Papua New Guinea 2010 Trip of A Lifetime

Enaja Safaris and Tours
Presents
Papua New Guinea –
A Trip of a Lifetime
October 23-November 10, 2010

Trip Overview

(Click on a day-link in the list below to go directly to detailed descriptions of the accommodations and activities for that day, or simply scroll down to read about this exciting trip in its entirety.)

Day 1 (October 23): Depart Los Angeles

Day 3 (October 25): (due to crossing the International Date Line): Singapore Hotel Day Room

Days 4-6 (October 26-28): Highlander Hotel, Mt. Hagen

Days 7-9 (October 29-31): Ambua Lodge, Tari

Days 10-11 (November 1-2): Karawari Lodge

Day 12 (November 3): Gateway Hotel, Port Moresby

Days 13-16 (November 4-7): Napatana Lodge, Alotau

Days 17-19 (November 8-10): Singapore, hotel to be determined

Full Descriptions

Singapore
The Republic of Singapore, an island city-state and the smallest nation in Southeast Asia, is in fact one of the most enjoyable, beautiful, modern, and safe cities in Southeast Asia. Even before independence in 1965, Singapore had become one of the richest states in Southeast Asia through the high volume of trade at its strategically located ports. Few cities in Southeast Asia can boast Singapore’s fascinating ethnic brew, and nowhere else in the world can you experience in one day the cultures of China, India, and Muslim Malaysia against a backdrop of ultra-modern Western commerce. A true shopping Mecca, bag loads of bargains and gifts are available at the many iconic shopping districts. Food is the national obsession, and the city’s elegant restaurants and pubs offer something for everyone. Singapore is not all about shopping and eating, nor is it completely urbanized. Adventure activities include diving with sharks at Underwater World, mountain biking, spotting leopards at the Singapore Zoo’s magical Night Safari, waterskiing on the Kallang River, go-carting and rock climbing. And if you want to retreat from civilization completely, the center of the island retains large tracts of forest where the only sound you can hear is the monkeys swinging through the trees.

Highlander Hotel
Surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens, the Highlander Hotel offers basic but modern accommodation – each room contains a fridge, telephone, cable TV, and tea and coffee making facilities. Other amenities include tennis courts, data ports, currency exchange, gift shop, and a tour desk. The Poolside Restaurant serves breakfast and lunch beside the outdoor heated swimming pool, and dinner is served a la carte in the Palmuri Restaurant before an open fireplace.

Port Moresby
Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, is a sprawling harbor city with a population of around 300,000. Situated in the southeast corner of the country, the city is home to the National Museum, the New Parliament building (constructed in traditional Sepik “haus tambaran” or Spirit House style), a modern university campus, and the National Botanical Garden. The Botanical Gardens has some amazing examples of Papua New Guinea wildlife such as birds of paradise, cassowaries, and several other native animals. If you are lucky, you might catch a wedding during your visit. The Ela Beach Craft Market is held on the last Saturday of each month and brings together local artifacts from all over Papua New Guinea – the perfect way to get some beautiful carvings, hand-woven baskets, or any of a number of other PNG items to bring home as souvenirs.

Mt. Hagen
Mount Hagen is located at the western end of the Wahgi Valley, a huge valley bounded by mountains with peaks exceeding 4,000m. The valley floor is carpeted by lush green subsistence crops of sweet potato and commercial crops of coffee, tea, and vegetables. Home to the Melpa people (who still live largely traditional subsistence lifestyles) Hagen, as it is called, was a patrol station before WWII but has grown substantially in the last 30 years. Mt. Hagen is known for its cultural heritage displayed in sing-sings where different tribes, their bodies painted and decorated in traditional fashions, show their distinct cultures, dances, and music.

Ambua Lodge
Ambua Lodge is an inspired mixture of local architecture, spectacular views, and modest luxury. Located at an elevation of 6800 feet, Ambua Lodge is a superb example of culturally sensitive and ecologically responsible tourism. Each of the 40 individual bungalows offers magnificent views of the valley below and the peaks beyond, modern bathrooms, and electric blankets for the cool highland evenings. The main building includes the lounge, bar, dining room, and a cozy fireplace. The surrounding forest canopy provides a natural setting and an exhilarating climate for venturing along the nature trails that cross traditional vine-bridges, lead to a secluded waterfall, and meander through high-altitude orchids and rhododendrons – one may even chance to observe up to 10 species of the birds of paradise.

Huli
First discovered by the outside world in 1935, these sturdy, war-like people are subsistence farmers, growing their sweet potatoes, taro, and sugar cane in the fine fenced gardens that flank their scattered garden hamlets. The Huli men and women live separate from one another because women are considered spiritually dangerous. One of their most important customs is to display the wealth of each tribe in tribal art consisting of their extravagant headdresses, beautiful weapons, jewelry, baskets, stone axes (called Ajus), and hardwood digging sticks (called a Kebas). One the most striking characteristics of the Huli is the great crescent-shaped, flower-decked wig of human hair worn by the adult males. The wigs are made (preferably) from the wearer’s own hair, but some people use a relative’s hair or buy a complete wig on the open market (though considered spiritually unsound, not to mention expensive). Without the magic and instruction of a professional Hair Trainer, men cannot grow hair of sufficient amount or quality and in the right shape to satisfy traditional wig requirements.

Wig Ceremony
Daily and ceremonial wigs are worn by a select few, each meticulously made out of real hair grown in a ritualistic purging period that takes anywhere from 18 months (for a day wig) to 36 months (for a ceremonial one). During hair growing, young men cannot sleep on their hair and are isolated in the bush with a teacher who casts spells on special water for them to drink and sprinkle over their hair. At the end of this isolation the hair is cut and the wig prepared. The young men paint their faces in identical patterns with red and yellow ochre, and turn their bodies a shiny red with applications of Tigaso tree oil for the festival and feast celebrating this important event. Men wear their crescent shaped wigs, trimmed with strips of cuscus fur, the iridescent blue breast shield of the Superb Bird-of-Paradise, and plumes of the cassowary.

