Tari: Warili Lodge - just got a price

I've been quoted on a day rate

All in. Food, guide, transport. Per day

K1,910. PER DAY

That translates at todays rates as

£490 PER DAY

Anyone got any other options in Tari, for birding & Wigmen?

I was so totally gobsmacked by the price I've just got a price for Ambua Lodge - you kow the one? Really expensive & upmarket?

Got a quote through an Oz dive operator

They can get me transfers, single accommodation, cultural & birding tours for US$570 PER DAY

That translates at todays rates as

£392 PER DAY.

You might come to the conclusion, as I have, that Warili was asking nearly £100 per day more than Ambua.

FYI, I still think they're having a laugh at £392....

Must be a typo. It would be more realistic if it was K191.00....

Just a few years ago I paid as little as 40 Kina for a night's accommodation, plus less than 20 Kina per day for a guide at Warili!
Maybe you should try and simply show up, then negotiate on the spot.

There are cheap guesthouses in the Tari Valley, but Ambua and Warili are the only two really practical for birders, ASFAIK.
These two are close to the Tari Gap, and have experienced bird guides.

I might add that if you are truly keen to bird Tari, you basically have 2 options:

1) Pay whatever the 2 places mentioned above ask

2) If you simply can't afford them, but are adventurous enough, you could try and find accommodation in a nearby village, and do the birding on your own, perhaps accompanied by a local just to feel safe. Most birding is actually done right from the main road, with the few short trails leading into the forest off this road being pretty obvious and easy to follow.

The email in full.

I should say the price was in BOLD.

I sent an email back immediately informing them that Ambua was less money than they were, & that they - Warili - were always considered the cheaper option on the internet.

I have had no reply as yet. That email in full then......

Dear Mr. Globaltourist,

Thank you very much for your mail dated 25th November 2008. I received it on 15 th January 2009. Sorry for the late reply.

Your booking is now confirmed for the early April 2009 but let me know the exact date, please.

Your trip itinery
Day 1: (LD) Arrival at Tari Airport. Local guide will be waiting with the lodge's 10 seater land cruizer. After lunch, do the nature walk to waterfalls around Warili lodge. Evening, telling stories about Huli Wigman followed by dinner. Over night at warili lodge

Day 2: (BLD) 7:30am drive to Tokia Bachelor Boys Center where they grow human hair to make the wig. After that will walk for 2-3 hours from the bachelor boys treck to Karita village guest house and have lunch there. In the evening, Huli men will do the earth oven prepared (MUMU) for dinner with chicken and some local vegetables. Over night at Karita village guest house.

Day 3: (BLD) 7:30 am break fast at Karita village guest house. At 8:30 am visit the Huli wigmen welcome singsing. 10 am treck to Lumbira village guesthouse for 2-3 hours. Lunch at Lumbira village guest house. In the evening, the Huli Spirit dancers will do the welcome spirit dance. Have dinner and overnight at Lumbira village guest house.

Day 4: 7:30am Breakfast in Lumbira village guest house. 8am trek to Walumali for 3 hours. Warili lodge vehicle will wait for you at Walumali, pick you up and go back to Warili lodge and have lunch there. Dinner & Overnight at Warili lodge.

Day 5: At 5:50am bird watching/tour to Tari Gap to see 180 different species, espcially 13 different species of Bird of Paradise. Serious ornithologists, bird watchers, naturalists, and tourist come from all over the world to see the many speccies of birds and Bird of Paradise. Birds includes Blue-gray Robin, Fairy Wren, Mountain Peltops, Friendly Fantail and Willie Wagtail.
Bird of Paradise includes Ribbon-tail, Crested, Lorias, Blue Bird, King of Saxony, Lawers Parotia, Raggiana and Stephanies.

7:30 breakfast. 8am shower, get ready and leave Warili lodge to go to Tari Airport. END OF SERVICE.

