Destinations & Accommodations
One of the world’s last wild places, the Sepik is remote and utterly secluded. These jungle fringed waterways are essential for naturalists, explorers, art collectors and anyone with a taste for adventure. This fantastic reservoir of plant and animal life, birds, butterflies and orchids abounds with tributaries, backwaters, lagoons and lakes.
From the local villages along the rivers come some of the most highly prized examples of primitive art. Art that can be collected and purchased directly from the artists themselves.
Carved out of this primeval environment is Karawari Lodge. “In 25 years of traveling this is certainly the most unusual hotel l have ever visited’ reported Rene Lecler in his book, ‘The Best 300 Hotels in the World.” He went on: “Sit on the terrace as the sun goes down and you’ll convince yourself that the world was born yesterday. Food is better than one has any right to expect, but what really counts is being here, at the edge of the world – a world untouched and unsullied. Wearing your floppy jungle hat, you get ready for another river-truck excursion into the Stone Age.”
Karawari Lodge has 20 self-contained twin share bungalows filled with ceiling fans. The famous central Lodge is designed as a traditional Sepik Spirit House and contains one of P.N.G’s finest collections of primitive artifacts.
International Recognition for KARAWARI LODGE
Out of entries from over thirty countries, the Karawari Lodge has won the prestigious “Chief Joseph” Cultural Award given by the Pacific Area Travel Association. The twenty room lodge has received recognition for “intelligent use of local culture, both in its employment of local craftsmen and the nurturing of local dance and music.” In addition, Rene Lecler includes it in his revised edition of The 300 Best Hotels in the World.
Sepik Spirit: The ultimate ‘floating lodge’ for the adventurer who desires all the comforts of civilization while traversing the mysterious middle reaches of the mighty Sepik River. Weekly 3 and 6 night live-aboard cruises into the seldom visited Chambri Lakes and Blackwater Lakes. This is the Middle Sepik region, prolific with the traditional wood carvings of the Iatmul people.
The biodiversity of the Tari Gap region is included into the World Heritage category of possessing an outstanding global value. The virgin rain forest, the unique high altitude orchids, the variety of the magnificent Birds of Paradise, and the colorful and strongly individualistic Huli Clan are all to be discovered from your base at Ambua.
For the traveller who seeks the best PNG has to offer, Ambua Lodge is a must. Its 40 twin share private cabins include vast picture windows, modern bathrooms and electric blankets for the cool highland evenings. The main lodge features a dining area with excellent cuisine, a licensed bar, video room, and central fireplace for evening relaxation. In April 1991, Ambua received the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Gold Pacific Heritage Award for being a superb example of culturally sensitive and ecologically responsible tourism.
This is probably the most colorful and unspoiled area in P.N.G. Mingle with tribes whose exotic and exciting ways are just now being grafted to the 20th Century, all amidst a truly Shangri-La setting.
An inspired mixture of local architecture, spectacular views and modest luxury off the beaten track. Located at 7000 feet (2100 metres) up in the PNG Southern Highlands homeland of the Huli clan with their human hair wigs adorned with colorful flowers. Recipient of the 1991 Pacific Asia Travel Association’s “Pacific Heritage Award” which cited Ambula Lodge as “superb example of culturally sensitive and ecologically responsible tourism”
The first sight of Madang from the air is a thrill – this delightful little town looks so picturesque, superbly sited on a coral promontory in Astrolabe Bay, overlooking a magnificent harbor and protected by more than a hundred tropical islands. It looks like everyone’s dream of a Pacific island resort – and when you land you are not disappointed. It is not a resort town after the style of Honolulu of even Papeete.
It is quiet, gentle, beautiful and unspoiled. It is an area of waterways – lagoons, rivers and bays.Just under one hours drive north of Madang, is Malolo Plantation Lodge, Papua New Guinea’s newest holiday retreat. This former coconut plantation boasts a relaxed South Pacific style with its extensive lawns and gardens reaching down to the waterfront. Look out through the swaying palms to the still active volcanic island of Karkar and out into the Bismarck Sea. Scuba diving programs are offered for beginner and experienced divers on magnificent clear coral reefs and to WWII shipwrecks. Malolo Plantation Lodge has 14 air-conditioned rooms, offering guests friendly, and personalized service.
Malolo Plantation Lodge boasts a picturesque seaside setting which looks out over the Bismark Sea with the active volcano of KarKar on the horizon. Malolo Plantation Lodge is the size that allows personalized service and the small touches that really count. Dive or snorkel in some of the most pristine waters of the world, or visit a traditional village as part of our extensive tour program.
Just under one hour’s drive north of Madang, this redeveloped former coconut plantation boasts a relaxed South Pacific style with its extensive lawns and gardens reaching down to the waterfront.
You’ll look out through the swaying coconut palms to the still active volcanic Island of Karkar and out into the Bismark Sea. We also operate scuba dive programs for beginner and experienced divers on magnificent clear coral reefs and shipwrecks from days gone by.