Mount Hagen Festival & West New Britain

Welcome to Papua New Guinea! Upon arrival at Mount Hagen airport, you will be transferred to your hotel for lunch and time to freshen up. Maun Hagen is the third largest city in Papua New Guinea, with a population of 46,250. It is the capital of the Western Highlands Province and is located in the large fertile Wahgi Valley in central mainland Papua New Guinea, at an elevation of 1,677 m.

The city is named after the old, eroded volcano Mount Hagen, located about 24 kilometres to the northwest. Traditional culture and beliefs remain strong in Mount Hagen and its surroundings. The Mount Hagen show was first staged in 1961, before PNG's Independence, to unify warring tribes. Since then, the show has become more of an attraction for those seeking to witness the fabulous sight of thousands of painted warriors dancing and singing to the beat of Kundu drums.

Today you will join some more travellers who are doing our extended Mt Hagen and West New Britain for sightseeing around Mt Hagen.

Enjoy a city tour around Mount Hagen this afternoon, with a stop at the tea and coffee plantations that this region is renowned for before checking in to your hotel. Enjoy exploring the city and feel the buzz in the air as locals prepare for the biggest event of the year.

Time permitting you will drive to Paikona Village where you can enjoy learning about village life, the people of the Central Highlands region, the famous face painting done by Mount Hagen women, and try ‘mumu', a local dish cooked in a stone oven.

Continue on foot to a nearby village to witness the WAIPA dance, a dance performed by young males and females who are courting. Stay 2 Nights: Jiwaka Mission Resort or similar (B/L/D)

Enjoy an early breakfast before meeting your guide in the hotel lobby (time to be confirmed)

Enjoy an early breakfast this morning before you depart to visit the Sing-Sing groups (tribal gathering groups) from different provinces outside the arena. Witness how their body decorations, colourful traditional costumes and vibrant face painting are done. Your guide will offer explanations outlining the various types of costumes and their significance in the differing cultures of these tribespeople.

Follow the tribes into the showgrounds where you will witness hundreds of warriors, all dressed in their very finest traditional regalia, dancing and chanting – each group has their own cultural style and language with the intention of outclassing all the other groups. You will then have the truly unforgettable opportunity to walk amongst the dancers, even shake their hands and meet them, before enjoying a picnic lunch at the showground. Later in the afternoon, you will return to the hotel.

Later in the afternoon, you will return to the hotel. Stay: Jiwaka Mission Resort or similar (B/L/D)

Following breakfast, transfer to the showground to enjoy another full day at the Mount Hagen Festival. Immerse yourself in the upwards of 100 tribes peacefully sharing their cultural traditions through costume, dancing and music. Disguised in anthropomorphic body paint, clad in elaborate headdresses, jewellery made of shells and boars' tusks and skirts made from leaves and fur, the groups perform their primal dances; the tribe that garners the most applause and the biggest reaction from the crowd wins.

Enjoy lunch at the showgrounds again today and return to your hotel later in the afternoon. Dinner this evening is in your hotel. Stay: Jiwaka Mission Resort or similar (B/L/D)

This morning you will drive through Mount Hagen city towards Mindima Village where you will experience the Omo Masalai Skeleton dancers. Painting their bodies in black and white to look like skeletons, their dance is a dance of death and often has a wolf involved which the skeleton ‘attacks' during their tribal dance. The way the skeletons lurk and creep as part of their performance will make it seem like they have literally clawed their way out of the ground. You will also see traditional bamboo flute men playing their bamboo sounds learnt during their initiation into manhood as part of their tribal traditions.

As you continue along the highway towards the Asaro village, you will wind your way up and down hills and through valleys, passing small townships along the way. Once you reach the Asaro Valley, it is a short walk up to your home for the next two nights. Dinner and overnight stay at Korekoreto Lodging Huts. Stay 2 Nights: Korekoreto Lodging Huts or similar (B/L/D)

Note: Korekoreto Lodging has single beds and double bedrooms with flush toilets and showers in the room. The electricity power supply is a portable generator that turns off at 10.00 pm and resumes at 06:00 am. There is no TV or internet, but a mobile phone signal is available.

