Papua New Guinea Mount Hagen Festival Tour & Bougainville Tour

Tuesday 11th August – Port Moresby

Morning

• Arrive at your convenience into Port Moresby – the capital city of Papua New Guinea which is well connected with flights from Australia, Singapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong – and transfer to our centrally located hotel.
• Enjoy lunch at your own convenience.

Afternoon

• Join the group and your YPT guides for a 2:00pm departure on a tour of the highlights of Port Moresby! We’ll explore the nature park, visit the national museum, go on a guided tour of parliament, stop by the official gift shop of the National Cultural Commission, and enjoy a photo opportunity at the iconic “Amazing Port Moresby” sign located at Ela Beach.
• Depart Ela Beach and take the quick drive to the Port Moresby Yacht Club for dinner, drinks and the official pre-tour meeting. (Transportation from the hotel to the Yacht Club can be arranged for any group members arriving too late to join the city tour)
• Overnight in Port Moresby.

Wednesday 12th August – Mount Hagen

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel.
• Early morning transfer to the airport to catch our flight to Mt. Hagen with PNG Airlines departing at 8:30am and arriving in Mt. Hagen at 9:30am.
• Upon arrival, we will meet our local guides and transfer to our hotel for check in.

Afternoon

• After check-in, we will go on a guided tour of Mount Hagen, starting with a visit to the city’s main market, where locals sell clothes, fresh produce, and other staples. Here, you can sample street food and buy delicious locally grown fruits and vegetables.
• We’ll take a break for lunch at our favourite café before heading into the surrounding countryside to visit coffee plantations and a local processing plant, finishing the day with a scenic stop overlooking Mt. Hagen.
• For dinner tonight we head to Mt. Hagen’s most posh local restaurant which boasts the best drink and wine selection in the city.

Thursday 13th August – Mount Hagen

Morning

• For the early risers, there’s an optional 5:00am excursion to our local guide’s village, where we’ll take a forest hike to a special viewpoint and watch the Birds of Paradise as they begin to stir with the first light of dawn.
• After breakfast, we will begin making our way deeper into the highlands to our local host’s village where we will be welcomed by his family and elders. Sing-sing groups will showcase the tribe’s unique cultural identity through song, dance, and elaborate costumes. For those wanting to join the festivities further you’re invited to wear local tribal attire, which includes getting your face and body painted.

Afternoon

• We will enjoy lunch in the village, usually consisting of delicious, locally sourced fried chicken, greens and fruits.
• Return to back to Mt. Hagen city to freshen up – some may need to wash off their tribal face paint – before dinner and drinks at the Highlander Hotel for a treat!
• Overnight in Mt. Hagen.

Friday 14th August – Mount Hagen

Morning

• After breakfast, we will return to our hosts’ village for another day of cultural immersion. Our local guides will take us to the village grandstand, where they will explain the significance of various face painting patterns and traditional attire. They will also walk us through mock versions of traditional ceremonies, such as weddings and funerals.

Afternoon

• The locals will prepare Beef Mumu. Beef Mumu involves the slaughtering of a cow, which is then prepared and cooked in a hole covered by hot rocks with yam, corn, bananas and greens.
• While we wait for the mumu to cook, we’ll take part in a welcoming ceremony led by the village elders, where you’ll have the opportunity to introduce yourself in front of the village and share where you’re from. This will draw excitement from the crowd as they hear about the diverse nationalities that have come to visit Mount Hagen.
• After a massive mumu feast, we’ll say goodbye to the village and head back to Mount Hagen City where we will freshen up before going out to dinner at a local restaurant.
• Overnight in Mount Hagen.

Saturday 15th August – Mount Hagen Festival Day #1

Morning

• Breakfast at a local cafe and market just beside the festival grounds.
• Today’s the big day! We head to the local football field which converts into the site hosting the Mount Hagen Festival. We’ll arrive early to ensure you can meet and photograph each of the members of the tribes preparing their costumes to get more of an insight of the event.
• You may choose to participate and have locals prepare your dressings and make up. (optional extra)

Afternoon

• During the show, we will have a chance to sample some snacks and street food prepared on the grounds by locals.
• You will have the unique opportunity to meet and photograph over 60 Papua New Guinean tribes, each showcasing their traditions. Highlights include the Huli’s feathered headdresses, Asaro Mudmen’s clay masks, Chimbu’s vibrant dances, and Sepik tribes’ spiritual carvings.
• Once the show completes we’ll return to the hotel for dinner.
• Overnight in Mt. Hagen.

