Ambunti Crocodile Festival

Welcome to Papua New Guinea and the town of Wewak, the capital of the East Sepik Province. Feel free to arrive anytime today. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel.

This evening you will enjoy a welcome dinner which will give you a chance to meet your fellow travellers. Stay: Wewak Hotel (or similar) (D)

This morning you will depart Wewak by 4WD vehicle, and drive to Pagwi, a village located on the Sepik River. Upon arrival in Pagwi, your transport will change from vehicle to motorized canoe. For the next five days, you will use this mode of transport as you continue deeper into the Sepik and explore the surrounding villages. Motorised canoes are open to the elements, so you are encouraged to bring an umbrella for shade, and a cushion to sit on.

The main Sepik River can become monotonous meandering through floating logs and floating islands as you travel to Ambunti. In the evening the river will rupture into a vast environment of herons, cormorants, wild ducks, egrets, kites and over a thousand other species of water birds. Upon arrival you will check into your lodge.

Enjoy a half-day tour to the remote communities of Meno, Tongijamp Yesan, and Mayo in the Eastern Sepik. These communities only recently began interacting with the outside world, offering a fascinating lifestyle and culture for you to discover. This evening you will have the chance to go crocodile spotting on the river. Stay: Local village huts (or similar) (B/L/D)

Today you will have a full day to experience the Crocodile Festival. Start off with an early morning trip to Wagu Lake where you will have the opportunity to witness the bird of paradise. The bird watching in Papua New Guinea is unlike anywhere else in the world, and the best time to see and hear this spectacle is between 5.30 – 6.30am.

You will return to Ambunti where you will witness the locals display their unique cultures of the mighty Sepik River in competition with each other to show their superiority among their tribal clans. Learn about the ancient traditions as your guide explains the day's activities and get up close with the locals, sing-sing groups and crocodile Spirit dancers. Stay: Local village huts (or similar) (B/L/D)

After breakfast you will transfer to the Crocodile Festival where you will enjoy the festival until noon. Visit the traditional villages Malu and Avative. Both are known for their fishing and unique burial grounds. In the evening, return to your lodge. Stay: Local village huts (or similar) (B/L/D)

Enjoy a full day at the festival where you may witness a series of fun dugout canoe races, and sing-sing groups from different villages trying to outdo one another in decorative display, using the power of the dance and in sheer good-natured exuberance.

You may have the opportunity to visit the haus tambaran or ‘spirit house' is – as the name implies it is 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).

Return to your accommodation in the evening. Stay: Local village huts (or similar) (B/L/D)

Today following breakfast, it is a full day to the Middle Sepik by motorised canoe. You will visit Palimbe, Yenchan and Kanganamun. These villages have stood firm against the invasion of Christianity. They still have their Haus Tamarans and practice their customs including the initiation and scarification on young boys that depict the crocodile as a symbol of power and strength. The villages are also famous artists and they make carvings with the heads of birds.

Return to Pagwi this afternoon where you will meet your vehicle and transfer back to Wewak. Stay: Wewak Hotel (or similar) (B/L/D)

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