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Trans Niugini Tours
Home » Hotels & Resorts » Pacific Island » Papua New Guinea » The Highlands & The Sepik » Trans Niugini Tours
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Trans Niugini Tours has over 30 years of expertise when it comes to cultural tours, trekking, ecological tours, sea kayaking, wilderness adventures and special cultural events. The company offers a number of options for accessing Papua New Guinea’s unspoilt environments and traditional cultures.
Malolo Plantation Lodge
Malolo Plantation Lodge (pictured main image) is set in a truly magical landscape with jungle birds, thatched roof huts and steaming volcanic mountains. Snorkellers and divers will love the marine ecology whilst thrill seekers can try a canoe ride over crystal clear waters to an uninhabited island for a nature walk. Malolo Plantation features 14 air-conditioned rooms with a restaurant, bar and lounge, freshwater swimming pool and lawns and gardens that lead to the ocean. Here, guests can expect personalised service and the smaller touches that really add to a holiday experience. Malolo Plantation Lodge is a 45–minute drive on a sealed road from Madang, and Air Niugini has daily services to Madang from Port Moresby and some main centres.
Karawari Lodge - East Sepik Province
Overlooking the Karawari River in the Sepik region, the Karawari Lodge (pictured top left) is set in dense tropical lowland rainforest in one of the most remote and culturally rich areas of PNG. Often described as comfort amidst miles of jungle, the guest cottages are made from local bush materials and yet have all the modern luxuries for which a traveller could ask. The main building of the lodge is built in the form of a haus tambaran, or spirit house, which contains the dining area, bar, lounge, and an incredible collection of Sepik artefacts. With no roads in the area, the Karawari River provides the only access. For a truly old-world experience, guests can try jungle, river and village exploration. Cruising the jungle-fringed waterways is particularly memorable. The lodge is accessible via a cruise or air transfer from Karawari’s private airstrip.
Bensbach Wildlife Lodge
On the Bensbach River, the last river westwards in Southern PNG, stands Bensbach Wildlife Lodge (pictured top middle). This Lodge is easily accessible by charter aircraft from Mt Hagen, Port Moresby, or via Daru from Cairns. The sweeping plains that are teeming with wildlife make this lodge truly perfect for nature lovers. This is also barramundi country, and the barramundi of Bensbach are second-to-none. Bensbach Wildlife Lodge caters for the serious angler as well as those who just want to drop a line into the water for fun. Included in the tariff is accommodation, all meals, transfers and fishing.
MV Sepik Spirit
The ultimate ‘floating lodge’, this is an amazing way to see the middle reaches of the Sepik while still experiencing all the comforts of civilization. The MV Sepik Spirit (pictured top right) accommodates 18 passengers in nine deluxe twin bedrooms each with a private bathroom. There are twice weekly, three-night live-aboard cruises, where guests can experience such unique cultural encounters as the Iatmul people, whose prolific wood carvings are seen throughout the Middle Sepik. Day trips from the Sepik Spirit are by an 18–seater riverboat, also custom designed for the operation. With nine twin rooms, guests will also appreciate the very comfortable accommodation. Each live-aboard cruise ventures into a culture that encounters very few outsiders annually. The Sepik Spirit may visit the Karawari River, Blackwater Lakes, Chambri Lakes, the Middle Sepik and the Upper Sepik.
Rondon Ridge
Rondon Ridge (pictured top three), situated at 2150 metres above sea level, offers sweeping views of the incredible Wahgi Valley as well as the Hagen Range and Sepik Divide. With continuous spring-like weather, this outstanding accommodation is unlike any other. Just 30 minutes from the centre of Mt Hagen, each of the 12 units offers 180–degree views, modern bathrooms and electric blankets.
The Lodge features a main building with a lounge, bar, dining room, conference centre and a cosy fireplace for the cooler highland evenings. Business and conference visitors have access to the fully-equipped conference room complete with a digital projector for presentations.
Rondon Ridge is situated on the edge of an untouched vast region, home to 10 species of bird of paradise and an unspoiled environment. To continue this ecological serenity, the heating and all power is supplied by the lodge’s own hydro system, providing environmentally friendly electricity.
