Sing Sing Papua New Guinea

I want to go to a sing sing in Papua New Guinea from Australia. Can anyone give me some advice on going about doing this. I realize I will fly to port morsby from Australia and then from there to Mt Hagen or Goroka. Do the hotel rooms get crazy expensive during the sing sing? Is there an alternative place I can stay during one? Is it ok to travel solo? Please give me some suggestions and ideas. I know I am certainly not paying 9,000 USD to go to a Sing Sing (the general cost travel companies are quoting). GIve me advice!

good qs/most sing sings take place at local"shows"or celebration days...most take place around png mid year/august...the best i have seen was the enga cultural show in wabag and the garamut festival in wewak(september),yes travel alone is fine but you must be aware that in these times of sing sing peoples excitement level goes thru the roof,so its touchy with disputes common!you need to really plan the trip as to book ahead accom..sometimes festivals are cancelled due to things like no funding,cholera outbreak,tribal fighting/disputes etc,so like most things in png you roll the dice a bit.
hagen show is usually mid august/goroka show mid sept.
e.mail for more info....... culture@daltron.com.pg
drop me a note if you need more,but planning ahead is crucial

I was this year in Enga, Mount Hagen and Wewak and for all of them I can say: It is absolutly worth.
Wewak: There were six foreigners, the people were absolutly friendly and happy that there were some foreigners. The show is a little bit "unprofessional" - let's say like a improvisation but that made it charming. Mostly people from the Sepik area and school groups. Usually first weekend of September. No entrance.
Wabag: Maybe twenty foreigners. Absolutly colourful with around thirty groups. No problem to get a room but like everywhere in PNG - reservation in advance is recommended. Usually one week before Mount Hagen. Entrance 2 Kinas.
Mount Hagen: The biggest, usually second weekend in August. This year with 86 groups! First day maybe 150 foreigners, second day around 50. Entrance 300 Kina for two days!! Absolutly necessary to book a room in advance but the prices were not higher than in the rest of the year.
Of course Mount Hagen is very touristic - the local people are more interested in the rugby game after the show than seeing the show. It is not like that you a jumping back into the stoneage. It is a show but it is absolutly worth.
You can do it on your own but maybe the hotel or lodge where you stay in Mount Hagen and Wabag will send a guide with you. That is common in the Highlands because everything there is a little bit more tough than at the coast.

Could you give me examples of hotel prices per nite in the places you speak of. Thankyou. So I can just go to Port Morsby and then to Mount Hagen via flight!
Jared

Best place to stay in Mount Hagen is the Magic Mountain Lodge. In my opinion. There are some hotels in the town which are really expensive (300 Kinas and more) which have international standard. The Magic Mountain Lodge is around 30-40minutes outside of Mount Hagen on the road to Wabag in a fantastic surrounding. Near the Lodge are small villages and gardens, just behind the Lodge jungle starts where trekking is possible. Coming and going is no problem because the owner Pym Memindi of the lodge transports the guests up and down once a day. There are rooms in one building and four wonderful cottages with balcony for 170 Kina. Breakfast was around 15 Kina, dinner 30 (lunch is not necessary).
From there it is possible to go to Wabag up and down in one day (around two hours drive). In Wabag we slept at the Wild Life Guest house of Peter Wakal. The rooms are simple and you will see some cockroaches but 60 Kina is cheap. Breakfast and dinner same prices like above.