Sunday 16th August – Mount Hagen Festival Day #2

Morning

• Breakfast at a local cafe and market just beside the festival grounds.
• Day 2 at the festival – get in on those final photo opportunities you might have missed on day one!

Afternoon

• Lunch at the hotel.
• After the show we’ll head further out rural to a river where we can not only swim and jump into the way from a great vantage point.
• As our last night in Mt Hagen we will visit a local village where you will have the opportunity to purchase local fire water. We then head to the communal tribal house with a fire built in the middle for our dinner and drinks. Singing, dancing and partying PNG style!
• Overnight in Mt. Hagen.

Monday 17th August –Mt Hagen – Simbu – Goroka Road

Morning

• After breakfast, we’ll begin our long days drive through Simbu province to reach Goroka on our private bus to explore more of the highlands regions. This will be an incredibly scenic drive as we pass across Papua New Guinea’s stunning highlands, traversing from the Western Highlands to Simbu and concluding in the Eastern Highlands.
• As we leave Western Highlands Province and enter Simbu Province, we will stop by the village of Mindima which is home to the iconic Skeleton Tribe. Their distinctive black and white body paint, which represents skeletal figures, serves as a connection to their ancestors. Historically, this body art was used to intimidate rival tribes, symbolizing the presence of ancestors and acting as a formidable tool against enemies. Today, they continue to honour this tradition during cultural festivals and special events.
• After settling in, the tribesmen will perform the “Simbu Monster Dance.” Legend has it that the ancestors of this tribe were tormented by a monster in a cave full of bones. So to attack the monster they disguised themselves as skeletons in order to blend in and surprise attack the monster. We will watch as they engage in a theatrical battle against a monster.

Afternoon

• Back on the road for a quick stop at a bakery/cafe in Simbu province to grab lunch on the go.
• Just outside of Goroka, we’ll discover the Asaro Mudmen, famous for their unique mud masks, which were originally used for camouflage in warfare. Experience their performances and learn about their ancestral traditions during your visit, making it a highlight of the tour.
• Arrive late afternoon in Goroka.
• If time allows, we’ll visit the J.K. McCarthy Museum, where several rooms feature an impressive array of exhibits. You’ll find everything from WWII relics to traditional PNG artifacts. A standout is a collection of photographs that illustrate Papua New Guinea’s first encounters with Australians in the 1930s.
• Check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Tuesday 18th August – Lae

Morning

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We’ll continue our journey across the Highlands as we enter the Western Highlands Province, making our way toward the coastal town of Lae, the capital of Morobe Province and the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. Along the way, prepare to be take in the scenery as we descend from the mountains down to the coast.

Afternoon

• As one of the many stops on the way, we will go to a local market which offers fried foods and staples such as grilled chicken, bananas, sausages and coconuts.
• Late afternoon arrival in Lae where we’ll partake in a quick city tour which will include a visit of the WWII cemetery, visit the the shipwreck of the Myoko Maru, and drive by the Amelia Earhart Memorial for a quick photo.
• Dinner, drinks and overnight in Lae.

Wednesday 19th August – Port Moresby – Buka

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel
• Board an early flight departing Lae at 7:25am back to Port Moresby arriving at 8:10am
• Group A members conclude the tour. YPT can arrange ongoing transport, optional tours of the area or advice on flights out.
• Group B members continue the tour onwards to Bougainville as we depart on our next flight to Buka.

Afternoon

• Upon our arrival at Buka Airport, we’ll be welcomed with a traditional Bougainville greeting ceremony, featuring plant garlands and a ceremonial hand washing. After this introduction to the local culture, we’ll be escorted to our accommodation.
• Lunch at a local restaurant.
• Our first stop will be a local village, where we’ll be greeted with a warm Bougainville welcome. Here, we’ll have the chance to meet the villagers and enjoy a demonstration of traditional music. One of the highlights is a performance using plastic piping instruments, where musicians create infectious rhythms by striking the pipe openings with the soles of their shoes.
• On our return to Buka, we’ll make a stop at the Catholic Diocese of Bougainville, where approximately 80% of the population identifies as Catholic. Established in 1966, it remains the largest Christian denomination in the region. Currently led by Bishop Dariusz Kałuża, who may be available for a brief meeting if his schedule allows, the diocese plays an important role in education, healthcare, and peacebuilding efforts. Just a short distance from the church, we’ll check out a well-preserved Japanese WWII bunker.
• Before returning to the hotel, we will stop in town at a site is known as the mass graveyard for the Bougainville Revolutionary Army during the Bougainville civil war. Our local guide will share facts of what happened during those troubled times.
• Dinner and overnight in Buka.