EM50A CLASSIC SEE PNG TOURING PROGRAM PREMIUM PACKAGE Soft adventure for independent travellers and private groups

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1 EM50A CLASSIC SEE PNG TOURING PROGRAM PREMIUM PACKAGE Soft adventure for independent travellers and private groups 10 nights core tour Goroka (2 nt) Mt Hagen (2 nt) Wewak (2 nt) Sepik River (2 nt) Madang (2 nt) optional side trip to Wewak Islands optional extension to Rabaul optional extension to Alotau optional extension to Port Moresby connects with other packages to Simbai, Tufi and Trobriand Islands This go-anytime private touring itinerary features a number of PNG s contrasting destinations with varied natural, cultural and historical attractions: Goroka - scenic highlands terrain, biodiverse forests, mountain villages. Mt Hagen colourful sing-sings, bird watching, coffee plantations and market gardens Wewak/Sepik River riverside stilt villages, animist religion, exotic carvings Madang - pretty coastal scenery, seaside villages and tropical rainforest, colonial history From Wewak there is an optional 3 nights side trip to the Wewak Islands including tropical Muschu Island with lovely beaches and WW2 relics, and volcanic Kairiru Island which has hot springs, waterfalls and a superb village dance group. After the core tour there are optional extensions to Rabaul, Alotau and Port Moresby. This premium version of the program includes quality 3.5 star hotels with full breakfast, comfortable air-conditioned cars for road transfers, daily excursions with lunch and best available cultural experiences and sing-sing performances in the villages. The tour program is privately guided by our expert local guides at each destination who will arrange and manage each day s activities for you but the guide does not fly with you or stay with you at the hotel. NB This is not a trekking package but some walking and clambering is required to see everything on the itinerary. The tour is not suitable for travellers with limited mobility unless modified and re-quoted accordingly.

2 PREMIUM PACKAGE COST: all prices per person*** Group of 1 Group of 2 Group of 4 Group of 6+ Ground package core tour 10 nights 3.5 star accom with breakfast, all tours & transfers, most lunches Single supplement 10 nights single room Meal supplement core tour 2 transit lunches + 8 hotel dinners * Wewak Is. side trip 3 nights with all meals, all boat transfers & activities Optional airfare supplement ** POM-GKA + HGU-WWK-MAG-POM Rabaul extension 2 nights / 3 nights 3.5 star accom with breakfast Optional airfare supplement ** POM-RAB-POM Alotau extension 2 nights / 3 nights / 4 nights 3.5 star accom with breakfast Optional airfare supplement ** POM-Alotau-POM Port Moresby extension 1 night / 2 nights / 3 nights 3.5 star accom with breakfast Extra night any town Accom with breakfast only USD USD 7611 N/A USD 700 USD 370 USD 370 USD 2925 USD 1575 USD 200 x4 = USD 800 USD nt USD nt USD 200 x4 = USD 800 USD nt USD nt USD 600 USD 600 USD nt USD nt USD nt USD nt USD nt USD nt USD 400 USD 400 USD 800 1nt USD nt USD nt USD 425 1nt USD 975 2nt USD nt USD 200 USD 125 Please enquire Please enquire * Lunches during full day transfers and tours are already included in the Core Tour ground package. On these days, lunch or a lunch credit up to a value of PGK 50 is provided by our guide which is adequate for a basic plated or take-out lunch. If you d like something special you can pay extra and upgrade yourself. ** Flat rate economy fare quote. We are a ground operator not an airline agency, but for your convenience we can purchase tickets in your name from the airlines. Alternatively you may arrange your own airfares. *** Prices subject to change but otherwise valid till end 2019.

3 EM50 CORE TOUR 10 NIGHTS PREMIUM PACKAGE LIST OF INCLUSIONS Port Moresby arrival meet and greet, airport assistance Goroka arrival meet and greet, shuttle transfer to hotel, guided orientation walk Goroka - 2 nights 3.5* accommodation with breakfast Goroka full day private town and village tour including Asaro mud men village (entry to village and cultural centre, meet some mud men, mud helmet making demonstration, mud man photo session, mud man group drama performance, possible cane-swallowing demonstration) and Kenadi rural village (village entry and walk-around tour, demonstrations of traditional skills and lifestyle activities, re-enactment of traditional funeral ritual, village sing-sing performance). Includes lunch. Goroka full day road transfer to Mt Hagen with stops including stops at Daulo Pass (guided moss forest walk), Snake Village (village entry and walk-around, see villagers handling snakes), Kundiawa town, Mindima skeleton village (village entry and walk-around, meet some skeleton men, skeleton body painting demonstration and photo session, skeleton dancers performance, karim leg courtship ritual), Kindeng farming community (entry and walk-around tour of cottage industries and market gardening, children s dance performance). Includes lunch. Mt Hagen 2 nights 3.5* accommodation with breakfast Mt Hagen full day private town and village tour including town places of interest, Moika village (village entry and walk-around, orchid gardens, local food tasting and women s dance, traditional Melpa tribe wapa stomping dance sing-sing performance in full costume and body paint) and Kumul bird watching lodge (entry to bird feeder stations and house forest for self-guided walk or bird spotting walk with bird guide). Includes lunch. Mt Hagen departure airport transfer and flight check-in assistance Wewak arrival meet and greet, transfer to hotel by hotel shuttle or private car Wewak half day private town tour including markets and war memorials, Cape Wom Wewak 2 nights 3.5* accommodation with breakfast Wewak return overland transfers to Sepik River by road & motor canoe (optional air uplift at extra cost), includes lunch. Sepik River arrival orientation walk with guide Sepik River 2 nights rural accommodation including local style meals and bottled water (choice of Middle Sepik Korogo Village Guest House 0.5 star or Upper Sepik Ambunti Lodge 1.0 star) Sepik River full day private motor canoe tour of riverside villages with entry to culture houses / special sites, village style lunch, briefing and demonstration of tribal culture, village sing-sing performance Wewak departure airport transfer and flight check-in assistance Madang arrival meet and greet, transfer to hotel (hotel shuttle or private car) Madang - 2 nights 3.5* accommodation with breakfast Madang full day private town and lagoon tour by car and motor boat with stops at markets, cultural museum, Balek Grotto, Krangket Island, Pik Island snorkelling spot. Includes lunch. Madang full day private seaside village excursion including traditional flower lei welcome and singsing performance, freedom of the village and beach, village lunch, dugout canoe excursion in the lagoon, Warwin Creek rainforest bat cave hike. Madang departure airport transfer and flight check-in assistance Port Moresby airport assistance and farewell Throughout all our tours (i) services of an experienced local guide with mobile or satellite phone for communication (ii) all transfers by late model air conditioned car with bottled water, umbrellas (iii) any tips/gratuities due to local villages, guides, drivers, demonstrators and helpers (iv) basic safety equipment eg seat belts for cars, life vests for motor boats (v) daily reconfirmation of flights and arrangements coordinated by our Port Moresby office (vi) 24 hour emergency backup from our Port Moresby office

4 ITINERARY FOR EM50 CLASSIC SEE PNG PRIVATE TOUR PROGRAM PREMIUM PACKAGE DAY 1 PORT MORESBY / GOROKA (arrival and orientation walk) On arrival at Port Moresby airport you will be met by staff from Ecotourism Melanesia who will help you check in for your connecting flight to Goroka. If you arrive on an early afternoon flight from Australia or Honiara you will connect straight onto: Air Niugini flight PX964 POM-GKA departing 14:55 or PNG Air flight CG1562 POM-GKA departing 15:40 If you arrive in the early morning on a flight from Asia you may wish to take a morning flight to Goroka and check in early at your accommodation to rest up before beginning your touring tomorrow: Air Niugini flight PX960 POM-GKA departing 08:30 or PNG Air flight CG8560 POM-GKA departing 08:30 Flights are not included in the tour price but can be supplied separately. On arrival in Goroka you will be met by our local guide. Look for somebody holding a sign with your name and/or waving at you. The guide will accompany you on the hotel shuttle to your accommodation and assist you with check-in. The guide is then available to walk with you around the hotel and town area doing a little exploring on foot before your main touring (with car) begins tomorrow. Goroka is a busy town by day but by nightfall the streets will be deserted after the thousands of people you see milling about the streets and markets have gone back to their villages late in the afternoon. Lunch today is not included so if you arrive early you need to buy your own lunch at Port Moresby airport or on arrival in Goroka. Overnight hotel, Goroka (includes breakfast) DAY 2 GOROKA (full day town and villages tour) 07:00 Breakfast at your accommodation 08:00 Meet up with your guide at reception and commence a morning of sightseeing around Goroka town by car including: - Mt Kiss lookout (see most of Goroka town and the adjacent Asaro Valley) - JK McCarthy Museum of Highlands Culture (if open) - fresh produce market (vegetables, pigs, chickens) - handicrafts market (woven bilum bags are the best buy) - Goroka coffee factory Depending on time available and the weather today, lunch (included) will either be a packed take-out meal to eat on the run (eg fried noodles or sandwiches) or a quick stop at your hotel for a sit-down lunch. Later drive 30 minutes out of town to the Asaro Valley, home of the famed Asaro mud men. Here you will be treated to a private mud men performance - a little corny but a lot of fun and great photography. The Asaro people have long had a tradition of crafting fierce looking clay helmets worn during tribal fights in the old days to frighten the enemy. The helmets are also worn for traditional dancing and drama performances demonstrating how their ancestors confronted enemy tribes wearing their scary mud helmets, their bodies smeared with grey mud, looking like evil ghosts. After the dance (or prance ) you ll be shown how the clay helmets are made, and you ll have an opportunity to try one on yourself. As an added bonus you may also witness a cane-swallowing ritual.

