2015 & 2016 Waola Cultural Show – (Southern Highlands Province) Papua New Guinea The Waola Cultural show in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea will be will be held in late August. The showwill fall after the famous Mt. Hagen show weekend. It is the festival of colour, costumes, and smiles are an absolute must see if you can time your visit to coincide with Mt. Hagen show. Please be advised that there are limited accommodations in Nipa and we encourage clients/agents to book early as possible to secure room spaces if bookings are required. Please Note: The below is an open dated itinerary and will be fit to Nipa Cultural dates. However, if the itinerary does not suit your interest or does not fit into your holiday plans, upon your advice we will modify the itinerary to suite your interest or your holiday plans. 2015/2016 AUGUST:Nipa Cultural show tour itinerary for year 2014 & 2015 Day 1 Aug: Port Moresby (Jacksons International airport) PNG. Upon your arrival into Port Moresby international airport, you will meet your guides and transferred to your hotel, Hideaway Hotel. Meals are not included in Port Moresby stay. Short tour will be provided if time permits. Accommodation:Aku Lodge Day 2Aug: Port Moresby/Wewak Today you will be transferred from your hotel to Jackson’s international airport for your flight to Wewakand meet by our local guides from the Sepik and transfer to Seaview Hotel, overnight. (Breakfast and dinner included) Accommodation: Sea View Hotel. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 3Aug: Wewak/Pagwi/Middle Spik cruise. After Breakfast a drive on a 4WD vehicle to Pagwi, where you’ll head down the Middle Sepik River by local motorised dugout canoe stopping at villages along the way, until you reach Angoram. This part of the Sepik River has villages dotted along the river banks, each with its own distinctive style of artefacts and cultural variations. The area is steeped in rituals, ceremonies, and customs which are still very much as part of villagers’ daily lives, as they have been for thousands of years. The people of the villages we visit are very welcoming, and our experienced local guides will explain customs answer your questions and assist you with purchasing any artefacts that interest you. Overnight at Kanganman Guest House(Breakfast/pack lunch/dinner) Accommodation: Kanganaman Guest House Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 4Aug: Kanganaman/Palembei/Korobu/avatip You will then leave Kanganaman after breakfast to visit the beautiful villages of Palembei, Korogu, and Avatip with plenty of opportunities to buy artefacts in the villages. Make your way to Ambunti and overnight. In the afternoon, there is also the possibility of hiking or canoeing in search of bird life and orchid viewing or other village visits. Overnight Benny’s Guest House (breakfast, lunch, dinner) Accommodation: Benny’s Guest House, Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 5Aug: Sepik River Cruise This morning explore the hills and around Ambunti. If possible that Ambunti crocodile Festival falls in line on the date of your visit to the area then you will likely visit the festival. The Middle Sepik is particularly renowned for its ancestral Men’s ceremonies have taken place, along with many other rituals. This scarification and rising of the skin is made through hundreds of fine cuts to the torso. When the skin has healed, it has the appearance of crocodile skin. These marks represent initiation from boyhood into manhood, thus bring status and great respect. Overknighting atBenny’s Guest Hose or similar(Breakfast, lunch dinner) Day 7 Aug: Village/Wewak You will board amotorized dugout canoe and head downriver to the village to Tambanum, with huge family houses of a style unique to this village, plus a large collection of new carvings for sale. Afterward, cross the river for visits to the villages of Wombun and Angoram. Afterward, bid farewell to your Sepik guides and embark on a drive to Wewak. Overnight Seaview Hotel (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Seaview Hotel Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 8Aug: Wewak/Mt. Hagen (MAF Flight) After breakfast the hotel bus will transfer you to the airport for your MAF Flight to Mt. Hagen. Upon arrival you’ll be met by our guide/staff and transferred to Uotha Lodge. Uotha Lodge is located 5 minutes’ drive from Mt. Hagen (Kagamuga airport). It has 12 self content rooms, with both hot and cold water system. The hotel is