Tour Goroka Festival, Madang & The Sepik River

Accommodation

11 nights accommodation

Guide

English speaking local guide

Meals

Meals as per the itinerary

Transport

Private transportation

Others

Meet and greet service on arrival in Goroka All activities as per itinerary Entrance fees, sightseeing and permits

Not included:

Insurance

Flights

Others

International & Domestic flights (flight from Madang to Wewak is required) Drinks unless otherwise mentioned Visas Travel Insurance Tips Inoculations Items of a personal nature Anything not mentioned in the itinerary

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Day 1 Day 1: Arrival Goroka
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Arrival Goroka

Welcome to Papua New Guinea. Upon arrival in Goroka, you’ll be greeted at the airport and taken to your hotel.

Keiya Village and Cane Swallowing

Following lunch at the hotel, head to Keiya village for some incredible cultural performances. Among these is the ‘Cane Swallowing’ initiation ceremony, which is a ritual for boys at puberty and young men. During this ritual, they swallow up to 30 centimetres of a small cane before pulling it out. There is a sacred understanding that this ritual clears the mind and enlightens the heart and body. Known as Dring Kol Wara (Drink Cold Water) by the Bena people of Eastern Highlands, this initiation is practised only by young men. Traditionally, women were never allowed to witness it, let alone know about it.

The cane is carefully carved to achieve a smooth surface to allow easy ingestion. After carving, it is bent into a U-shape and hung to dry in kitchen huts. It is dried for about one month before being used. Now and then the dried cane is taken out and left in water to regain moisture to maintain its outer covering. Its length may vary from a metre upwards.

The initiation period may last for two to three months, depending on the pork available for meals in the ‘Haus man’. Mothers of young boys cry for their sons, as they are taken away to learn their customs and embrace manhood.

During this initiation, initiates must sleep on their back, facing up, as it’s believed to straighten and elongate the intestines in preparation for the Neheya. They’re served meals consisting of only pork fat and boiled kaukau (sweet potato), believing that this dish, known as hosamaya, ensures the smooth passing of the cane along the digestive tract. This dish is exclusively prepared by elderly women who have gone past menopause. Witnessing this ancient practice is a rare experience.

Return to your hotel for dinner.

Meals
Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation
Red River Lodge or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
Day 2 Day 2: Goroka Festival
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Goroka Festival

Enjoy an early breakfast, as you depart at 7:30 am to get your bearing at the festival. Sing-sing groups start arriving from 9 am. You will be awed at their body decorations, colourful traditional costumes and vibrant face painting. Learn about the different types of costumes and their cultural significance.

Experience a sensory feast of colours, Kundu drums, and chanting as thousands of warriors, all dressed in their very finest traditional regalia, perform and dance and sing-sing. Each group, with their own cultures and languages, vow to outclass the other groups. Walk among the dancers, shake their hands and meet them.

Tumbuna Market

Following the festival, you will be transferred to the Tumbuna market for the opportunity to purchase locally-made handicrafts before returning to your hotel late in the afternoon.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation
Red River Lodge or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
Day 3 Day 3: Goroka Festival
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Goroka Festival

This morning you’ll join your guide for another day at the festival arena. A picnic lunch will be provided, so you don’t miss any of the action.

McCarthy Museum

After the festival, at approx. 3.00 pm, you’ll visit the McCarthy Museum near the showground. The museum’s main collections feature artefacts and specimens from the Highlands region, including wooden dishes, stone mortars, stone blades, magic stones and sandstones for making stone blades. Additionally, there are WWII relics on display, including a P-39 Airacobra.

Meals
Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation
Red River Lodge or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
Day 4 Day 4: Goroka To Madang
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Goroka To Madang

After breakfast, drive to Madang on the north coast. The roads are bumpy but the scenery is spectacular. Pass by plantations and villages until you emerge on the fringe of the coast. Enjoy a packed lunch along the way. Upon arrival at your resort, the rest of the day is yours to relax and explore at your leisure.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation
2 nights Madang Resort or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide

Travel time Goroka to Madang: approx. 314km | 5 hrs 45 min
Day 5 Day 5: Madang
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Madang

Pig Island

Today, it’s time to hit the water and head out to Pig Island. Cruise past some small islets with stilt houses and witness the simple lifestyle of these fisherman villages. Enjoy diving (at additional cost) or snorkelling in the turquoise waters of Pig Island. If it is clear, you can see the remains of a bomber plane. Lunch is included today. Lunch is included, so why not bring a book and unwind on the pristine white sand beach?

