Sights in The Highlands
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Pindaunde Lakes
The climb goes up to the Pindaunde Lakes from the high school and disused airstrip at Kegsugl. The lakes sit at 3500m and the views are incredible. The National Parks Board huts are a four- to five-hour walk from Kegsugl. It is customary to spend at least one night here before tackling the summit the next morning. Some say it's better to spend another day acclimatising and exploring the area before the final push.
From the Pindaunde Lakes, it's a long, hard walk to the summit - anything from five to eight hours. It can get cold, wet, windy and foggy at the top, so bring warm clothes and a change of socks as your legs will be wet from rain or just brushing past wet plants.…
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Goroka Show
The Goroka Show, is held over the Independence Day weekend (mid-September) at the National Sports Institute. It attracts more singsing groups than Mt Hagen's show and there are also bands and other cultural activities, as well as some elements of an agricultural show. The show is the glamour event on the social calendar for many performers and it is extraordinary how many feathers one person can squeeze onto a headdress.
Performers all receive a payment from the proceeds and you are neither expected nor encouraged to tip individuals. Make accommodation arrangements early as many places (especially top-end hotels) are booked out months in advance. Prices, like a Highland h…
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JK McCarthy Museum
JK McCarthy was one of PNG's legendary patrol officers and wrote one of the classic books on New Guinea patrolling - Patrol into Yesterday. The museum is not far from the National Sports Institute, but a long walk from the town centre.
Among the exhibits are pottery, weapons, clothes and musical instruments, and even some grisly jewellery - Anga mourning necklaces of human fingers! 'Peer through the mists of time' courtesy of a fascinating collection of photos - many taken by Mick Leahy when he first reached the area in 1933. There are also WWII relics, including a P-39 Aircobra.
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Tari Basin
The Tari Basin and the Tari Gap are world renowned birding spots, and because the altitude ranges from 1700m to 2800m through a variety of habitats there is a high diversity of species. Tari is a particularly blessed with birds of paradise including the King of Saxony and the Blue bird of paradise. Sir David Attenborough visited the area when making his documentary Attenborough in Paradise (1996) and really put the place on the maps of twitchers.
The best of the birds can be seen between July and October when their plumage is at its zenith.
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Chevron Niugini
The big oil project near Lake Kutubu has changed the Mendi area, and local people are used to dealing with oil workers with fat wallets and expense accounts. Prices asked to cross a bridge or walk across land can be outrageous. Oil began flowing through the pipeline down to the Gulf of Papua in 1992. Chevron Niugini has a good reputation, fulfilling its agreements with the local landowners, the Foi and Fasu people.
There's a road from Mendi to Pimaga and on to Moro and the company headquarters near the northwest end of Lake Kutubu.
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museum
There's a tiny museum in a stockaded compound and most of the items in the small display are for sale. The place is a sort of old mens' home and a couple of older fellows show you around and accept your donation. The covered structure in the compound is the grave of a former provincial premier, and you'll see similar (but usually smaller) structures all around the Tari area.
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Keu Caves
Caves around Kundiawa were used as burial places. At the time of research, it wasn't clear whether a local guide could take you there. Don't visit the caves without consulting local advice as it might be tambu (taboo). There are other large caves, suitable for caving, close to Kundiawa, while the Keu Caves are very close to the main road near Chuave.
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skull caves
It is possible to visit the skull caves of Bebere and Kosame, where traditional burial rites are still observed. Custom dictates that the bodies of dead relatives are placed into the hull of a canoe and interred in a cave until the flesh has rotted from the bones. The skeletons are then removed, cleaned and displayed on the walls of the caves.
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Raun Raun Theatre
Goroka's acclaimed theatre group, Raun Raun Theatre, has toured nationally and internationally. The theatre is a superb building, which blends traditional materials and modern architecture. It's located on parkland about 500m due north of the post office. Performances are irregular, but you might get lucky.
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Birding tours
Birding tours take in the Tari Gap from the road and a few trails in the rainforest. Depending on which trees you visit, local landowners will expect compensation per site. Ambua Lodge and Warili Lodge run tours into the surrounding countryside, although Ambua does not really cater to casual drop-ins.
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Lake Kutubu
Kutubu is the Highlands' second-largest lake, and, at 800m above sea level, PNG's highest substantial body of water (although the Mt Wilhelm crater lakes are higher). It has a remarkable level of fish endemicity - 10 of the 14 species of fish are found only in this lake.
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Gembogl
Niglguma and Gembogl, both traditional high-altitude villages, are worth visiting - you can walk to Gembogl from Kegsugl in a couple of hours and, on the way, you pass through half-a-dozen villages, including Niglguma.
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Mt Kis Lookout
Wisdom St, beside the post office, leads to a track that climbs to an excellent lookout, Mt Kis, so-called because it's the lovers' leap of Goroka. It's a long, steep walk. There are two large water tanks halfway there, and a ladder you can climb to catch spectacular views of the distant valleys through the pine trees and the Highlands mist. It's well worth the effort.
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