The Highlands and Islands of Papua New Guinea # life style #Mysteries #villagelife

Papua New Guinea is a land of pioneering travel. Home to pristine islands and reefs, spectacular rainforests, and over 1,000 tribal groups. Just 160 kilometers off the North Queensland coast, together with neighboring Indonesia, New Guinea is in fact the second largest island in the world. There's a lot to see. And a trip to Papua New Guinea, or PNG as it's often referred to, takes careful planning. My journey began in Hela province in the southern highlands, home to the famous Huli Wigmen. Historically, tribal dancing, or sing-sings as they are known, were performed to celebrate victory in clan wars. My guide Thomas explains the more modern reasons for performances. It's a living culture. It has been passed from generation to generation. Normally, big occasions like opening of churches, schools, welcoming the ministers and tourists from the other countries. And the story behind the flamboyant ceremonial Huli headdress is revealed by a visit to the local wig school. They pay 400 kina to a teacher to stay in a wig school for 18 months. So they live here? They live here. They live with the teachers. Three times a day, the boys water their hair. OK. What he's saying is the hair won't grow naturally. Right. By powerful spell. Oh, OK. He's going to put his powerful spell into that rainforest bamboo and give it to the boys to drink. So now they're going to drink and spread half of it out to the side. OK, one more. To wash outside parts of the body. They're aiming at me. So this is to wash inside and out. To wash inside parts. And out. Outside parts of the body. So that the hairs can grow very short. Right. As well as its cultural appeal, the Tari Valley is exceptionally beautiful and ideal for hiking and bird watching. One of the best places to stay to immerse yourself in everything the area has to offer is Ambua Lodge, a 45 minute transfer from Tari Airport. Ambua Lodge is an eco resort owned by Trans New Guinea Tours. There's the central lodge with a restaurant and lounge area, and two styles of accommodation, either in individual huts or the more modern wing. Rooms are basic but comfortable enough with ensuite bathrooms, 24 hour electricity, and electric blankets on the beds for the chillier nights. Once you're at the lodge, you're in a secure environment. And basically, the staff here organize all the activities. So during the day, you're taken out on pre-planned trips out to the local villages. And it's really important to travel around this area with a guide who can give you lots of background information and, of course, explain the unique cultures that are here. My next stop was the Western Highlands. It's possible to get there by road. But I'd take a 35 minute charter flight over a 10 hour bumpy drive any day. We landed at Mount Hagen Airport and took a one hour drive up to Rondon Ridge Resort, also owned and managed by Trans New Guinea Tours. The rooms here at Rondon Ridge are really very comfortable. They've got very high ceilings. You come in and you've got the bedroom area and ensuite bathroom. And it goes down to a sitting area. But the best bit is coming out onto your own private terrace. So you can sit out here, relax, and just enjoy these stunning views. The vast majority of people in this area are subsistence farmers. We stopped to film the views and came across local farmer, Frentis. It's a very good land that the Lord has given to us. We don't need to have a lot of fertilizer to our land because it is always fertilized. Rich soil, very rich soil. Very rich soil. We grow potatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots, broccoli, grow them up, sell them in the market. One thing not to miss while you're here is going to the market in Mount Hagen. It's truly the best market I've ever been to. The individual farmers lay out their produce. It's all scrubbed. It's incredibly clean. And they're just so friendly and wanting to talk to you about their produce and, of course, sell it to you. It's a real experience. As well as the beauty of the region, as everywhere in PNG, the cultural interest is endless. A highlight for me was meeting the chief of the Melpa tribe. At 89 years old, he remembers what life was like here before the white man arrived and has some staggering stories to tell. He's got five wives, 25 kids, 52 grandchildren. He said, I was very small during the war and I saw all these aeroplanes flew here and there and he thought that, oh, there are big eagles or big birds flying all over. They were throwing all this bomb and he thought they're throwing all this egg from the sky. And no cultural tour would be complete without a sing-sing. While we've been here in