New Ireland vs. Baining Mountains (ENB)

Hi there,

I will visit PNG in August - September this year.
First I´ll visit the Sepik area, continue to Madang and then head to Rabaul/Kokopo where I would like to stay for a week to do some diving and discover the nearby area.

After that, I have 4 more days to explore either New Ireland from Rabaul or the Mountains on New Britain south of Rabaul: Baining mountains. My flight back home is from Rabaul, so I need to go back there in the end.
Does anyone has any nice suggestions on how to spend the last 4 days of my trip? Is it feasible to hop over to New Ireland for 4 days, take a PMV on Boluminski Highway to visit some villages/beaches/lagoons/hot springs etc. and come back to Rabaul? Or could a trek and visit of villages in the forest of Baining mountains be a better idea?

Looking forward to your suggestions :-)

Best,
Alex

Unless you happen upon a special event, there is little to see in the Baining Mts, the villages aren't horribly interesting.
New Ireland, being a whole large island, could obviously offer more, though getting there and back would reduce your already limited time there.

Thanks, Laszlo!
I also read about a trek called Lark Force Wilderness Track close to Rabaul, which could be done in a few days.
Did you hear about that?

Or is it possible to cross from Kimbe / Hoskins back to Rabaul in 4-5 days by land as an alternative?

Haven't heard of that trek and only travelled from Kimbe to Rabaul by boat.

Hi Echti,

I do have contacts for the Rabaul trip if you're interested , drop me a mail on ;
Email: rhum.ghoose@gmail.com

Hi tombiros01689962,

thanks, but our E-Mail account seems not to exist. Is it correct?

However, is your information regarding the Baining mountains or the overland trip from Kimbe to Rabaul?
I would be interested in hearing more about it.
Who´s your contact for that?

Hi,
Correction for the email address, should be;
Rhum.goose@gmail.com
Drop me a PM on my the above address

for the OP

from rabaul you cannot walk to kimbe (it would be a multi-week supported expedition)
but there are trails and hikes around there either around the volcano or in the inland forests
you would need to just ask around and hire a guide with experience - there are plenty
of WW2 sites to see as well

flying to kavieng and back for a few days is possible - i think rabaul is more interesting
than new ireland unless you get to the outer islands which you may not have time to do - the diving
off kavieng is great and as it is onto open ocean you see more pelagics than in rabaul or kimbe

if you can get cheap flights then go to kavieng as a week is already a long time in rabaul
and do some diving there and get out to the outer islands even if just for a day or overnight
ask around in kavieng on where is best and possible

Thank you for this suggestion :-)
Yeah, I am pretty much convinced to fly over to Kavieng for some diving.

I read in the LP guidebook that there are PMVs from Kavieng to Namatani which take about 6-7 hours (daily, exc. Sunday). It this information correct?
Thus my plan would be not to fly back to Rabaul (not so nice directly after diving ;-) ) but to take 1-2 days along Boluminski Hwy (worst case direct PMV from Kavieng to Namantani) and cross by boat to Rabaul.

What do you think?

Maybe it is possible to get a ride to Tabar from villages such as Konos / Lelet? What price would I need to expect here?

yes you can get a PMV from kavieng to namatanai - we did this but split it into 3 days so we had time in the villages
you should be able to do it in 1 day but it is a long hot uncomfortable journey - the road is in bad condition for the second half - find an old post of mine (5 years ago!) regarding this and the boats to kokopo from namatanai
i am sure not much has changed from then

i am sure there are boats across to tabar but from where and when i dont know - i wouldnt try this if you are on any kind of schedule but if you have time i am sure it is great - the malagan culture lives on over on those outer islands

Thanks for the information :-)

I will fly into Kavieng, go diving and afterwards make my way on Boluminsky Hwy.
I found a good source of information regarding guest houses along the way given by a diving center in Kavieng:
Map of guest houses on New Ireland & Guest houses on New Ireland

I am back from my trip to PNG and did the ride from Kavieng along Boluminski Hwy (middle of September).

It is surely possible to do it in 1 day and the road is in amazingly perfect condition, even better than most streets in Germany! I counted pothole and got to about 10 on the more than 250 km long stretch from Kavieng to Namatanai. However, yes, it is a full day ride perhaps in a packed mini-bus.

Thus, I decided to also split it into 3 days with one night in Bol village (Panatalis Dodor Beach Peles - was under renovation, but I could still sleep there for reduced rate of 50K) and one night in Karu village (super great, but slightly expensive Rubio Guesthouse).

Traveling along the Hwy is easy as you can simply stop a truck, mini-bus or car and hop on. However, almost all mini-busses going from Kavieng to Namatanai and back are full, so they will not stop. Hence, once you decided to split your trip into parts, you will need to do so.
The local people are super helpful and friendly and assist you to catch your next ride along the Hwy.

Fares are low and depend on the distance. Thus, as an example I paid 10 Kina on a truck to go from Kavieng to Bol (3 hrs) or e.g. 15 Kina on a bus from Konos to Karu (3.5 hrs).