5 From Asaro, drive 30 minutes to another village where the people live in round huts made of bush materials. The village is a typical rural highlands community with smoky cooking fires and pigs wandering around. At the village you ll be welcomed by a traditional sing-sing group with a wide age-range of villagers involved from elderly people down to small kids. Walk by a number of homes to see locals engaged in different daily chores and activities including cooking, house building, making and using bows and arrows, weaving bilum string bags, fashioning kundu hand drums from hollow logs and a special demonstration of funerary rites. On the land around the village you ll see people engaged in vegetable gardening (the highlands climate is perfect) and tending their coffee crops. Organic coffee grown on smallholder blocks is the major local cash crop. This is sustainable community-based tourism at its best. Overnight hotel, Goroka (includes breakfast) DAY 3 GOROKA / MT HAGEN (full day road transfer with stops) 08:00 Meet up with your guide at reception and commence a full day road transfer to Mt Hagen with stops at Daulo Pass, snake village, Kundiawa town and Mindima skeleton village. From the hotel it is a one hour drive up the scenic Highlands Highway to Daulo Pass, a high altitude biodiversity hotspot where the highway curls through swirling mists past giant tree ferns and trickling waterfalls. Near the peak of the pass, you will leave your vehicle at the road side and a village guide will lead you on a 30 minute walk through the moss forest, still enveloped in morning fog and dripping with condensation. The forest is populated by flowering trees and tree ferns which form a substrate for the growth of a wide variety of saprophytic native orchids, green mosses and colourful fungi, lichens, liverworts and leafy epiphytes. From Daulo the highway continues climbing in a westerly direction, across the border into Chimbu (Simbu), an alpine province where the people are jokingly said to have one leg longer than the other to enable them to work in their gardens on the steep hillsides. One of the first Chimbu villages encountered is the snake village where locals have a penchant for keeping snakes in cages as pets and, yes, taking them out of their cages to play with them. Some of the snakes are venomous so it seems like a rather risky pastime to us. You ll have an opportunity to watch the people handling their snakes and talk to them about their unusual pets, or, if serpents are not your thing, you can cower in the tour vehicle Around noon, stop at the pub (hotel) in Kundiawa town for lunch (included) there is a basic short-order menu available including toasted sandwiches, fish and chips, roast chicken with salad, curry chicken etc. One hour s drive further west brings you to Mindima village. The people here are of the Omo Masalai tribe and, like the Asaro mud men, have a tradition of painting their bodies with clay to frighten their enemies. But the Mindima version of clay body painting is all about skeleton art. Both men and women paint macabre skeleton designs on their bodies and even have a number of dances to go with the image. The Mindima skeleton dancers are very popular at the Mt Hagen and Goroka Shows (festivals) each year and often walk away with the top prizes in the sing-sing competitions. You ll be treated to a command performance and have opportunities to photograph and pose with a group of skeleton dancers. Once again it s a little corny but great photography.

6 Back on the highway you ll soon cross the border into Jiwaka, a rather nondescript province that is bisected by the Waghi River valley. Here in Jiwaka you ll make a final stop at Kindeng community which is the home of our Mt Hagen guide and have a candid opportunities to mingle and chat with local people engaged in everyday activities including tending their gardens and fish ponds (freshwater trout). Families from a number of different areas of the highlands have settled at Kindeng which makes it quite a diverse community. From Kindeng the highway crosses into Western Highlands province and on to Mt Hagen city less than an hour away. Your guide from Goroka will help you settle in at your accommodation in Mt Hagen and then either hand you over to the care of our Mt Hagen local guide or, sometimes, continue as your guide in Mt Hagen. Allowing time for highway delays like landslides, water over the road and the occasional road block set up by local people with various grievances, no further activities are planned today. Overnight hotel, Mt Hagen (includes breakfast) DAY 4 MT HAGEN (full day town and villages excursion) 08:00 Pick up at your accommodation and commence your Mt Hagen day tour with a city sights circuit with stops and views at the shops, city market, Korn agri-farms, Mt Ambra lookout, coffee and tea plantations, peri-urban villages, roadside markets and arriving back in Mt Hagen via the Kuminga back road, then stop for an early lunch (included) at your hotel or other outlet arranged by your guide. Back on the road, drive out of town to visit a typical village of the Melpa people who are the native tribe of the Mt Hagen area. Take a walking tour of the village huts and gardens, meet local people doing their everyday thing, see a women s dance group and a traditional Melpa tribe wapa stomping dance sing-sing performance in full costume and body paint. From the village you ll then take a meandering drive out through the very scenic Nebilyer Valley to Kumul bird watching lodge located near the border with Enga province. By this time it will be mid afternoon and the feeder stations located near the lodge verandahs will be frequented by many species of native birds feeding off the fruit and nuts placed there by the lodge staff to attract the birds for close-up viewing and photography. Alternatively you may take a one hour walk along marked trails in the protected bushlands around the lodge and see birds in their natural environment our guides will accompany you. Although many indigenous birds can be seen here, this may not include birds of paradise because these species tend to dwell deeper in forested areas away from human contact which is not surprising since they are enthusiastically hunted by locals for their bright feathers which are prized for adorning sing-sing costumes. NB If you have a particular interest in birds you may wish to buy a copy of Birds of New Guinea, available in Port Moresby from the airport souvenir shop and major hotel gift shops. 17:00 Depart Kumul Lodge for the return drive to Mt Hagen Overnight hotel, Mt Hagen (includes breakfast)

7 DAY 5 MT HAGEN / WEWAK (half day town tour) Transfer today by domestic flight from Mt Hagen to Wewak. Flight schedules on this route change regularly. Direct flights are sometimes morning departures and sometimes afternoons. On some days there are no direct flights and flying via Port Moresby or Madang may be necessary. If you are exiting the itinerary today you will fly to Port Moresby instead or if you are skipping the Sepik River sector you will fly direct to Madang. Our Goroka/Mt Hagen guide will accompany you to Mt Hagen airport either by hotel shuttle or private car, assist you with check-in and say goodbye. On arrival in Wewak you will be met by our Wewak/Sepik River guide who will accompany you by hotel shuttle or private car to your accommodation. After giving you some time to settle in to your room and have some lunch (not included, pay extra) our guide will take you on a private road tour of Wewak and surrounds. Depending on time available this may include: an orientation drive around the town passing through shopping areas, residential areas and urban villages a stop at the main market (fresh produce, souvenirs, locally made clothing, handicrafts/artifacts) stops at the Chambri roadside market which has a great display of beautiful woven handicrafts including bilums and mats and Bowie s Art House at the Kaminabit residential compound which has carved Sepik artifacts and crocodile tooth jewellery. Both of these markets feature goods made by remote Sepik River people sold on consignment by their relatives living in Wewak admiring, handling and photographing the items on display is permitted with no pressure to buy. a stop at the Japanese war memorial at Mission Hill a major defensive lookout position of Imperial forces in WW2. Since the land is owned by the catholic church there was little vandalism or scrapping of war relics so quite a lot of rusting military hardware can be found in the area as well as trenches, caves, old gun emplacements and tunnels) a drive 15 minutes out of town to the Allied cenotaph/memorial at Cape Wom airstrip (where the Japanese commander General Adachi surrendered his sword to Australian General Robertson to end hostilities on 13 Sep 1945). The Cape Wom area has a lovely long grey sand beach which is suitable for a dip if you bring your swimwear. Overnight hotel, Wewak (includes breakfast)

