The Sepik
The Sepik is revered for its art.
A fascinating place in every respect; and one more akin to Africa than its Pacific surroundings. Come face to face with friendly tribes and bizarre customs while you traverse this stunning island.
Papua New Guinea is a wild, raw, captivating frontier of a country – more like Africa than any of its close neighbours. The Papuan people are proud and welcoming and their traditions and sometimes bizarre customs will enthral.
From the still prevalent Highland culture of ‘an eye for an eye’ to the fact that pigs remain the ‘glue’ which binds PNG society, as the number of pigs a man owns reflects his material wealth and social standing. It is not a cheap destination, however, if you have a penchant for adventure and the path less travelled, it really doesn’t get much better than PNG. Its tagline ‘land of the unexpected’ is very apt.
This tropical land of extraordinary topographical variety encompasses the Highlands, with peaks over 14,000 feet, the lowlands of the Sepik River and an extensive coastline dotted with stunning outlying islands. The most linguistically diverse country on earth, Papua New Guinea has 850 languages and wonderfully rich flora and fauna. Home to numerous species of birds of paradise and marsupials including tree kangaroos and wallabies that took to the trees of PNG’s rainforests some five million years ago.
In such a topographically torturous country even now the road infrastructure remains modest and the best way to get around is by air. However, delays are inevitable and published departure times no more than a ballpark guide, so always travel in PNG with a good book and a sense of humour.
A selection of activities and experiences you could consider including in your holiday to Papua New Guinea.
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01285 601 784Dive in the fjords of Tufi, a virtually unexplored underwater world or explore the Sepik River by dug out canoe, spotting crocodiles and bird of paradise and tree kangaroos.Meet the Huli Wigmen and Asaro Mudmen in the highlands, flying over the uninterrupted jungle below. The ‘cultural shows’ in both the Sepik and Highlands around Goroka are a particular highlight, though they may seem somewhat artificial, please be aware that they are helping to keep cultural traditions alive at a time of profound change in PNG.
As a result of the extreme topography of PNG, huge diversity of languages and cultural differences between areas you will have different local guides in each place, rather than a single guide accompanying you throughout. The benefit of this is that you get a local guide in each place who is fully versed with regards to the local area, language and cultural mores.
Papua New Guinea is known for its extremely hot summers and it can take only 15 minutes in the sun for the skin to burn. Even on cloudy days, the suns rays are still very strong and protection will be needed. Make sure you bring a high factor, water-resistant sun cream, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and some form of cover-up. We always advise avoiding the sun during the middle of the day when it is at its most intense, and making sure you drink plenty of fluids to keep hydrated.
Papua New Guinea is 10 hours ahead of GMT and doesn’t observe daylight saving time.
The flight time from London to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea via Singapore typically takes approximately 22 hours.
As a result of the extreme topography of PNG, huge diversity of languages and cultural differences between areas you will have different local guides in each place, rather than a single guide accompanying you throughout. The benefit of this is that you get a local guide in each place who is fully versed with regards to the local area, language and cultural mores.
You cannot swim in the Sepik (due to crocs), but do pack swimwear for snorkelling/ diving and use in pools when abluting in the Sepik, where a bucket of water is provided.
The local PNG mobile network is surprisingly extensive; however, in remoter parts including parts of the Sepik there are obvious black spots. International network coverage can be sporadic (Blackberry for some reason doesn’t work at all) and tends to be unreliable.
Laundry facilities are available at all hotels, typically with a 24 hour turnaround time.
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