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Mud Men

GOROKA CRUISESHIP TOUR

The Eastern Highlands province range from steep rugged ountain areas to extensive areas of rolling kunai-grass covered hills. The region has been more influenced by European contact than the other parts of the highlands to the extent that traditional dress is seldom worn in daily life.

COUNTRY TOURS....Experience The Last Frontier

 

GOROKA - EASTERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCE

The Eastern Highlands province range from steep rugged ountain areas to extensive areas of rolling kunai-grass covered hills. The region has been more influenced by European contact than the other parts of the highlands to the extent that traditional dress is seldom worn in daily life.
The Eastern Highlanders still live in traditional villages, however, and neat clusters of low walled round huts typify these. The provincial center and largest town in the province is Goroka. It is a major Highlands commercial center of 18,000 people and at an altitude of 1600 meters enjoys a perfect all year round climate
The J. K. McCarthy Museum in Goroka is name after one of Papua New Guinea legendary patrol officers. It is second only to the National Museum in Port Moresby, and exhibits a wide variety of artifacts, handicrafts, war relics and a collection of photographs, which portray early contact between Europeans and Highlanders.
The Eastern Highlands is a scenic wonderland, with an abundance of walking treks, look outs, tour of coffee plantations and processing plants, and occasional cultural activities.
One of such cultural activities is the Mudmen. Just outside Goroka township lies the Asaro Valley. This is the home of the Mudmen. Tribal folklore records that centuries ago the warriors of Asaro were defeated in a tribal fight with a neighboring village. Honor compelled to retaliate with a “pay back” raid, and, to make themselves look fierce in the process covered their bodies with gray mud. According to legend, the ruse worked, and their enemies fled at the sight of them. The mudmen recreate the drama for tourists.

GOROKA OVERLAND - FULL DAY TOUR/FROM MADANG port.
(MINIMUM 16 PAX/MAXIMUM 64 PAX)

08:00 AM SHIP ARRIVES AT WHARF

08:15 AM DEPART WHARF FOR MADANG AIRPORT

08:30 AM ARRIVE AT AIRPORT AND BOARD FLIGHT.

08:45 AM CHARTER FLIGHTS DEPART MADANG FOR GOROKA.

09:15 AM CHARTER FLIGHTS ARRIVE IN GOROKA, MEET AND TRANSFER STRAIGHT FULL DAY TOUR WITH DRIVE TO BENABENA VILLAGE FOR CANE SWALLOWING PERFORMANCE. (Benabena village with round huts, bamboo trees and surrounded by small coffee plots are a home of the Bena tribe. Their scarce and ritual of swallowing cane is a mysterious performance and this will be an eye opener to one of the many most scarred cultural performances. It is believed that the spirits are within the men and it's the spirits that are actually swallowing the cane. An experience that can not be witnessed anywhere else in the world).

09:45 AM ARRIVE AT BENABENA VILLAGE

10:15 AM DEPART BENABENA VILLAGE FOR J. K. McCarthy MUSEUM. (The Museum exhibits a variety of pottery, clothes, musical instruments and weapons,WW2 history can be found here comprising of war relics and photographs and history of the first European contact).

10:45 AM ARRIVE AT J. K. McCarthy MUSEUM

11:15 AM DEPART J. K. McCarthy MUSEUM FOR MT. KISS LOOKOUT (This is an excellent look out which enables you to have a view of the Goroka town).

11:30 AM ARRIVE AT MT. KISS LOOKOUT

11:45 AM DEPART MT. KISS LOOKOUT FOR GOROKA COFFEE. (Here passengers will see the processing of the green beans for export overseas. Coffee beans are cooked, graded and packed ready for export). Roasted Goroka coffee can be purchased here for coffee lovers).

12:00 PM ARRIVE AT GOROKA COFFEE.

12:30 PM DEPART GOROKA COFFEE FOR BIRD OF PARADISE HOTEL FOR LUNCH.

12:45 PM ARRIVE AT BIRD OF PARADISE HOTEL AND HAVE LUNCH. (During lunch, a traditional Singsing group will be performing to keep the passengers entertained).