8 DAY 6: WEWAK / SEPIK RIVER (full day transfer with stops) 07:00 Pick up at your accommodation and our local guide will drive you to Pagwi, your jumping-off point on the Sepik River. The drive takes four or five hours depending on road conditions and stops. The road from Wewak to Pagwi is tar sealed most of the way and quite a pleasant journey. First you climb steep winding curves from the steamy coastal strip to the cool forests of the undulating Prince Alexander Range. The road then descends onto the hot dry (or steamy wet) Sepik plains, with the river itself a fuzzy brown ribbon on the horizon. On the savannah grasslands of the Sepik plains, you pass by roadside villages before arriving at tiny Pagwi township on the Middle Sepik around midday. Lunch today (included) will be a packed (boxed) lunch supplied by your hotel, but you can also buy goodies from shops and roadside markets along the way everything from sweet buns and fish and chips to fried bananas and cassava pudding. Your lunch is best eaten in the car during the drive because there is no suitable place at the muddy Pagwi waterfront to sit down and eat. Eating also helps pass the time during the long road trip. At Pagwi you will board a waiting motor canoe and head either up-river to Ambunti or down-river to Korogo and settle you into your accommodation. Your guide will then take you on a walking tour of the surrounding community to meeting local people outside their huts or homes doing their usual late afternoon chores bringing food in from the gardens or fish hauled from nets, chopping firewood, cooking their dinner (usually fresh fish with sago before it gets dark because there is no mains electricity supply along the Sepik River and once the sun goes down it s difficult to work. Overnight accommodation, Sepik River (includes local style meals and bottled water). NB This premium package offers you a choice of two Sepik River destinations: (1) Korogo, a traditional riverside village on the Middle Sepik. Accommodation is in a clean but very basic village guest house with outdoor toilet, no electricity or running water (you will bathe in the river). Meals are purely village-style food (baked fish, vegetables, fresh fruit). You will sleep on clean sheets on a rubber mattress on the floor, under a mosquito net which will give you refuge from insects but the air trapped inside your net or tent does quickly becomes hot and stuffy so we recommend bringing a battery operated personal fan. OR (2) Ambunti, a small town close to Upper Sepik villages and the Wagu Lakes. The accommodation at Ambunti Lodge, although also very basic, has electricity and 15 air-conditioned twin rooms with ensuite bathroom and western style flush toilet. Cold beer is available in the lodge bar and meals, although also very basic, are prepared by a trained cook. Apart from the difference in accommodation the main distinction between these two destinations is that at Korogo you will be staying right inside a riverside village whereas as Ambunti you will stay in a small town about 30 minutes ride away from the nearest villages.

9 DAY 7: SEPIK RIVER (full day touring villages) Today you ll spend a full day exploring the Sepik River by motor canoe. From Korogo this will include Palembei and Kanganaman villages, returning to Korogo (or overnighting at Kaminabit if you are flying out tomorrow). From Ambunti this will include Yambon, Waskuk and Yessan villages. At each village you will be free to walk around and see what people are doing, engage in conversation with locals, inspect food and handicrafts for sale at the village market, enter the village spirit house or meeting house (if they have one some villages don t) and talk with tribespeople about their cultural mores and initiation rites (in some villages this involves skin cutting on the back to resemble crocodile skin, in other villages it s adult circumcision). Lunch (included) will be either arrange a packed lunch from your accommodation or your guide will buy smoked fish, sago and fresh fruit for you from local markets in the villages. Much of today s canoe travel will be in blazing hot sun (and/or rain!) so wear long sleeves, plenty of sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and even hold an umbrella to keep the sun off you. Beware also of the sun s reflection off the water which can burn you face and neck. Overnight accommodation, Sepik River (includes local style meals and bottled water). DAY 8: SEPIK RIVER / WEWAK (full day transfer with stops) Today you will depart after breakfast and return overland to Wewak via Pagwi (motor canoe + road transfer), allowing the whole day for this travel in case of unexpected delays. If you arrive early at Wewak the rest of the afternoon will be at leisure. Lunch today is included. An optional charter flight uplift back to Wewak may be possible at an extra cost of USD 400 per person (minimum 2 pax) which may also allow some extra time for village touring today before flying out. Alternatively (or additionally) a flight may also be possible Wewak-to-Sepik River on the morning of Day 6 instead of overland transfer. Flights are only possible on certain days of the week and are subject to aircraft availability and suitable weather. Please enquire. Overnight hotel, Wewak (includes breakfast)

10 WEWAK ISLANDS SIDE TRIP 3 NIGHTS (optional, may be omitted) The two largest of the scattering of islands off the coast of Wewak are Muschu and Kairiru. The islands have no airstrips or ferry services so the only way to get there is by squatting on the floor of an open speed boat ( banana boat ). Muschu is an idyllic low tropical island with coconut plantations and light rainforest encircled by pretty beaches with great snorkelling reefs. There are only a few villages. The island was occupied during WW2 by Japanese forces who left behind many relics including a pair of huge naval artillery guns documented in the book Guns of Muschu In contrast, Kairiru is a mountainous, jungle-covered volcanic island with waterfalls and hot springs in 1943 the Japanese had a seaplane operations base at St John on the southern coast and used observation caves on the north coast to detect incoming Allied bombers. One of the largest villages on the island, also on the north coast, is Shagur. The houses here are all traditional style, made of bush materials, and the people live largely on seafood and garden produce. The Shagur youth theatre group is famous locally for its excellent repertoire of tribal dances, songs and drama depicting local traditions and legends. DAY 9: WEWAK / MUSCHU ISLAND 07:00 Meet up with our local guide at your hotel and walk to the nearest beach to board your motor boat for a 30 min ride to the east coast of Muschu Island where you will overnight in a private beach hut at Sup ( soop ) Point. The cooler morning hours are the best time to enjoy this lovely tropical paradise. Walk along the beach, paddle a dugout canoe, swim in the warm waters and play games in the sand with the village kids who will welcome your company because hardly any visitors come here. Masks are available for snorkelling over the coral reef. Sitting or napping in the shade of an overhanging tree is another way to enjoy the beach this is a private area for the beach huts and nobody will bother you. Bottled water and fresh drinking coconuts are supplied and a local style tropical lunch (fish, fruit etc) is served at your beach bungalow. If you wish to explore more of the island there are several guided walks available that you can take this afternoon or tomorrow morning: a short walk inland from the beach brings you to Sup village where you can walk among the houses and greet local people cleaning and cooking their fish catch, fussing over their fishing nets, fixing their outboard motors, repairing their flimsy houses from wind damage and arriving with loads of vegetables and firewood in on their backs from their gardens. Debris from the thousands of coconut trees on the island is collected for kindling. You may also be able to visit the village school if you are there in the morning on a school day. (Walking time 30 minutes each way). walking along the coast to either the left or right of your beach hut will bring you to old gunnery positions spaced at strategic locations along the coastline. (Walking time depends how far you go before turning back). a more serious hike inland through dense undergrowth in rather steamy conditions will bring you to the site of the abandoned Japanese naval guns. They are too large and heavy to be pilfered or vandalised and continue to stand sentinel, pointed north east towards the shipping approach to Wewak from where the anticipated Allied invasion never came thus the guns were never fired. (Walking time 3 hours return - mostly under jungle shade but the heat and humidity will be high so bring a few water bottles). Overnight beach hut, Muschu Island (clean bedding, outdoor shower and toilet, local style meals, bottled water and bottomless coconuts)

