PNG and West Papua

Hi everyone,

my boyfriend and I are planning to visit PNG next year. We would like to stay up to 5 weeks and are thinking about visiting the Indonesian part of New Guinea as well. Can anybody recommend a tour operator or a local tour guide who can organize the visas for Indonesia and back to PNG? Any suggestions what we are able to see in one week?
Another question concerning PNG sing sings: During which Highland show can we see more tribes: Goroka Show or Mount Hagen Sing Sing? Different sources are telling different stories. Did someone also attend the Kalam Culture Festival in Simbai?

Thanks in advance.

Goroka show has more variety than Mt Hagen. Simbai is remote and you would really have to rough it. That particular festival must be new but I would think only attended be people from nearby owing mainly to Simbai,s isolation.

PN is a very violent place and getting worse I hear. Fntastic in spite of hat. You need to be ver wary and take due precautions.
Ths is what happened to us.
http://freespace.virgin.net/susan.armitage/PNG.htm

Wife is a parrot nut BTW

My husband and I went to the Mt Hagen Show this August and there were 83 different groups..... it really was the most awesome sight. We are seasoned travellers having visited over 50 countries but PNG is something else!!! We went as part of a package this time with Trans Neugini and were glad we did as the violence is mindboggling. Everyone seems really friendly but they all carry machetes, even tiny children.We saw a man severely beat his wife with a big group cheering him on , we passed the funeral of a young girl who had been chopped up because she happened to go to the river on her own and met independent tourists robbed of everything .
Our guide even made us keep the bus windows closed. A fabulous destination to see something truly different to the rest of the world but I would say dangerous .You can see anything of interest in Port Moresby in one day unless you have a special interest in razor wire!

We just went to the Goroka show and it's awesome! There were 82 groups this year, from all aover PNG but mostly the highlands of course.
Regarding the visas I suggest that you arrange them before your trip, because you have plenty of time. This will save you time during your trip. If you have an Indonesian visa in your passport, you will get stamped into Indonesia at the border checkpoint, no need to go to the immigration office in Jayapura (at least not 2 weeks ago when we crossed the border there).
One week is a really short time for a trip to PNG and West Papua though. Guess it will only be one of the highland shows (2 days are enough), and then maybe a 3-4 day tour to the Baliem valley on the indo side? We like the Baliem valley very much and stayed there for 3 nights/4days.

Cheers

Hi, I am travelling to West Papua in December 2010-February 2011. The focus of my trip are raptors (birds of prey). I am planning to visit the area around Merauke, in the Trans-Fly, and Timika, and may be Sorong. Mainly going into national parks/protected areas (Wasur and Danau Bian near Merauke), and along driveable roads looking for such birds. I am looking for info on flights and surat jalan in respect of these locations, and various flight connections between them. Also, locally, I will need to rent a car and/or a motorised pirogue. Anybody have some ideas about prices etc.for cars/pirogues to rent in Merauke and Timika???
If anybody out there is seriously interested in birds (raptors) and wants to join, just drop me a line, we might be able to arrange something interesting...
Francesco

Your so lucky to visit PNG and West Papua. This is a very intersting area, rain forests have remained untouched and remain stone age. In West Papua people live in tree houses and in PNG you can explore the Sepic river. Both countries have immense contrasts. The cities in PNG are largely influencd by Australia and the west whilst in West Papua cities the influence is Indonesian and Asiatic with the religion being islam. There is however more crime in PNG such as the capital Port Moresby.
I think while you nare there its good to visit both parts to compare what the cultures are like. Enjoy your visit!