In Praha

Team PNG has visited Praha after ITB Berlin for a one day work shop.

On the next day, we became tourists in the historical township.

Photo at the famous Charles Bridge on the Vltava river overlooking Phaha Castle.

On the way to ITB Berlin again

We are on our way to ITB Berlin, the world largest tourism industry trade fair.

Papua New Guinea booth will be Halle 5.2.a (Hall 5, second Floor), near South Pacific Village/Australia. (image from 2009 ITB Berlin show)

For those visiting the Show, please hop in and say hello to us.

See you in Berlin !!

Highlands Highway Overland Tour

Highlands Highway, or Okuk Highway is definitely the nation's lifeline.
Main Export products like Gold, Tea, Coffee are transported to coastal town of Lae & Madang for export, and imported consumer goods go up the Highway.
Here is the virtual tour of Highlands Highway from Mt Hagen to Lae.

Mt Hagen at altitude of 1600m is a commercial centre in the Highlands Region.
Outside the Mt Hagen, you can see a large Tea plantation on the road side.
You will then pass the limestone country of Chimbu Province and arrive Goroka, Coffee capital of Papua New Guinea.

The Road will wind down the valley to lowland, through grassland country of Eastern Highlands.

On the way, you will encounter a breathtaking view of Yonki Hydro Dam. The Dam supplies most of the electricity in Highlands, Madang & Lae.

Further going down the mountain, you will reach Markham Valley outside of Lae.
The temperature dramatically changes from freezing 10 degree to "sweating" 30+ degree .

Travelling the Highland Highway is not as comfortable as you drive the highway in other countries. However, if you have a bit of adventurous mind, it is worth taking as you can enjoy different scenery, plants, people and culture.

If you next visit Papua New Guinea, don't miss this exiting part of the country.

National Mask Festival on again

National Mask festival will be staged in Kokopo, East New Britain from 15th Jul 2009.

This is one of the most unique Festivals in Papua New Guinea with different mask culture of the country, especially in New Guinea Islands Region get together.

When I visited Sepik River earlier this year, Middle Sepik dancers from Palimbe village- "Mai Mask" - were planning to visit all the way to Kokopo to participate in the Festival. It will be interesting if Sepik & Tolai Mask collaborate and dance together.

One of the main attractions of the Festival, apart from stunning Fire Dance Performance by Baining Tribe is the Kinavai Ceremony by Tolais, main ethnic group of Rabaul/Kokopo.

When the sun rises, Group of cone-shaped spirit figure called "Tubuan" are emerging from the sea. This will be followed by series of sacred ceremonies; Tubuans sit down in line and are whipped by the tabu (shell money), and the ceremony goes on... The real meaning of the ceremonies can not be disclosed outside the secret society members.....

What makes me more interested is that East New Britain , with early contact with European settlers, is one of the most civilized provinces in the country, yet those highly educated people still believe in the secret society and keep the tradition.

If you miss this year's festival, please do not forget to book the fabulous festival in 2010.

Sudden change of Flight schedule

Air Niugini has announced its New schedule on 23rd Jun, and effective on 02Jul, only less-than -10 days notice, in the middle of tourist season.

It is almost impssoible to connect any destination in the morning because of the late arrival of Internatioanal flights, and the reason is because of the bad weather & morning fog ???

Many tourists have to change their itinerary, tours & hotels with very short notice......

While Air Niugini has its operational reasons (if not political reasons) , more consideration should have given to the international tourists who are affected by a very short notice.

Is there any way to do such a drastic change with ample notice, and maybe early in the year so that peak tourist season - with Summer Holidaymaker from North hemisphere & Winter Holiday Tourist from Down South - are less affected with sudden changes ??

New Schedule 108A can be downloaded from Air Niugini website.

http://www.airniugini.com.pg/pxmisc/SCH108A.pdf

Craft Market

Ela Beach Craft Market is held on last Saturdays of the months (Feb-Nov). It was originally started for the expatriate residents of Port Moresby using the school yard of the International School. There is no market in Dec & Jan, because many expatriate residents go home for Christmas, and also the school is closed during the period.

There are lots of tribal arts & crafts for sale in a safe environment, where tourists/expatiate residents negotiate for a better deal with the local seller.

Traditional Sing Sing performance is regularly organized.

