PAPUA NUOVA GUINEA
SEPIK CROCODILE FESTIVAL

DAY 1-2: Departure from Italy with a long international flight with at least 2 layovers toward Papua New Guinea

Morning: Depending on the flight schedule, arrival in the capital of Papua New Guinea in the morning. Completion of entry formalities, transfer to the hotel, and time to rest after the long international journey.

Afternoon: Exploration of Port Moresby, beginning with a visit to the Botanical Gardens and an exterior view of the Parliament House, renowned for its striking architecture inspired by traditional Papuan spirit houses. The tour continues with a short visit to the stilt village of Hanuabada, offering a first glimpse into the country’s coastal traditions and daily life.

Evening: Dinner in Port Moresby.

Morning and afternoon: Transfer to the airport for the domestic flight to Wewak, gateway to the Sepik region. Upon arrival, hotel check-in and introductory exploration of the city. Visits include the Father of the Nation Museum dedicated to Sir Michael Somare, Mission Hill with its Japanese WWII memorial, the Holy Spirit Parish, and Cape Wom, the historic site where the Japanese surrender in Papua New Guinea was officially signed in 1945.

Evening: Dinner and overnight stay in Wewak.

Morning and afternoon: Departure by land toward Pagwi Station, gateway to the Sepik River. From here begins the navigation aboard motorized canoes through the heart of Papua New Guinea’s largest and most important river system. Approximately four hours of river travel immersed in dense rainforest, isolated villages, and the timeless atmosphere of the Sepik. Arrival in Ambunti, accommodation in a local guesthouse, and briefing about the upcoming Crocodile Festival and local customs.

Evening: Dinner and overnight stay in Ambunti.

Morning and afternoon: Breakfast at the guesthouse followed by a walk to the festival grounds. The opening day of the Crocodile Festival is far more than a folkloric performance: it is a profound celebration of identity, ancestry, and spiritual tradition. Sepik clans gather to honor the crocodile (pukpuk), an ancestral figure associated with creation and rebirth. Men marked by ritual scarification, their skin recalling the texture of crocodile scales, perform slow, powerful dances accompanied by slit drums, chants, and ceremonial songs. Each clan presents its own symbols, masks, body paintings, and artistic traditions, revealing the extraordinary cultural diversity that exists along the Sepik River.

Evening: Return to the guesthouse. Dinner and overnight stay in Ambunti.

Morning and afternoon: Second day of the Crocodile Festival, where the performances become even more intense and ceremonial. Warrior dances, mythological reenactments, and ancestral rituals narrate the origins of the Sepik clans and their deep connection to the river. Body paintings evolve into increasingly elaborate forms: red ochre, limestone white, and charcoal black transform faces and bodies into living masks. Dancers imitate sacred animals, crocodiles, cassowaries, and eagles, each movement carrying symbolic and spiritual meaning. The day also offers the opportunity to observe the significance of ritual scarification among initiated young men: permanent markings representing the passage into adulthood and the profound bond between human beings, ancestors, and the spirit of the Sepik River.

Evening: Dinner and overnight stay in Ambunti.

Morning and afternoon: Breakfast and departure by motorised canoe along the Sepik River. The navigation, lasting approximately five hours, crosses one of the most evocative stretches of the entire river system. Stilt villages emerge from the dense vegetation while hand-carved canoes glide across the water carrying fishermen, families, and children on their way to school. Arrival in Kanganamun, a village renowned for its monumental Spirit Houses (Haus Tambaran), among the most important ceremonial structures of the Sepik region. After lunch, in-depth exploration of the two sacred spirit houses: towering wooden structures richly decorated with carvings, ancestral symbols, masks, and ritual objects that embody the spiritual heart of the community. Traditionally reserved for initiated men, these ceremonial houses are places where ancestral knowledge, myths, and initiation rites have been preserved and transmitted for generations.

Evening: Dinner in the village and overnight stay in a guesthouse with very basic facilities.

Morning and afternoon: Breakfast and departure by motorised canoe along the Sepik River. The journey retraces one of the most evocative stretches of the entire river system, where stilt villages emerge from the dense tropical vegetation and hand-carved canoes glide silently across the water carrying fishermen, families, and children on their way to school. Continuation toward Pagwi and transfer by land to Wewak. Arrival in the coastal town and hotel check-in.

Evening: Dinner in the village and overnight stay in a guesthouse with very basic facilities.

Morning: Transfer to the airport and flight to Port Moresby

Afternoon: City tour of the capital, including a visit to the National Museum to gain deeper insight into the extraordinary cultural diversity of Papua New Guinea, a panoramic view over the bay, and a stop at local markets. Port Moresby reveals the contemporary face of the country: modern yet fragmented, vibrant yet marked by sharp social contrasts. It stands in striking contrast to the ancestral and spiritual world of the Sepik region explored during the previous days.

Evening: Overnight stay in Port Moresby

Transfer to the airport and international flight back to Italy, with scheduled layovers along the route. Arrival is expected on Day 12.

For those wishing to continue the adventure, there is the possibility of extending the journey with the “Papua New Guinea – Mount Hagen Festival” itinerary.