12 days, starting and ending in Wewak. Group size 6–10. Exact dates will be confirmed about 6 months before departure, to align with domestic and international flights.
The Iatmul people of the Middle Sepik believe they are descended from crocodiles. For boys to become men, they go through an elaborate initiation that involves scarifying their backs to become crocodile skin. The villagers turn a spirit house into a giant crocodile’s nest and begin ceremonies and rituals the day before, which last all night as the spirits of the crocodile are summoned (one possessed me briefly until it realised it was in the wrong place). In the morning the teenagers and young men are brought in for scarification and initiation. In return for a substantial donation to the community, we have been invited back to witness the ceremony.
Papua New Guinea is indisputably the most culturally diverse country in the world, with over 860 languages and well over 1,000 distinct cultures. It is a land of stunning mountains, spectacular wildlife and one of the world’s last intact systems of tribes, clans and rituals. In many remote villages, first contact with the outside world is well within living memory.
At 1,126 kilometres, the Sepik is Papua New Guinea’s answer to the Amazon: the country’s longest river, often called its “cultural heart” for the richness of its tribal cultures. Following on from Viktor Wynd’s 2018 and 2022 expeditions, this itinerary focuses on the most interesting villages the Sepik has to offer, and ventures higher along the Upper Sepik to villages very seldom visited by outsiders. We will witness singsings (gatherings of tribes for traditional dance and song) and a mumu feast (food cooked on hot stones in an earth oven).
Life on the Sepik, despite the best efforts of missionaries, is still dominated by spirits, from the haus tambarans to the dark of night. People can change their forms and be possessed; ancestors are still present. We aim to spend as many evenings as possible with friends from our last expedition in their spirit houses, sitting quietly in the dark as they play garamut drums and Sepik flutes, hearing the initiated tell of their clans’ origin myths, of the spirits around them, and of the time before first contact.
Provisional itinerary. Any itinerary in Papua New Guinea is more of a wish list than a promise, as conditions change. The Sepik is almost entirely a subsistence economy with few if any tourist facilities, so we will carry all our food and sleeping materials in powerful boats, which gives us freedom and flexibility.
Day 1 – Arrive in Wewak
Day 2 – Wewak to Pagwi and on to Kanganamun for the night. Welcome singing and an evening in the spirit house (haus tambaran).
Day 3 – Kanganamun to the Chambri Lakes. Sleep at Chambri after visiting the main spirit house.
Day 4 – Chambri village and beyond the Chambri Lakes, to explore three very remote, unvisited villages: village one.
Day 5 – Village two
Day 6 – Village three
Day 7 – Back up river to the main Sepik and Kimindibit village
Days 8–9 – Kimindibit and surroundings
Day 10 – Marap or Torembi villages 1, 2 and 3. Overnight.
Day 11 – Up to Pagwi, then by private hire vehicle to Wewak town.
Day 12 – Fly out of Wewak, or spend 2–3 days on Kairiru Island at a guest house or in another island setting.
Optional post-expedition extension: the beautiful Yuo Island and nearby islands off Wewak. These volcanic and coralline islands offer spectacular treks, WW2 relics, birdwing butterflies, traditional life, excellent local food (including fresh lobster), world-class snorkelling on coral reefs, and regular dolphin sightings. We also hope to visit Vokeo, the famous island of menstruating men. More details once the trip is confirmed.