Karawari Lodge
Sitting on a ridge overlooking the Karawari River, this beautiful lodge is in the middle of Arambak country where local people pole dug-out canoes, drums throb, wild birds call, and, traditional village lifestyle continues largely unchanged. Dense tropical lowland rainforest extends beyond the horizon for miles in every direction in this area, one of the most remote and unspoiled of Papua New Guinea. The lodge’s main building contains the dining area, bar, lounge, and an incredible collection of Sepik artifacts available for purchase. Each of the ten separate cottages is constructed from traditional bush materials while having all the expected luxuries, including a modern bathroom, comfortable mosquito-netted beds, ceiling fans, and a breezy verandah. The awe-inspiring beauty of the view defies description. As the setting sun colors the clouds above and snaking river below the vast expanse of jungle, one could almost believe that the world was born yesterday.

Sepik River Region
The vast Sepik Region, infamous in days gone by for its headhunting, comprises the Sepik River, its many tributaries (including the Karawari), swamps, and lake systems. In this region are many rarely visited villages where the spirit world and people’s everyday lives merge in a fascinating mixture of ceremonies, carvings, and haus tambarans (spirit houses). The Sepik people are famously prolific carvers, and you can purchase many interesting items such as masks, elaborately carved hooks, ancestral figures, hand drums, baskets, bilums, and gourds.

The Gateway Hotel
Only a short drive from the international airport, the Gateway offers a quiet atmosphere within rich tropical gardens. Internet access is available in the common areas and in some of its 95 rooms. During the heat of the day, take a dip in the newly refurbished pool before enjoying the Ani Ani Restaurant which serves some of the finest international cuisine in Port Moresby, and features a buffet from a different part of the globe each night. If you don’t want to enjoy the buffet (featuring food from a different part of the globe each day), then choose one of Enzo’s Pizzas in the Rattle ‘n’ Hum Pizzeria & Bar. The Gateway prides itself on impeccable service.

Napatana Lodge
Only a short walk to/from the festival grounds and town center, the Napatana is the place for visitors to meet and chat with the friendly expats and locals. Each of the five spacious bungalows offers a unique taste of traditional Milne Bay with all modern amenities, including en suite bathrooms, fan, cable television, refrigerator, coffee maker, and internet access. An assortment of European and local cuisines are prepared using local produce and seafood. Stroll around the gardens to meet some of the animals that Greta, the owner, is rehabilitating. All proceeds from the artifacts shop go directly into saving wild animals in distress.

Milne Bay
Milne Bay Province is located at the southeastern-most point of Papua New Guinea, its waters stretching out to the Solomon Sea. Since 1660 Milne Bay Province has been visited by a diverse group of people including missionaries, scientists, pearl traders, and Japanese and Allied troops. The battle for Milne Bay in 1942 saw the Allied troops defeat the Japanese in one of the most decisive campaigns of the war. Today, beautiful turquoise seas surround white sandy beaches where islanders enjoy a traditional lifestyle and live in harmony with the greatest marine biodiversity in the world. Milne Bay’s culture is very important because it is the only matrilineal society on the mainland, meaning that women hold a unique role as landowners, peacekeepers, conservationists, and guardians of the old customs. Today’s visitors arrive to explore Milne Bay’s customs and beliefs and peaceful society, as well as the unscathed beauty of cascading waterfalls, untouched rainforests filled with rare flora and fauna, intriguing bat and skull caves, hot thermal springs, and an unparalleled marine life.

Alotau
Alotau, a sleepy little town built on the hillsides of the northern shore of Milne Bay, played a pivotal role in WWII, and there are several memorials and relics here. Alotau became the provincial capital in 1968 when administrators were moved from overcrowded Samarai Island. After a visit to the market, harbor, and lookout above the hospital, soak up the atmosphere in what is one of the most laid-back, secure, and enjoyable towns in the country. Spend a night socializing with locals, nationals and expats alike, and you’ll soon have a local’s insight to all the happenings in the area.

War Canoe and Kundu Festival
The largest and most significant event on Milne Bay draws participants from throughout the province and abroad. The race across the bay features elaborately decorated long war canoes (seating up to 50 men) and smaller sailing canoes (with outriggers). Festival participants prepare months in advance by undergoing sacred rituals in isolation. The participants often face rough seas and weather conditions during the several days’ voyage to the festival site, traveling in canoes loaded with garden food, pigs, and cultural dance groups for the feasting and exchange ceremony. Many cultural groups from other parts of the Papua New Guinea dance from sun-up to sundown to the beat of inherited traditional kundu drums. Attendees are free to interact with the performers at this impressive and friendly cultural show.

TRIP INCLUDES:

• Round trip flights from LAX to Singapore
• Round trip flights from Singapore to Port Moresby
• All domestic flights
• Day room in Singapore outbound
• All airport transfers
• All meals unless otherwise noted
• Entrance fees to scheduled events
• English speaking local guides
• All accommodations in ensuite rooms
• All meals unless specified
• Hotel in Singapore 2 nights on way home

EXCLUDED:

• Papua Visa Fees ($40 upon arrival)
• Personal items such as laundry, phone)
• Beverages
• Tips and gratuities to guides and staff
• Shopping
• Meals and optional activities in Singapore

COST:

Total cost per person based on double-occupancy: $12,500* (single supplement: $2200)
* based on airfares as of 2 April 2010

Discount for payment by check: $500