Chambri Lake - trip report

Just back from the Sepik and as part of our trip we visited Chambri for the first time so here is a short trip report and some tips.

Chambri Lake is a large lake that is part of the Sepik river system. There are three entrances on the north-west near Ambunti, on the north side just east of Pagwi and on the east side near Kamanabit. Water flows into the first two and out the third. All of these entrances are had to find and navigate - do not attempt without a shallow draft canoe and a skipper or pilot that knows the way and has the latest update on which routes are open - they can be closed by logs, trees, high and low water. Pagwi to Chambri island takes about 2 hours.

The lake is shallow and very impressive being surrounded by mountains. There are two main islands which are mountain outliers from the highlands, Chambri and Aibom. Chambri is the largest and has a very strong culture and over a dozen spirit houses. There is a guest house near the largest (no contact needed just turn up) but it is nothing special. It has mattresses and nets.

Fish is usually in good supply but vegetables less so. We were charged 30 PGK for the room for the night - our local crew of course stay for free - and we paid some extra for fire, water and help with cooking etc. The water tank was rain filled and a big rainfall stirred up sediment in the tank but later in the day it had settled and was clearer.We did not cook our rice with it at all !

Aibom is smaller and has only a small spirit house. The culture has been diluted by historic intermarriage with Iatmul people. There is no guest house but home stays can be arranged. Aibom has a source of good clay and specialises in making pots, especially fire hearth pots - both functional and decorative.

There are other inhabited islands but they are from recent incomers and we did not visit.

The lake has lots of crocodiles so can be a good place to see or hunt them. Take a powerful torch or good large D size batteries for the locals torches as they are nocturnal. We saw the large croc which killed a man just 2 weeks prior !

Highly recommended as a detour off the Sepik to see something different.

I am told there is a small guest house in Aibom - anyway Chambri is a nicer place to stay as it has many fewer mosquitos being a rocky island rather than marshy

Thank you. Three of us are planning to visit in July after visiting hagen and madang. This has been very helpful. Can I please ask a few questions.
1 . Travelling from Madang to Angoram takes two days (by PMV and boat). From Angoram to Chambri is it best to continue by boat up the Sepik or to catch a PMV into Wewak and then another PMV back out to Pagwi?

2. Did you go to the Middle or upper Sepik eg Lake Wagu
3. How did you arrange a guide / boat? What sort of price did you pay?
4. Any other suggestions please. How long was your Sepik trip?

1 - Unless you enjoy uncomfortable travel for its own sake and for the adventure then PMV and boat from Madang
to Angoram then to Wewak then to Pagwi is not a good use of 4 days

I would just enjoy the Sepik around Angoram - i have never been there but think there is much to see - to get a boat to take you to Chambri from Angoram is a long and expensive trip

or fly from Madang to Wewak and then to Pagwi if you want to see middle/upper Sepik and Chambri

2 - I have made 5 trips on the Sepik and have been from Kamanambit up to Biaga (April river)
Wagu lake is nice but Chambri is more impressive. At Wagu you can easily hike into the highland foothills and see birds of paradise.

3 - We have our own crew. There are plenty of recommendations for local guides here and on the tripadvisor forum.
For upper/middle Sepik I would recommend Johannes Teven but others like Mattias Alois, Mathew Kaku from Wagu Lake guest house, Cyril Tana and Joseph Kone all have recommendations as well. Beware of the fake Joseph Kone who has been scamming people - this could happen with other guides. No decent guide will ask for all the money upfront via Western Union.

Prices are all over the place, there are so many variables.

There are also tour companies who can arrange things as well.

In Angoram my understanding is that you can just turn up and ask around and find a guide who will take you out
on the river for a day or a few days. You cannot do this at Pagwi.

4 - Our last trip was 4 weeks on the river. Its an expedition! A short trip of a couple of days is easy - you just carry some cold rations and water and dont wash and rough it - for a longer trip there is much to plan and think about.

Thanks. We will start and finish at wewak instead.
I am trying to book CBC guesthouse in Wewak but the LP phone number is disconnected. Do you have any contacts please? FB and website shows nothing. Can i also message you about other matters?

often hard to contact people in PNG as numbers expire if not topped up

happy to help with questions but here on the forum so all can benefit

I am thinking of booking with Cyril. There was one bad report about him (when he said his relative was suddenly unwell) and one good report. Do you have any other information about him?

not really i have not met him - he is known on the river as a good guide

thank you. Have you heard of Cyril Wlandi from village Kamanibit Middle sepik ? Is he the same man as Cyril Tana? The phone number he gave me does not work. Do you know of cheaper reasonable accommodation in Wewak ?

not sure dont think there are 2 cyril guides but be careful of imposters and scammers

without any formal id or bank accouts etc people change their names or speliing all the time

on the river people have their tribal name and thieir western or christian name

people generally use their fathers or husbands fathers tribal name as a surname often shortening or anglicising it but they can change this and also use their own tribal name as surname

wewak seems very busy these days

2 good guesthouses on the hill near the inwewak boutique hotel are

Eden Guest House
phone no to follow

Joe Cornelius
SSEC Guest House Wewak PNG
‭+675 7368 7067‬

another in the lower town is PIM

Peter ‭+675 7161 5824‬

typical price is 150-200 pgk depending on how busy and wether 1/2 people for private room with shared bathroom cold water and cooking facilities

ssec may if not busy let you put your own matress
down on the floor for 50 pgk but this is for single men only

hey tonikaye,
wewak is a bit sketchy (I've just posted about my recent trip on the PNG thread). CBC is certainly open and I rocked up twice without reservations and was able to get a room.
The nicest bit of Wewak wasn't in Wewak but an island offshore: Yuo. It's a real paradise!

Eden Guest House, Wewak

+675 7187 6048

Thanks for all your trip reports we had a great visit - loved PNG - has not changed much since our last visit in 1982

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