PNG tour operator - Country Tours

Hi
I am a solo female traveler going to PNG this July. I have been in touch with a local PNG operator called Country Tours. The founder, Wako, has been very responsive to my emails and I am plan to book guides with them for Sepik River travel and to New Ireland and New Britian. I would feel more comfortable if I could get a recommendation from someone who knows this company. Has anyone used them or heard of them?
Thanks

I do not know this local tour operator . I have been travelling solo( only with my wife - senior adults ) in PNG and it is important ,in which way your tour is organized .

What has the tour operator offered to you ,: do you have a guide all the tour long ,who accompany you all the time
( what will be very expensive )
or you travelling alone and the tour operator has booked only the flights and

the resorts and the Sepik tour for you..

In case of the 2. possibility it may be better to book the flights directly with AIR Niungi by internet and also the resorts by e-mail or phone .So you have direct contact to the persons ,you will meet at your tour and it is easier to decide ,whether it seems trustful for you

The Sepik will be made by a guide of the local people of the Sepik region, as you can enter a village only with a person ,who is known there . So your tour operator can only hire a local guide for you

The Sepik tours are expensive , as the petrol must be transported far away from Wewak to Pagwi ,which is normally the starting point for the boat tour

If you are not driving with a private car from Wewak to Pagwi ( what is also expensive ),you have to take the PMV car
in the night from Wewak to Pagwi .It is possible to meet your local guide for the tour in Wewak ,so you must not travel alone in the PMV. The other possibilty is ,to fly with MAF to Ambunti and to begin there the Sepik tour. If you want more informations for a local guide for a Sepik tour I can give you a recommondation, for example Mathew from the Wagu guesthouse at the Wagu lake

So you have some informations to think what kind of travelling is the best for you. For a tour operator you have to pay
all in advance and your situation is weak for negotiation.

Hi digoebel,
Thanks for your response and information. As you suggest, I have booked all internal air online directly with Air Niugini. The tour operator is arranging for the guides and accomodation. The package has indeed gotten expensive even though I'll be staying with host families as I travel the Sepik. It seems to be a reputable outfit - I guess I'll find out when I get there.

hi

in a Sepik tour you will sleep always in the houses of the local people, when the tour is made by a local guide.

do you pay the Sepik tour to the tour operator in full amount , so you do not how much your guide will get ,who is doing your tour. You have always a better standing , when the guide gets the money from you

please give some informations of your Sepik tour , which villages you will visit and where you will have overnighting

normally your guide will do the overnighting with his guest in his home village , so some guides are well known , in which villages they live.

hi there,
could you tell us if you were satisfied with your tour in the sepik river. we are planning on going there pretty soon and would be interest if you could recommend a guide or tour in sepik river.
thanks a lot
christian

Hi Christian,
I just returned from my trip. I do not feel comfortable recommending Country Tours as a tour operator. I did not receive the services I paid for on multiple occasions. In fact, I think you are much better off dealing directly with local guides, especially on the Sepik. I would recommend Ronnie Bowie. A friend used him when she traveled the Sepik and had a great time. He was not my guide, but I met him at Kaminabit where he lives and liked him immediately. His mobile is 675 73463253.
If you are going to New Ireland, I recommend John Knox. He can be reached by email at noxiesplace@gmail.com. And, if you go to New Britain, I liked my local guide there as well, Melly Paivu . His email is paivu@daltron.com.pg. Hope this helps.

Hey babyboomer,

Can you check on the email for Melly Paivu....the one that you posted, "paivu@daltron.com.pg came back to me as undelivered mail. Thank you so much.

marisaM

Hello marisaM
Sorry not to have responded earlier, I've been offline. I hope this is still timely. I do have additional contact for Melly Paivu. He has a website www.paivutoursrabaul.com.pg. As for Country Tours, as I said in my earlier post, I cannot recommend them. Although parts of my trip were wonderful, I consistently got the distinct impression that the allocation of funds from the tour company to the guides for travel expenses, food etc. was inadequate, and I was always being hit up for supplemental funds. In addition, although I paid for a private van from Wewak to Pagwi and back again -that never materialized. The trip down was in a crowded van and the trip back was in PMV. I have been in touch with the tour company since my return, listing my complaints but they have not responded. For the Sepik portion of your trip - many people have recommended PNG Frontier Adventures. I am actually having email conversations with them with respect to a trip next year. Let me know if you need any additional info. Happy to provide.