22 Oct 2023

Papua New Guinea's Dancing Dragons and Sepik River Culture

Heritage Adventurer was sailing for the mouth of the Sepik River as dawn broke. At 1,146-kilometres-long the Sepik River forms the major access to interior of this part of Papua New Guinea. In the morning our guides Tim Flannery, Lou Sanson and Rod Morris formed a panel that discussed conservation issues and the concept of wilderness. They fielded many questions and it was good to see that there was a great interest in all matters of conservation and nature.

Aaron provided us with a comprehensive introduction to the history of Heritage Expedition, a history that dates back over 4 decades and introduced us to future voyage itineraries.

After lunch we arrived at the mouth of the Sepik River and it was time to board the Zodiacs bound for Kopar Village on the banks of the river. We arrived there during a tropical thunderstorm but were nevertheless made very welcome by hundreds of villagers who had assembled to greet us.

They provided us with several exciting dance performances including the area's famed Dragon Dance and also offered many unique artifacts for sale. Many of us took advantage of this unique shopping opportunity. After the village visit we had the opportunity to Zodiac cruise upstream and our birders were able to spot a variety of birds.

By 1800 we were all safely back on board ready for the Captain's farewell cocktail party. This was followed by the screening of the fantastic photo slideshow of our voyage prepared by our photographer Steve.

Our last full day of the voyage ended with yet another excellent dinner prepared by Chef Guenter and his team with many choosing to spend the final evening together reliving our many adventures in the bar.

Images © S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions