Tour programs for private groups
These packages
are designed for incoming tour groups arranged by tour operators,
travel agencies
or private group organisers.
All inbound private groups are escorted by one of our experienced tour
guides. FOC group leader rates are available. Packages are based on mid-range
hotels
but budget accommodation downgrades are also quoted.
Itineraries and confidential nett rates
for the private group tours shown below are available on
request to
tour operators, travel agents and group organisers only.
APRIL
2010 FIXED DEPARTURE
EM203 ANZAC DAY PILGRIMAGE GROUP PACKAGE (10-34 pax) 17-30 APRIL
13 nights Port Moresby, Popondetta, Buna/Gona, Kokoda, Owers Corner,
Alotau/Milne Bay, Bomana War Cemetery (ANZAC Day),
Rabaul, Lae, Salamaua
Attending the Anzac Day dawn service at Bomana War Cemetery
outside Port Moresby held every 25th April is an emotionally moving
experience for Australians. There before you, as you recite
the Ode and sing Abide
With Me in the semi-darkness, lie the graves of 3800 men and women
who died for their country in wartime.
This tour provides an opportunity to learn about the Bomana
War Cemetery and its role in Australia’s history, and
explore some of the locations where the New Guinea Campaign
unfolded and those now buried
at Bomana
gave their lives.
Lest we forget.
8 nights truncated tour option also available.
EM208B GOROKA COFFEE FESTIVAL GROUP PACKAGE (6-16 pax) 25 MAY-07 JUNE
13 nights Lae, Goroka, Mt Hagen, Simbai, Madang
The Goroka Coffee Festival is primarily an agricultural show which aims to promote the coffee industry in the Papua New Guinea Highlands. Coffee growers display their produce freshly picked red coffee cherries, dried black coffee beans, ground and packaged coffee and provide an opportunity to taste the finished product. Buyers and representatives of coffee outlets like Starbucks attend the Show to form relationships with local grower cooperatives in order to assure their supplies of organic coffee from community-owned sources. Various environmental organisations mount sustainable agriculture displays and equipment dealers hawk their machines. Other agricultural produce from the Highlands is also shown cocoa, fruit jams, market vegetables, honey and various non-agricultural cottage industries (weaving, cooking) mount displays of their activities. Its a big day out for the locals in Goroka and surrounding provinces and an excellent opportunity for visitors to rub shoulders with ordinary Papua New Guineans from many walks of life. But the main attraction for many visitors at the Goroka Coffee festival is the sing-sing competition, which for Goroka is the second biggest cultural performance of the year, only slightly smaller than the Goroka Show sing-sing in September. The Goroka Coffee Festival sing-sing will feature a large variety of cultural groups from all over the Highlands and some coastal areas including Lae, Madang and the Sepik. This escorted tour combines the earthy coffee festival with the natural and cultural highlights of Lae, Mt Hagen, exotic Simbai and beautiful Madang.
JUNE
2010 FIXED
DEPARTURE
EM206B
TUFI CULTURE FESTIVAL & PAPUAN GULF MASK FESTIVAL GROUP PACKAGE
(6-16 pax) 11-24 JUNE
13 nights Tufi, Kerema, Mt Hagen, Simbai, Madang
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”.
JULY
2010 FIXED DEPARTURE
EM204B
- NATIONAL MASK FESTIVAL GROUP PACKAGE (6-16 pax) 13-26 JULY
13 nights Rabaul, Kavieng, Tabar Islands, Port Moresby
During our time in Rabaul the group
will attend
the
National
Mask Festival
in the mornings and discover the town’s rich scenery and history
in the afternoons. The tour winds up with some general sightseeing in
Port Moresby.
The National Mask Festival is an annual event mounted by the PNG National
Cultural Commission and always hosted in Rabaul. The festival showcases
Papua New Guinea’s mask culture and attracts displays and performers
from all over the country, providing opportunities to see both common and
rare masks. The three major genres of mask on display are the ancestor
masks, spirit masks, and tumbuan masks. Ancestor masks are designed to
resemble or represent humans and often have holes in the eyes as a distinguishing
feature. Small masks can be worn on the head during dances or ceremonies
while other are mounted in homes and men’s houses to represent ancestors.
Spirit masks represent non-human beings and are often designed to be mounted
on walls and gables to protect the occupants of a home. Tumbuans are also
a type of spirit mask but are larger in size and designed to be worn over
the head and shoulders, or the whole body, during performances of dances
and mime that illustrate goings-on in the spirit world There is no other
occasion on PNG’s cultural calendar where such a wide range of
masks can be seen in one place, along with the dances and dramas that
they are
associated with.
From Rabaul the group will travel to Kavieng and on to the Tabar Islands,
the home of the revered Malagan mask culture.
A professional tour escort from Ecotourism Melanesia accompanies the tour
group.
EM201B - MT HAGEN SHOW AND SEPIK CROCODILE FESTIVAL GROUP PACKAGE (6-16 pax) 6-19 AUGUST
13 nights Wewak, Kairiru Island, Middle Sepik, Upper Sepik (Crocodile Festival) , Mt Hagen Show, Simbai, Madang
The Mt Hagen Show is Papua New Guinea’s largest cultural extravaganza.
