GULF & WESTERN PROVINCES that theseprovinces have thefinalwordinPapua ofthisbook. NewGuineasection payment calculations. landowners whoare concernedaboutenvironmentaldegradationandthevalidityofroyalty toPapuanomic importance toconsiderablelitigationbytraditional NewGuinea,and subject receiving rave reviews fromfishermenwiththeresources andtenacity togetthere. greatest rivers, theFlyandStrickland,alongwithTondaWildlife ManagementArea, are ing adizzyingarrayofsometheisland’smostexoticbirds. Similarly,twoofthecountry’s but growing,trickleofnature enthusiasts. venture farbeyondthesleepyprovincial capitalsofKerema asmall, andDaru,whichattract few travellers reach thearea andeven fewer dosoindependently.Those thatdoseldom to befound,androadsofanydescriptionare rare. Becauseofthislimited infrastructure, less mealsofsagogetaroundbyfoot,canoeandsmallplane. There isbarely asealedroad flooded grasslandseventually give risetothefoothillsandmountainsofHighlands. of Papua fromoneisolated Inlandtherichwetlandsandseasonally communitytothenext. are coastlinearchesaroundtheGulf theWildWestofPNG.Avastandmangrove-pocked drenched,Rain sparselypopulated andfrighteningly remote, theGulfandWestern Provinces Provinces Gulf &Western 200 © LonelyPlanetPublications „ In acountryoften considered thelastfrontierforadventure travellers, itisonlyfitting seeking In theremote cornerofWestern Province, northwest theOkTedi isofmajoreco- Mine In theforests andriverside andTabubil, wetlandsaroundKiunga adventurers are discover- thethrivingpopulationofmalarialmosquitoesandend- Locals hardyenoughtosurvive

„ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS POPULATION: 260,200 Buyingthelocalmudcrabat Watching birds andfishingforbarramundi Knowingyou are thefirstWesterner for upwithSamuelKepuknai Hooking places inthecountry at on foot visit traditionalvillagesnear many yearstocanoe paradise forests andthesecret leksofthebirds Kiunga and having it cooked foryouthatnight and havingitcooked Bensbach ( p206 ) andheadingintothecloud ( p208 ), oneofthemostremote Kaintiba Kaintiba Kerema Daru 24) and ( p204)