11 DAY 10: MUSCHU ISLAND / KAIRIRU ISLAND This morning continue activities at Muschu Island as per yesterday and have a final tropical lunch at noon before departing. From Sup Point your banana boat will take you across the channel (Kairiru Strait) around the eastern end of mountainous Kairiru Island to Shagur village on the seaward north coast. At Shagur the people will await you with an enthusiastic traditional welcome, a walking tour of the village and a short hike 30 minutes to a lovely waterfall. (If you take a bar of soap you can have a refreshing bath in the lovely swimming pool at the bottom of the waterfall before returning to the village). As dusk falls the villagers will uncover an island-style seafood feast for dinner fish and vegetables have been slow-cooked under hot stones wrapped in banana leaves with coconut cream - delicious. After dinner you will be treated to a cultural entertainment program. There will be all manner of singing, dancing and drama skits portraying the island legends you will surely laugh at some great slapstick comedy even if you can t understand a word of what s going on. Overnight village guest house, Kairiru Island (clean bedding, outdoor shower and toilet, local style meals, bottled water) DAY 11: KAIRIRU ISLAND / WEWAK Today if you are a fit and keen walker you have the option to hike around the scenic west coast of Kairiru Island to the hot springs at Victoria Bay, have a picnic lunch there and get picked up by your banana boat and transported directly back to Wewak in the late afternoon. The hike is quite challenging, following an undulating coastal path along cliff tops and through sections of jungle, crossing creeks and climbing small hills. There are blow holes in the cliffs that will spray water over you at some points if the wind and waves are right. There s a lot of rewarding coastal ocean scenery and verdant rainforest. At Victoria Bay there is a nice beach and a small hot spring that bubbles from a rocky outcrop in the sand. The hot water runs into the sea which makes for a great mineral spa. As an alternative to the hike you can spend the morning at Shagur (climb up to the Japanese observation cave, tour the food gardens, visit the church and school, do a home visit with a village family etc) then depart at noon by boat to Victoria Bay for a picnic under the shady trees growing along the beach and enjoy a beach walk and a rejuvenating swim in salt water mixed with volcanic hot springs. Mid-afternoon, depart Victoria Bay for Wewak, possibly with a dolphin escort as always dolphins enjoy an afternoon frolic around these islands. The afternoon wind will be up by this time so be prepared to get wet with some bow spray. Your guide will call your hotel shuttle to pick you up. Overnight hotel, Wewak (includes breakfast)

12 DAY 9 or 12: WEWAK / MADANG (full day town and lagoon tour) This morning our guide will accompany you to the airport on your hotel shuttle at 06:30 and assist you with checking in for your flight to Madang: PNG Air flight CG8573 to Madang departs 07:55 arrives 08:50 Your guide will wait with you till your flight departs in case of any last minute flight delay or cancellation, and bid you farewell. On arrival in Madang, our local Madang guide will meet you and transfer you by private car to your accommodation then immediately commence today s touring, which will be an exploration of Madang town and lagoon, starting with the Madang Resort carver s hut, orchid gardens and boardwalk then further afield to the town shops (a poke through a typical South Pacific Chinese general store is a must!), the fresh food and handicraft market, the flying fox trees in the town square, the Coastwatcher s Lighthouse, Machine Gun beach, the lovely tidal lily ponds and the Madang culture museum (if open). Further out of town you ll visit the pretty Balek Grotto, a cold water sulfur spring where you can feed turtles and eels. The site was used for some outdoor scenes in the Pierce Brosnan film Robinson Crusoe. You can take a short walk through the surrounding tropical gardens and patch of rainforest where you may come across birds and other fauna. At a convenient point during the tour, the guide will stop at your hotel or another suitable eatery for you to have your lunch (included). Later in the afternoon your guide will take you on a banana boat (small motorised skiff or fibreglass dinghy) for a sightseeing and snorkelling excursion in the Madang lagoon. First explore the Madang inner harbour and port with its many sheltered waterways and tiny tidal lagoons and then the giant outer Madang Lagoon which has many small islands, some inhabited by village communities while others are home to birds and crabs only. Stop at Pik Island to swim, or snorkel over the colourful reef (mask/snorkel supplied). Overnight hotel, Madang (includes breakfast)

13 DAY 10 or 13: MADANG (seaside village and rainforest excursion) 08:00am Commence today s guided touring with a drive out of town past the airport and turn off at the side road up Nobnob ridge to the Nobnob lookout which offers panoramic views of the Madang coastline - Madang town and lagoon to the south east and Karkar Island to the north. Back on the main road, drive further out the North Coast road and turn off to the historical Alexishafen Catholic mission which during WW2 was occupied in turn by both the Japanese and the Allies, with all original mission buildings destroyed and later rebuilt. There are many war relics to be seen here, and the old mission cemetery. Continue another 20 minutes drive out the north coast road to Rempi Lagoon, a picturesque coastal lagoon protected by a line of tiny islands running parallel to the beach. More of the Robinson Crusoe movie was shot here at Rempi Lagoon and in the adjacent rainforest on shore. On arrival at Rempi village the locals will welcome you with a sing-sing then paddle you out to the little islands in a native dugout canoe and you can explore the tiny islands walk around one in just a few minutes - then paddle back to shore again. Don t hesitate to ask for your turn with the paddle, it s great fun paddling even if you go around in circles The local dugout canoes have stabilising outrigger arms which prevent them from tipping over. And wherever you see a flash of brilliant colours in the water you can jump out with a mask and flippers for a spot of reef snorkelling. Back at Rempi village a local style seafood lunch is prepared for you (included), some fish barbequed under hot stones or coals and some local vegetables cooked with coconut and seafood in traditional clay pots. After lunch, say farewell to the lagoon and head inland 10 minutes drive to the Warwin Creek rainforest. Here a 2 hour hike through the pristine rainforest is available if you enjoy reasonable physical fitness. There is a steep descent to the creek at the start and a steep climb out of the gully at end, with most of the hike following the verdant creek itself the walking track crosses the creek many times so you will be up to your ankles or knees in water a lot of the time and your shoes will get thoroughly soaked (fortunately there are no leeches or other nasties as the creek is quite fastflowing). The hike includes a foray into a limestone cave with stalactites and a small stream running through it. The cave is inhabited by thousands of tiny bats which feed off gnats and other insects in the cave. You may also spot the occasional small python lying in wait for a hapless bat. Your guide will provide flashlights for exploring the cave. Further downstream from the cave is a lovely swimming hole with a series of pretty cascades where you can jump in for a fun swim before completing the hike by climbing back up to the road. (If you are not a good hiker, a shorter forest walk on flat ground is available, skipping the creek and the bat cave.) Late afternoon, drive back to your accommodation in time to catch the tropical sunset before dinner. Overnight hotel, Madang (includes breakfast)

14 DAY 11 or 14 MADANG / PORT MORESBY (fly out or take optional tour extension) The core tour ends today and this morning yourmadang guide will accompany you to Madang airport on your hotel shuttle two hours before your flight to assist you with check-in and boarding and to farewell you as you fly out to Port Moresby. If you have an international connection or you are taking a tour extension to Alotau or Rabaul you must board this flight: Air Niugini flight PX113 to Port Moresby departing 07:00 arriving 08:00 Another flight to Port Moresby today, if you are not in a hurry, is: Air Niugini flight PX111 to Port Moresby departing 13:35 arriving 14:35 On arrival in Port Moresby, our staff will be on hand at the airport to meet and assist you. If extending to Alotau your connecting flight at Port Moresby will be Air Niugini flight PX154 POM-GUR departing 09:20 arriving 10:10. If extending to Rabaul your connecting flight at Port Moresby will be Air Niugini flight PX252 POM-RAB departing 09:20 arriving 10:45 NOTE: Connections For best chance of making these tight connections, when you check in at Madang airport, ask for a thru-connection and they will give you a boarding pass for the connecting flight so you won t have to collect your bags and check in again for the second flight in Port Moresby. However, just in case your checked baggage is not trans-shipped on to your connecting flight at Port Moresby airport please pack a change of clothes and any other essential items into your carry-on bag. On arrival at Port Moresby airport take the short-cut door from the domestic baggage claim hall directly into the check-in concourse, proceed straight across to the departures security check and into the boarding lounge. Our staff will not be able to meet and assist you as the baggage claim hall is a secure area. Please ask security or airline staff to direct you immediately to the boarding gate for your connecting flight. NOTE: Lunch Lunch is not included today unless you have paid the meal supplement for the core tour and you are connecting onto an optional tour extension or an afternoon international flight. See optional tour extensions next page