Madang Museum

This afternoon, you’ll visit the Madang Museum. A small but incredibly fascinating museum, you will learn about the 1660 eruption of Long Island. Look for the ceremonial headdress from Bosmum village on the Lower Ramu River. These are worn during the ‘cleansing of the blood’, the time in which blood is drawn from a boy’s tongue and penis during initiation to manhood. Enjoy a village visit where you’ll have a glimpse into the traditional yet simple coastal life.

Meals
Lunch

Accommodation
Madang Resort or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
Boat transfers
Day 6 Day 6: Madang To Wewak
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Madang To Wewak

This morning, you’ll transfer to the airport for your flight to Wewak (flight not included), the gateway to the mighty Sepik River. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at leisure.

Meals
NULL

Accommodation
Overnight Wewak Boutique Hotel or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
Day 7 Day 7: Yuo Island
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Yuo Island

Yuo Island

This morning, take a one-hour boat ride from Wewak to a delightful small island, home to about five families. Enjoy a true castaway experience, as you engage in island family life. Join in cooking delicious seafood meals, discover the best snorkelling spots from the locals, and learn spearfishing tips from the children.

Homestay on Kairuru Island

This afternoon, venture over to lush Kairiru Island and visit the hot springs. Spend your night in a palm-thatched bungalow right on the beachfront, as you sink into life with the Marek family, who have lived on the island for over 80 years – certainly an experience that money can’t buy.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation
Overnight Naigboi Guesthouse or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
River transport

Travel Time: Wewak to You Island 1 hour by boat
Day 8 Day 8: Ambunti
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Ambunti

Ambunti via Wewak and Pagwi

This morning, farewell your local hosts, as you head back to Wewak and drive to Pagwi and onto Ambunti. The main Sepik River can become monotonous, meandering through floating logs and floating islands until you reach Ambunti. In the evening, it will rupture into a vast environment of herons, cormorants, wild ducks, egrets, kites and 1000-plus species of water birds.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation
Overnight Ambunti Local Guesthouse or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
Motorised canoe

Travel time: Wewak to Pagwi 5-6 hrs on dirt road
Day 9 Day 9: Eastern Sepik River
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Eastern Sepik River

Meno, Tongijamp Yesan and Mayo

Today you will enjoy a tour to Meno, Tongijamp Yesan and Mayo which are remote communities within the Eastern Sepik. They had not had interaction with man until only recently and have an extremely fascinating lifestyle and culture which you will learn about.

Haus Tambaran

You may have the opportunity to visit the Haus Tambaran, or ‘Spirit House’, which is – as the name implies, the home of the spirits; of ancestors, progenitors, crocodiles and other animals. Upstairs in these houses, carvers and other artisans sit quietly next to their creations – an astonishing array of figurines, half-bird, half-mammal; or half-human, part-animal and so forth. (Women require permission to enter the spirit houses).

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation
Overnight Local Guesthouse or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
Motorised canoe
Day 10 Day 10: Middle Sepik
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Middle Sepik

Palimbe, Yenchan and Kanganamun

Today following breakfast, it is a full day to the Middle Sepik. You will visit Palimbe, Yenchan and Kanganamun. These villages have stood firm against the invasion of Christianity. They still have their Haus Tambarans and practice their customs, including the initiation and scarification of young boys

that depict the crocodile as a symbol of power and strength. The villages are also famous for artists and they make carvings with the heads of birds.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation
Overnight Korogu Guest House or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide
Motorised canoe
Day 11 Day 11: Wewak
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Wewak

Return to Pagwi today, where you will meet your vehicle and transfer back to Wewak.

Meals
Breakfast

Accommodation
Overnight Wewak Boutique Hotel or similar

Services
Private vehicle and English-speaking guide

Travel time: Pagwi to Wewak 5-6 hrs on dirt road
Day 12 Day 12: Departure
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 12: Departure

The day is yours until it is time to transfer to the airport for your flight back to Port Moresby. (Flight not included).

Meals
Breakfast

Services
Private airport transfers

12 days tour

Goroka Festival, Madang & The Sepik River

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Goroka Festival, Madang & The Sepik River

Day 1: Arrival Goroka

Day 2: Goroka Festival

Day 3: Goroka Festival

Day 4: Goroka To Madang

Day 5: Madang

Day 6: Madang To Wewak

Day 7: Yuo Island

Day 8: Ambunti

Day 9: Eastern Sepik River

Day 10: Middle Sepik

Day 11: Wewak

Day 12: Departure

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