Luxury Papua New Guinea: The Wilderness Lodges

This morning you fly by light aircraft to Mount Hagen, in the Western Highlands, and transfer up to your first wilderness lodge, perched high on a mountain ridge above the vast Wahgi Valley, with breathtaking views over the valley and surrounding peaks. The change from the coast is dramatic, cool, clear mountain air and a spectacular Highland setting. After settling into the comfort of the lodge, you begin exploring the Highlands, perhaps venturing into the surrounding cloud forest with expert guides in search of birds, including birds of paradise, and taking in the spectacular mountain scenery, or visiting a nearby Highland community to meet the warm, proud Highland people and learn about their culture. As the sun sets over the vast Wahgi Valley far below, you enjoy fine food and warm hospitality at your mountain lodge, immersed in the wild beauty of the Highlands.

A full day exploring the extraordinary cultures and wildlife of the Western Highlands from your ridge-top lodge. You might venture into the surrounding cloud forest at dawn with expert local guides to watch for birds of paradise and other Highland birds, explore the spectacular mountain scenery, and visit Highland communities, witnessing their traditional dress, music and daily life, and perhaps a sing-sing of dazzling ceremonial finery, elaborate wigs, painted faces, feathers and drums. The combination of extraordinary living culture and spectacular birdlife, in a landscape of soaring mountains and lush valleys, and experienced from the comfort of a beautiful lodge, is captivating. Your expert local guides bring the culture and wildlife of the Highlands vividly to life. As the sun sets over the Wahgi Valley, you return to the comfort of your mountain lodge for fine food and warm hospitality. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly to the misty Tari valley and the legendary Huli wigmen.

Today you fly by light aircraft over spectacular mountain scenery to the Tari valley, home of the legendary Huli people, and transfer to your lodge, set amid misty mountain forests with breathtaking views over the valley. After settling into the comfort of the lodge, you begin exploring this extraordinary region, perhaps venturing into the surrounding forest with expert guides in search of the dazzling birds of paradise for which the area is famous, or meeting the Huli people, among the most striking cultures on earth, famous for their elaborate ceremonial wigs, vivid face paint and spectacular dress. The misty forests, spectacular mountain scenery and extraordinary culture of the Tari valley are captivating. As the sun sets over the misty valley, you enjoy fine food and warm hospitality at your forest lodge, immersed in the wild beauty and extraordinary culture of the Huli homeland.

A full day immersed in the extraordinary culture and wildlife of the Tari valley. You meet the legendary Huli wigmen, witnessing their remarkable wig-making, meeting villagers, and learning about their striking culture, their elaborate ceremonial wigs, vivid face paint and spectacular dress, and their deep connection to land, ancestors and the birds of paradise, a genuine, intimate and profoundly moving encounter with a living, ancient way of life. You also venture into the misty forests with expert local guides to watch the dazzling birds of paradise perform their extraordinary courtship displays, flashing their iridescent plumes and dancing, one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth, and see how their plumes adorn the ceremonial dress of the Huli, linking the wildlife and culture of the Highlands. As the sun sets over the misty valley, you return to the comfort of your lodge for fine food and warm hospitality, having experienced two of the great wonders of Papua New Guinea.

Another full day exploring the extraordinary nature and culture of the Tari valley from your forest lodge. You might venture again into the misty forests at dawn with expert guides to watch more birds of paradise and other Highland birds, explore the spectacular mountain scenery, waterfalls and forest trails, and meet more Huli communities, deepening your understanding of their remarkable culture and way of life. The combination of dazzling wildlife, spectacular scenery and extraordinary living culture, experienced from the comfort of a beautiful lodge, is captivating and profoundly rewarding. Your expert local guides, who belong to these communities, bring the wildlife and culture of the Tari valley vividly and authentically to life. As the sun sets over the misty valley, you enjoy a final Highland evening of fine food and warm hospitality at your forest lodge. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly to the remote world of the Karawari River and the Sepik basin.

Today you fly by light aircraft over spectacular mountain and forest scenery to the remote lowlands of the Sepik basin, landing and transferring to your lodge, set high on a ridge above the winding Karawari River, a tributary of the mighty Sepik, deep in remote rainforest. The change from the cool highlands to the steamy lowland rainforest and the mighty river is dramatic. After settling into the comfort of the lodge, with its spectacular views over the river and endless rainforest, you begin exploring this remote, culturally rich world, perhaps taking a first boat trip on the river, visiting a riverside village, and getting a first sense of the extraordinary culture of the Sepik basin, revolving around the river, the crocodile and the spirits. As the sun sets over the winding river and endless forest, you enjoy fine food and warm hospitality at your remote lodge, immersed in the timeless world of the Sepik.

A full day exploring the extraordinary culture of the Karawari River and the Sepik basin by boat and dugout canoe. You journey along the winding river and its tributaries, visiting riverside villages famous for their soaring 'haus tambaran' (spirit houses), the elaborately decorated ceremonial heart of village life, and for their extraordinary carving, some of the finest tribal art in the world. You meet the master carvers at work, learn about the spirits, ancestors and beliefs that shape river life, and, perhaps, witness a ceremony or dance, immersing yourself in a way of life deeply connected to the river, the crocodile and the spirits, and largely unchanged for centuries. That you can experience this remote, extraordinary river world while staying in the comfort of a beautiful lodge high above the river is remarkable. As the sun sets over the winding river and endless forest, you return to the comfort of your lodge for a final evening of fine food and warm hospitality, reflecting on the extraordinary river world you have explored.

Today you fly by light aircraft from the remote Karawari back to Port Moresby, taking in a final spectacular aerial journey over the wild landscapes of Papua New Guinea, the winding rivers, endless rainforest and soaring mountains. On arrival, you transfer to the city's finest hotel, with the afternoon free to relax, do some last souvenir shopping for Highland artefacts and Sepik carvings, or reflect on the extraordinary journey you have made through the wilderness lodges of Papua New Guinea. This evening, a farewell dinner celebrates the remarkable experiences you have had, the ridge-top lodge above the Wahgi Valley, the legendary Huli wigmen and dazzling birds of paradise of the Tari valley, and the remote river world of the Karawari and the Sepik basin, all experienced in genuine comfort and style. As you toast your adventure, the memory of the extraordinary cultures, wildlife and landscapes of Papua New Guinea stays with you. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning in Port Moresby, you are transferred to the airport for your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the finest of Papua New Guinea, one of the last great frontiers of travel, in genuine comfort and style, the ridge-top wilderness lodge high above the vast Wahgi Valley, the misty forest lodge of the Tari valley with its legendary Huli wigmen and dazzling birds of paradise, and the remote lodge high above the Karawari River with its spirit houses and extraordinary art, linked by spectacular flights over the wild, roadless landscapes of the country. Few journeys combine such genuine adventure with such genuine comfort, immersing you deeply in one of the world's most fascinating and least-visited countries without hardship. The images stay vivid long after you land, the wigmen, the birds of paradise, the spirit houses, the winding rivers and endless forests seen from the air. For the discerning traveller, this is one of the finest ways to experience the extraordinary heart of Papua New Guinea, and you depart already treasuring its memory.