13:45 PM DEPART BIRD OF PARADISE HOTEL FOR GOROKA MARKET. (The Goroka market is colorful with the variety of vegetable. People go about buying and selling and again, barter system of trade can be witnessed her, of course in quite a different fashion. Life (domesticated) animals such as pigs, goats, chicken etc will also be on sale).

14:00 PM ARRIVE AT GOROKA MARKET.

14:15 PM DEPART GOROKA MARKET FOR ASARO MUDMEN VILLAGE. (The Mudmen village lies in the Asaro valley. The valley is quite spectacular with it’s natural beauty and the homesteads of the typical Eastern Highlanders. There are hectares of coffee plantations in this valley. The mudmen performance is an enactment of a legend. There were two warring clans in the valley. It happened the one of the clan got defeated by the other and their land, gardens etc were claimed by the winning clan. The losing clan had small number of warriors and were not able to defeat the enemy. To make themselves fierce, they painted their bodies with gray clay and made up ugly looking masks with sticks and mud. With that, they crawled into the enemy zone and when the enemy clan saw the spirit looking figures, they thought it was the spirits of the enemy they had killed during the clan war. They feared their lives been taken by the spirits and so without any form of retaliation, they fled the area and never returned. Once the enemy left, the men took off the masks and they settled in the area vacated by the enemy clan).

14:45 PM ARRIVE AT ASARO MUDMEN VILLAGE AND WITNESS THE MUDMEN PERFORMANCE. (Other cultural activities will also be witnessed).

15:15 PM DEPART ASARO MUDMEN VILLAGE FOR DAULO PASS. (This is very scenic drive with excellent landscapes climbing to the summit. From the summit, it is an excellent panoramic view of the Asaro valley, the Goroka township and further toward the Markham valley in Morobe Province).

15:30 PM DEPART DAULO PASS FOR AIRPORT

16:15 PM ARRIVE AT AIRPORT AND BOARD CHARTER FLIGHTS FOR MADANG.

16:30 PM CHARTER FLIGHTS LEAVE GOROKA FOR MADANG

17:00 PM ARRIVE AT MADANG AIRPORT AND TRANSFER STRAIGHT TO WHARF.

17:15 PM ARRIVE AT WHARF AND BOARD SHIP.

LAND COST: US$96.00 NET PER PERSON.
AIRFARES: CHARTER PRICES ARE OBTAINED FROM CHARTER COMPANIES AND ADVISED AT THE TIME OF BOOKING THIS EXCURSIONS.
TOUR ESCORTS 1 FREE FOR EVERY 15 PAYING PASSENGERS..
CHILDREN 15 YEAR AND BELOW FREE OF CHARGE ON BOTH LAND & AIR.

The above cost includes transfer from wharf to airport or vice versa, tour transportation, English speaking guides and entry fees to all sights of visit and government taxes and buffet lunch.
A Complimentary bottle of water will be provided for each participant.
Note: The above timings are based on the assumption that the ship arrives into port at 8:00 am. Timings will be re-done to reflect the correct arrival times
The tour routing is subject to change depending on the operational requirements, road conditions and other unforeseen circumstances.

NOTE: THE GOROKA OVERLAND TOUR CAN ALSO BE DONE FROM PORT MORESBY. ITINERARY WILL BE IN THE SAME ORDER EXCEPT TIMINGS WILL CHANGE SLIGHTLY. this WILL BE USING THE AIR NIUGINI REGULAR SCHEDULE FLIGHTS.
THE MINIMUM & MAXIMUM NUMBERS WITH COSTS WILL INCREASE.

1. MINIMUM 36 PAC/MAXIMUM 72 PAX.
2. LAND COST: US$130.00 NET PER PERSON.
3. AIRFARES: US$335.00 NET PER PERSON RETURN.
4. TOUR ESCORTS 1 FREE FOR EVERY 15 PAYING PASSENGERS..5. CHILDREN 3 YEARS AND ABOVE FOC ON LAND AND 50% ON AIR.
EXACT TOUR ROUTING, TIMINGS AND ACTIVITIES WILL BE ADVISED AT THE TIME OF BOOKING.