Crazy-lush, lush as a dream of green
heaven, its air is filled with Picasso
birds, and its jungles, mountains, and
people are cheerful citizens of one of the
last earthly places where nature is an
unrivaled hegemon. Papua New Guinea is
a spirit-lifting place, but—isn’t this so often
the case?—its people are the sweet surprise.
One of the world’s most respected students of human societies, Jared Diamond, spent more than three decades in the highlands of New Guinea, getting to know the people we blithely relegate to the “Stone Age.” In his masterpiece Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond writes, “From the very beginning of my work with New Guineans, they impressed me as being on the average more intelligent, more alert, more expressive, and more interested in things and people around them than the average European or American is.” This is a bracing statement, worth pondering as we fly inland from Port Moresby to 12,000-foot Mount Hagen for an exploration of the island’s highland villages and their folks. We’ll spend the next three days getting a feel for the lives of the area’s Paiya people, based from the Magic Mountain Hideaway Lodge and the 7100-foot Rondon Ridge Lodge, perched on the slopes of Kum Mountain. (Mounts Hagen and Kum are part of New Guinea’s mountain spine, which dives into the Solomon Sea at the 51st meridian where it is patiently rising and will someday become the highest mountain range on earth.)
We fly from Mount Hagen to the lowland rain forest of Karawari, where we’ll overnight in a local home between stays at the beautiful ridgetop Karawari Lodge. Now a charter flight takes us to Ambua Lodge, high on the slopes of the Tari Valley, home of the typically alert, expressive, and very traditional Huli people. The gorgeous Tari Valley is rich in orchids, waterfalls, and 13 species of those Picassoan birds of paradise that number among New Guinea’s many glories. And after a fine series of forest walks and encounters, we fly back to Port Moresby and the world-class gardens and mountain views of the Airways Hotel before heading back home from an island where, J. P. McAuley wrote, “The earth dances, the mountains speak, and the doors of the spirit open.”
One of the world’s most respected students of human societies, Jared Diamond, spent more than three decades in the highlands of New Guinea, getting to know the people we blithely relegate to the “Stone Age.” In his masterpiece Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond writes, “From the very beginning of my work with New Guineans, they impressed me as being on the average more intelligent, more alert, more expressive, and more interested in things and people around them than the average European or American is.” This is a bracing statement, worth pondering as we fly inland from Port Moresby to 12,000-foot Mount Hagen for an exploration of the island’s highland villages and their folks. We’ll spend the next three days getting a feel for the lives of the area’s Paiya people, based from the Magic Mountain Hideaway Lodge and the 7100-foot Rondon Ridge Lodge, perched on the slopes of Kum Mountain. (Mounts Hagen and Kum are part of New Guinea’s mountain spine, which dives into the Solomon Sea at the 51st meridian where it is patiently rising and will someday become the highest mountain range on earth.)
We fly from Mount Hagen to the lowland rain forest of Karawari, where we’ll overnight in a local home between stays at the beautiful ridgetop Karawari Lodge. Now a charter flight takes us to Ambua Lodge, high on the slopes of the Tari Valley, home of the typically alert, expressive, and very traditional Huli people. The gorgeous Tari Valley is rich in orchids, waterfalls, and 13 species of those Picassoan birds of paradise that number among New Guinea’s many glories. And after a fine series of forest walks and encounters, we fly back to Port Moresby and the world-class gardens and mountain views of the Airways Hotel before heading back home from an island where, J. P. McAuley wrote, “The earth dances, the mountains speak, and the doors of the spirit open.”
Days 1 & 2: arrive in Port Moresby, fly to Mount Hagen and Western Highlands •
Day 3: Western Highlands and Waghi Valley •
Day 4: charter flight to Karawari region, Karawari Lodge •
Day 5: visit traditional Karawari village, overnight in local home •
Day 6: return to Karawari, Karawari Lodge •
Day 7: charter flight to Ambua in the Tari Valley, Ambua Lodge •
Day 8: exploring Tari area, Ambua Lodge •
Day 9: hike to Huli village, overnight in local home •
Day 10: back to Ambua and Ambua Lodge •
Day 11: fly to Port Moresby •
Day 12: fly onward.
Papua New Guinea: Mountains, Jungles, & Spirit
Trip Details
Departures:
12 Days
Activity Type:
Touring,
Walking
Trip Price:From $6995
- Offered Weekly. Please call us to schedule your Private Departure.
12 DaysActivity Type:
Touring,
Walking
Trip Price:
From $6995
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