TOTAL COST IN PNG KINA K1,910.00 per day

This cost includes Accomodation (twin share room), meals, tours, culture activities, hire vehicle for each days, local English speaking guides for each cultures and Tari GAP bird watching tours.

It excludes cost of PNG internal flight and other flights, internal departure taxes, visa fees, and any other services of personal nature such as beverages, laundry, telephone and fax bills.

Necessary things to bring are hat, sunglass, sleeping bag, mat, tooth paste, flash light/torch, sweaters, good strong trecking boots, a rain coat and extra pants, water bottles, mosquito repellent or net.

Hope this helps.

I look forward to hear from you soon. Please return email should you have further queries.

Best regards,
Warili

Hi Laszlo,

Got to be honest - not prepared to spend the money to fly in to Tari & start negotiating when the starting price is K1,910 per day.

Not sure it's going to go down too well when my opening gambit might be - Oooh - K400 per day?

That's what I'm paying in PNG for accommodation & 2 boat dives a day, including a guide.

I don't think I'm adventurous enough to wing it in on the off chance either, & as much as I would like to go to Tari, I'd rather have a 'nailed on' great time diving, than the possibility of a great time birding - especially when I can do affordable birding / cultural trips elsewhere in PNG

So I really think i will take my money elsewhere.

However I am very grateful to the posters on this branch who have gone to Warili Lodge in the past, & who have taken the trouble to post how much they were paying, & especially about the arguments with the lodge regarding money for services they, and other guests experienced.

It alerted me in advance that there might be problems with pricing at Warili, & as a result I was insistent on having a price up front before making a commitment to travel there.

I actually just received a full quote from Ambua - the price I had initialy was from an Australian based dive op.
This is from Trans Niugini Tours - thought you'd like to see it

All transfers from Tari airport to Ambua lodge (vice versa) including
accommodation on single basis, all meals plus 1 full day of bird
watching and 2 days visiting villages are included in the package
below.

Brief Itinerary

Wedneday
Arrive Tari airport, meet/greet and transfer to Ambua Lodge. Straight
after lunch, proceed on with an afternoon birding and nature walk. You
take advantage of the birding in the Tari Gap area where you may chance
to observe up to 13 species of the birds of paradise. Overnight Ambua
Lodge.

Thursday & Friday
Enjoy two full days tour of Tari area and surroundings; the tour
includes visiting tribal villages and experiencing how the local people
(Huli people) live their life with the environment. Continue touring
Tari sites and surroundings. Overnight Ambua Lodge.

Saturday
A full day of birding - with an amazing thirteen species of birds of
paradise, Ambua and the Tari Gap is a mecca for birders seeking these
amazing and colourful birds. Close to the lodge, birds that are
commonly seen include the Buff-Banded Rail, Long tailed Shrike, Pied
Chat, Orange-crowned Fairy-wren, Mountain Peltops, Friendly Fantail,
Willie Wagtail, Blue-grey Robin and the hooded mannikin. Overnight
Ambua Lodge.

Sunday
Schedule transfer from Ambua Lodge to Tari airport for flight
Tari/Port Moresby (11:00/12:30). Arrive Port Moresby airport, meet and
assist to your ongoing international flight.

End of our Services

LAND COST PER PERSON - COST VALID TILL 31ST DECEMBER 2009:
Single room @ AUD877.00 p/person X 4 nights = AUD3508.00 p/person
(single room basis)

LAND COST INCLUDES: Accommodation, meals from lunch day one to
breakfast on departure day, return airport transfers, and 3.5 days of
activities. Activities include 2 days visiting villages with witnessing
cultural demonstrations and a half-day of guided nature/scenic walks
and 1 full day of birding.

Cost works out at £401 PER DAY at today's exchange rate

Still cheaper than Warili - but too rich for me.

Edited by: globaltourist

wow ,this price is beyond belief,no wonder png tourism is on its knees,sure it;s remote but these sort of fares would kill any traveller!these all inclusive tours are way out of reach,as lazslo said if you do this stuff by yourself and wing it,you will save huge money,and probably have a better experiance.

don - yes - having slept on it I think I'm going to have a go at doing all this myself.

