Drums and a low, rhythmic chant rise from the jungle dark. Men in elaborate bamboo masks and cloaks of leaves circle a roaring bonfire. For more than two hours, we watch as the Duk-Duk fire dancers from the Baining tribe of Papua New Guinea whirl into a frenzied state, dashing through the blaze and kicking sparks into the sky.
It’s one of the many otherworldly delights that await in this remote South Pacific nation, one of the world’s most culturally intact and ecologically diverse spots.
Delights that attracted upwards of 5,000 Americans in 2013 — up roughly 45 percent since 2011.
The Sepik
The only way into this entrancing tropical rainforest is by boat on the chocolate-colored Karawari River, or via a chartered plane that alights on a lone grass airstrip. Once you arrive in this faraway haven, a local village visit is de rigueur.
Here you can help tribal women fish from dugout canoes, visit sacred spirit houses adorned with origin masks and human skulls, spot some of the 229 exotic bird species native to the region, and watch villagers attired in shells and grass skirts perform traditional sing-sing ceremonies.
Check into the Karawari Lodge, a Polynesian thatched-roof escape perched on a ridge 1,000 feet above the river. Enjoy a sundowner next to exquisite carvings on the veranda of the main spirit house at dusk; let palm ceiling fans and the sounds of the jungle lull you to sleep in one of the lodge’s 10 cottages.
For a more authentic overnight, arrange a traditional village hut stay through VillageHuts.com; the site offers nearly 50 lodging options scattered across several PNG provinces.
Rabaul, East New Britain
Rabaul is home to grumbling volcanoes and exquisite tropical islands. With the waterfront Kokopo Beach Bungalows as your home base, hike to the top of Tavurvur, an active volcano that most recently blew its lid in 1994 and started spewing ash again in January 2013.
Then it’s time to cool down with a boat ride through the craggy, majestic Beehive Islands. Stop for a snorkel and picnic lunch on the lush Little Pidgin Island. After night falls, visit the Baining tribe in Kokopo to watch the spectacular fire dance.
Milne Bay
Channel your inner “Goonies” in this beautiful beachy region, where you can swing from vines into tropical waterfalls and venture into pitch-black caves filled with piles of human skulls.
Cannibalism was an integral cultural practice in PNG as recently as the 1960s. But it’s mostly unheard of in modern PNG, and with the proper guides, you’ll be far removed from any lingering tribal conflicts.
Milne Bay is also host to several Japanese warships left over from WWII, hidden in deep tunnels along the coast. Some of the eerie passages serve as final resting place to as many as five enormous barges, lined up bow to stern — all unguarded and ripe for exploring.
Spend the night at Tawali Resort, a luxe, treehouse-style gem with 14 bungalows and a villa, along with excellent scuba diving and snorkeling opportunities. Or, for an option somewhere between a village stay and a hotel, the Ulumani-Treetops Rainforest Resort lets you stay in an authentic “warrior house” or treetop cabin, but with the luxuries of running water and electricity.
Trobriand Islands
These famous islands — nicknamed the “Love Islands” because of their matrilineal culture in which women are encouraged to be as romantically and sexually aggressive as men — are another ideal spot for a village visit.
Watch yams being traded as currency for any and everything, learn open-fire cooking techniques and witness the complex magic- and spirit-based belief system. Take a dip along the beach of Kalopa Cave or inspect WWII airplane wreckage along the Kiriwina Island airstrip.
Getting to PNG
Air Niugini recently launched a 3½-hour flight directly from Cairns, Australia, into Rabaul — a far more efficient flight plan than the one that goes from Brisbane to the PNG capital of Port Morseby.