15 EM50 TOUR EXTENSIONS (Rabaul, Alotau or Port Moresby) RABAUL EXTENSION (2 or 3 nights) Rabaul is a vibrant regional town and district very different from the rest of Papua New Guinea and therefore worth a visit. Despite being more westernised with less traditional cultural attractions, Rabaul has many other drawcards for visitors especially its volcanoes, World War II history and relics, spectacular scenery, great diving and snorkelling, cross-country hikes and jungle expeditions, vibrant markets and friendly people. NOTE: Rabaul is also a high rainfall destination and you are likely to experience rainfall on at least one of the days of your visit. Rain usually falls in the afternoons for a few hours at a time then clears up. Whole-day rain is uncommon, even in the wet season (Dec to Mar). Rain is a part of life year-round in the wet tropics so when it rains people just put up their umbrellas or walk around in the wet and get dried off later the hot temperatures mean you are unlikely to catch cold. Your tour itinerary will still proceed even if it s raining and there will be no refunds or rescheduling of outings just because of rain. However travel by boat will be cancelled if the sea is unsafe for small craft and in this case an alternative activity will be provided and the difference in value will be reimbursed. DAY A RABAUL (arrival and half day Kokopo tour) 12:25 On arrival at Rabaul airport from Port Moresby, meet up with our Rabaul guide who will assist you to transfer to your accommodation by private car or hotel shuttle, check in and have lunch (not included). 14:00 Departing from your hotel reception, commence a four hour exploration of the Kokopo (New Rabaul) area including the vibrant Kokopo Market, the Kokopo Museum, Bitapaka War Cemetery, historical Queen Emma s steps and the German Colonial Cemetery. After dinner, an evening excursion to Gaulim Village for a private performance of the rarely-performed Baining Fire Dance featuring huge fabric-covered cane-framed masks worn over the head-and-shoulders by the barefoot dancers. Overnight hotel, Kokopo (New Rabaul) (includes breakfast) DAY B RABAUL (full day old Rabaul tour) 07:00 Commence a very long full day tour of old Rabaul following a circular route going out in the morning on the coastal lowland road and back in the afternoon via the inland hills route with the afternoon sun behind you for best photos of Simpson Harbour and the smoking volcano. Your guide will attempt to include all the following stops as time and conditions allow: Japanese barge tunnels and gun emplacements, Chinese cemetery, Vulcan volcanic cone, old Rabaul market and shops, Japanese Peace Memorial, old Rabaul airport (close-up viewing point of Tavurvur volcano), Matupit village and hot springs, Admiral Yamamoto s bunker, Rabaul Hotel lunch stop (included), Rabaul Historical Society Museum, Rabaul Seismic Observatory (harbour views only, no entry), Submarine Base, scenic North Coast Road (optional stop at Kabaira Beach for snorkelling) then inland via Kerevat town, Toma village (harbour view photo stop) and Uluganan villages back to Kokopo. 18:00 Arrive back at Kokopo Overnight hotel, Kokopo (New Rabaul) (includes breakfast)

16 DAY C RABAUL (full day Blanche Bay and Duke of York Islands boat excursion) Another early start today for a day of recreational activities and exploring: in the morning a half day of either beach and snorkelling or scuba diving in Blanche Bay off Kokopo and in the afternoon a boat trip to the Duke of York islands to explore the beautiful islands and visit the community there. 07:00 Depart from your hotel to the front beach or jetty at Kokopo and board your private banana boat. (1) if you select the beach and snorkelling option your boat will take you 20 minutes across the water to uninhabited Pigeon Island to enjoy a beach walk around the tiny island, a swim in the clear water or a snorkel over the patches of coral which surround the island. Bottled water and snacks are supplied. (2) if you select the scuba diving option your boat will take you first to dive the wreck of a Mitsubishi Zero fighter aircraft wreck a short distance off the beach near the mouth of Simpson Harbour, and continue right into the harbour to dive the wreck of the Japanese transport ship Hakkai Maru. Please note the cost of boat transfers and dive site access is included in your tour price but there is an extra cost for air tanks and dive gear hire if you choose the scuba diving option you will pay direct to the dive master on the day by cash or credit card. Blanche Bay and Simpson Harbour are often frequented by pods of dolphins and your speed boat is likely to attract a dolphin escort as you proceed from place to place. Your guide may even be able to arrange a stop where you can swim and play with the dolphins if you wish. The dolphins enjoy interacting with humans. After your morning of beach, snorkelling or diving you ll eat your picnic lunch (included) en route as your boat continues on to the idyllic Duke of York Islands, a small group of flat, rain-forested tropical islands located 40 minutes boat ride north east of Kokopo, on the other side of Pigeon Island. Unlike mainland Rabaul where the population has become semi-urban, the inhabitants of these islands still live a largely traditional lifestyle, living in communal villages, relying on fishing and their vegetable gardens for food, and practising many of the tribal customs now seemingly lost on the mainland. The population here, although still several thousand, is gradually decreasing due to a government policy of resettling the islanders on the mainland to avoid future overpopulation and possible impact of natural disasters, because the islands are sitting right on top of a seismic subduction zone where two tectonic plates rub together and are subject to earthquakes and resultant tsunamis which erode the shoreline and inundate the gardens and wooded areas with poisonous salt water. You ll tour a Duke of York village, meet a local family and hear about life on the islands, see a demonstration of the making of the tambu long strings of decapped cowrie shells coiled into hoops which are used as traditional money for large transactions like bride price, compensation to settle disputes, purchase of pigs and other livestock, and use of land or sea resources. To cap off your visit to the islands you ll be treated to a Tolai tribal dukduk dance on the beach to farewell you the dukduks are dancers wearing fullbody masks representing the spirits of ancestors. Overnight hotel, Kokopo (New Rabaul) (includes breakfast)

17 DAY D RABAUL (departure) 05:00 Early check-out from your accommodation and transfer 10 minutes to Rabaul on your hotel shuttle. Your shuttle driver or accompanying hotel staff will assist you to check in for your flight to Port Moresby: 07:00 flight PX252 to Port Moresby, arriving 08:20 or 07:05 flight CG8911 to Port Moresby, arriving 09:05 Ecotourism Melanesia staff will meet you on arrival and assist you with your onward connection or other arrangements. RABAUL EXTENSION 2 OR 3 NIGHTS PREMIUM INCLUSIONS RABAUL EXTENSION 2 NIGHTS (DAYS A, B, D) LIST OF INCLUSIONS Rabaul airport/hotel/airport transfers by hotel shuttle or private car Rabaul 2 nights 3.5 star hotel with breakfast Rabaul half day private new Rabaul (Kokopo) District tour Rabaul private Baining Fire Dance excursion and performance Rabaul full day private old Rabaul District tour with lunch RABAUL EXTENSION 3 NIGHTS (DAYS A, B, C, D) LIST OF INCLUSIONS - inclusions as per 2 nights extension above PLUS: Rabaul 3 rd night 3.5 star hotel with breakfast Rabaul full day private boat tour including Blanche Bay beach/snorkelling/diving/dolphins activities with snorkelling masks, packed lunch, Duke of York Islands village tour and food/cultural demonstrations, traditional dukduk dance performance Throughout all our tours (i) services of an experienced local guide with mobile or satellite phone for communication (ii) all transfers by late model air conditioned car with bottled water, umbrellas (iii) any tips/gratuities due to local villages, guides, drivers, demonstrators and helpers (iv) basic safety equipment eg seat belts for cars, life vests for motor boats (v) daily reconfirmation of flights and arrangements coordinated by our Port Moresby office (vi) 24 hour emergency backup from our Port Moresby office

