Ulumani Treetops Rainforest Lodge

Website: www.pngbackpacker.com
E-mail: info@pngbackpacker.com
Phone: + 675 641 0916
mobile: + 675 6593 202
Digicel Mobile +675 7189 8150

Who they are

Ulumani Treetops Rainforest lodge is owned and operated by the traditional landowners of the area. The lodge is their initiative to generate income in an ecologically sound and sustainable way to ensure the preservation of the rainforest and its diverse ecosystems for many generations to come.

What they offer

Canoe Festival
During the early 19th Century the people from Wagawaga were enemies with the Maiwara people who lived on the North side of Milne Bay. The rivalry started when two young men from Wagawaga attended a traditional kundu dance at Gabugabuna near Maiwara village. At the dance, rivalry over a female caused a rift between the two clans. Due to what happened at the dance the men of Maiwara and Wagawaga built war canoes in preparation for war between the two villages.

Today the people of the two villages remember their traditional rivalry by taking part in a canoe festival held every year in November in which people from all over Milne Bay take part.

DawaDawa River
Boat day trips from Wagawaga bay. The lodge boat with our experienced crew will take you along the southern arm of Milne bay. Steep forest covered slopes rise almost from the waters edge to the tops of the line of ranges that form the eastern most tip of the Owen Stanley mountain range. Villages dot the foreshore. Food garden clearings rise steeply behind the villages while the flat land close to the shore is planted with coconuts. Forty minutes by boat from Wagawaga the line of hills is broken by the outflow of the Dawadawa river into Milne Bay.

WW2 History
A former WWII battlefield, Milne Bay is littered with relics of the war, from pontoons used to construct temporary floating harbours to coca cola bottles stamped from ‘43 and ‘44. A guide can show you some remnants still on the land and near the beaches.

Samarai Island
Visit Samarai island, the location of the former colonial centre for administration of the territory of Papua in the early part of the 20th century. Long since abandoned for this purpose Samarai is today a time capsule of a bygone era. Stroll the neat tree lined streets of the old colonial centre.

Visit beautiful Kwato Island, just 5 minutes from Samarai. Once a hive of industry Kwato was once a thriving boat building centre. The remnants of the old machinery lie long since abandoned in the tall grass. Today the island echoes to the buzz of insects and the call of birds.

Ceremonies
Traditional ceremonies still play a big part in the lives of the people of Milne Bay. Ceremonies to mark marriages, land compensation, traditional festivals and peace ceremonies are performed as part of daily life. Planning for a ceremony usually begins three to six months in advance while in some cases planning commences up to twelve months before the big event. Pigs to be exchanged during the ceremony are raised and fattened and extra food gardens are cleared and planted to ensure a plentiful supply of food to feed the many people who are expected to attend from other tribal areas.

Hagita Secondary School and Cameron National High Schools host bi-annual culture shows. Cameron National High School will be held 25th and 26th July while Hagita Secondary School 29th August and 30th August 2008. As is custom, prior to joining in the celebrations, each group of students build a traditional dressing house. The traditional houses are made to resemble the original dwellings of their ancestors and are decorated in traditional colours. Students dress in customary attire for the shows.

Location

From the capital, Port Moresby, it is a short 50-minute flight eastwards along the southern flanks of the Owen Stanley mountain range to Milne Bay. The national airline, Air Niugini and the domestic carrier, Airlines of Papua New Guinea provide daily services from Port Moresby to Gurney airport, the point of arrival for Milne Bay.

Visitors arriving at Gurney are met by a staff member and driven to Alotau, the provincial capital of Milne Bay Province. Alotau is 15 minutes by all weather road from Gurney. Guests usually make Alotau their first stop in order to purchase groceries and provisions from a selection of well stocked supermarkets prior to proceeding onto Ulumani – Treetops Rainforest lodge.

Ulumani – Treetops Rainforest lodge is an 80 minute drive from Alotau, situated on the southern arm of Milne Bay.

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What to bring

- Day pack / bag
- Personal water bottle
- Sun hat
- Loose, lightweight, long clothing

Accommodation & Amenities

Two-room self-contained cottage with well equipped kitchen (the kitchen area is equipped with a dining table and chairs, refrigerator and stove). An eight-bedroom lodge constructed from forest materials in a traditional manner to represent a mens’ war house. In the lodge each guest has a separate bedroom with the enough space to comfortably sleep two persons. The kitchen area is equipped with a good food preparation area with sinks, bench tops, gas cookers and power.
Both buildings have commanding views over the forest and bay.
The showers and toilets are attached to the building and include hot water
There is electricity.
The locals bake fresh hot, home made bread rolls for breakfast.
Rainforest Cottage: K225.00 per night
Lodge: K95.00