( p205) in (p202) „ AREA : 133,800 SQKM Bensbach Tabubil Kiunga Daru Kaintiba Kerema peopleofThe coastal for theGulftradedsago who live swamp- inthehillsbehind thecoastal relations existed withthefierceAngapeople, Moresby area harmonious forcenturies.Less pottery byMotuansfromthePort brought lonelyplanet.com the Villages were traditionally centred around Culture swamps running up to 60km inland. sion of river backed deltas, bymangrove , theGulf of Papua isasucces- aremosquitoes theonly welcoming party. 250,000 sqkmof wetlandwhere countless avoid flooding,andtheFlyflows through are from theriver usuallysomedistance to the Flyabout240kmfromcoast.Villages island-filled TheStricklandRiver delta. joins andahuge, turns southeasttowardsthesea and inthemountains The FlyRiver high starts Geography year later theycompleted the journey. the northcoast.Theirfirst attempt failed,buta to andgodowntheSepik the centralmountains travel uptheFlyRiver fromDaruin1927,cross crew of the paid thepricewhentheywere killedbythe villagers, but24ofprotein-starved themsoon have like agiftfromthegods tothe seemed on theGulfof Papua. Chalmers andcomight to bringthewordof GodtoGoaribariIsland crushed withstoneclubswhentheyattempted Chalmers and12companionshadtheirskulls village artefacts painted andeven insects, skullsfrom with ahuge collectionof specimens, botanical looking villagers withfireworks andreturning 900km uptheFly,terrifying anydangerous- explorerItalian Luigid’Albertissteamed over Fly, the western sideof theGulfof Papua inHMS in the early 1880s. Missionary Society‘soulhunters’, whoarrived peopletargetsmade thecoastal of theLondon before WWII. Theirproximity also tothesea since thelastmajor raidatIpisi,nearKerema, but haven’t pursued head-huntingseriously land. TheAngahadataste forhumanflesh, Moresby inthename of justice. History From themouthof theFlyeastto Charles Karius outto andIvanChampionset In 1901theScottishReverend James In 1842 French Dumont d’Urville chartedIn 1842French Dumontd’Urville discovering theFlyRiver. In1876ruthless dobu, haus tambarans a longhouse inwhich weapons, alonghouse Merrie England, Merrie (spirit houses). sent fromPort sent itself andthere’sitself little respite attheend of the around isanendurancetestPNG. Getting in structure anditisimpossible toavoid the‘real’ aspect. There isvirtuallyzero touristinfra- which inmanywaysisits mostappealing Gulf isthe country’s least-visited province, GULF PROVINCE ing reliable departure dates is difficult. including Kerema, KikoriandDarubutfind- into mostGulfandWestern province ports Moresby) Port as you go. travel it,exploringseldom-visited villages oneof thefirst tosometime in2008.Be Gulf HwywillconnectMendi toKikori transport isbyair. TheSouthernHighlands byOkTediroad (maintained mine),most Hwy toKerema, andtheTabubil–Kiunga there aren’t any.ApartfromtheHiritano thingabout theroads–The mostnotable Getting There&Around tein deficienciesremain a problem. butsevere pro- of sonobodystarves, sago, pith of palm.There thesago isnoshortage thetasteless, foodfromthe starchy is sago: deficiency inthearea. Themainfoodtoday that itwasprovoked byendemic protein and religious itisalsopossible importance, cannibalism. Whileeatingfleshhadritual many traditionshave lost,including been with Christianityfornearlyacenturyand conflict. successful for each actof bravery ortocelebrate each Warriors were entitledtohave agopeboard coloured figures. abstract patterns orstylised rather like withbrightly ashield,andincised gope boards,which are ellipticalinshape, homeshouldracks (every have one)and ceremonial masks),headrests, masks,skull find figures, bullroarers, left,butyoucanfurnished’ spirithouses Fly aroundtoKerema. There are no‘fully have fromthemouthof categorised been the distinctartisticstyles ditional art,andseven individual huts outside. men sleptinside,womeninsmaller the skullsof enemieswere stored. While artefacts,important ceremonial objectsand Pacific FrontlineTrading The Gulfpeoplehave bombarded been The dobus operates amonthlyboatthatcalls were veritable of museums tra-

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Hwy Lae via Donbosco Arimiri Secondary Schoolvia Donbosco ArimiriSecondary be able to help. Mission compound( Catholic opposite ) may office atthe KeremaEducational Services Alternatively, TonyMalaisa fromtheKerema to helpwithguidesandreliable boatmen. The missionariesinKerema shouldbeable walking anywhere it’sbesttotake aguide. toget away.Ifyouplanon can bedifficult friendliness (posthead-huntingdays) andit local homes.Thevillagers are famousfortheir lage in tovillage, andsleeping eatingsago You cantake anydirection and gofromvil- are themainattractionof theGulfProvince. The vastmangrove swampsandmountains AROUND GULFPROVINCE the bay to Kerema. crabs atthemouthof theriver before crossing weather, andbesure topickupsomemud two hours). Don’trisktravelling instormy where you willhave (K50, tocatch adinghy as farMalalaua (K20,fourhours), from and currently vehicles are onlyable toget isindireroad, however, of need some TLC bus stopandKerema (five hours, daily). The PortMoresby’sa goodyearbetween Erima to Kerema on Thursday. toMtHagenWednesday flight which returns toandfromMoresbyflight andKikori,a where. off the exactroute varieswithwhowantstoget (K204) andMenyamya (K252)although Kamina (K171),Kaintiba (K204),Kanabea fromKerematimes aweek (K417)via toLae the Indiana Jones ilk. ifyouareworth enquiringabout flights of ices tosmallerairstrips; itmaybe however, PNG hadindefinitely suspendedmanyserv- Saturday). Atthetimeof research Airlines Murray,OboandSukion Kiunga (viaLake Friday), MtHagen (K541,Thursday) and except Sunday),Daru(K571,Mondayand Monday andFriday),Kikori(K390,daily (K574, continuetoBalimo Sunday. Flights Moresby andKerema (K459)dailyexcept may, theairlinesrefuse tocarry betel nut. and cancellationsand,much tothelocals’dis- frequent weathercauses disruptions flight Bad Getting There&Around From Kerema you canheadwestto PMVs travel Hwy( theHiritano p84 ) on Lift Hevi CoastAviation North Airlines PNG

