The Island of New Guinea

New Guinea is the world’s second largest island, and is also one of the world’s last, vast and remote wildernesses. With a complex political history, this great island is divided. The western half, is now referred to as Papua, a region of Indonesia, while the eastern half, Papua New Guinea or PNG, has been an independent country since 1975.

New Guinea is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and endures sporadic volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and occasional tsunamis. A mountain range rises across the length of New Guinea and deep rainforest is all enveloping.

The island contains an astonishing wealth of natural features, some protected by National Parks and UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserves, but huge swathes of it are unmapped and virtually unreachable. The primary towns of both countries are, naturally, on the coast, but there’s little in the way of roads or infrastructure. Travel is mainly by boat. Rivers criss-cross the whole region or you can travel on foot, or by plane

New Guinea is inhabited by about 1,000 different tribes, speaking a corresponding number of languages. Tourists are few, mainly visiting the extraordinary Dani culture, in Papua’s gorgeous Baliem Valley. Despite being nominally Christians, the Dani live traditionally.

Men wear penis sheaths, females wear short skirts, made of orchid fibres, worn beneath the buttocks. This high valley, surrounded by mountain peaks, is a vision of incredibly fertile cultivated fields. The Baliem River provides fish, and pigs are essential, being eaten at every ceremony.

In PNG the major attraction is the tribal hunter-gatherers who live along the banks of the island’s longest river, the Sepik. This culture is intrinsically entwined with crocodiles, and the men’s large scarification reflects the animal’s scales.

Living in communal longhouses, Sepik River people are famous for their wood-carvings. Varying in style from village to village, many of these find their way into the great museums of the world.

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