18 ALOTAU EXTENSION (2, 3 or 4 nights) Alotau is a lovely South Seas town and capital of the Milne Bay Province, the largest of PNG s 20-odd provinces due to its immense 300,000 square kilometres of territory. However most of the province s area is empty ocean, with 250,000 square kilometres of open sea surrounding a scattering of 600 offshore islands. The province has only 50,000 square kilometres of land area including the islands and parts of the New Guinea mainland. Milne Bay itself is a deep water harbour at the south eastern tip of the New Guinea mainland, 35 km long and 15 km wide, shielded to the north and south by high ground thus providing perfect storm shelter for ships. The bay was first surveyed in 1850 by Royal Navy surveyor Capt Owen Stanley, who named the bay after British admiral Sir Alexander Milne (the locals invariably pronounce it Millen ). Alotau is a relatively quiet backwater with a low crime rate - the occasional serious crime always sends shock waves through the community. Due to the lack of road connections with the rest of New Guinea, Alotau has remained reasonably isolated and immune to the immigration of settlers from the Highlands tribes which has caused so many problems in other PNG coastal towns. During World War II, before Alotau existed, Milne Bay played a strategic role in pushing back the advancing Japanese Imperial forces especially during the 1942 Battle of Milne Bay (see other trip notes) and there are still quite a few relics and reminders of this conflict in the area. Other things to see and do around Alotau include the vibrant market, coastal villages, the skull caves at East Cape, bushwalks to waterfalls, snorkelling reefs and wrecks, canoeing on the sea and navigable rivers, and boat trips to nearby islands such as Samarai, the old capital. NOTE: Alotau is a high rainfall area throughout the year. For every three days you stay there, it is likely to rain at least one day, although it usually just rains for a few hours at a time then clears up. Whole-day rain is uncommon, even in the wet season (Dec to Mar). Rain is a part of life year-round in the wet tropics so when it rains people just put up their umbrellas or walk around in the wet and get dried off later the hot temperatures mean you are unlikely to catch cold. Your tour itinerary will still proceed even if it s raining and there will be no refunds or rescheduling of outings just because of rain. However travel by boat will be cancelled if the sea is unsafe for small craft and in this case transfers for the Waga Waga trip will be by road both ways and if the China Strait trip has to be cancelled an alternative activity will be provided and the difference in value will be reimbursed. DAY A PORT MORESBY / ALOTAU (half day town sightseeing) On arrival at Alotau airport (situated at Gurney, about 20 minutes drive out of town) you will be met by our local guide who will accompany you by hotel shuttle or private car to your accommodation. Settle into your room and have lunch (not included). 13:00 Although most if the town s sightseeing attractions are within walking distance of your accommodation, the hot weather will not favour a walking tour so your guide will take you out in an air-conditioned car for this afternoon s sightseeing. Stops around of Alotau township will include the bustling fresh food market, handicraft market, Chinese shops, the waterfront (with its fascinating array of inter-island trading vessels loading and unloading and small banana boats bustling about), the Battle of Milne Bay memorial and the expansive views across the Bay from the Goilanai ridge residential area above the town. 16:00 After the tour, some free time is left to enjoy the cool of the late afternoon and perhaps take a stroll around or soak up some sea breeze. Alotau town is safe to walk around without a guide during daytime. Overnight hotel, Alotau (includes breakfast)

19 DAY B ALOTAU (full day East Cape and skull caves excursion) 07:00 Depart for full day tour to East Cape. The road east from Alotau is unmade and a little rough but the pleasant coastal scenery with villages and beaches takes your mind off it 09:00 Arrive at Topa Village where a local villager will show you around the village then lead you on a bushwalk 20 minutes to the Topa skull caves (best visited in the morning when there is less chance of rain). There are two karst (limestone) cave systems in different locations and each cavern has two or more connected chambers containing hundreds of human skulls no other bones that are well preserved and calcified, obviously hundreds of years old and not from recent deaths. The bushwalk and descent down rickety steps into the largest underground cave is a bit tricky and not suitable for frail walkers. Your guide will bring flashlights for lighting the otherwise-pitch-black cave, where villagers will explain their legends of how the skulls came to be stored in the caves. Some villagers will admit they are head-hunting trophies while others, embarrassed about their cannibal roots, may claim they are the skulls of ancestors. Although there are ancestor skull caves in some parts of Milne Bay (eg Doini Island), where the skulls of ancestors are preserved and reburied in caves for homage purposes, the haphazard and almost disrespectful manner in which the Topa cave skulls are piled in heaps - and the fact that almost every cranium has a sizeable hole or crack in it - indicates that these skulls are actually ghoulish collectibles from the head-hunting days which, supposedly, ended with the arrival of the missionaries 130 years ago. It is hot, stuffy and creepy inside the caves so if you are claustrophobic or ghostrophobic (you ll be surveying the remains of hundreds of murdered souls) you had best wait outside and let others show you their pictures later 11:00 From the skull caves you ll retrace your steps to the village then another 20 minute walk in the other direction brings you to a lovely waterfall with swimming pool underneath that the locals use for bathing as well as washing pots and clothes but they always make themselves scarce if visitors are coming in for a swim. The mind boggles when considering what the waterfall and pool may have been used for in cannibal days!) 12:00 Settle on the beach at Topa to have your picnic lunch (provided by your guide). 13:00 Depart Topa and drive further east to East Cape, the easternmost tip of the New Guinea mainland and see the fast currents rushing through Goschen Strait, the stretch of water between East Cape and Normanby Island where the Solomon Sea meets the Coral Sea, then head back towards Alotau. 15:00 Stop halfway at Lelegwagwa village for a village tour and sing-sing performance. 18:00 Arrive back in Alotau. Overnight hotel, Alotau (includes breakfast)

20 DAY C ALOTAU (full day Dawadawa River and Wagawaga excursion) 07:00 With your guide, walk or transfer on your hotel shuttle to the nearest beach or jetty and board your private banana boat for a 30 minute water transfer directly across Milne Bay to the mouth of the Dawa Dawa River (see trip notes). Depending on the tide level your banana boat should be able to enter the river mouth and transport you a short distance up the wide lower reaches to tiny Labelabe village where locals will await you with an outrigger dugout canoe, ready to paddle you further upstream as far as the first impassable sand bar or rapids then turn around and make a faster run back downstream flowing with the current. Of course you may have your own turn with a paddle too - it s great fun and the outrigger canoes are very stable - but if you prefer, you may ask the motorised banana boat to take you upstream instead of the canoe. 10:00 Back at Labelabe, spend some time with the villagers who have prepared for you some of the classic Milne Bay village foods such as cassava pudding, sago cake and their signature staple, yams, cooked in different ways. You ll see how these foods are prepared and taste the creations on the spot and take some of them with you to eat for lunch or back at the hotel. 11:00 Farewell the villagers and head back out the river mouth aboard your banana boat following the southern coast of Milne Bay in a westerly direction about 30 minutes to the small township of Waga Waga. From the Waga Waga beach, hike about 20 minutes up the unmade driveway to Ulumani Rainforest Lodge (or if you are lucky a car may be available to drive you up). This quaint bird watching lodge is built in local style from bush materials and has expansive views over Milne Bay and also looks directly down and across into the upper canopies of rainforest trees rooted further down the slope. 12:00 Lunch (included) is served on the lodge verandah as you enjoy the views. There is also a tiny licensed bar in this most unexpected place where you can buy a cold beer. 13:00 After lunch, a choice of sea or land activities is offered: (i) enjoy some beach and snorkelling time at Waga Waga beach. Either sit in a shady spot on the black sand beach and soak up the quiet location or beachcomb along the water s edge waving at locals at you pass their beachfront homes and gardens. If you enjoy snorkelling, explore the artificial reef now growing on the wreck of the Muscoota (see trip notes), an old coal barge that was scuttled at Waga Waga beach after the war. The wreck is said to be haunted by the ghost of its first captain (see the full story in the trip notes), so be ready to jump at every shadow as you snorkel (ii) if you are not a water-baby, you can take a guided rainforest bushwalk along one of the bird watching trails behind Ulumani Lodge, hiking through pristine jungle, crossing bubbling brooks, scrambling over rocks and cooling off under waterfalls as you keep an eye out for interesting birds and butterflies. Jungle walking in the Milne Bay heat and humidity is challenging so bring a sweat towel.

21 15:00 Depart Waga Waga by private car, driving around the western end of Milne Bay to Alotau (1 hour drive). There is not much else to see at Waga Waga, apart from some American-made machinery relics abandoned in the bush near the road which have not been noted or identified on any military history websites and may be associated with one of the failed post-war agricultural ventures in the area. Halfway to Alotau is the Gili Gili locality which encompasses Gurney Airport and the provincial prison, all surrounded by the ubiquitous oil palm trees now planted on every square inch of available flat land around Alotau. Signs of the other wartime airstrips (Number 2 and 3) are all but obliterated and any sizeable war relics in the area have now either been pilfered or covered in vegetation and are not accessible from the road although there is a restored anti-aircraft gun on display at the airport. 17:00 Arrive back at your accommodation Overnight hotel, Alotau (includes breakfast) (NB overnight at Waga Waga is possible on request, subject to flights) DAY D ALOTAU (full day China Strait excursion) 06:00 make an early start this morning, transferring to the jetty for your boat trip across Milne Bay s outer mouth while the sea is still calm. 07:30 Tie up at tiny Samarai Island in the China Strait (see trip notes) and take a walking tour of this forgotten South Pacific town. There are a couple of quaint little trade stores, a public market, a church or two, an historical cemetery and a rather politically incorrect memorial to a formed colonial administrator who tried to make life better there for white men. 09:00 Depart Samarai another 30 minutes boat ride to Gonubalabala Island (see trip notes), a little piece of paradise belonging to the Mailulu family, originally from Logea (Rogeia) Island, who live there in a small village on the beach. On arrival you ll be welcomed with traditional dancing in local costume with the whole clan taking part from the elders to the little kids. The kids in turn will insist on being the chief tour guides for your exploration of the island including a walk right around (about an hour) and a climb up the central hill through light rainforest and the family food gardens to the lookout point at the top, from where you can see all the neighbouring islands including Doini, where there is a tourist resort, and Samarai which you visited earlier. 12:00 Back at the village on the beach, the ladies have lunch ready for you (included) and will show you how each local dish has been prepared, as well as demonstrating some of their island handicrafts and chores eg weaving coconut fronds to make food carrying baskets for the gardens, and scraping and squeezing coconut meat to extract the milk. After lunch it s time to get into the water and enjoy some swimming and snorkelling over the fringing reef (mask and snorkel is provided) or possibly try some hand line fishing by dug-out canoe to pick up some reef fish or troll a line behind the motor boat to lure a mackerel which you may each catchand-release or give to the local for their dinner. If you are confident to swim out into deep water wearing a life vest you can stake out the manta ray cleaning station about 50 metres off the far end of the beach, a location frequented by huge manta rays at certain times they float in the current while cleaner fish preen their gills, mouths and outer surfaces. The rays are not aggressive and, just like dolphins and