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( 648 1230) % 648 1251) also operates aMonday ( % flies between Port fliesbetween 648 1230) flies three 203 Ihu

, GULF & WESTERN PROVINCES PROVINCES WESTERN & GULF GULF & WESTERN PROVINCES near Wau, in Morobe Province. from theotherend this walkisbetter accessed WWII-era Bulldog Track( p137 ), although is50m beforeHis house the bridge. which iscustomaryinsuch circumstances. charge butyoushould leave gift amonetary net andprovide athinmattress. He doesn’t inandcan rigyouamosquito people tosleep which shipping heallows container disused Naime andhisextended family.Alexhasa Alex zilch. withlocalRastafarian Westayed boat yourofficial accommodationoptionsare around 2pmforKerema. Ifyoumiss thelast a smallmarket here andboatsusuallydepart of thecrocodile’)onriver bank.There is Malalaua inavillage called hours). ThePMVstopisactually1kmeastof onward dingytoKerema (K50,two to three four hours) arrives toolate foryoutocatch an than ifyourPMVfromPortMoresby (K20, There isno reason tostopin Malalaua other Malalaua back-to-back. undertakings toattemptsibly alittleinsane such arduous to bewellprepared, extremely fitandpos- need begin nearWau.Youwould,however, Tracks( Bulldog orBlackCat p137 ), which there? Itispossibletoheadforeitherthe Buthell,whystop and take aPMVtoLae. keep walkingtoMenyamya orAseki Menyamya Alternatively, or Lae. youcan Kaintiba youcanfly backtoKerema, orto cluding arangeyou climbthrough of vegetation in- two- orthree-day walkfromKamina where before continuing on foot. formuch ofa canoe toKamina thedistance Ifyouwanttoattempta night. it,youcantake from Kerema, shouldbeable toputyouupfor Mission atKamina,Catholic atwo-daywalk The entire trek days.The toeight takes seven where peoplestillweartraditionalclothing. life. themaintrackare Not faroff villages and offer aviewintothetraditionalwayof retained much of theirindigenous culture and ( p140 ) inMorobe Province Mission. Catholic where there toLariau tion orproceed isa atthegovernmentAt Ihuyoucanstay sta- and Herehere followinganoldtractorroad. 204 Kaintiba isinAngacountryandatough, Malalaua isatthesouthernend of the A more interesting tripistowalkAseki Kaintiba Kaintiba ETR RVNE WESTERN PROVINCE kunaigras . Thevillages alongthisroute have and mountain forest. andmountain From