There are numerous activities that give an insight into the special cultural traditions of the area. A comprehensive touring program takes guests on a journey through the traditions and customs of the Melpa people. First contact with the Melpa people was made as recently as the mid–1930s. With daily flights from Port Moresby to Mt Hagen, Rondon Ridge is also the perfect “jumping off” point for access to Ambua Lodge, Karawari Lodge and MV Sepik Spirit.
Ambua Lodge - Southern Highlands
Located at 2100 metres in the Tari Gap area of the Papua New Guinea Southern Highlands, Ambua Lodge (pictured bottom two) showcases local architecture, spectacular views and modest luxury.
The Tari Gap is an excellent place to practice some birding with the chance to observe up to 13 species of birds of paradise. When you venture along the nature trails that are complete with traditional vine bridges, you may be lucky enough to discover a secluded waterfall or spot these beautiful birds.
Accommodation at Ambua Lodge is in 36 individual units that feature 180–degree picture windows and a modern bathroom inside the Lodge. With its beautiful Highland architecture, the main building houses a lounge, bar, dining room and a beautiful, cosy central fireplace.
In keeping with its back-to-nature feel, Ambua Lodge generates 24-hour clean electricity from its own mini hydroelectric power plant. A culturally vibrant place, this is the home to the Huli Wigmen with their human hair wigs adorned with colourful flowers.
The Tari Valley is one of the few places left where men and women can be seen wearing traditional dress as part of daily living and men’s wealth is still counted by the number of pigs and wives they possess.
Guide to The Highlands & The Sepik
The people along the river depend heavily on it for transportation, water and food. Their cultural links with the Sepik River are symbolised in many of their ancient and spiritual rituals, such as the manhood initiation. This requires painful carving of flesh on the backs of young men with razor blades. Patterns are that of a crocodile lying on the banks of the river.
The history of the Sepik region reflects the influence over the years of the missionaries, traders, labour recruiters and administrators.
Here river and crocodiles, man and nature have learned to live in mutual respect. Parts of the Highlands remain untouched just as they were when first 'discovered' in 1933.
The people are hardy and village life depends on subsistence farming. Visitors will be fascinated by the bright ochre colours and two-metre high head-dresses swathed in plumes of the Bird of Paradise worn by the tribal elders. Dancing is proud and fierce at traditional sing-sings, with drums beating long into the night.
The Eastern Highlands Province is a one hour flight north from Port Moresby or half an hour from Lae or Mt Hagen. Once there, you are surrounded by steep, rugged mountains covered in dense rainforest graduating to sub-alpine vegetation.
The valleys are blanketed in grass and the panoramic views contain every imaginable shade of green. Altitude varies from 600 metres in the south to Mt Michael's 2750 metre summit. Goroka, the largest town and capital, lies at 1600 metres above sea level.
The Sepik River has no actual river delta and stains the sea brown for up to 50 kilometres. It is said that islanders off the coast can draw fresh water straight from the sea.
The Sepik River is navigable for almost its entire length and winding its way through the land it resembles a huge, brown, coiling serpent.
The force of the river tears great chunks of mud and vegetation out of the river banks and at times these drift downstream and appear as floating islands.
You can cruise the middle Sepik aboard the quaint 'Sepik Spirit', a slow houseboat. In addition, 'Kilibobo Spirit' is available primarily for charter, though it doesn't have a schedule. On special occasions the ship operates expeditionary cruises to the Sepik and the PNG Islands.
West Sepik or Sandaun Province is near the West Papua (Irian Jaya) border and is in hospitable terrain.
It is home to the Upper Sepik people who move around in long, narrow dugout canoes. Travel is always difficult as there are no roads and the rivers are narrow.
The centres are Vanimo and Amanab and villages around here have strong religious beliefs centred on deities that are believed to hold supernatural powers that are vital for survival in this remote and dense countryside.
East Sepik is the middle and lower region from Angoram to Wewak town. There are a number of large rubber and cocoa plantations along the river flats.
Wewak is an attractive palm-fringed town, which felt the might of Japanese troops who 'discovered' its isolation and its hidden ports around Kairiuru Island.
Many war memories remain around the plantations and a Japanese gun still points from the eastern end of the island.