Essential Papua New Guinea

The Mt. Hagen produce market is one of the biggest in Papua New Guinea. It is a crowded, colorful meeting place which attracts people from all over the province. It is not unusual to see locals in traditional dress. Excursions to the traditional Chimbu Players and the Asaro Mudmen villages during your tour of Papua New Guinea can be arranged from Mt. Hagen. These wildly exotic tribes are but two of hundreds of distinct tribes that inhabit PNG, each with their own distinct language, unintelligible to tribes that may lie a mere valley away. This is what makes Papua New Guinea so unusual in the world: nowhere else is ther such a density of unique, small tribal bands living so closely to each other.

You may choose to visit Mt. Hagen during the annual August Highlands Cultural Show, also known as the Mt. Hagen Sing-Sing. Sing-sings are where different and often antagonistic tribes come together to sing and dance in their distinct, elaborate traditional costumes, and compete for prestige against other tribes. Participants take exceptional pride in representing their tribe's unique garb and rituals. A sing-sing is an unparalled pageant, a psychedelic smorgasbord of ritualized ancient theater paraded to vocal accompaniment. The chanting of each tribe is alternately haunting, happy or warlike, and ranges from dizzying whoops to subtle, wind-like murmurs. Far from being a staged event for tourists, sing-sing competitions have a long tradition, and jealous losers have in the past been known to wage actual war on the winning tribe. Accommodations fill up quickly, so if you wish to attend the show, please book your Papua New Guinea travel about one year in advance.

There are also opportunities to visit local shamanistic practitioners during your Papua New Guinea tour. The surrounding countryside boasts thundering waterfalls and lush mountain scenery. Tari's forests are a haven for many species of the magnificent bird of paradise and multiple species of orchids, as well as myriad other birds, mammals and marsupials.

Artistic development amongst the river-side cultures has flourished. Carvings, family and village totems, and ornate haus tambaran (spirit houses) are famous in this region. When touring Papua New Guinea and its Sepik River region, opportunities abound to view and collect some of the world's finest primitive art. We offer cruises to the middle, and lower reaches of the Sepik River on the luxurious Sepik Spirit.  If time is limited or cruises aren't available, an option to explore the region is to stay at the eco-style Karawri Resort. This property is located on the banks of the Karawari River, a major tributary of the Sepik in the middle Sepik Region and offers access to authentic villages and mystical spirit houses.