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slowly gainingaworldwidereputation as accommodation. % it’s plain foolishness. luck todisturbcopulatingsnakes –wesay rous reptilian embrace. it’sbad Localssay be foundcoiledaroundeach otherinamo- for itslarge pythonswhich are sometimesto trips.Theareaspotting night iswellknown fishing expeditionsand ( mundi andblackbassfishing. Kutubu oilpipelineandhasgreat barra- K200. Faster still –fly. get youthere twiceasfast45hpandcost dingy alongthecoast.A75hpmotorwill Faster butlessinteresting isbymotorised of foodandbuckets of mosquitorepellent. that. Don’tforget totake agoodamount Kerema, andjusthopeforthebestbeyond of dayswiththehelpof themissionariesin and requires youtoplanyourfirst couple weeks on toDaru.Thiscouldtake several Kikori,andthen endless swamptoBaimuru, through of andotherboats a series canoes the mostarduousboattripof all,combining gluttonsforpunishment, thisisFor those Kikori over half of theentire province’s economy Ok Tedi mine( opposite ), which accountsfor it). afford Management Area whocan –for those and afishingmecca(intheTonda Wildlife a bird-watching destination(nearKiunga) here. station astheretifically established isnoweather scien- been thishas never year –although on earthwitharainfallinexcessof 10ma ince, couldwellbeoneof thewettest places of intheprov- thenorthernmoststations by thefarwetter Olsobip, one Highlands. the StricklandandOkTedi Rivers, are fed River system including anditstributaries, Instead themassiverainfall initself. Fly Indonesia’s West Papua andreceives little floodplainwhichan inhospitable borders The majority of theprovince consists of WESTERN PROVINCE % The localeconomy revolves aroundthe few touristsbutisThe farwestsees The forthe264km base Kikori isthecoastal 648 5001,dK80) 648 5029) Community Development Initiative Community Development runbyRobertSnrcanorganise canalsoprovide youwith puk-puk lonelyplanet.com (crocodile) Delta Lodge

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bring somecash with you. 1.30pm and 6.30pm to 8pm) serves tasty 1.30pm and6.30pmto8pm)serves (open6am to 8am,noon Restaurant andphone. Thehotel’s Crayfish with TV rooms are more andcome comfortable share facilities,whiletheself-contained r K120/170; Book yourstayatlonelyplanet.com/hotels are unin- although cleanandcomfortable only otheroption intown,theroomshere daltec.com; s/dK198/308, inclmealsK253/418; food at fair prices. Hotel Kuki use). you two-day trip(dependingonhowmuch fuel varyfromabout K600toK3000fora Rates mangroves forbarramundiandblackbass. ( below ), whocanarrange fishing tripsinthe isMax,tact themanager of theKukiHotel AustraliaandPNG.Thebestcon- tween but somesailors moorhere enroute be- River. Themaindrawcardisthefishing, name, notfarfromthemouthof theFly today. Itisonasmallislandof thesame province, from1893andremains thecapital Western Division,theformernameof the Daru wasthecolonialheadquarters for DARU earnings. export and aquarter of thecountry’sentire Sleeping &Eating New Century Hotel Hotel New Century There’s a landowners, whoretained mostofthemine’sOTML managementtoruntheshow. Melbourne and,soonafter, BHPandthelandownersagreed settlement. onabigout-of-court BHP oritsaffiliates, suchasOkTedi Limited, Mining insuchcases. The suitwasfiledinstead in refused; itpersuadedthePNGgovernment itillegalforanyone toclaimdamagesfrom tomake mine. thousandvillagersdemandedcompensationfortheenvironmentaldamage. Thirty ButBHP ocean fishneartheriver mouth. the livelihoods breeding ofpeoplelivingalongtheriver groundsfor anddamagedimportant tons ofpollutionperdaytoflowintotheOkTedi andFlyRivers. The resulting disaster endangered wherepipeline toKiunga, it’sloadedontobarges forthe800kmtripdownFlyRiver. dinary: togettheore toshipsoffthePNGcoast,acopper/goldslurryissent140kmthrough safety course),theimmensesize oftheoperationwon’tfailtoimpress. The logistics are extraor- persuade OkTedi Limited Mining (OTML) toletyouvisit(havingdone themandatorytwo-hour Tabubil, since1984.Foratimeitwasthelargest goldmineoutsideSouthAfrica, andifyoucan The open-cutOkTedi minehasbeenyieldinggoldandcopperfromMtFubilan, justbeyond OK TEDIMINE In 2002BHPopted outofOkTedi. Controlwasassumedbyacompanyownedthetraditional A lawsuitwasfiledagainstBHP,theAustralian companythatdeveloped andmanagedthe The minehasnotbeenwithoutcontroversy. In1984atailingsdamcollapsedallowing80,000 ai ( % Bank SouthPacific 645 9476;[email protected]; ) Thecheaper roomshave ( % 645 9169;newcentury@ WESTERN PROVINCE ••Daru WESTERNPROVINCE ( % 645 9062) a The ) , but hospital, pharmacy andsupermarketshospital, ina Tabubil hereplied, months’.‘seven we later asked himhowlonghadhe lived in raining, alocalreplied months’. ‘seven When we left.Whenasked howlongithadbeen ing whenwearrived and itwasrainingwhen film. apocalyptic the lastbastionof inan Western civilisation roads free like frompotholesmakes itseem style housing,footpaths, street signsand still inPNG.Theorderlyrowsof Australian- companion toremind thatyouare yourself west. Youmayhave topinch yourtravelling gold andcoppermine30kmtothenorth- the townexistspurely tosupportthevast Tabubil dancestothetuneof OkTedi, and Tabubil AROUND WESTERNPROVINCE ( p201 ) onamonthly schedule. reliably operated byPacific FrontlineTrading and other exotic locales. to Kiunga(K755),Tabubil, Kerema (K571) cept Sunday,andhasacoupleof aweek flights Daru andPortMoresby ex- (K640)everyday Airlines PNG Getting There&Around have in livingonsago been the bush. to 8pm)makes alternative foratasty ifyou spiring. Its Chinese restaurantspiring. ItsChinese (open6am Tabubil well-equipped hasapostoffice, Tabubil hasdreadful weather. It wasrain- The only passenger boattocallhereThe onlypassenger isun-

