Lonely Planet Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands (Travel Guide) by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Lonely Planet Global Limited
Published: 2016-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

8Getting Around

Broadly speaking you have three options. You can go it alone, hire a local guide or book a prearranged tour. Which one you choose determines the degree of comfort you can expect and ultimately how much you’ll end up spending. To experience the Sepik most economically, base yourself in one village, live with a family, and learn the art of sago-washing, canoe-making, gardening and fishing.

Goin’ Alone

While it’s completely possible to travel on the Sepik independently without a guide, only the most intrepid do so. The biggest advantage of going alone is that it is considerably cheaper than taking an organised tour or hiring a guide and boat. However it's never entirely safe to travel solo and we don't recommend it. If you do decide to go it alone, make yourself aware of the local situation and potential risks.

Village Canoes & Traders

The river traffic is reasonably constant, not to mention predictable when it comes to market days. With a pretty open-ended schedule and a lot of time, you can catch rides in locals’ boats or pay someone to paddle you to the next village.

Catching canoes to and from the major transport hubs of Pagwi and Angoram is relatively easy. There are always boats travelling to meet the buses arriving from Wewak and Maprik, so you can catch a ride to the village of your choice, stay until the following market day, head back to Pagwi and then catch another canoe. A canoe ride from Pagwi to Ambunti takes about two hours, depending on the outboard’s horsepower and how loaded down the boat is with passengers and freight. On the Middle Sepik, Maprik’s market days (Wednesday and Thursday) are prime travelling times and passing canoes work in much the same way as PMVs back on shore do. A typical two-hour ride costs about K25 but rates vary between skippers and on the current price of fuel. There is very little river traffic on weekends.

If you decide to rely on market day canoes, you will need to be well prepared and provisioned.

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