There is the women's guesthouse that takes men - I can get a bed there - buy food & water at the local store - then I can ask at the guesthouse if there's a local guide - but I suspect the trouble will be transport from Tari to Tari Gap.

I've no idea how far it will be to walk - I understand that Ambua Lodge is 45 minutes drive uphill from Tari - I assume the birding is slightly below the elevation of the lodge - you'd need to find someone with transport who was leaving early & hitch.

As Laszlo pointed out - you could wander off on your own, but you'd be leaving yourself wide open to meeting people on the road who might not wish you well - so I think it very important you do go with a local or two. No problem with this, but it really might help if they knew where to look.

And the last bird of paradise birding I did in Madang I was up at 4am & travelled by road & on foot for 2 hours.

What annoys me is the prices listed in the newest LP guide are so wrong - they are costing Warili at K60 per night plus K100 per person for tours.....Of course someone would go & book flights based on those prices - but then look what it actually turns out to cost?

I appreciate they've obviously bought a mini bus at Warili, but I wasn't thinking of buying it for them single handed over 4 days....

Incidentally, both Warili & Ambua know what I am prepared to pay for accommodation & birding / cultural tours, because I've told them what I'm happily paying at Tufi, where they also offer full day & half day birding & cultural tours for those not wishing to dive.

If Tari needed the money that much they'd at least negotiate, which they haven't done.

I appreciate that everyone involved at Tari - the people who own the land you bird on - all the Huli - basically eveyone the tourist meets - is getting a cut from the tourist dollar - Well I hope that's the case.

I don't know if the local people - who are part of the the attraction as well as the birds - know just how much is being charged - maybe they found out - & that's why it's now got so pricey - maybe more people wanted in on the action? Although Ambua Lodge & Trans Niugini Tours were mega buck back in 2002 - & they paid their staff in Madang pennies - because I asked the staff.

I actually think paying kustom fees - as I do when diving wrecks - is fine - because you want to help the local economy when you get there. But it's counter productive when I think I'm going to change my plans & not go purely because of the cost. It's terribly unfair on the town & the people as a whole when a tourist just equates the destination with being ripped off.

I expect the minute I get to Tari & go to look at anything - or photograph anything, someone is going to come running after me for money - which I don't have a problem with - I do worry that they are going to come & ask for unrealistic & unaffordable sums, based on what appears to have happened with the prices at Warili over the past few years.

I really hope if I go to Tari I can come back & say - this is how you can do it safely, at a reasonable price of x, & this is who you need to contact & this is what they can do & show you, & it really is fantastic - don't miss it - rather than come back & say, don't go - they just want to rob you blind.

once you get into this full package stuff,4wd hire,transfers food etc,guiding,your xpenses just go through the roof,they are simply following ambua price ranges or have been bought by a big operator....did you speak to steven wari personally?he used to be the owner,his mobile was 675...6978018.your desire to go to "birding"is weighed up on your real budget....drop the package stuff and do yourself is an option...depends how much time you have.
i found that a recent trip(solo)i did to lake kutubu(sth highlands)...gave me more birding and nature stuff than the tari region does...the downside is that hardly any accom at kutubu....tubo-eco lodge is on a small island on lake...bed and food was 50 kina per nite...contact is norman@daltron.com.pg
it is an untouched area..beautiful.....canoe hire with motor is expensive though(petrol)
see my story on kutubu....www.donstravelstories.blogspot.com

Don

There was an email posted on this forum from a poster who said they were in contact with Steven Wari, & indeed email & price came back through that email.

The cost when diving PNG reflects accommodation - road transport - food & boats - & it's way less than what even a majpr dive resort is asking.

I can do it myself of course, but I still have the logistic of getting from Tari to the area where the BoPs are seen.