( % 645 9039;airport) fliesbetween

205 GULF & WESTERN PROVINCES PROVINCES WESTERN & GULF GULF & WESTERN PROVINCES Fri Fri & Sat). Hash House Harriers Club Hash HouseHarriers Moresby (K949). flythree toPort however, times aweek does, areand mostflights notopentothepublic.It town centre) Niugini (K861)and Daru(K883). ing daystoLae (K941) andMtHagen (K630)andalternat- flies daily(exceptSunday)toPort Moresby quently, theflights more reliable. is better there, thevalleybroaderand,subse- locals prefer toflyfromKiunga;the weather obscure the runway–thisismostdays.Many planes can’tlandwhenthecloudandrain preparedBe tobestrandedinTabubil. The THERE&AROUND GETTING h eat atthenine-hole of bakeries andsome on mining business. cater mainly tothetastes of theexpatshere (meals K20toK35,open5.15am9.30pm) K2.50 perminute. Thebarandrestaurant tle uninspiring.Internet costsanexorbitant ard andexecutive) andallare clean,ifalit- There are three typesof rooms(budget, stand- .net.pg; NewmanRd;sK132-330,dK154-385; room. Bookfirst at the office. burner stove ifyouare inacheaper staying ladies whoworkhere willfindyouatwo- andfridge. Thefriendly kitchenettes, aTV The roomsare freshly painted andsomehave Hospital). compound opposite theGeneral has allowedtravellers intheir tostay 90, rK150-225) in townandbothare often full. There are onlytwoaccommodationoptions from Kiungaas a guide. Most birders engage SamuelKepuknai ( right ) more than10speciesof birdsof paradise. around Tabubil isquite amazing–there are ATMs are coming soon. withdraw moneyagainstyourcredit card. ( complex nearthecentre of town. 206 (company-owned accommodationinalarge SLEEPING &EATING % Hotel Cloudlands Hotel Like Kiunga,thebirdlife inthevalleys Airlines PNG In theshoppingcentre there are acouple Palace Tabubil lunch &dinner) 548 9169) ETR RVNE • rudWsenPoic ••AroundWesternProvince WESTERN PROVINCE ( % operates undercontracttoOk Tedi 548 3109/3077;[email protected]; hasabranch where you can Recently Tabubil Engineering