22 whales, they seem to enjoy interacting with humans. Floating on the surface with a life vest and looking down into the deeper water with your mask you may be lucky to see manta rays swimming below you and sometimes they will approach you and swim around you and even playfully flap their wings at the surface to splash you. Our guides are not trained divemasters or lifesavers so please do not attempt swimming with the manta rays unless you are a competent swimmer. NB The manta rays are also an attraction for scuba divers so do not be surprised if you find a live-aboard dive vessel anchored off the island on the day of your visit. 16:00 Once the afternoon sea chop has had some time to settle, commence your 90 minute boat trip back to Alotau, perhaps via an alternative route through the narrow gap between Sariba and Sideia Islands if the weather is fine. If the weather is rough going back your boat driver will hug the mainland shoreline of China Strait to keep the boat in calmer shallow waters over the fringing reefs, which may take twice as long to get back to Alotau but at least you won t get so wet. Overnight hotel, Alotau (includes breakfast) (NB overnight on the island is possible on request, subject to flights) DAY E ALOTAU / PORT MORESBY After breakfast, transfer to Gurney Airport by hotel shuttle or private car and check in for your flight. 10:40 Air Niugini flight PX155 departs Alotau, arrives Port Moresby 11:30 or 13:45 PNG Air flight CG1645 departs Alotau, arrives Port Moresby 14:55 Ecotourism Melanesia staff will meet you on arrival and assist you with your onward connection or other arrangements. ALOTAU EXTENSION 2, 3 or 4 NIGHTS PREMIUM INCLUSIONS ALOTAU EXTENSION 2 NIGHTS (DAYS A, B, E) LIST OF INCLUSIONS Alotau airport/hotel/airport transfers by hotel shuttle or private car Alotau 2 nights 3.5 star hotel with breakfast Alotau half day private town tour Alotau - full day private East Cape excursion including Topa Skull Caves and waterfall, picnic lunch, Lelegwagwa village tour and sing-sing performance ALOTAU EXTENSION 3 NIGHTS (DAYS A, B, C, E) LIST OF INCLUSIONS - inclusions as per 2 nights extension above PLUS: Alotau 3 rd night 3.5 star hotel with breakfast Alotau - full day private Dawadawa River and Wagawaga excursion including boat and road transfers, Dawadawa River canoe paddle experience, Labelabe village river village food tasting, lunch at Ulumani Lodge, afternoon beach/snorkelling or jungle hiking/birding activity (Note: Day D China Strait excursion (below) may be substituted instead of Dawadawa River and Wagawaga excursion at same cost if preferred) ALOTAU EXTENSION 4 NIGHTS (DAYS A, B, C, D, E) LIST OF INCLUSIONS - inclusions as per 3 nights extension above PLUS: Alotau 4 th night 3.5 star hotel with breakfast Alotau full day private China Strait excursion including boat transfers, Samarai Island walk-around tour, Gonubalabala Island exploratory tour, local style lunch, beach/snorkelling/manta ray swimming, island village cultural and food preparation demonstrations, traditional dancing Throughout all our tours (i) services of an experienced local guide with mobile or satellite phone for communication (ii) all transfers by late model air conditioned car with bottled water, umbrellas (iii) any tips/gratuities due to local villages, guides, drivers, demonstrators and helpers (iv) basic safety equipment eg seat belts for cars, life vests for motor boats (v) daily reconfirmation of flights ECOTOURISM and arrangements MELANESIA coordinated by LTD our Port Moresby office (vi) 24 hour emergency backup from our Port Moresby office

23 PORT MORESBY EXTENSION (1, 2 or 3 nights) Port Moresby today is a cosmopolitan city fast becoming a businesses and conference hub for the South Pacific. Founded on the shores of a defendable natural harbour the city became the administrative and trade centre of colonial Papua in the 1880 s, then in 1942 played a major part in the Pacific War due to its prized port and large aerodrome. In 1975 Port Moresby became the capital of the newly independent state of Papua New Guinea, enclosed in its own territorial enclave, the National Capital District. With a population now in excess of half a million people, Port Moresby (or just Moresby or POM to the locals) is now the largest city in the South Pacific and is home to about 10% of Papua New Guineans, both from the Motuan tribe indigenous to the area, and others who have migrated in from all over the country. During the 1970 s and 1980 s the city had a poor reputation for public safety with high crime rates due to organised rascal gangs which were based in shanty-town slums that police were reluctant to enter for fear of pot-shots. Since the 1990 s however the city administration has pursued a policy of urban development, clearing out the shanty towns squatting on government and private property and freeing up the land for sale or lease to commercial developers. New hotels, factories and shopping malls began to displace the shanty towns resulting in the eventual break-up of rascal gangs who were left with nowhere to hide out and were now offered a new alternative: positive engagement in society with all the new jobs being created by the city developments. Critics now call Port Moresby a concrete jungle but in fact the land around the city was always dry and treeless well before settlement and development. Port Moresby is now home to some of the most plush office blocks, best 5 star hotels and glitzy shopping malls in the South Pacific. For tourists there is a full day s worth of sightseeing in city including the national museum with its new war relics collection and handicraft market, the parliament house which allows entry to the grounds, lobby and some other areas at certain times, the Port Moresby Nature Park zoological gardens (formerly the national capital botanical gardens), the harbour view look out on Touaguba Hill, and several nowovercrowded Motuan stilt villages which have now been subsumed into the city sprawl. A second day of touring will take you out of the city to the Bomana War Cemetery, the National Orchid Gardens, and a one hour drive up through the majestic Rouna Gorge to the Sogeri Plateau which is home to the Varirata National Park, the southern end of the Kokoda Track, the Sirinumu Dam and lake (the city s water supply) and a large area of market gardens and plantations which give the plateau its nickname Port Moresby s food bowl. A village trip is featured on the third day of this extension. Although most peri-urban villages around Port Moresby are highly westernised, we are pleased to have found this delightful jungle community near Sogeri where we can offer you a traditional village experience a relatively short distance from the city. One hour by road, 30 minutes by motor boat and 2 hours rainforest hiking brings you to an isolated Koiari village where people maintain traditional lifestyles of gardening, hunting and fishing to sustain their existence. NB This excursion requires reasonable physical fitness to hike 2 hours to the village in the morning and another 2 hours to hike out again in the afternoon.

