorrow. Overnight Goroka (accommodation only)
Asaro mudmen Skeleton dance	DAY 3: SAT 18 SEP 2010 GOROKA SHOW At 8.00am you will be picked up from your accommodation and transfer to the show grounds for an early arrival to take a look at the stalls and displays before settling into the grandstand in time for the commencement of the performances around 10am. The performance program will finish around 3pm. The tourist grandstand has good views of the performance area and your tourist pass (provided as part of your tour package) gives you blanket permission to enter the performance area if you wish to take close-up photographs. Special toilets for tourists are situated near the grandstand. A number of our guides will accompany our group in the grandstand today to interpret the performances for you. A packed lunch and bottled water is supplied as part of your tour package today but guides can also run errands for you to buy drinks and snacks in the show grounds. Late afternoon, you will be transferred back to your accommodation. Overnight Goroka (accommodation only) There may be a traditional drama performance in the evening at the nearby Raun Raun visual arts theatre, which we may be able to attend.
Enga women dancing	DAY 4: SUN 19 SEP 2010 GOROKA SHOW Second day at the Goroka Show. Apart from the sing-sing performances there will be a battle of the bands, body building competition and the Miss Goroka Show pageant. A packed lunch and bottled water are supplied again today. Today’s program will conclude a little earlier than yesterday so before transferring you back to your accommodation we will make a side trip to the Daulo Pass, a high biodiversity zone about one hour’s drive along the Highlands Highway towards the Chimbu Province. Overnight Goroka (accommodation only)
Verdant Daulo Pass on the Highlands Highway above Goroka	DAY 5: MON 20 SEP 2010 DEPART GOROKA Depart Goroka by road or air (own arrangements). A representative of Ecotourism Melanesia will transfer you to the airport or other departure point and farewell you. TOUR ENDS Or extend for another day or two to do more sightseeing around Goroka. Or extend to the Kalam Culture Festival in Simbai during the week, and the Madang Festival next weekend (please enquire). Click here to download a detailed itinerary for EM207A with price options, tour inclusions and trip notes (PDF document, opens in new window)