Okaiboma, Trobriand Islands: The Safest, Friendliest, Place We Have Ever Visited

Hi,

We had a wonderful time visiting the Trobriand Islands in May this year. We stayed for a week in a village called Okaiboma. The village chief is named Tolobuwa and his son Tom is fluent in English and is a wonderful host. Tom can be reached at +675 7214-3334 on his cell phone (he has a small solar charger). The village has started renting out a hut to small groups of tourists for approximately the equivalent of around 20 to 25 US dollars per person per day (including meals). It was for us the most rewarding experience out of 6 months of travel throughout Southeast Asia.
Okaiboma has about 1000 people and is about an hour’s walk from the main airport (if you call ahead, Tom might be able to arrange pick up – which might be fairly expense relative to the cost of staying in the village since gas and cars are so expensive). We didn’t have a phone number and just walked up and that worked fine. We slept in a hut and ate with Tom’s family. Tom’s wife Boku is a fabulous cook and made deliciously prepared rice, yams, greens, fruit, fish (fresh and canned), chicken and crabs. When we were there, toilet was in the bush but Tom was in the process of building an outhouse. There is an enclosed bucket shower. The well is safe to drink from (we never got sick). Getting a sunburn is the biggest threat.

The people of Okaiboma are the most warm and hospitable of any we ever met. We are two American women in our mid 30s travelling together and we never felt unsafe. The Trobriand Islands are as a whole very safe and since we were staying with the chief’s family in Okaiboma, we were in the most secure place on the island. We kept our valuables locked in a bag in our hut and never had problems. There is an overabundance of children in the village due to large family sizes. They are adorable children. They were naturally curious about us and wanted nothing more than to touch our hands and involve us in their games. Unlike in many parts of the world, they don’t beg but rather just wanted to play and also helped us with whatever we were trying to do.

Life in Okaiboma involves a lot of hanging out and talking and chewing betel nut. Pigs, dogs, chickens, and lots of children run around. The beach is nearby, although snorkeling isn’t amazing because of overfishing. Again, Tom – the chief’s son – is fluent in English, highly intelligent, and was incredibly patient in answering our questions about the culture and history of the Trobriand Islands. He also has a great sense of humor! Many Anthropologists have visited Okaiboma over the years (ever since Malinowski wrote about the Kula ring). The Kula ring still happens here (we actually got to see it – which was quite lucky) and life in the village still takes place like it always has in many respects. Notably, we were told that this is the last village on the island of Kiriwina that is still participating in the Kula Ring. Because of overpopulation, the other villages can no longer afford to host and provide food for their Kula Partners. Basically if you want to see or learn about Kula, this is the only place! Yam houses dot the village, including the chief’s ornately painted one. Chief Tolobuwa has tremendous power in the village but also is responsible for his people’s well-being

The villagers are passionate about sports and at 4 pm every day the women intensely play netball and the men play soccer on a large grassy field. About a third of people are very religious but the rest (including the Chief’s family) didn’t seem to be and no one asked us about our religion.

Okaiboma also has the reputation of doing the best traditional Circle Dance and Rattle Dance (traditional dances that celebrate the yam harvest). As a gesture of goodwill, we donated 200 kina to the school as an expression of our gratitude for their time and effort putting the show together (we gave the money to Tom directly to manage to ensure it wouldn’t be misappropriated).

We wouldn’t recommend going to Okaiboma if you value luxury and want a catered-type experience. It’s a no frills, bare-bones, very rustic – but authentic – PNG experience. It’s hot day and night and it was hard to sleep at night. As soon as you take a shower, you are dirty and sweaty again a few hours later. You should be willing to go with the flow and eat what is served (which was extremely good, by the way).

However, Okaiboma IS the place to come if you are interested in Anthropology and want to experience life in a traditional village. This was a great way to get to know the people of PNG in a real way. The people of Okaiboma are incredibly gentle and kind. We talked with Tom for hours and learned a great deal from him. This was an experience that will stick with us for years.

Most families have very few possessions – only some cotton clothes and metal cooking pans. We would recommend staying for at least 3-4 days to really start to get to know the village. We were there for a week and it was well worth it – we could have stayed for a couple more. If you are going, the village would be grateful for school supplies (elementary school educational books, pads and pencils, etc). Villagers would also appreciate clothes – particularly kids clothes because they’re so expensive to buy at the one store on the island.

We would be happy to answer questions and can be reached at:

quirkperk@gmail.com
Amanda (San Francisco, CA, USA)

Hi supergrl2,
I'm going to the Trobriands in September, and would love to see traditional dances. You mentioned that you saw the dances when you were there. Did the village organise them for you?
The yam festival sadly isn't happening this year, so I'm trying to figure out if I have a chance of seeing their dances when I go there.
Take care,
Pawel

Hi Amanda,
I really enjoyed reading about your experiences, and your enthusiasm.
My husband and I will be visiting (from Denver) our son this Fall, who has been teaching in Japan for 4 years. We are interested in going to PNG, but are not very knowledgeable (yet).
How you describe Okaiboma reminds me of when we were a Peace Corps Volunteers in Liberia back in the 70's.
Could you email-introuduce Tom to us? I am thinking we would like to go there for maybe a couple of weeks (or more) in November. We are both teachers and could seriously barter teaching ESL for accommodations.
What are your thoughts and suggestions?
- Monica

Hi Pawel and Monica,

Tom is a great resource. I would just call him directly and make arrangements. His cell phone # is in my original post. He's very trustworthy and would be happy to organize a dance, etc. The islands and village are very safe, but again bear in mind that the accommodations are very rustic. We stayed there for a week but would have loved to have hung out for another at least. It's an exceptionally amazing place. If you could bring extra clothes to give to the villagers (it's hot and humid) they would really appreciate it. Just tell Tom that you saw my post on Lonely Planet. He'll know who I am.

Cheers, Amanda

Thank you, Amanda. I'll contact Tom directly. Just out of curiosity: 2 things: weather in November? And what (very small), besides clothes, is needed and appreciated? We'll each only have one small backpack for 4 months.
- Monica

Hi Monica, I'm not sure about the weather there that time of year but I assume its still hot and humid! :) I would ask Tom about the weather as well as what else to bring. Try to get something for the village school to use - we recently mailed them school supplies and educational posters (like a world map, the periodic table, etc). The country doesn't provide them resources like that. Likewise, if you're arranging a dance etc try to agree to the amount ahead of time with Tom and try to 'pay' for it through gifts that you bring. It will go a lot longer way for the village community and there isn't then the risk of the funds being misused by the headmaster. If you do ever want to give the school cash, give it to Tom directly. He's very honest and will make sure it goes to the right place. If you speak with Tom, please tell him Amanda said hi! :)