( % anddrinkatthe ( % 548 9171; [email protected]; airport) 548 9171;[email protected]; airport) MAF MAF ( % 548 9108;fax9107;dmK50- Tabubil GolfClub ( % ( kai 548 9277;cloudlands@online % 548 9025; airport) 548 9025;airport) bars .Youcanalso 6pm-midnight Mon,Wed, Star Mountains ( %

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1451; [email protected]) 1451; [email protected]) October whenit’sdrierandthebirdsare pu transport. plus He charges aboutK200pergroup,day up theFlyRiver ordaytripsfromTabubil. himat Contact expert onwhere tofindtheregion’s birds. suming butpassionate naturalistwho’san ofthe expertise SamuelKepuknai, anunas- destination forbird-watchers, mainlydueto In recent years Kiungahasbecomeapopular ACTIVITIES Kiunga, butcarryanymoneyyou’ll need. pipeline which runsparallelto the highway. heresent tothewaitingbarges alonga137km copper concentrate fromtheOkTedi mineare all-weather roadintheprovince. Slurriesof ofstart theKiunga–Tabubil Hwy,theonly ern navigable pointontheFlyRiver andthe The river portof Kiunga isthemostnorth- Kiunga for onetopick you up. 7am andagainat10am;thehotel canarrange (K20, three hours) thatleave Tabubil atabout (five timesa K150). week, K440), MtHagen andTelefomin (onceaweek) Vanimo (Wednesday,K600),Tari (Thursday, Pet grim. Pretty expect anythingbeyondabedandtable. Tabubil. than and caters toawiderrange of budgets Kiunga hasmore andeat, placestosleep rubber bootsforwalkingin the mud. beginning theirbreeding cycles.Bringsome SLEEPING &EATING Bamboo Lodge AprilandThe bestbirdingisbetween Bank SouthPacific The road to Kiunga is serviced byPMVs The roadtoKiungaisserviced other. Cool. you’ll beableto‘snap’ themagainsteach and whenyouboth withdrawyourfingers will claspthiswithtwo oftheirownfingers fingerextended. Thehooked otherperson At leave the conclusionofhandshake, a mal fashionbutendswithaniftylittlesnap. around Tabubil innor- andKiunga. Itstarts There hands isapeculiarway ofshaking ONE FORYOU,ME Book yourstayatlonelyplanet.com/hotels ( % Kiunga Nature Tours Nature Kiunga ( % 548 1148;s/dK75/100) 548 1073) to arrange tours has abranch in Don’t ( % 548 Book yourstayatlonelyplanet.com/hotels next door. stylefoodas to 8pm)cooksmuch thesame open 6amto8am, noonto1.15pmand6pm son). Therestaurant (mealsK20 toK30; include mealsandlaundry(perper-Rates air-conRooms have andafridge. cableTV, thebasicrooms arealthough comparable. rooms are nextdoor smallerthanthose Theself-contained the KiungaGuesthouse. this large, apricot-coloured building opposite r K195-250) meals tononguests. home-cooked 6.30pm to8.30pm)alsoserves K30; open6amto8am,noon1.30pmand and laundry.Therestaurant (mealsK15to includemeals and spaciouslayouts.Rates rooms are very withcableTV comfortable while themore expensive self-contained and basicroomsshare thecommonbathroom, ningerum.com.pg; sK150-290,dK240-400) The return boattripcostsK350. fisher andflamebowerbird,amongothers. white-bellied wired birdof kingbirdof paradise, paradise, the12- Samuel virtuallyguarantees you’llsee place wasbuiltspecificallyforbird-watching. hours byboatfromKiunga. Thisvillage-style the banksof River, aboutthree theElevara Kepuknai (see opposite ) runsthislodge on r perpersonK45,3mealsK70) Lobira Hotel Lobira Hotel Guesthouse Kiunga Lodge Ekame If yourphotosdon’tquite cutit,checkouttheJuly2007 terested females –usuallyhighinatree, obscured bybranchesandsilhouetted bytherisingsun. realistic. yourexpectations paradise, butkeep dancesare Those reserved fordisin- kaleidoscopic their tailfeathers onspeciallyprepared stagescalledleks. inunbridledvanity,whileothersprefercrowds, sashayingfromonebranchtothenext toshake in oftheiroutlandishcostumes.head ribbonsandfleshyneckwattlesare Somecavort allpart coloured feathers andfinery.Impossiblylongtailfeathers, iridescentbreast shields,flashycapes, avian star–the bird ofparadise. withasideofchips,haveroasted beencaughtsinging andserved thepraisesofNewGuinea’s Papua NewGuinea. Even thosewhohave exceptwhenit’squartered, troubleidentifyingachicken, If youfind bird-watching boringyoumaybeforcedtoreconsider thatpositionafter avisitto BIRDS OFAFEATHER on poison dart frogs.on poisondart pitohui villain). Enter stageleft,theworld’sonlypoisonousbird– .nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0707/feature3. There are anumberofplacesallover thecountrywhere itisrelatively easytoseebirds of –struttingtheirstuffinvividlyBirds ofparadiseare thedragqueensofanimalkingdom PNG hasonemore ornithological oddity(andbesides,every campydramaneedsabutch There isnosignbutyoucan’tmiss but the steroidal alkaloids foundonitsfeathers butthesteroidal are alkaloids chemicallyidenticaltothosefound

