The
information on the page below is out of date.
Please click on the above link to be taken to the new site address.
ECOTOURISM
MELANESIA LTD
Unit 1 Lot 3 Section 444, Ranu Place
Four Mile Hill, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea
(Postal address: PO Box 24 Waigani NCD)
Phone & Fax (675) 323 4518
E-mail ecomel(at)online.net.pg · Website: www.em.com.pg
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Daily flights from Port Moresby to Daru, Tabubil, and Kiunga
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Daily flights from Mt Hagen to Tabubil
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Weekly flights between Tabubil and nearby Telefomin in Sandaun Province.
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Connecting flights between the three major towns and the smaller station airstrips
(There
are no flights between Western Province and Irian Jaya or the Torres Strait).
(There
are no passenger ferry services from Australia or Indonesia into the Western
Province, and no ferry service from Port Moresby).
PLACES TO VISIT
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The gigantic Fly River and its delta
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Lake Murray – largest lake in PNG,
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Daru - unique Kiwai dancing, crocodile farm and sea cucumber industry
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Balimo - Gogodala culture and artifacts, Gogodala Cultural Show Sept/Oct
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Kiunga and Tabubil – mining towns
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Bensbach Wildlife Lodge, Morehead
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Tonda Wildlife Management Area, Morehead
ACCOMMODATION
– URBAN
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Hotel Cloudlands, Tabubil
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Kiunga Guesthouse
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Kiunga Lodge
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Kuki Guest House, Daru
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Tawo’o Hotel, Daru
ACCOMMODATION
– OTHER AREAS
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Bensbach Wildlife Lodge
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Kubu Village Long House, Balimo
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Lake Murray Guest House
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Morehead Guest House
GENERAL
INFORMATION
One of the areas
of PNG least visited by tourists, Western Province is very big and the only
way for visitors to get around is by air. The mining towns of Tabubil and
Kiunga are linked by road but the rest of the province is dominated by impenetrable
dense forest, steamy jungle and swampy marshes. Barges and cargo vessels
travel up and down the Fly River and its tributaries but they do not carry
passengers.
Tabubil and Kiunga
are service towns for the Ok Tedi mine, the province’s major income earner,
which is due to be shut down during the next few years. They are both vibrant
and safe little towns, but there isn’t much to see there: the mine doesn’t
run visitor tours.
Daru is a sleepy
little town on an island in the Fly River delta, plagued by rats and beset
by water and electricity shortages, but it has a big crocodile farm worth
visiting.
The cultural hotspot
of the province is Balimo, where the colourful Gogodala culture has enjoyed
an artistic renaissance in recent years. The annual Gogodala Cultural Festival
is a rewarding experience for those intrepid travellers who make it for
the occasion.
The Western Province
has some spectacular flora and fauna, especially freshwater bird life. Several
wildlife lodges run by village cooperatives cater for ornithologists and
ecotourists, although they tend to open and close spasmodically due to landowner
disputes. These are mainly in the Morehead and Nomad/Lake Murray areas.
Western Province
best buys: Gogodala artifacts. Our favourite spot: Kubu Village Long House, Balimo.
