Rabaul, Volcanoes & the Islands of New Britain

This morning you fly to Rabaul, on the island of New Britain, one of the most dramatically situated places on earth, set around a beautiful harbour ringed by volcanoes. On arrival you transfer to your accommodation near Kokopo and, with your guide, begin exploring the extraordinary volcanic landscape. You gaze upon the still-active Tavurvur volcano, smoking and rumbling across the harbour, and explore the haunting, ash-buried ruins of the old town of Rabaul, buried under metres of ash in the catastrophic 1994 eruption, a spectacular and otherworldly landscape of ruins reclaimed by the volcano. You take in viewpoints over the beautiful harbour and its ring of volcanoes, marvelling at the raw power of the earth. As the sun sets over the smoking volcanoes and the harbour, you settle into your accommodation, immersed in the dramatic volcanic world of New Britain.

A full day exploring the poignant Second World War history of Rabaul, which became one of the largest Japanese fortresses of the Pacific war. With your guide, you explore the extensive network of tunnels dug into the hillsides, entering the dark passages where troops and prisoners once sheltered and worked, and seeing the barge tunnels where landing craft were hidden. You visit gun emplacements, aircraft and shipwrecks, memorials and relics scattered across the dramatic landscape, and museums that tell the moving, often tragic stories of the war here, from the perspective of all who suffered. Your guide brings this poignant history vividly to life. The combination of spectacular volcanic landscape and moving wartime history gives Rabaul a powerful, haunting atmosphere. As the sun sets over the smoking volcanoes, you return to your accommodation, moved by the poignant history you have explored, and rest ahead of tomorrow's extraordinary fire dance.

A day experiencing the extraordinary culture of New Britain, culminating in the haunting Baining fire dance. By day you explore the culture and daily life of the Tolai people, visiting a village and colourful market, and learning about their fascinating traditions, including their remarkable shell money and mask culture. The highlight comes after dark, high in the mountains, the extraordinary Baining fire dance. Around a huge roaring bonfire, masked dancers wearing enormous, otherworldly bark-cloth masks representing forest spirits appear from the darkness and, to the hypnotic beat of drums and chanting, dance ever closer to the flames before leaping through and stamping among the fire and embers, sparks flying into the night. It is a mesmerising, spectacular and haunting spectacle, primal and utterly unlike anything else. As the fire dies down, you return to your accommodation, awed by one of the most extraordinary ceremonies on earth.

A day exploring the pristine reefs and poignant wartime wrecks of the New Britain coast. You take a boat out to the vibrant coral reefs, part of the Coral Triangle and among the healthiest on earth, snorkelling or diving over coral gardens and dramatic drop-offs teeming with turtles, reef sharks, clouds of tropical fish and vibrant coral. You also drift over the hauntingly beautiful wrecks of the Second World War, ships and aircraft now transformed into coral-encrusted reefs, a poignant underwater memorial. Because so few visitors reach this coast, the reefs remain in exceptional condition, and the sense of exploring pristine, uncrowded underwater wilderness is profound. You relax on beautiful beaches beneath the smoking volcanoes and take in the beauty of the coral sea. As the sun sets over the water, you return to your accommodation, having discovered the pristine underwater paradise of New Britain.

A final full day exploring the beautiful islands, harbour and volcanic scenery of New Britain. You might take a boat trip out onto the beautiful harbour and to nearby islands, such as the Duke of York group, snorkelling, swimming and visiting island villages, or venture to hot springs and other volcanic features, or take a closer look at the smoking Tavurvur volcano and the dramatic caldera. You take in more of the spectacular volcanic scenery, the beautiful coast and the warm island culture, soaking up the dramatic beauty and off-the-beaten-track atmosphere of this remarkable corner of the Pacific. As the sun sets over the harbour and its ring of volcanoes for the last time, you enjoy a final New Britain evening, reflecting on the extraordinary volcanic landscapes, poignant history, haunting ceremony and pristine reefs you have experienced. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly back to Port Moresby.

Today you bid farewell to dramatic New Britain and fly back to Port Moresby, reflecting on the extraordinary journey you have made. On arrival, you transfer to your hotel, with the afternoon free to relax, do some last souvenir shopping, or reflect on the remarkable volcanic world you have explored. This has been a journey unlike any other, the smoking volcanoes and ash-buried ruins of Rabaul, the poignant tunnels and wrecks of the war, the haunting masked dancers of the Baining fire dance, and the pristine reefs and wrecks of the coast, all in one of the most dramatic and least-visited corners of the Pacific. As evening falls over Port Moresby, you enjoy a relaxed final dinner, savouring the memory of one of the most dramatic and extraordinary adventures imaginable. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying home vivid memories of the volcanic world of New Britain.

After a final morning in Port Moresby, you are transferred to the airport for your onward international departure. You leave having experienced one of the most dramatic and extraordinary corners of the Pacific, the smoking, still-active volcanoes and haunting ash-buried ruins of Rabaul, the poignant tunnels, wrecks and relics of a vast war fortress, the mesmerising Baining fire dance with its masked figures leaping through the flames, and the pristine reefs and wartime wrecks of the coast, all in a place almost untouched by tourism. Few destinations bring together such extraordinary and varied experiences, volcanic drama, poignant history, ancient ceremony and pristine nature, in one dramatic setting. The images stay vivid long after you land, the smoking volcano, the ash-buried streets, the masked dancers in the flames, the coral reefs and wrecks. For the curious, intrepid traveller, New Britain is one of the great adventures of the Pacific, and you depart already treasuring its memory.