 New Guinea is the tallest and second largest island in the world, and one of the few places on earth that can still inspire fresh awe and true trepidation in would-be travellers.
The country's mystique is enhanced by the fact that large sections of the island have never been charted by Westerners, and furthermore by the stunning trick of time meaning that some of its inhabitants had seen the aeroplane before they emerged from the Stone Age!
The highland regions have undergone a super-accelerated rate of change, going from first contact with the outside world to silicon chip technology in 70 years.
The island is currently divided between independent Papua New Guinea (PNG) to the east and Irian Jaya (Indonesia) to the west. New Guinea was born of a titanic collision between Asia and Australia. Its extraordinary landscape sweeps up from steaming coastal swamps, through pristine rainforests and seemingly impenetrable mountain ranges, up to the frozen wilderness of the Carstenz Pyramid with its equatorial glaciers.
New Guinea is a bird-watcher's paradise with over 700 species, including 38 of the 43 known varieties of Birds Of Paradise. Strange forms of animal life have evolved, such as the Long Beaked Echidna and gigantic lizards. In the forests there are more types of bat than anywhere else, as well as around 5,000 species of moth and butterfly, some the size of plates.
In human terms New Guinea supports the greatest linguistic diversity on earth. The island is home to hundreds of tribal groups -- including some of the most remote communities in the world -- speaking a staggering 1,000 dialects. Among the most noticeable are the Dani people of Irian Jaya, with their decorative penis gourds, and the Huli "wigmen" of PNG whose elaborate head-dresses are unforgettable.
| 
About NewGuinea
The Amazing Skies program is a highly exclusive 14 Day/13 Night private air safari through some of the most spectacular and remote areas of Papua New Guinea, with the highlight being attendance at the Mount Hagen Show. With a minimum of two guests, and maximum of four, this itinerary offers a highly intimate insight into a wide cross section Papua ...
Held in September every year, the Goroka Show is famous for its dazzling array of singsing groups, showcasing some of the many cultures of Papua New Guinea - the Goroka Cultural Show is an event not to be missed.
Tumbuna is the Tok Pisin (the lingua franca of Papua New Guinea) word for ancestors.