26 Oct 2022

Cruising Along the Sepik River and Meeting New Friends at Kopar Village

Our expeditions start bright and early aboard Heritage Adventurer with a wonderful Zodiac cruise up the mouth of the Sepik River-- a massive treat for birders and nature enthusiasts alike with hornbills flying overhead and white egrets dotting the river edges. A rapturous crowd of locals from Kopar Village, wearing traditional dress and headwear, met us at the water's edge with warm welcomes and treated us to some wonderful ‘Sing Sings' - a snake dance, dragon dance and series of humorous pantomime drawing screams and laughter from the local children, adults and expeditioners alike.

It was an amazing opportunity to mingle with the locals and spend our time wandering around the market. After parting ways with much of our Kina on traditional crafts such as masks, carved paddles, and bilum bags we later went off to enjoy our time soaking up the Sepik river atmosphere. Once back on board we had the rare opportunity to sail past Kordova Island, an active volcano billowing puffs of smoke reminding everyone of the region's volcanic history.

Image (c): F. Wardle