I've checked Tari birding trip reports today, & the BoPs are at a higher elevation than Ambua lodge. It takes 1-2hours by vehicle to get from Tari to the lodge - so it's just not going to be practical to hike each day. Could get a pmv to Mendi, which seems to go that road as indicated on he map of Tari from the old Lp PNG guide - but again that's not a given - could spend half the day waiting for it to fill up & leave.

To top it all on YouTube I found a Spanish video posted of the Huli at Tari & it had footage from Warili Lodge - so they guys who shot it obviously stayed there & took the Warili Huli tour.

I have to say it didn't look special - you got to see the bachelor boys & the wigmen doing a dance - but it's not really enough for the money they want.

Edited by: globaltourist

Some Tari BOPs (Raggiana, Blue, the Parotia) are at lower elevations, but indeed what sets Tari apart is that you can see a wide range of species at various altitudes in a relatively small area. And most are above Ambua, on the Gap road. If you manage to see most at various altitudes, I reckon you will find Tari hard to beat!

That Gap area is indeed too far to comfortably cover from town.
If I were you, I'd just show up at Warili looking as "backpackerish" as possible, asking for a dorm bed at LP rates. Not mentioning I have emailed them, of course! I bet you'd get a decent deal.
If not, staying in town, and hiring a vehicle to take you up to the Gap for a morning or two should still be cheaper than Ambua.

The villages are OK, but not THAT special if you've seen New Guinea Highlands elsewhere (especially in West Papua).

Hi guys
I have been watching you chit chat backwards and forwards about the price of Warili Lodge. I has been an interesting conversation. I have been dealing with PNG for over 30 years so know a little bit about the place in that time I also lived there for 10 years. To put it bluntly I stopped dealing with Warili Lodge when every time we tried to book it the price doubled and also had someone go there when they had 22 people staying at the Lodge and only one toilet, Following that Warili went on my black list. Why Warili is so expensive is a bit beyond comprehension and I can only put it down to greed and totally unskilled business practice - if the Lodge up the road charges 600 bucks a night then I will charge 700, there will be some idiot out there that will pay it. Personally I would not recommend Tari as a place to just romp into and do your own thing, at lest not of late, Drunks and drugs are the order of the day plus the locals have a well deserved reputation of being totally unpredictable with respect to your security - but up to you.

Which brings us to Ambua Lodge. Yes it is expensive. But it is in a remote location, reasonably secure and able to reliably and sometimes efficiently provide you with what you want - thus the compromise.

All costs in PNG have sky rocketed over the last 15 months, it started with the increasing oil cost and it is not going to go backwards despite a dropping oil price - maybe someone should ask why the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby can charge K300 a night during the year but K600 a night during April - simple answer April has Anzac day in it so lets rip it off - this approach permeates tourism in PNG. I would rather get 1 tourist and charge him/her 20000 than get 20 tourists and charge them 1000 - that way I get my bus paid for in one shot and can run wantoks around in it after that.

Have fun because PNG is a great place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-jKdkzsgF8

Huli from Warili on You Tube

owend - many thanks for your insightful post on the topic. I am grateful for your post.

I can see the logic of charging a large amount & not doing a lot of work for it. I can see why they would adopt that approach.

It's going to have to be someone else.

I'm really looking forward to my trip there - it is without doubt an amazing place. Sadly Tari will not be on my schedule.

Hi there all, just to say when i was in Tari a couple of years ago I was staying at a place called Kknalu Guesthaus for about 30-40 Kina a night if I remember right. This was late 2006 though, the place was basic but friendly and I was looked after very well there . It's about 10-15 mins by PMV from Tari, close to the market with the cinema(well one tv in a back yard surrounded by locals watching war movie dvds!).
Hope this is of some help, Pete.

