2 months itinerary in PNG. Is this doable?

Hello everyone,

I will spend soon two months in PNG as an independent traveller. I have sketched my plan. I am also planning to buy plane tickets soon on Airlines PNG and Air Niugini and I would like to ask if this plan seems reasonable, including some "risk" days to make sure I make it to airports. I will address several questions.

1. Air generally Airlines PNG and Air Niugini reliable air carriers? Do they cancel flights?

2. My sketch is the following. I would appreciate input. Do you think this is doable? My main interests in PNG are Sepik, Mt. Hagen Show, Tari, Institute of Linguistics, Rabaul vulcano and Bougainville. Everything else can be squeezed to get more time for this. Is there any risk here?

25 July - 10 Aug (Vanimo-Wewak-Maprik-Sepik)
11 Aug - Fly to Mt. Hagen
12-14 Mt. Hagen show
15 Go to Mendi in case I dont have Hagen-Tari PMV)
16 Go to Tari
17-22 Visit Tari area (Huli, go towards Lake Kopiago)
23 Go to Mendi (in case I dont have Tari-Hagen PMV)
24 Go to Mg. Hagen
25 Go to Kainantu
26-27 Visit Institute of Linguistics
28-30 Lae and neighboring areas
31 Fly to Buka (via Rabaul)
1 sept Visit Buka, gather information
2 Go to Wakunai
3 - 5 Trek to Mt. Balbi
6 Go to Arawa
7 Go see Yamamoto WW2 wrecks
8 Go back to Arawa
9 Go back to Buka
10 Fly to Rabaul-Kavieng
11 Kavieng
12-16 Return by land in New Ireland to Rabaul
17-18 Visit Kokopo/Rabaul
19 Go to Hoskins
20 Visit Hoskins
21 Go to Madang
22 Fly out of Madang to Brisbane

Thank you very much,
Romanian traveller

Also several additional issues that bug me:

1. How much would it be reasonable to visit Tari. Not hardcore, but just get a feel of the area. I know some have spent two months there.

2. How many days would it be OK for Bougainville, including some risk days in case connections are not OK or there is unpassable road in the South because of the rain. My interest is Buka - capital, the vulcano trek and the WW2 wrekcs with Yamamoto airplane.

3. If I see Mt. Hagen show is it OK to skip Goroka show? I know it's bigger, but it's more of "the same", right? Not a tragedy if I at least see Mt. Hagen, ya?

4. Rhetorical question - how can I see a "moga" ceremony in Enga?

5. Anyone has been to Bebere and Kosame - the skull caves near Lake Kutubu? Any ideas how to reach there, whether the locals accept visitors (I dont want to break any taboo).

6. In my schedule, what should I squeeze in order to also visit Goroka and Asaro mud men? Perhaps Hoskins?

Thank you,
Romanian traveller

I guess it is doable.
The Bougainville bit might depend on the actual "situation" when you get there.
1. 3 days?
2. 5-7 days IF all goes well
3. I was very happy seeing just one show
6. The Asaro mudmen are hardly worth seeing and they will be almost certainly present at whichever show you choose, too. They look good on photos but are boring in reality and exist purely for tourists (as "mudmen", anyway).

Anything is doable with right amount of money. However you are cramming in a hell of a lot. But if time is your ally then it looks pretty reasonable itinerary. Mt Hagen and/ Goroka shows are much the same but slightly different in size. You wont miss anything by not going to one of them.
It would be difficult to break any taboos by visiting anywhere in PNG. Be polite and courteous and you will be fine. Just carry plenty of Kina. One suggestion worth considering. Get your PADI divers licence if you don't have it already.You are visiting a country with possibly the best diving in the world. I learnt to dive there and having now dived the Red Sea, Turks and Caicos, the Great Barrier reef, Ningaloo reef , the Phillipines, Maldives and a few others I can categorically state none hold a candle to what you can dive in PNG.

I'll have an indepth think about your itinerary and revert.

Domestic flights are not reliable, but maybe you'll get lucky. Sometimes they go precisely as planned. Other times, well, no. When you get to an airport and check in and get your boarding pass, do not assume that the boarding pass means you'll actually get on the flight. Do get to the airport really early to get that boarding pass, and make sure that you are there to race, if necessary, for the plane.

Allowing a day for the Buka - Arawa drive is wise. It's about a 4 hour drive in a private vehicle, and there are many rivers with no bridges (although that is changing as the Japanese are funding bridge construction along that road). Make sure you have some water and food supplies as it is possible to be stranded between flooded rivers waiting for them to subside.

There's not a lot to see in Buka as far as it's being an interim 'capital'. They continue to talk about moving the capital back to Arawa, but Arawa still doesn't have electricity - that may change soon as the power company has been there to sign up customers.