This is one of the Port Moresby's best tourist attractions, and if you happen to be here on last Saturday of the month, it is worth visiting.

French Guidebook for Papua New Guinea

We had a workshop in Port Moresby to meet with a French journalist who is making a country wide trip to write a guidebook of Papua New Guinea in French language for the first time.

For quite a long time, only Lonely Planet (in English) was available as a comprehensive tourist guide book for Papua New Guinea. We are grateful for the Lonely Planet for its publication, however, I believe a guide book in other language in which report is also done by their own country men will be much better.

I hope he will get good report & photos of Papua New Guinea and make a nice guidebook.

Phillipe, je vous souhaite un bon voyage!

Another Memorial visit

Another memorial visit to PNG after many years, this time by the former diplomat of UK.
He has driven up the Highlands Highway from Lae and visited Mt Hagen show in 1970 - most of us were never born at that time !!
This time, he has covered most parts of the country during his 20 Nights trip in Papua New Guinea, namely Alotau, Misima, Losuia, Mt Hagen, Goroka, Madang, Kavieng, Rabaul, Hoskins & Port Moresby. Thank you Tom for your visit, we enjoyed your story and will all miss you !!

Memorial Visit

We have done a tour to Sogeri outside of Port Moresby with Australian guests who have brought up in PNG but left the country in 1970's before independence. We have dropped in at Sogeri Primary school where they have attended, probably 50+years ago. Teaches were surprised to hear the story of the past which they have never heard of !!
We were also delighted to see that they have made a memorial visit.
Thank you for your visit to PNG, and we are always waiting for you to come back again.

Next Hide-out may be in Papua New Guinea

This could be your next hide-out destination which nobody else knows..
Surrounded by lush rainforest and beautiful Milne Bay waterfront, Driftwood Boutique Resort is a perfect place for you to relax and rejuvenate in the nature. While at the Driftwood, you can just relax, do a nature walk, enjoy snorkeling in one of the best coral reef gardens in the Pacific, or you may extend the visit to the historical Samarai Island etc..... if you are more adventurous, you can enjoy birdwathcing in the tropical rainforest, or enjoy fishing with in-house game fishing boat etc..
For more detail or booking, please contact office@pngexplorers.com

New Year Greetings from Snowy Alps

New Year Greetings arrived from snowy mountain of Alps all the way to tropical Papua New Guinea.
---------------------------------------------------------

My dear PNG friends
Imagine what happened ?
I found two guys skiing in the Austrian Alps wearing PNG Highlander caps …..
A wonderful 2009 to all of you and special thanks to Hideo and Emely
Cheers
------------------------------------------------

Thanks Rudi and see you again in Berlin !

Greetings from Köln

Greetings from Köln reached us after her recent trip to PNG.
On behalf of all the staffs, we are looking forward for your visit again !!

A warm greetings from Germany

A warm greetings reached from Germany, who has visited Papua New Guinea in July.

We are still full of rich experiences concerning PNG. We are so glad that you arranged everything for us in such a good way and so I give you the greetings of all 22 members of our group. All of us are looking forward to giving lectures about PNG as the land of the next World Day of Prayer in the following months. Thank you very much for everything you’ve done for us. And give our love and embrace to Mary who is an excellent guide. I hope her foot is well again! All of you were wonderful – and you gave us the chance to get to know not only the sights but people of Papua New Guinea, too. So we can look back to precious experiences. And in our minds there are not only the images of a beautiful and blessed country but also – and in the first place – the smiles, words, blessings and hugs you gave us. We keep all this in our hearts!
With warm wishes from Germany! God bless you!

*****Photo: FH Soest Group with Minister Dame Carol Kidu at Parliament House

Thank you very much for the warm greetings, and with good memories of PNG, we all hope you will have a good World of Prayer day in March 2009 !!

Women only

We have women group all the way from Germany, visited Mt Hagen, Goroka, Lae by road and now in Port Moresby. The Group is made up of all women, meeting different women groups around the country, and guides are all women. Male staffs are only backing up just in case they need men power ! They met different organizations and shared the issues affecting women.
In the male-dominate society of Papua New Guinea, women are struggling, trying to be independent and to grab equal opportunities as men.
Remember, before being a Lawyer, a Doctor, a Pilot or a Prime Minister, everybody was born from the Mother; without women, nobody is given birth.
Cheers for all the Women in Papua New Guinea, Germany and all around the world !!

