Itinerary Expand all Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to Denpasar, Bali Day 1 PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA Arrive in Port Moresby on July 30, and transfer to the Airways Hotel for dinner and overnight. Accommodation: Airways Hotel Meals included: Dinner Day 2 PORT MORESBY / MOUNT HAGEN / KARAWARI After breakfast, board our group flight to the Sepik River area, via Mount Hagen. Transfer to Karawari Lodge—named for the nearby river—your base for exploring the fascinating culture along the jungle-fringed waterways. The main lodge building, designed after the traditional haus tambaran—ancestral worship house—is decorated with artifacts and boldly carved furniture, and includes a dining room, library, lounge, and a long veranda overlooking the Karawari River. Accommodation: Karawari Lodge Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Days 3-4 KARAWARI Spend two days exploring ‘Arambak’ country, one of the most remote and unspoiled areas of Papua New Guinea. Board small boats to explore along the Karawari River, where crocodiles bask on the banks, and you may see locals paddling their dugout canoes with long, curved oars. You have several opportunities to observe village life and customs, participate in daily activities, and see reenactments of traditional ceremonies. Search for several species of birds of paradise and the beautiful Sepik blue orchid, found along the forest trails surrounding the lodge. Accommodation: Karawari Lodge Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 5 KARAWARI / MOUNT HAGEN / RONDON RIDGE Board our charter flight to Mount Hagen and, upon arrival, transfer to Rondon Ridge Lodge. Each room features a bird’s-eye view of paradise, overlooking the Wahgi Valley. Spend the afternoon exploring the lodge’s vast network of forest trails. Accommodation: Rondon Ridge Lodge Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Days 6-7 RONDON RIDGE Located at 7,100 feet above sea level, Rondon offers pristine highlands rainforest. Over 180 species of birds have been recorded here, including 10 species of birds of paradise. A highlight of your time here is the chance to meet and interact with the Melpa people. Though first contact with the Melpa was made in 1934, in many ways, their lifestyle remains relatively unchanged. Among the world’s first horticulturists, learn about the important industries of gardening and sweet potato cultivation. Accommodation: Rondon Ridge Lodge Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 8 RONDON RIDGE / MOUNT HAGEN / PORT MORESBY Bid farewell to Rondon, and transfer to Mount Hagen for our flight to Port Moresby. Check in to the Airways Hotel with the rest of the day a leisure. Accommodation: Airways Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 9 PORT MORESBY / VANIMO / JAYAPURA, PAPUA, INDONESIA After breakfast, board our flight to Vanimo, then embark on a scenic drive, crossing the border of West Papua and Papua. Arrive in Jayapura and check in to the Swiss-Belhotel Papua for dinner and overnight. Accommodation: Swiss-Belhotel Papua Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 10 JAYAPURA / WAMENA (BALIEM VALLEY) After breakfast, board our short flight to Wamena, the largest town in Indonesia’s West Papua highlands. Enjoy lunch before visiting the colorful Wamena market. Check in to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Accommodation: Standard Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Days 11-12 WAMENA (BALIEM VALLEY) Spend two full days exploring in and around the stunning Jayawijaya Mountains and magical Baliem Valley. The lush terrain is punctuated with swift rivers, the colorful blooms of orchids, and the purple haze of cultivated sweet potato fields. This region is home to the indigenous Dani and Lani tribal people—isolated by 8,000 foot peaks, most of the 5,000-foot-high valley remains as untouched as it was on the day that American explorer Richard Archbold stumbled upon it in 1938. The people here live in palm-shaded, round hut village compounds that have changed little over the millennia. Known for their unique personal decoration, which sometimes includes boar tusks through their noses and headdresses made of bird feathers, the most famous of these adornments is the koteka, traditional penis gourds worn by the elder tribal men. The Dani tribe inhabits one of the most fertile areas in West Papua and constant war with neighboring tribes earned them a fearsome reputation as prolific headhunters. During the annual Baliem Valley Culture Festival, enjoy a traditional pig feast, watch a mock battle, energetic dance performances, and several competitions, such as archery and spear throwing. You’ll also have an opportunity to see the 250-year-old mummy at Jiwika, and visit traditional villages where you’ll have the opportunity to experience the daily lives of the Dani people, visit their straw-capped homes, and see their lush gardens. Accommodation: Standard Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 13 WAMENA / JAYAPURA After breakfast, board our flight to Jayapura. Check in to the Swiss-Belhotel Papuafor an afternoon at leisure. This evening, attend a festive cocktail party followed by a farewell dinner. Accommodation: Swiss-Belhotel Papua Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 14 JAYAPURA / DENPASAR, BALI Today, board your flight to Bali. Connect with your independent homeward flight. Tour ends here. Meals included: Breakfast
Papua New Guinea All visitors to PNG including tourists are required to have a visa to enter. Currently a 30-day tourist visa is available upon arrival for UK nationals at Port Moresby's Jackson's International Airport. This visa is non-extendable and the fee is currently PGK25. To be granted a visa on arrival you will need a valid passport, proof of sufficient funds for your stay, an onward airline ticket with confirmed bookings and PGK25 in cash. Alternatively, you may arrange your visa prior to leaving your home country with the nearest PNG Embassy.
Indonesia Many nationalities, including British, can now get a visa free of charge upon arrival at Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Batam, Bali and Yogyakarta. Where a free visa is not available the cost is generally US$35. The Indonesian government may change the visa policy on short notice and start charging for the visas so be prepared to pay for a visa in case this happens.
Papua New Guinea There are no mandatory vaccination requirements for this trip. Recommended vaccinations for this trip are: Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A. Malaria prophylaxis is essential on this trip, and we suggest that you seek advice from your GP or travel health clinic about which malaria tablets to take.
Indonesia There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A. Malaria prophylaxis should be considered if your trip goes to Flores, Komodo, parts of Sumatra, Kalimatan or Sulawesi but not for Java, Bali or Lombok. Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Zika fever is a mosquito‐borne viral disease and a known risk in places visited on this trip. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, we therefore strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Premium Lodges & Hotels It is Zegrahm's policy to always use premium quality accommodations, when available, in the regions we visit. Since each destination is different, lodging can range from elegant hotels in cities to rustic inns in more remote areas. You will receive specific accommodation details closer to the time of departure.