The Sepik & Its Tributaries

Getting there & away

The river is only accessible by road at three points – Angoram on the Lower Sepik and Timbunke and Pagwi on the Middle Sepik. PMVs in these parts are mostly trucks, either with a tarpaulin covering bench seats down each side, or a plain open tray. Those with a sensitive tail bone might consider bringing a pillow – it can be very hard on your rear end.

From Wewak, catch a 3-8 PMV to Pagwi from the post office between 9.30pm and 11.30pm (K30, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday). These vehicles run through the night in order to meet the waiting canoes at around 6am the next morning. They return to Wewak as soon as they are full, usually between 6am and 8am.

Roads to Timbunke are impassable in the wet and this is the most unreliable of the three towns in terms of transport. The trip takes about seven hours and costs K40.

2-4 PMVs bound for Angoram leave from Wewak’s market every day, except Sunday (K30, four hours). The road from Wewak to Angoram is the shortest access route to the Sepik. It branches off the Maprik road 19km out of Wewak. The 113km, all-weather road is good by Sepik standards but it’s still extremely uncomfortable. If you’re returning to Wewak you start very early (around 3am) in order to get the locals to the morning market if not bright, at least early.

PMVs are scarce on Saturday and don’t run on Sunday. Market days are the best days to travel when the trucks (and canoes) are more frequent.

MAF Wewak flies twice weekly to airstrips at Amboin on the Karawari River and Ambunti (K260). Scheduled flights no longer call at Angoram. The airstrip is overgrown and not in use.