surrounded with PNG natural orchids and many other plant species. After a few briefing of tomorrow’s tour we will visit to Pogla cultural centre for mud-men show and local village visits. Return to hotel for overnight. Accommodation: Airport Resort Hotel Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Day 9 Aug: Mt. Hagen/Mendi/Nipa (overnight Wemso Lodge) After an early breakfast you will board on to your waiting vehicle, to drive to Wemso Lodge in Nipa, Southern Highlands Province/PNG. After two hours, you reach the Mendi the capital town of Southern Highlands Province. We do few sightseeing around the town and Mendi local fresh food and vegetable market which is set aside at theriver bank. We have pack lunch at the site and continue our journey to Nipa district and to Wemso Lodge. At the top of Duma Pass, through the fast-moving clouds and swirling mist at an altitude of 6000 metres, the full grandeur of the region is revealed with lush forests lining steep mountain ranges and rivers running beside small villages where wisps of smoke rise from the valley floor. Finally we reach Wemso Lodge and check in. You will notice that the lodge’s surrounding jungles are famous for trekking, stunning landscapes linked by extensive trailsbuilt by locals. Accommodation: Wemso Lodge Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 10/11Aug: NIPA CULTURAL SHOW We’ll depart early as7am to enable us to observe and photograph local people as they paint their faces, decorate their bodies, dress their heads, and prepare their costumes for the big show. The Nipa Show is another popular and diverse sing-sing festival in all of Papua New Guinea. The entire Southern Highlands is biggest and most extravagant of all the country’s cultural activities. It will be one of the most colourful and sensually-overpowering cultural events you have ever witnessed. Afterward, we do sightseeing tour, village visits. Those who are keen bird watchers can do the bird watching at the vicinity of Wemso Lodge. Accommodation: Airport Resort Hotel Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 12 Aug: Tour/Hike to Komia village After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to Tari airport for your flight to Port Moresby. Bid a farewell to you Highlands host and board onto Air Niugini flight PX865 to Port Moresby etd: 10:05, eta into Port Moresby at 11:35, meet by our staff at Jackson’s international airport, assist connect into your international departure flight out of Port Moresby. End of our arrangement. Meals: Breakfast Bird Watching Site at the vicinity of Wemso Lodge LAND COST IN US$ DOLLARS Twin share basis: US$3,200.00 per person(base on 3 or more pax) Land cost includes: Twin share accommodation, tours, transfers, meals only as specified above, local guide fees, village fees, and Mt. Hagen show entrance fees. Bird Watching Site beside Wemso Lodge Land cost does Not include: Visa fees, services of personal nature such as beverages, bar, laundry services, phone-fax-internet, domestic Air Niugini (PX) flight plus any other meals and services not mentioned above in our itinerary. Additional Cost: 1) Single Supplement: US$700.00 per single throughout except on the Sepik River Cruise. 2) MAF flight Wewak/Mt. Hagen on day 8 = US$3,500.00 per shuttle COSTS NOT INCLUDED:Meals not noted as included, gratuities, beverages, (except tea or coffee at meals,) international or domestic airfare unless specified, airport departure taxes not included with air tickets, visas, itinerary changes after confirmation, any services not included in itinerary, any costs incurred due to cancelled or delayed flights, acts of nature or other happenings beyond our control, or other costs as are more fully described in Mapex’s Terms & Conditions. we suggest you book/ticket Air Niugini PX flight plus your international round ticket your end in order to obtain better discounts available overseas. Note: Bring with you tons of rolls of films, a camcorder so that you can capture the sounds as well as the sights during the show. Bring along some cash in PNG Kina to spend on artefacts and other items of interest. Cash PNG kina must be in small denomination; K2, K5, K10, K20, or K50 Notes. Visa & Credit cards are acceptable in some major banks in Papua New Guinea. You can exchange money upon arrival into Papua New Guinea at the Jackson’s international airport or ask our staff and we will assist you. If this itinerary does not suit your interest then we can modify the itinerary to suit your interest.