Mount Hagen Cultural Show and Mount Wilehlm Climb Package PNG

The Mount Hagen Cultural Show was first staged in 1964 by many different tribes from Western Highlands Province as a means of (1) sharing the cultural experience with each other, (2) to calm the ever-present tribal animosities and enmities by bringing all tribes together in a one cultural event to expose the positive side of life, (3) and to celebrate the diversity of cultures among the PNG people.

In 1964, Papua New Guinea was still under its colonial power, Australia. Between 1964 and 2012, there has been some huge paradigm shifts; one being so obvious is the show's focus. The Mt. Hagen Cultural Show has changed its focus from the aforementioned three reasons to a new one, that is, performing for the tourists. Mt. Hagen Cultural Show of today is therefore, an international and domestic tourist attraction event. Also, there are prize monies to be won by the best performing cultural group, thus the competition is aggressive, yet colorful and exciting.

Audience: Normally, up to 500 international tourists come to see this colorful cultural event. In August of 2011, about 400 international tourists witnessed the event. People attend from America, Australia, Canada, Japan, Italy, among others. Apart from international tourists, domestic tourists also come out to enjoy the show. This show is THE biggest cultural event in the entire Papua New Guinea. The two days are one of the busiest days, exciting, and colorful.

If clients would like to upgrade accommodation from Back Packer to Hotel accommodation please contact us for a revised price.

MOUNT WILHELM CLIMB

Elevation 4509 meters (14793 feet)

Location: Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea

Mt Wilhelm is the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea and Oceania has rugged peaks with a well formed trail leading to its summit. The ascent crosses diverse and beautiful terrain with open grassland on the slopes and granite predominant in the higher levels. It is not a technical mountain to climb and takes 3 – 4 days to ascend.

There are no ropes involved or high altitude gear or equipment required. You WILL feel the effects of altitude on Wilhelm. Although we do our very best to have a 100% success rate to the summit, safety is our safety is our highest priority. This mountain lends itself to all age groups and would expect anyone wanting to ascend to be in good physical condition. It is a long hard 12-14 hour day. 6-7 hours hard climbing at altitude. It can also get extremely cold. This day is twice as hard as any day on Kokoda.

REMEMBER IT IS OPTIONAL TO GET TO THE TOP BUT COMPULSORY TO GET DOWN

This area has to be one of the most scenically spectacular areas of Papua New Guinea. The terrain is rugged and to see gardens on these steepest of slopes is truly amazing.

We trek through three echo systems, tropical, temperate forest and alpine. You will see amazing wild orchids and trek through a savanna of cycads. If you want to truly experience the highlands of Papua New Guinea this is a must do trek. If you don't want to climb the mountain take the leisurely walk to base camp or you may chose to stay at the Lodge which is a remarkable experience in itself.

We trek through three echo systems, tropical, temperate forest and alpine. You will see amazing wild orchids and trek through a savanna of cycads. If you want to truly experience the highlands of Papua New Guinea this is a must do trek. If you don't want to climb the mountain take the leisurely walk to base camp or you may chose to stay at the Lodge which is a remarkable experience in itself.

Meet the family and friends who run the trout farm here and walk around the magnificent garden. All our guides have their special places to go in PNG this is Pam's the owner of PNG Trekking Adventures favorite place in PNG. Mt Wilhelm can be climbed all year round. Although the best months to climb is from April to November. The weather is warm during the day but can become quite cool in the evenings. On the mountain it can get down to –5 degrees celcius and taking in the win chill factor it can get down to –15 degrees celcius.

Accommodation at Betty Lodge is clean and rustic. The accommodation at Base Camp is very, very basic. Its up high and gets very cold at night. You must be very fit to climb the mountain. The summit day is 12-14 hours long.

You may like to take along some extra local currency to tip the local porters and other guides if you feel they have done a good job. This is not compulsory.

Please note that we are restricted on numbers by vehicle capacity. Our vehicles take 4 pax each. Ground transport into the mountain is very expensive due to the condition of the roads.

 For larger groups of more than 8 climbers please contact us for a quote.

Please note there are different prices quoted for a PNG Guide led climb and a New Zealand Guide led climb. Please go to our dates and prices tab for this information.

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