This 5-day Papua New Guinea vacation takes you to Mt. Hagen and the Wahgi Valley. It features first-class accommodations, small group tours, and is ideal for travellers wanting an adventure far from the tourist trail.
Your journey begins in Port Moresby, your point of entry in Papua New Guinea. From Port Moresby, you’ll fly to Mount Hagen, the third-largest urban centre in the country and your base for your adventures here. You’ll spend three full days around Mount Hagen exploring the Highlands and the Wahgi Valley. First explored by westerners in the 1930s, this area of Papua New Guinea has boomed with recent oil and natural gas production, but still retains the pre-industrial traditions that have guided life here for thousands of years. During your adventure, you’ll hike through cultivated valleys, search for Birds of Paradise, and marvel at the sugar-cane gardens and jungles that define the valley. You’ll also visit remote villages to get in touch with the inhabitants of the valley, the Melpa and Huli, who lead subsistence lifestyles and have never adopted western clothing and still dress in elaborate costumes of feathers, flowers, and face painting; you might even see some folks painted like skeletons.
At the end of your exploration of the highlands, you’ll connect back to Port Moresby to continue your onward travels. Consider pairing this Papua New Guinea adventure with a trip to Australia, as it makes a great add-on to a journey to the Top End.