Goroka Show is coming for Sep 13-14

One of the largest Cultural events in Papua New Guinea, Goroka Show will be held 13-14 Sep 2008 in Goroka. Tribes from all over the Highlands, Madang, Morobe, Sepik people come through the Highlands Highway to participate, and compete each other during the 2 days show.

It is a very rare chance to see the different tribes from different parts of the country in one place !!

The tourist pass holder can go right into the show ground and see the different cultural performances, sometimes the group will dance only for you !

Accommodation will be very tight during the show period but we have secured rooms for the guests. If you have not booked the room yet, please contact your travel agent and book through us !!

VIP ride by Crocodile

Please pick up the VIP guest from Art shop at 0800am, please handle with care.
That was a first job yesterday, nothing special .... until we found that the guest was not a human being, but a huge Crocodile Figure. As per an order from the client, we have escorted the VIP Croc into the 4WD, sit him on the seat, fastened the seat belt and transported him to airport with care....
The Crocodile together with fellow Ancestral Mask and Figure from Sepik region of Papua New Guinea are now heading for Europe.
After a long journey, hopefully they will find a new home in Bayern, Germany.
Thank you Michael & Xenia for the visit and looking forward to seeing you again !

Fly to Tufi for Diving

Tufi is one of the premier destinations for Scuba Diving as well as Culture, Nature visits.
The only problem was access - there are only 2 flights in a week, Mondays & Fridays.
Tropic Air has started scheduled charter this April, mainly on Sundays, at the cost of regular flights per passenger. This will make Tufi more accessible by tourists.
Photo below is some tourists getting on Tropic Air flight this morning.
I wish I were with them and jump into the beautiful water....

Hot River Excursion - West New Britain

While you are in West New Britain, wheter you are Diving, Fishing, Birdwatching, or ordinary touruists, Garu Hot River is a Must-See .

The Thermal-heated River is just 40 minutes drive from Walindi Resort.

Surrounded by towering trees, giant ferns and vibrant green vegetation, the raw and natural beauty of this unique environment is simply breathtaking when you first step into it.

The sight of the steam rising above the crystal clear water in this isolated rainforest, gives the impression of a mysterious and magical place forgotten by time.

And Surprisingly, the water temperatuure is just good for bathing.

Due to its volcanic source, the river is naturally rich with minerals and high in sulphur, so a brief soak in its waters will leave your skin and hair feeling soft and silky smooth, a luxuriating feeling of mellowness follows this. For centuries, the indigenous people of the area have been known to bathe in these ‘magical’ emerald waters to be healed from skin disorders.
If you want to feel completely rejuvenated, treat your body to a natural exfoliating treatment, a special red mud that is unique to the area and can be found along the riverbanks.
So for a truly natural and unique beauty treatment in a rainforest setting, the GARU Thermal River is a must-see Land site when visiting Walindi Plantation Dive Resort.

We include Walindi Plantatoin and Hot River Excursion in Nature Wonder New Guinea Tour Package http://www.pngexplorers.com/tour/natureculture-point200.html

(Photo courtesy of Walindi Resort)

2008 Model Package Up...

2008 Model Tour Package - Nature & Culture Tour finally on.

http://www.pngexplorers.com/tour/natureculture.html

We have several different plans for different duration- as short as 5 nights to as long as 20 nights.

* Casual New Guinea - for general tourist. Culture & Soft adventure.

*Nature Wonder New Guinea - for nature lover.

*New Guinea Adventure Holiday - for people with more adventure in mind, trekking, village stay etc...

*VIP Executive Holiday - for top-end market

*PNG Highlight Round Trip - visit all the highlights of the country in 2weeks or more - suitable for group trip.

If you have questions or require package rates, please let us know. (wholesale only)

Sogeri Varirata Trip

We have visited Sogeri/Varirata outside of Port Moresby with some divers today, 4th JAN 2008. After enjoying the great View of Rouna Falls, Sogeri National High School, Traditional Sing Sing of Koiari Tribe, it was BBQ Lunch time.

They all enjoyed the Great Nature, Great Culture & Yammy Food !!