pitohui, ( ( % % 548 1451;[email protected]; 548 1127;[email protected]; ( little paradise king- littleparadise % 548 1084;manager@ GuideSamuel WESTERN PROVINCE ••AroundWesternProvince WESTERNPROVINCE Thebudget development. from overhunting andattractsustainable tares aof savanna, protect wildlife species 590,000hec- in1975toconserve tablished grasslandssedge and paperbark woodlands. large lake systems seasonal thatsupportlarge Riversand WassiKussa inparticularhave shallow lake systems. Merauke, Bensbach of theTransflyRegionbecomeextensive, Indonesia border. The monsoonalsavannas 2.5 millionhectares acrossthePNG and New Guineasavannas cover approximately associated with savanna woodlands,yetthe Tropical Papua NewGuineaisn’tusually Tonda WildlifeManagementArea travellers. stations. toTari flight a weekly viasometrulyremote MurrayandDaru.Italsooperatesing Lake 1203) (K875). to Daru(K746)andLae Mt Hagen (K614).Itfliesthree timesaweek cept Sunday)toPortMoresby (K925)and the airport.Hotels provide transfers. by themine. Townisa30-minute walkfrom roadiswellmaintained morning: themetal PMVs toTabubil (K20)leave aroundmid- THERE&AROUND GETTING The The barges atthewharfwillnottake Airlines PNG has flights tosouthernairstripshas flights includ- Tonda WildlifeManagement National Geographic pitohui

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548 GULF & WESTERN PROVINCES PROVINCES WESTERN & GULF GULF & WESTERN PROVINCES the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright thetermsandconditions onoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake barramundi. its tered River isrenowned for;theBensbach for pigs. Bird-watchers andfishers are wellca- wrecked sailors), wallabies,crocodilesand Dutch asafoodsourceforship- dropped off (thatthe deer and animals,includingRusa Area. Thewholeplaceisalive withbirds lies withintheTondaWildlife Management area isavastfloodplainand The Bensbach BENSBACH 208 © LonelyPlanetPublications ETR RVNE • rudWsenPoic ••AroundWesternProvince WESTERN PROVINCE if ratherexpensive. ideal forfishermen andquite comfortable, rated bya commonlounge. Thelodge is 16intwowingsthatareand sleeps sepa- low-lying lodge isbuiltof localmaterials and 12kmfromtheIndonesianborder. The of River theriver mouth ontheBensbach person all-inclusiveUS$600) Lodge In theheartof allthisis ( % 542 1438MtHagen;www.pngtours.com; per , located 96kmnorth lonelyplanet.com Bensbach Wildlife