The Show attracts cultural groups from all over Papua New Guinea, even from Bougainville and the Trobriand Islands. The local crowd of 50,000 mainly flock in from the Highlands provinces plus Madang and Lae as these are the only places with road access to Mt Hagen. In contrast, less than 500 overseas visitors attend the Show each year, so it is still definitely a “local” festival and not a tourist program. Tourists and locals with cameras are given special seats with the best view, and you will also have permission to enter the performance arena to take close-ups of the dancers. Apart from the Show itself, your tour group will also attend another, smaller sing-sing on the day before. This is held at Paiya Village about half an hour’s drive out of town, is more informal without the huge crowds, and provides an authentic village backdrop for photography, with opportunities for watching the performers putting on their body decorations before the performance.
Before and after the Mt Hagen Show yopu will visit some interesting destinations in Papua New Guinea’s northern and highlands regions: volcanic Kairiru Island, the Sepik River, exotic Simbai and PNG’s prettiest town, Madang. The Sepik River leg involves climbing in and out of canoes, a bit of walking, and sleeping in village huts, so a little agility is required. This sector now includes the Sepik Crocodile Festival at Ambunti on the Upper Sepik. This provides an opportunity to attend a rural festival crowded by locals rather than tourists. The 2009 festival was culturally spectacular – the best rural festival we have witnessed in ten years of operating - they danced while carrying live crocodiles!
An experienced tour escort from Ecotourism Melanesia accompanies your tour group.
EM207B GOROKA SHOW & KALAM CULTURE FESTIVAL GROUP PACKAGE (6-16 pax) 11-24 SEP
13 nights Lae, Goroka, Mt Hagen, Simbai, Madang
The Goroka Show is partly an agricultural show and partly a highlands singsing. Since colonial days the people of the eastern highlands have come together once a year to display samples of their best crops and livestock to compete for prizes, 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 on the field 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.
The Kalam Culture Festival is a local festival only occasionally attended by tourists. Once a year the people of the Kalam tribe around Simbai in the Madang highlands come together to resolve disputes, pay bride price and other compensation payments (usually in the form of pigs), pierce the nose septums of pubescent boys to initiate them into manhood, and feast and celebrate together the traditions of their tribe.
This escorted tour combines these two contrasting festivals with some sightseeing in coastal areas (Lae and Madang) and the Highlands (Goroka and Mt Hagen) and best of all avoids the flight chaos at Goroka airport at Show time by travelling in and out by road.
An experienced tour escort from Ecotourism Melanesia accompanies your tour group.
Faces in the crowd at the Morobe
Show
Huli wigmen at the Morobe Show
OCTOBER 2010 FIXED DEPARTURE
EM205B MOROBE SHOW GROUP PACKAGE 12-25 OCT
13 nights Madang, Wewak, Kairiru Island, Middle Sepik, Simbai,
Mt Hagen, Goroka, Lae (Morobe Show)
The Morobe Show is one of Papua New Guinea’s major annual festivals.
The weekend event begins with a full day of agricultural and trade displays
and awarding of prizes to the growers of the biggest and best of everything – from
coffee to cattle to cut flowers. This is a marvellous opportunity to
view a cross section of rural commerce in contemporary Papua New Guinea
and
rub shoulders with the locals who flood into town to show their wares
and to see what everybody else is making, growing and selling. The second
day of the show, known as the Morobe Sing-sing, features traditional dancing
performances by over 60 sing-sing groups from all over Papua New Guinea.
This line-up is second only to the Mt Hagen Show in size and variety, attracting
cultural groups from as far away as Bougainville and the Trobriand Islands
to compete for prizes.
This 13 night sign-up escorted tour also includes some of our signature
remote area destinations such as the mystical Middle Sepik, exotic Simbai
and the scenic Highlands Highway journey from Mt Hagen to Goroka.
A 3 night package suitable for both independent travellers and short-stay
tour groups. 1 night Goroka, 2 nights Lae.
ANY-DATE
GROUP TOUR
EM38 – ESCORTED
SIGHTSEEING TOUR
6 nights Goroka, Madang, Rabaul
Fully escorted any-date program for private
groups (6-16 pax) arriving via Asia (Singapore,
Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Narita)
This
whirlwind itinerary features three of PNG’s easily accessible destinations
with contrasting scenery, culture and natural and historical attractions. A
professional tour guide from Ecotourism Melanesia accompanies the tour
group. A 5-night itinerary for arrivals via Hong Kong is also available..
ANY-DATE
GROUP TOUR
EM39 – ESCORTED
SOFT ADVENTURE TOUR
6 nights Tari, Sepik River, Tufi
Fully escorted any-date program for
private groups (6-16
pax) arriving via Asia (Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Narita)
This
tour avoids the usual tourist towns and brings you face to face with
three contrasting rural peoples of Papua New Guinea and the environments
in which they live. A professional tour guide from Ecotourism Melanesia
accompanies the tour group. A 5-night
itinerary for arrivals via Hong Kong is also available.
ANY-DATE
GROUP TOUR
EM40 – TASTE
OF PNG (ex-Australia)
7 nights Goroka, Madang, Rabaul.
Unescorted any-date program for private small groups (maximum 10 pax)
This
package features three of PNG’s
easily accessible destinations with contrasting scenery, culture and natural
and historical
attractions:
Goroka - scenic highlands terrain and exotic tribal culture.
Madang - pretty coastal scenery, peaceful seaside villages and tropical rainforest
Rabaul - WW2 Japanese occupation history and active volcano
The generic itinerary connects with flights to and from Australia.
Local guides look after the group at each destination but there is no full
time escort travelling with the group.
EM40A – TASTE
OF PNG (ex-Asia)
6 nights Goroka, Madang, Rabaul
Unescorted any-date program for private small groups (maximum 10 pax)
As above, but the itinerary connects with flights to and from Asia.