Secret Valleys of New Guinea
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SECRET VALLEYS OF NEW GUINEA July 28 - August 13, 2021 | 17 Days | Small Group Adventure Jayapura Expedition Highlights Vanimo • Cruise along the Karawari River to view Wamena crocodiles basking on the banks and Karawari locals paddling their slender dugout Mount Hagen/ canoes with long, curved oars. Rondon Ridge • Attend the Beliem Valley Culture Festival PAPUA and meet the Dani people—known for PAPUA their costumes using feathers, orchid-fiber NEW GUINEA fabrics, and boar tusks—and witness a mock battle and reenactments of traditional ceremonies. • Take nature walks to search for unique Port Moresby flora and fauna, including parrots, birds of paradise, flightless cassowaries, and nearly 2,700 species of orchids. • Travel to remote areas where you will stay in comfortable lodges with fantastic panoramic views of the surrounding wilderness. • Itinerary .................................... page 2 > • Flight Information ...................... page 3 > • Meet Your Leader ...................... page 4 > • Rates ....................................... page 4 > SUPERB • Know Before You Go ................. page 4 > © Geoff Jones MELPA CHILD Kirkland David © BIRD OF PARADISE KARAWARI KARAWARI © Michael Moore © Rich Pagen Tuesday, August 3 Itinerary KARAWARI / MOUNT HAGEN / RONDON RIDGE Board our charter flight to Mount Hagen and, upon arrival, Based on the expeditionary nature of our trips, there may be ongoing transfer to Rondon Ridge Lodge. Each room features a bird’s- enhancements to this itinerary. eye view of paradise, overlooking the Wahgi Valley. Spend the afternoon exploring the lodge’s vast network of forest trails. Wednesday – Friday, July 28 – 30, 2021 DEPART USA / PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA Board your independent flight to Papua New Guinea, crossing Wednesday & Thursday, August 4 & 5 the International Date Line en route. Arrive in Port Moresby RONDON RIDGE Located at 7,100 feet above sea level, Rondon offers pristine on July 30, and transfer to the Airways Hotel for dinner and highlands rainforest. Over 180 species of birds have been overnight. recorded here, including 10 species of birds of paradise. A highlight of your time here is the chance to meet and interact with the Melpa people. Though first contact with the Melpa Saturday, July 31 PORT MORESBY / MOUNT HAGEN / KARAWARI was made in 1934, in many ways, their lifestyle remains After breakfast, board our group flight to the Sepik River area, relatively unchanged. Among the world’s first horticulturists, via Mount Hagen. Transfer to Karawari Lodge—named for the learn about the important industries of gardening and sweet nearby river—your base for exploring the fascinating culture potato cultivation. along the jungle-fringed waterways. The main lodge building, designed after the traditional haus tambaran—ancestral worship house—is decorated with artifacts and boldly carved Friday, August 6 furniture, and includes a dining room, library, lounge, and a RONDON RIDGE / MOUNT HAGEN / PORT MORESBY Bid farewell to Rondon, and transfer to Mount Hagen for our long veranda overlooking the Karawari River. flight to Port Moresby. Check in to the Airways Hotel with the rest of the day a leisure. Sunday & Monday, August 1 & 2 KARAWARI © David Kirkland David © Spend two days exploring ‘Arambak’ country, one of the most remote and unspoiled areas of Papua New Guinea. Board small boats to explore along the Karawari River, where crocodiles bask on the banks, and you may see locals paddling their dugout canoes with long, curved oars. You have several opportunities to observe village life and customs, participate in daily activities, and see reenactments of traditional ceremonies. Search for several species of birds of paradise and the beautiful Sepik blue orchid, found along the forest trails surrounding the lodge. SEPIK BLUE ORCHID © Rich Pagen KARAWARI MASK © Rich Pagen ZEGRAHM EXPEDITIONS | SECRET VALLEYS OF NEW GUINEA < 2 > BALIEM VALLEY BALIEM VALLEY © Rich Pagen Saturday, August 7 Wednesday, August 11 PORT MORESBY / VANIMO / JAYAPURA, PAPUA, INDONESIA WAMENA / JAYAPURA After breakfast, board our flight to Vanimo, then embark on Following breakfast and a mid-morning flight back to a scenic drive, crossing the border of West Papua and Papua. Jaypura, enjoy a visit to Ayapon Village by local boat. Lunch Arrive in Jayapura and check in to the Swiss-Belhotel Papua will be served at a local restaurant. Spend the afternoon at for dinner and overnight. the Cendrawasih museum and local art market. Thursday, August 12 JAYAPURA / DENPASAR Sunday, August 8 JAYAPURA / WAMENA (BALIEM VALLEY) This morning board our flight from Jayapura to Denpasar, After breakfast, board our short flight to Wamena, the largest Bali. Arriving in the late afternoon, enjoy