This morning after breakfast you will take a guided walk to Mt Gurupoka, stopping at a breathtaking lookout over the Asaro Valley, and visiting a secret cave, and sacrifice site.

Returning to the village you will see the Mudmen perform traditional dances and their Mokomoko dance. Lunch today will be a traditional Papua New Guinean mumu on the Earth. Mumu is a traditional method of cooking large quantities of food throughout Papua New Guinea, as well as other islands in the Pacific. It consists of an earth oven that is filled with hot coal or stones, with the food placed within the coals and slow-cooked under the ground.

The afternoon is at your leisure to relax and explore the village. Interact with the locals and watch their day-to-day activities. Your guide will be on hand for any extra walks or activities you would like to try. Stay: Korekoreto Lodging Huts or similar (B/L/D)

This morning, drive to Goroka Airport (approx. 30 mins drive). From here you will fly to Hoskins via Port Moresby. Suggested Flights:

• Flight PX161 departing Goroka – Port Moresby
• Flight PX244 departing Port Moresby – Hoskins

(Flights not included)

On arrival in Hoskins, your West New Britain adventure begins. This province of Papua New Guinea is located on the island of New Britain. The provincial capital is Kimbe and throughout the islands, there are seven major tribes, the Nakanai, Bakovi, Kove, Unea, Maleu, and Arowe, speaking about 25 languages. People from West New Britain are referred to as “Kombes” in Papua New Guinea, about the significant Kove (or Kombe) people.

West New Britain produces palm oil for export with large oil palm plantations on the north coast of the province especially in the Kimbe region. The bustling town of Kimbe is the third largest port in Papua New Guinea and is the fastest-growing city in the South Pacific.

Arriving at Hoskins Airport, your guide will meet and transfer you to your hotel in Kimbe for dinner and a relaxing evening. Stay: Liamo Reef Resort or similar (B/D)

* Flight times may change. We suggest you check for updates regularly

Early this morning, you will depart Kimbe Town and head to Garu village on the seafront. This will be your stepping-off point for a boat transfer out to one of the small islands a small way off the coast of Garu. Transfer by boat, to one of the Kombe Islands where you will disembark and be welcomed into the island village. Here you will be greeted by the island people and you will become part of the community, living with them on the island for the next few days.

Your afternoon is at leisure to explore the island, swim in the crystal turquoise waters and laze on white sand beaches. Maybe take a canoe and paddle out, try your hand at spearfishing or snorkelling or arrange a boat to take a trip to visit other island villages. You could even try making shell money or necklaces or baskets with the village women. The kids will be happy to have an extra set of hands for a game of cricket or soccer if you're up for it! Stay 3 Nights: Liamo Reef Resort or similar (B/L/D)

Note: As this is a traditional village, you will be staying in the homes of locals. Your accommodation will be shared rooms with mosquito nets, a mattress and a pillow with sheets. Toilets are pit toilets with squat or seat toilets. There is no hot water, showers are bucket showers. There is no power or electricity, but a portable generator supply is available for a limited time each day. There is no TV, internet or phone connection.

Spend your next two days fully immersed in local life. There is a huge range of sea or land activities that locals undertake as part of everyday life – gardening, cooking, fishing and social activities with the locals. The island is not a tourist destination, so this is a truly unique, one-in-a-lifetime experience. (B/L/D)

Late morning, you will farewell to your island family, and a boat will collect you to return to Garu and then drive back to Kimbe Town. Arriving in Kimbe Town, check into Liamo Resort. The rest of your final day in West New Britain is at leisure. You may wish to spend the afternoon relaxing by the poolside or beach or choose to go into town to visit the local market. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travellers. (B/L/D)

After breakfast this morning, you will be transferred to Hoskins Airport for your flight back to Port Moresby. (B)