the highlands, we've been to lots of cultural displays and reenactments. To some extent, of course, they are shows for tourists, but the tribal traditions that they explain are still very much part of life here today. Modern clothing may be different, but the three basic tenets of tribal life, revolving around the ownership of land, pigs and women, are the same. We've seen maybe half a dozen different tribes, but there are over 1,000 tribal groups, each with their own unique customs, dances and beliefs. And some, deep in the rainforest that covers 75% of the country, still live exactly as they have for centuries. In contrast to the highlands, PNG also has hundreds of islands. One that can be most easily explored is Lolloata, the only island resort accessible by road and ferry from the capital, Port Moresby. Lolloata is this lovely little private island, literally just half an hour from the chaos of Port Moresby. It's a very chilled-out dive-type resort. Nothing flash about it, but it's just very calm, very restful. Diving here is as good as anywhere in Papua New Guinea, so if you're on a diving specialist holiday, this is the perfect place to start or end your holiday. For the final part of my PNG adventure, I returned to Port Moresby to join the MS Caledonian Sky, as she set sail for Milne Bay. Expedition-style cruising using Zodiacs to get ashore is the only way to access some of the smaller, more remote islands. When a ship comes in for the locals, it's a really big deal. So, when you come ashore in some of these remote places, of course, the locals are as intrigued as we are. And very often, they'll put on a display. We've just been treated to singing and dancing. And, of course, the kids love to have a go on the Zodiacs. Every island has something unique to offer. This is Ferguson Island, and we've walked about half an hour through the rainforest from where we got off on the Zodiacs and discovered these amazing hot springs, a reminder of the volcanic origins of these islands. The joy of expedition cruising is going ashore by Zodiac, allowing small groups to easily explore different aspects of the islands. Kitava, in the Trobriand Island group, was our next stop. Kitava Island only gets about six cruise ships come through a year, so it's a huge event for the islanders. And they come down, and, of course, they want to sell you all their beautiful arts and crafts and show you around their village. It's a really, really lovely experience. There's no hassle. They're not forcing you to buy. They're just very proud to show off the island and all they have. Expedition cruising is the perfect way to explore these islands. It's a world apart from most people's idea of a typical cruise. You really do get the best of both worlds here. During the day, you go ashore exploring, safe in the hands of the expedition team. You're in a group, but the numbers are small enough that everyone can kind of do their own thing. If you want to go birdwatching, for example, snorkelling, or perhaps just have a little look around the islands. And then, after a day ashore, you return to the security blanket of the ship, knowing that you've got your luxury cabin, delicious food, and like-minded company to look forward to. My journey came to an end in Rabaul, right on the northernmost tip of East New Britain. As we sailed into harbour, we passed by one of the volcanoes that famously wreaked havoc here. In 1994, the three volcanoes all erupted at once, wiping out the town of Rabaul. It was then the second largest city in Papua New Guinea, and now it's just literally this vast expanse of black volcanic dust. It's the most extraordinary place to drive through and think just 20 years ago, there was a lively, bustling town here. At the time of the disaster, the citizens of Rabaul were evacuated and eventually rehoused in nearby Kokopo, which is a great place to stay if you have more time here. The area is also famous for the 1942 occupation by the Japanese. You can visit the tunnels dug into the hills to hide the Japanese barges. And for divers, there are numerous aircraft and submarine wrecks to explore. If you're looking for five-star hotels and a chilled-out sort of holiday, Papua New Guinea is not for you. But if you have a sense of adventure and an interest in different cultures, you will have the most rewarding time here. From a natural point of view, Papua New Guinea is breathtaking. The lush highlands, the rainforest, rivers, the stunning islands, there's so much to see. Then there's the birds, the diving, the trekking. It's specialist holiday heaven. And on top of all that are the people and this incredible tribal heritage. It's no understatement to say that Papua New Guinea is endlessly fascinating.