some free time town in Indonesia’s West Papua highlands. Enjoy lunch before before our Farewell Dinner at the hotel. visiting the colorful Wamena market. Check in to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Friday, August 13 DENPASAR, BALI / USA Today, board your independent homeward fight, arriving in Monday & Tuesday, August 9 & 10 WAMENA (BALIEM VALLEY) the USA the same day. Spend two full days exploring in and around the stunning Jayawijaya Mountains and magical Baliem Valley. The lush Flight Information terrain is punctuated with swift rivers, the colorful blooms of orchids, and the purple haze of cultivated sweet potato You will need to purchase airfare from your home city/Port fields. This region is home to the indigenous Dani and Lani Moresby and Jayapura/Denpasar/home city. All other flights are included in the cost of the extension. Please contact our in-house tribal people—isolated by 8,000 foot peaks, most of the Air Department for fare quotes, reservations, or other air-related 5,000-foot-high valley remains as untouched as it was on questions. the day that American explorer Richard Archbold stumbled upon it in 1938. The people here live in palm-shaded, round hut village compounds that have changed little over the millennia. Known for their unique personal decoration, which sometimes includes boar tusks through their noses and headdresses made of bird feathers, the most famous of these adornments is the koteka, traditional penis gourds worn by the elder tribal men. The Dani tribe inhabits one of the most fertile areas in West Papua and constant war with neighboring tribes earned them a fearsome reputation as prolific headhunters. During the annual Baliem Valley Culture Festival, enjoy a traditional pig feast, watch a mock battle, energetic dance performances, and several competitions, such as archery and spear throwing. You’ll also have an opportunity to see the 250-year-old mummy at Jiwika, and visit traditional villages where you’ll have the opportunity to experience the daily lives of the Dani people, visit their straw- capped homes, and see their lush gardens. RONDON RIDGE © Rich Pagen ZEGRAHM EXPEDITIONS | SECRET VALLEYS OF NEW GUINEA < 3 > Meet Your Expedition Leader SHIRLEY CAMPBELL – Dr. Shirley Campbell is a social anthropologist and Research Fellow at the Australian National University, with a special interest in the indigenous peoples of Australia, Melanesia, and the Pacific. More than three decades of academic research and university teaching have led to a sound knowledge and understanding of many cultures around the world and the theoretical foundations that human societies share. Widely traveled, she has had firsthand experience of the ways in which communities form and develop distinct, yet interrelated cultures. Related to this has been research into the origins and dispersal of Austronesian-speaking peoples from Taiwan and their eventual colonization of the South Pacific, Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, and their only colonization of the southeast Asian mainland in Vietnam. Living in England, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the United States, Shirley developed fluency in Italian and the Vakutan language. Shirley has specialized in studying the anthro- pology of art, convinced that understanding the way people represent their ideas through art and architecture provides valuable insights into our perceptions and relationships with the world around us. Her studies have led to degrees from Stephens College Missouri and the Australian National University. She has contributed several academic papers to peer-reviewed journals and books, and has written a book recounting her research and two years living in the Trobriand Islands titled The Art of Kula. Rates $12,990 per person, double occupancy; $15,990 per person, solo occupancy Limited to 14 expedition members. INCLUDED: NOT INCLUDED: • Flights within the itinerary • Airfare from your home city/Port Moresby and Jayapura/Denpasar/home city • All excursions in the company of a world-class expedition leader and local guides • Excess baggage charges • All gratuities • Airport arrival and departure taxes • All accommodations • Transfers for independent arrivals and departures • All group meals, including selected beverages with lunch and dinner • Passport and/or visa fees • All entrance fees • Travel insurance • Arrival and departure transfers on group dates • Items of a personal nature such as laundry, alcoholic beverages (other than listed at left), and other incidentals • Gift certificates for recommended expedition gear • Email/Internet/fax/telephone charges • Medical expense coverage and emergency evacuation insurance A 25% per person deposit will secure your space on this expedition. All rates are per person, based on double occupancy, quoted in US dollars, and