Papua New Guinea

80 Senses: #78 - The Goroka Show in Papua New Guinea

80 Senses: #78 - The Goroka Show in Papua New Guinea

PNG is PDG (pretty damn good). Papua New Guinea is as close as you can get to frontier travel in this day and age. The interior of the country (the Highlands) remained completely uncharted until the 1930s when gold prospectors who had assumed the area was uninhabited due to the rugged terrain found over a million people still living a virtually stone age lifestyle.

 

Sing-sing us a song

Things are changing fast, but outside the main cities, traditional life and culture still prevails in the villages and it is fascinating to see. Very considerately (for visitors), there is a strong tradition of gatherings or 'sing-sings' where various tribes meet up to show off their particular dances and idiosyncratic ceremonial costumes.

 

Go to Goroka

The biggest and best of the sing-sings is the Goroka Show, which takes place in the Eastern highlands in September every year and features more than 100 tribes. Seeing the hugely colourful costumes and snazzy dance moves is a highlight of any trip to this dazzling country.