Hi there, I was in Tari last year and found some accomodation in a house owned by the newly appointed medical doctor of the town. For more info contact John Onge, he's the one who has contacts and family living in Tari and Mendi (+67571551133).
All the best, Nicolas

I just read this thread and am horrified by it!I

am absolutely 100% convinced that there must have been a misscommunication reagrding the price of the Warili lodge. There is NO WAY Steven Wari would quite a price like that on purpose. He is running a small operation, a backpacker lodge, and his idea is precicely to provide an economical alternative for backpackers and other not quite super wealthy travellers as the only other option is the super expensive Ambua Lodge. In fact, Steven used to be a manager at the Ambua Lodge when he saw the need for a reasonably priced accomodation alternative for the adventrous traveller. (Ambua lodge is situated just a few minutes walk from the Warili lodge).Also, anyone who as personally dealt with Steven would know that he is not the sort of guy who is out to con anyone. He is well known in the community as well as with travellers around the world, and his business provides much needed influx tp the local economy and with his connections and knowledge, he is an invaluable assest to adventurous travellers wishing to explore the Southern Highlands.

It is indeed difficult to contact Warili lodge in advance, as there is no fax or e-mail (there is no electricity in the area and running generators are done sparingly due to the horredous cost of fuel). YOu can send a letter, but the mailbag from Port Moresly to Tari will only be sent once the mailbag is full. Or you can send an express mail envelope, which will go separately from the regular mail, but it is more expensive (I thin 40 kina from POM). The best way is actually to send a TEXT message to Steven's telephone. This is the fastest and most reliable methd of communication and the one we have had most success with.

I just returned from a 6 week trip to PNG and one week was spent up at the Warili Lodge. There was no confusion on the price whatsoever and in face Steven Wari was very clear on the cost of accomodation, food, transport and the different activities. He even went as far as to explain how there different activities were priced (what his cost for fuel was etc). He was very accomodating in trying to find alternatives so that we could work within our set budget.

We paid 60 kina a night for a room and about 15 kina pp per meal. Activities (tours) ranged in price. Activities that required the use of a van were more expensive than activities done on foot. The most expensive activity was hiring the van (+ driver) for a full day came to kina 300 (we shared this cost between 4 people). This price is understandable as petrol in astronomically expensive up in the highlands (40 kina/liter at the time of our visit). There weer much less expensive excursion such as walking to the waterfalls and also we did a full day guided treck through villages and forest. The cost was much less, but when doing anything in PNG one must keep in mind the importance of the concept of landownership and that there is a cost involved any time you thread on anyones land. Usually it is just a few kina, but a walk can talk you trough many different landowners land, so it adds up. There is simply no such ting as a free stroll in the forest... you also need permission to thread on anyones land.

Apart from the more reasonable cost, there are other advantages to staying at Warili Lodge as opposed to Ambua Lodge. Of course if you are looking to do "Tari Light" and appreciate a vacation in luxury, and only do some "safelty arranged encounters" then Ambua is for you. The Ambua airstrip is closed at the moment, but their bus will even pick you up from the INSIDE of the fenced off airstrip, no need to rub shoulders with the Hulis. But if you are looking to get closer to the community and really get to see some of the true Huli life, the Warili is the better option. Yes, you can still go see the "demonstration" of Huli Singsings and Wigmen bachelors etc but they help you get to see the actual "real" events that are taking part in the community as well. An example of this was the highlight of my recent stay: spending the the day with the Hulis observing the rather "heated" compensation ceremony where on clan paid half of a total of 450 pigs to another clan (for a member of one clan having killed recently a member of the other clan). (Stories and pictures will be subject of some other posting).

Anyway, I just think it is very sad that a thread like the one here, which is onviously due to some mistake rather than intentional ill-will, has the potential of such a massive negative impact, not only one one persons business, but really on an entire community. It is also a shame that it makes travellers miss out on one of the truly most unique adventures to be had on this planet. Go see it while you can, this is really the last chance, because change is coming to the highlands at rapid speed, much due to the massive $18 billion Exxon Mobil gas project in the area. Soon there will be electricity in Tari, an influx of jobs and money and loads of "western" ideas. How much of the Huli lifestyle and customs will remain in the wake is anyones guess. So if you want to experience it, now is the time to go!

