Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Hi,

I've heard about the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area but know next to nothing about it except the small section in the Lonely Planet and can't even find anything on it, even on thorntree. I am planning a trip to PNG this year and have come up with an itinerary which I will post when I have more time and would really love to include this. As I say I know nothing about it but the name and small piece of information I have read has wet my appetite and imagination! Has anyone been here or knows further details??

Over the years, we have only seenm one trip report on that area here on TT, I think.
Sadly, it is gone now. If I recall well it was enthusiastic saying the area was beautiful and the people very friendly, but noted they were a bit "too" friendly, eg would hardly let him leave their village for the next one! ;-)
If you get to go, please post updates.

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. I have emailed the guys responsible for the area (http://www.rcf.org.pg/crater_mountain.htm) but hey this is PNG so will have to see if I get a response. I suspect I'll wait until I get there and go to there office in Goroka for a full costing. My itinerary is something along the lines of

Vanimo-Madang-Rabaul (hopefully some trekking around Baining range and I'd love to move on to New Ireland and Bougainville but think that will be for another time)-Madang-Mt Wilhelm-Goroka-Hagen-Simbai-trek to the Ramu river and onto Watam-Angorum-Wewak-Vanimo

Trying to bear in mind budget, for example hopefully save some money by getting boats from Watam to Angorum and at least experience some of the river without buying a drum of petrol and a hiring a boat for a week on the Sepik as this seems to be where prices really mount up. Also got to bear in mind I'm going with my girlfriend and while I think a bit of trekking like Wilhelm and Simbai to Ramu will be fine, as much as I'd love to, the Black Cat is out of the question.

Now PNG is semi organised I need to sort out getting from Sumatra to Papua before hand and going from Papua to Sabah afterwards........

I did some trekking in the Baining Mts - not horribly exciting though certainly well off the beaten track.
Your PNG itinerary is quite ambitious, not sure how long you have to do all that.

Getting info on Indonesia, and getting around that country, will be much easier.
My site, linked in my signo line, has a fair amount.

Laszlo,

Thank you for sharing your info n thoughts section.
Ive found it not only fascinating but quite useful...Cheers...

Have a read of "Conservation is Our Government Now" by Paige West. Well worth the read, and it helped contextualize my time in PNG. :-)