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In Papua and France, we work with trusted partners
Papua New Guinea is home to the greatest cultural diversity on the planet. More than 800 ethnic groups live side by side, speaking over 860 different languages. Each valley has its own culture, traditions and dances. To travel in Papua is to encounter a plural humanity that has preserved its identity while welcoming the modern world with dignity.
Far from the clichés of the “Stone Age”, you’ll discover complex and sophisticated societies, where the art of adornment reaches new heights, where rituals structure social life, and where oral transmission perpetuates millennia of knowledge. These authentic encounters, facilitated by our privileged links with the communities, are at the heart of our travels.
The Central Highlands, only discovered by Westerners in the 1930s, are home to Papua’s densest populations. These mountain peoples have developed a spectacular art of body adornment, visible at major festivals but also in everyday life.
Region: Mount Hagen
Feature: Wigs and feather ornaments
The Melpa are famous for their monumental ornaments adorned with the feathers of birds of paradise and cassowaries. During ceremonies, warriors adorn themselves with shell necklaces, body paint and foliage. The Moka, their ceremonial system of exchanging pigs and shells, still structures social and political relations today.
Region: Tari
Special feature: Wigmen with ochre-yellow wigs
Huli Wigmen can be recognized by their impressive wigs made from their own hair, dyed ochre-yellow with clay. These wigs, which take 18 months to grow, are adorned with feathers and flowers. The Huli live in traditional round houses and perpetuate complex initiation rituals for young men.
Region: Goroka
Special feature: Mudmen
The Mudmen of Asaro are famous for their spectacular grey clay masks and mud-covered bodies. Legend has it that this tradition originated as a wartime ruse: covered in mud and wearing frightening masks, they frightened off their enemies who mistook them for spirits returned from the dead.
Region: Simbu Province
Renowned as impressive warriors and dancers, the Simbu practice sophisticated terraced farming. Their typical dances and finery, made of long black feathers, are among the most energetic and spectacular in Papua.
Region: Simbai to Tsendiap
A farming and hunter-gathering people who live far from the roads, the Kalam possess fabulous ornaments and still practice fascinating initiation rites. Their isolated territories offer magnificent trekking opportunities.
The Sepik River and its tributaries are home to fascinating cultures where art reaches new heights. The spirit houses(Haus Tambaran) are veritable cathedrals of primitive art, and each village has its own craft specialities.
Region: Middle Sepik
Particularity: Crocodile men with ritual scarifications
The Iatmul are famous for their ritual scarification, which transforms the skin of young men into crocodile scales. This painful initiation ceremony marks the passage to adulthood. The Iatmul build huge spirit houses decorated with monumental sculptures, and live in villages along the river in an area known as “Middle Sepik”.
Region: Maprik
Special features: Giant yam growers, spectacular spirit houses
The Abelam have developed a yam cult that is unique in the world. They grow giant yams up to 3 meters long, considered to be living beings with souls. Their spirit houses, among the tallest in Papua (up to 25 meters), feature facades painted with spectacular geometric and colorful motifs. Witnessing their masked dances is a unique experience!
Region: Lacs Chambri
Renowned sculptors, the Chambri people live on the shores of the Chambri lakes. They are renowned for their refined wood carvings and ceremonial masks.
Region: Chambri Lakes
The Aibom are the only potters in the Sepik region. The women make pottery using ancestral techniques handed down from mother to daughter. The pottery is traded with neighboring villages in exchange for fish and sago.
Region: Rabaul/Kokopo, New Britain
Particularity: Matriarchal culture, traders
The Tolai have developed a matriarchal society in which women play a central role in the economy and decision-making. They use the Tabu, a traditional currency made from shells, still used today for important ceremonies. Skilled traders, they were among the first to adapt to the modern economy.
Region: Mountains of New Britain
Special feature: Spectacular fire dance
The Baining are famous for their Fire Dance, a spectacular nocturnal ceremony in which masked dancers pass through blazing braziers. These giant tapa (beaten bark) masks represent spirits and are destroyed after the ceremony. A hypnotic and unforgettable spectacle.
Meeting the Papuan people is more than just watching dances or taking photos. It’s an immersive experience that transforms your view of the world.
Staying with a local means sharing the daily life of a PNG family. You’ll help prepare the mumu (traditional oven), listen to stories around the fire and learn a few words of the local language. The children are curious, the elders share their knowledge, and the hospitality is sincere and warm.
Thanks to our privileged relationships, you can attend authentic ceremonies: initiations, weddings, ceremonial exchanges, sing-sing (traditional dances). These intimate moments are not tourist spectacles but real events in community life, to which you are invited as a guest of honor.
Watch craftsmen at work: woodcarvers, potters, mask-makers, weavers. Learn ancestral techniques, understand the symbolism of motifs and discover medicinal plants. Each object has a story, each gesture perpetuates an age-old tradition.
Respect and reciprocity: Our trips are built on mutual respect. The communities benefit directly from your visit (accommodation, meals, local guides, handicraft purchases). In return, you are welcomed as privileged guests, with a generosity and authenticity that are the hallmarks of the Papuan experience.
Traditional festivals are special occasions when dozens of ethnic groups come together to celebrate their culture. It’s a chance to see PNG’s extraordinary diversity all in one place.
When: Mid-September
Where: Goroka, Highlands
Over 100 ethnic groups come together to dance, sing and show off their finest finery. A festive, family atmosphere, accessible to all. An unforgettable spectacle of color, feathers and energy.
When: Mid-August
Where: Mount Hagen, Highlands
70-90 tribal groups compete in traditional dances. The intensity and pride of the participants create an electric atmosphere. The finery is even more spectacular, the dances even more energetic.
When: Early July
Where: Kokopo or Rabaul
Dedicated to the mask dances of the Bismark archipelago (New Britain and New Ireland), the Mask Festival is a unique opportunity to discover the forgotten cultural wealth of this region and the rarely seen mask outings.
In this land, the most striking landscape remains the people themselves. You are welcomed not as a visitor, but as a friend long awaited by the fireside. This sense of kinship, which moves you to your core, is the very soul of our journeys. My only wish is for you to experience this intensity—one that has forever changed my perspective on the world.
Philippe Gigliotti, Founder
In Papua and France, we work with trusted partners