The last day I started at 7:00 am from Karu to Namatanai and went with Solwara Meri trucks to Uluputur to catch boats to Kokopo. The boats wait for the last truck as they go in groups and belong to the same company as the trucks. The ride took about 3 hrs and including the truck transfer (3K) costed 70 K.
The boat crossing is a good option to save flight money, but is extremly rough on mid-day! Really crazy and painful sh...t in banana boats. Thus, I advise to sleep in Namatanai and catch the early morning boats to have most calm waters.

Hello Etchi,
Your latest reports helping me a lot thank you. I'll spend two weeks in PNG, one in Lae (Morobe Show) & Middle Sepik River and second could be New Britain or New Ireland. I'm mostly into culture, I will not dive by the way. If you were me, would you go to New Ireland anyway? LP says it is unmissable destination for fans of traditional cultures but I didn't get that feeling from your report. What do you think?
Cheers
Okan

if you are interested in traditional culture then if you visit new ireland you will really only find it if you go to the outer islands like tabar

there is more to see in new britain but even there you need to get off the main highways to find the traditions

ask around and you may find a celebration, wedding, funeral or initiation - even in the towns these things are times when everyone shows there traditional side even if they work in a bank and wear a suit to church

the sepik is where these traditions are strongest - i would reccommend spending as long as you can there

Even in the Tabar Islands (I visited Tatau) traditional culture will only really be visible if you happen upon a ceremony or other event. Otherwise what you see is typical coastal village life.

Thank you really for the answers. After I reading that the flight times keep changing by airlines, I will skip New Ireland and focus Morobe Show in Lae and Sepik area.
I'm alone and cost is super high for Sepik but I will find my way.
Just one more question, Upper Sepik seems more for nature lovers. I do love nature but due to fuel prices & limited time, I might have to skip Upper Sepik villages too and focus in Middle Sepik for culture.
So, I was thinking to focus only in Middle. I'm asking your opinion since someone was saying in the forums, villages in Middle Sepik starts to look same after two days. (I don't think I would be bored though even if I spent two weeks there) Is the culture slightly changing in Upper Sepik villages such as Swagup?
I'm going in October and I should look for alternative villages as well, perhaps Blackwater Lakes & Govermas area. (if river allows that, still not rainy season)

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Hi jjarmusch678585,

I agree to the others: there is some Malagan culture visible on New Ireland and surounding islands, but it is not much and sometimes quite hidden.

Your best chance will be Sepik and highlands! As I do not yet have experienced the highlands, I can just tell about the Sepik.

True, the costs are high and you might not have much time to travel with local transport (which can reduce the cost). Thus, you will need to focus.
You might be able to snap a bit of upper Sepik culture in Ambunti and nearby village (also between the mountains). Ambunti might be reached more easily than other villages further up the river.
Middle Sepik will be a great place for you. Most people go there. However, they do not spend much time, but as you might know, in every place (of earth) you can spend more time, look closer and discover new things! So you will not be bored, belief me ;-) ).
To get somehow off the beaten track, I can absolutely recommend Gabimas and the blackwater lakes. I would have loved to spend more time there, but I had a flight to catch.
You can reach it even with local transport (PMV boat). Check out my reports for more information.
Seems possible to do some hiking there and visit other villages.

Dry season can be a problem for places in Blackwater lakes and all other lagoons (Wagu, Chambri, etc.).
I was lucky to catch some floods due to rain in the mountains. However, it is good to be flexible with your plans.

Further in general: If you can make it to one festival like Morobe show, do it!
Perhaps you can also do some research to know better for some local ceremonies, e.g. skin cutting and coming out ouf Haus Tambaran e.g. in Gabimas. For this information, it is best to contact a guide.
You will find plenty of contacts in this forum.

Best,
Alex

Thanks a lot Alex. Your posts alone helped a lot to decide. I will do Sepik tour and Morobe Show only.
I contacted your guide, he responded next day and we will be discussing the details. I'm very happy now that he has access to internet. His contact details are the same (phone no etc.)
You had depicted Bukabuki as very pretty, I don't know where it is, couldn't see it in the map but I might try that village together with Swagup and/or Maliwai in Upper Sepik.
For Chambri or Blackwater, rains will decide my route as you said... should I insist on Wagu by the way, is it more interesting?
Now, all my worry is possible cancellations of airlines, I hope October is good time and duration of my trip will not be reduced because of the delays.

Cool that you are hiring Johannes!
I am sure, you will like him! He is a great guy!

Yes, Bukabuki is a nice place and/but quite far away from other spots.
However, there are no specific attractions such as large Haus Tambarans or something like that.
I just liked how it was situated and how we were welcomed there; the nature there is great.
If you have a tight schedule, maybe it is better to stay closer to Sepik and visit Sio village.

Here is a link of a very good map of the Sepik area.
Bukabuki is called Begapuki there and it´s at April river south of Swagup.

You can find pictures of Bukabuki on my Flickr profile here and here.

And regarding Wagu vs. Chambri:
The village life is quite similar in Wagu and Chambri.
In Wagu, you will also see some birds of paradise in the nearby forest.
In Chambri they have a nice Haus Tambaran and pottery in Aibom.

For a good mix, I would opt for Wagu.
However, if you are really more into culture, the Chambri lakes might be more interesting.

it was an easy decision to hire him after reading your report:)
Thank you by the way, somehow it is very difficult to find a good map of the Sepik area.
I will check first Chambri Lakes since I'm writing travel guide books and focusing mostly on culture.

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