24 DAY A PORT MORESBY (arrival and city tour) Today s tour may be a half day or full day tour depending on your flight arrival time. On arrival at Port Moresby airport our local guide will meet you and, according to your preference, either take you straight to your hotel for check in (though your room may not be ready till afternoon) or commence your city tour immediately. Our city tour generally begins with a stop at the bilum wall and handicrafts market outside the Holiday Inn then a drive through the Burns Peak cutting to the harbour, a slow crawl around the Hanuabada stilt village (pictured at left) then into the central business district (CBD) the original colonial settlement then up a steep winding road to the scenic lookout on Touaguba Hill: the home of the rich, famous and diplomatically immune From the lookout you will descend via the CBD again and drive along the Ela Beach promenade (although there s not much left of the beach itself due to new developments in the foreshore area), past the Koki Fish Market and up Two Mile Hill, past the Boroko Shopping Centre and out Waigani Drive to the Central Government Offices, Parliament House (half hour stop) and the National Museum (one hour stop sorry no photography allowed inside). There s a display of war relics in the grounds outside the museum, and also an artifacts market. (NB the museum and parliament are not open on weekends). After the museum the Vision City Mega Mall is a good place for a lunch stop as there are many different food outlets including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, pizza joints and even a Hog s Breath Café. (Unfortunately, PNG village style food is not available in the city). A lunch voucher to the value of K50 pp is included in your tour today (your guide will provide) which is adequate for a basic plated or take-out lunch from any of the eateries. If you d like something special you can pay extra and upgrade yourself. Continuing out Waigani Drive, make a half hour stop at the University Bookshop which has the city s best selection of PNG books and postcards including a rare books corner where out-of-print titles on PNG natural history, anthropology and geology are available. There is even a little post office here where you can buy stamps and have your postcards manually franked. Next to the University is the Port Moresby Nature Park: formerly the city botanical gardens now transformed into a zoological garden featuring a plethora of tropical plants, a walk-through bird aviary (see birds of paradise up close) and other enclosures with a variety of native PNG wildlife such as the cuscus (see picture left), a type of large possum. The Nature Park is usually the end of the city tour but if you have started early and there is time available (or if you elect to skip some of the other stops on the tour) the guide may drive you 30 minutes from the Nature Park to Roku Fishing Village (see picture below) for a 15 minute photo stop then one hour drive back to your hotel. Overnight hotel, Port Moresby (includes breakfast)

25 DAY B PORT MORESBY (Sogeri Plateau tour) 08:00 Today s touring takes you out of the city not north or south along the coastline which boasts little of interest to see, but inland to the cool climate of the Sogeri Plateau some 500 metres about the heat, humidity and dust of the city. First stop 20 minutes out of town is the Commonwealth War Cemetery at Bomana which has almost 4000 graves of mainly Australian soldiers killed in the Pacific War. About 10% of the graves are of men killed along the Kokoda Track in There are also around 400 graves with the remains of unidentified British servicemen who died in Japanese captivity after the fall of Singapore. On a rise overlooking the graves is a memorial rotunda enscribed with the names of around 750 servicemen lost during the Papua Campaign, both at sea and on land, with no known graves. A solemn but beautiful place to honour the war dead. Ten minutes drive further out the Sogeri Road is the NCD Wildlife Sanctuary another zoo similar to the Port Moresby Nature Park although this place also has a couple of huge crocodiles which are worth a look - and the National Orchid Gardens maintained by the Orchid Society of PNG which wins many prizes at international flower shows (half hour stop). From the garden it s a half hour drive up the steep winding road through the Rouna Gorge to tiny Sogeri township and the cool air of the plateau. Lunch (included) is taken today at either Bluff Inn, Sogeri Lodge or the Koitaki Country Club. A lunch voucher to the value of K50 pp is included in your tour today. If you d like something special you can pay extra and upgrade yourself. From Sogeri three side-trips are available depending on time available, and the weather: 1. In dry weather you ll be able to take a side-trip 30 minutes from Sogeri to Owers Corner, the beginning of the Kokoda Track/Trail, but the feeder road is unsealed so if it has rained overnight the road may be boggy and impassable. At Owers Corner there is a small picnic area where trekking groups walking across the track from Kokoda (about 6 days hike) have their arrival barbeques. There is also a sign board with information about the Kokoda Track and a Howitzer field gun on display identical to the one lugged there in pieces by sappers in 1942 to bombard the Japanese position at Ioribaiwa Ridge. (The original gun was dismantled and the pieces scattered and buried when the Australian forces later withdrew). 2. Another side trip from Sogeri is the 15 minute drive along a sealed allweather road following the Upper Laloki River to the Sirinumu Dam. The dam was built across the river in 1963, forming a huge reservoir that now supplies gravity-flow water through high-pressure pipes to Port Moresby s city water treatment plant at Bomana and drives the hydro-electric power stations in the Rouna Gorge. The reservoir lake is now a popular freshwater recreational and fishing spot. 3. Also 15 minutes drive from Sogeri along a good sealed road is the Varirata National Park. One of only a handful of nature reserves in PNG (the rest of the country s natural forest is mainly privately owned or tribal land), Varirata is metres above sea level offering a temperate climate for good growth of both tropical and sub-montane forest. Only the northern 10% of the reserve is accessed daily by picnickers, casual hikers and tourists who mainly gravitate to the magnificent scenic lookout and several known nesting spots of the Raggiana bird of paradise. Male Raggianas often put on a dancing display for the females in the late afternoons, so it may be best to visit Varirata last before returning to Port Moresby to give you the best chance of seeing this iconic bird in the wild. Overnight hotel, Port Moresby (includes breakfast)

26 DAY C PORT MORESBY (Lake Sirinumu jungle village hike) Amazingly there are still some villages within a few hours travel from the capital city where local people still live traditional lifestyles in bush material huts. Today you ll visit such a hidden gem, a jungle village just two hours walk from Sogeri. (Unfortunately if you are not fit enough for two hours hiking you will be unable to take this tour). 07:00am pick up at your hotel and transfer by car 1 hour to Sogeri then a further 15 minutes along the side road to the Sirinumu Dam, arriving by 08:30am. Transfer to an open motor boat and ride 30 minutes across the reservoir (Lake Sirinumu). Umbrellas will be provided if there is any light rain during the boat crossing. On arrival at the other side of the lake you will walk with your guides around 2 hours along a rough rainforest track to Boredabu, an isolated jungle village of around 20 houses and 200 inhabitants. The people here belong to the Koiari tribe bush people whose lands extend from the Kokoda Track in the north down to Kwikila in the south. The Koiari people speak the Motu language which is native to the tribes along the Papuan Coast around Port Moresby. On arrival you ll be welcomed by local hosts in traditional dress and take a walking tour of the village. If it s a school day you ll stop by the village school and the children will perform a Koiari cultural dance for you and show you around their classrooms. If you d like to make a small donation to the school we suggest you bring a few old children s books that you may have lying around at home to give to their little school library they will be most appreciated. A village-style lunch (included) is served for you in the home of your hosts, probably on a woven leaf mat on the floor, and will consist of fresh fruit, cooked vegetables, baked fish from the lake and possibly some game meat everything sourced from around the village. Your guide from Port Moresby will bring bottled water. After lunch you ll be taken on a walk to the village gardens to see how both subsistence and cash crops are grown just about everything grows well around here but the Boredabu people have particular success with growing giant pineapples for sale at markets in Port Moresby. There is also a mountain stream where you can swim to cool off. Plan to depart from the village around 2.00pm in order to beat the late afternoon showers that are common in this area throughout the year, walking two hours back to the lake and returning by boat and car to Port Moresby, dropping off by 6.00pm. Overnight hotel, Port Moresby (includes breakfast)

27 DAY D PORT MORESBY (departure) Check out of your hotel and transfer yourself on the hotel shuttle to the airport for your departure flight. Please make a special request if you require our guide to accompany you to the airport today. PORT MORESBY EXTENSION 1, 2 OR 3 NIGHTS PREMIUM INCLUSIONS PORT MORESBY EXTENSION 1 NIGHT (DAYS A, D) LIST OF INCLUSIONS Port Moresby airport/hotel/airport transfers by hotel shuttle or private car Port Moresby 1 night 3.5/4.0 star hotel with breakfast Port Moresby minimum half day private city tour with lunch PORT MORESBY EXTENSION 2 NIGHTS (DAYS A, B, D) LIST OF INCLUSIONS - inclusions as per 1 night extension above PLUS: Port Moresby 2 nd night 3.5/4.0 star hotel with breakfast Port Moresby full day private Sogeri Plateau tour with lunch PORT MORESBY EXTENSION 3 NIGHTS (DAYS A, B, C, D) LIST OF INCLUSIONS - inclusions as per 2 nights extension above PLUS: Port Moresby 3 rd night 3.5/4.0 star hotel with breakfast Port Moresby full day private Lake Sirinumu jungle village trip with lunch Throughout all our tours (i) services of an experienced local guide with mobile or satellite phone for communication (ii) all transfers by late model air conditioned car with bottled water, umbrellas (iii) any tips/gratuities due to local villages, guides, drivers, demonstrators and helpers (iv) basic safety equipment eg seat belts for cars, life vests for motor boats (v) daily reconfirmation of flights and arrangements coordinated by our Port Moresby office (vi) 24 hour emergency backup from our Port Moresby office