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We will start at Daru in the Torres Strait before setting off up the mighty Fly River and into one of the largest, least populated wilderness areas in the world: a vast floodplain teeming with wildlife, snakes, birds, monitor lizards and deer, and massive flocks of pelicans, pygmy geese and sea eagles. We will visit different peoples and cultures in the area.
This trip is aimed primarily at fellow Papua New Guinea enthusiasts, going far beyond any guidebook and off the tourist map. It should be varied, spectacular and mind-blowing as we venture deep into the heart of the land of the unexpected.
This is very much an exploratory trip, and the itinerary is subject to change.
Day 1 – Sunday 24 January 2027 – Daru Island, Torres Strait
Arrival. The Iaru Kiwai Dancers’ singsing; explore Daru and Bristow Island by land and boat.
Day 2 – Monday 25 January – up the Fly River to Nigoti
Four to five hours up the Fly River, stopping at villages including Gaziro, Himioro, Severimabu, Madiri and Tapila, before arriving at Nigoti village on the Bituri tributary. Overnight in a village house, listening to stories of the man-eating crocodiles around the fire.
Days 3–8 – Tuesday 26 to Sunday 31 January – Suki and surrounding villages
On up the Fly River, stopping at Sapuki and Kwaki villages before being welcomed into Suki by the Suki Headhunters Round Dance Group, where we will stay. Canoeing on the river, swimming, looking for birds and deer, and evenings around the fire listening to traditional storytelling with the Pukaduka and Kiru village elders. We will be shown the famous orchid-basket weavers and visit numerous villages, possibly including Pukaduka, Kiru, Aniawa, Gigwa, Rita, Awi, Kautru, Gawki and Fosam, for singsings, bushwalking, birdwatching, swimming, the yam gardens and yam houses, and traditional mumus (a pit is dug, hot stones placed in the bottom, then layered with food and leaves and left to steam for a few hours). We hope to visit the Trans-Fly savannah and see wallabies, cassowaries and birds in their thousands.
Day 9 – Monday 1 February – Nigoti
We start the return to Daru, overnighting at Nigoti village on the Bituri tributary.
Day 10 – Tuesday 2 February – Daru
Return to Daru.
Day 11 – Wednesday 3 February 2027 – Port Moresby
Fly to Port Moresby.