Edited by: TheDeep - corrected typos

Edited by: TheDeep

The Deep

If you read post 5 of this thread it is the email from Warili Lodge in full - I have just changed my name.

I only have their email - in full - to go on.

If there's a mistake - then it's theirs & theirs alone

In addition, you will see in post 5 that I wrote to them, & that they received the letter - indeed I enclosed international reply coupons for them to reply in writing - I did this some 6 months in advance of my intended trip - & received the email instead.

The whole point of this forum is to relay information.

One of the things I was concerned about was price with Warili, because I had researched this forum & found reports from way back of other tourists who had problems with regards to price - which is what prompted me to make sure I had prices in writing before finalising my trip.

I think you fell into your own trap, a common one these days.
People want to organize everything in advance through the internet.
That might work for certain developed, western countries, but is not how ones like PNG work!
Several of us suggested just going there and sorting it out on the spot.
It seems if one does so, the prices are still very much as they have always been.
But as you didn't want to "risk it", you have ended up skipping one of PNG's best spots based on bullshit info gained on the net!

1. I did NOT organise it on the net - at no point is writing a letter & sending it through the post organising it on the net.

It is following the suggestions made by Warili Lodge on their net page....

1. The reason I wrote for prices is because there had been comments on here that Steven was adding additional costs to some who visited when it came to settling the bill - a nasty surprise I personally could well do without.

I could be a bloody idiot & ignore the possibility of being tapped up - but I decided to write for a price - no harm in that

They then replied to my letter - they chose to use the net.

No one - least of all me - was forcing them to give inflated prices

If as a result of these prices I say 'no thanks - too expensive' - at what point is that my fault?

If I had gone & sorted it out on the spot - & they gave me the same prices when I turned up as the ones they'd quoted me by email in advance - I'd have been a bloody idiot, could have had no complaints, & only had myself to blame that the place was too expensive.

If you (& they) don't like the prices I've posted - whose fault is that? They are the prices they gave me. I'm just passing them on.

If Warili Lodge have tried it on, & as a result it backfires on them - again - who's fault is that?

If somehow they give a price in advance that's vastly inflated than the one on the doorstep - that's up to them - but they have to then be prepared for the inflated price to be passed on.

They've got a choice in all this, & I cannot believe you can't see that, if nothing else.

Amazingly everyone else in PNG gave me costings up front & stuck to them when I was there - all those were done through the net - which is why they were the places I went to, & not to Warili Lodge.

And if by 'bullshit info', you mean the price - it came from them, no one else.

Who's fault is that?

Hi - please could you post the email address / send me a PM with it in? I am looking to stay here next August and don't really fancy waiting a few months for the post!!!

Thanks,
Kim

This is funny.
Looks like r4zor likes the prices globaltourist got by email! :-)

Perhaps people should read the other thread posted after GT got back from PNG about the error in the price etc before saying i am happy to pay these prices? Here's the link:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/message.jspa?messageID=16052470#16052470

I only asked for the email as it is much easier than posting letters and no i would not pay the prices from this thread - never said i would, just asked for the email :)

Perhaps you should read all posts here - even the 2nd price GT got by email was still way above what at least 2 of us posting on this thread paid.
See replies # 3 and #18. And these prices were NOT offered by email.
Of course if you are happy to pay either of those crazy prices posted by GT I'm sure they will be accepted cheerfully! :-)

again, not said anything about prices simply after the email address so i can find out what they offer etc

For anyone who wants it:

address:Warili Lodge, P O Box 159, TARI, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
phone: 675 - 697 8018 (Steven)
e-mail:warililodge@yahoo.com

Hello,
im heading to Tari in a few weeks. Did you ever end up traveling to tari? i know its very expensive....

There are many other cheaper alternatives to see Tari and experience all the cultures including bird watching. Go to www.helatourism.com to check out each guesthouses and what they offer in terms of activities.