Meet & greet:  On arrival in Manila, you will be welcomed to the Philippines by your private English-speaking guide, and then transferred to your hotel to check in. Once checked in, you have the remainder of the day at leisure to relax after your long flight. 

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Dusit Thani Manila (Deluxe Room)

Day at leisure: You have most of the day to relax at your hotel. A late check out has been booked so that you can use your room until you check out.

Private transfer: At the appropriate time today, you will be collected from your hotel by your guide, and transferred to Manila Airport in time to check in for your flight to Port Moresby which leaves just after midnight.

Accommodation: Overnight on board the aircraft

Meals: Breakfast

Flight: PR215 Manila - Port Moresby 00.30 - 08.20 

Meet & greet service at Port Moresby: On arrival at Port Moresby Airport, you will be met by our local representatives who will take you for lunch at a local restaurant in town, and then return you to the domestic terminal where you can check in for your onward flight.

Flight: PX186 Port Moresby - Mount Hagen 15.20 - 16.20

Private transfer: On arrival in Mount Hagen, you will be met by your local guide for the next few days and then transferred to the hotel to check in and relax for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Highlander Hotel (Premier Room)

Meals: Lunch

Guided visit to meet the Melpa Tambul tribe: Today you will take a trip out of Mount Hagen to meet villagers from the Melpa Tambul tribe who live in the surrounding countryside. This is a day aimed at experiencing village life and seeing a variety of sing-sing activities by people who do not attend the Goroka Show. You will also have a chance to learn about the traditional attire of the Melpa Tambul tribe and their rituals. Lunch will be taken in the village and afterwards you will take an easy walk through the villages lands to observe the local pig farming methods. After the visit, return to Hagen where you will have some time to look around before returning to the hotel.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Highlander Hotel (Premier Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Guided visit to see the Asaro Mud Men: Today you will have a chance to meet the famous Asaro Mud Men in a village close to Mount Hagen. This will enable you to get close to the villagers to learn about their traditions and see how they create their formidable costumes. Legend has it that that centuries ago the warriors of Asaro were defeated in battle and fled into the Asaro River where they became covered in grey mud. Emerging later, they ran into their enemies again who took them for ghosts and turned on their heels and ran. This unexpected victory by the Asaro has since been celebrated in song and dance and accounts for the villagers unusual costumes. As well as learning about this ritual you will also discover how the villagers cultivate their gardens, grow cash crops and build their houses. A fascinating meeting before you return to Mount Hagen to look around the town and then return to the hotel for some time to relax.

Accommodation: Stay tonight the Highlander Hotel (Premier Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Morning bird watching tour: After an early breakfast, set out to discover the local birdlife with your guide. You will drive to the area around Kumul Lodge which is an excellent spot for birding and is the only bird lodge in Papua New Guinea where birds of paradise are regulars at the lodge feeders, offering fantastic photo opportunities. Other regulars at the feeders include Brehm's Tiger Parrot, Smoky Honeyeater, Belford's Melidectes and Island Thrush. The Chestnut Forest Rail is occasionally seen beneath the feeder while Crested Berrypecker, White-winged Robins and a host of other birds are often seen at nearby sites. As well as the bird watching this morning's activities will include a walk through pristine rainforest and a visit to an orchid garden. Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant.

Road journey from Mount Hagen to Mendi: After lunch, you will set off on the 3 hour scenic drive to Mendi in the Southern Highlands. You will pass a number of villages along the way and on arrival in Mendi transfer to your local accommodation for the night. If you are interested, having checked in you will be able to go out in search of another bird of paradise (the Regianna) which is indigenous to this part of the highlands.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Kiburu Lodge (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road journey from Mendi to Tari: After breakfast, set off on the drive to Tari, home of the Huli Wigmen, in the famous Hela Province. The journey will take between 3 to 4 hours and on arrival you will check into your homestay accommodation.

Meet the Huli Wigmen: After checking in, you will enter the world of the Huli Wigmen. These tribesmen are world famous for the highly decorative wigs that they produce, from their own hair, and wear in elaborate initiation rites. Tari and the surrounding region are changing significantly at the moment and the Huli culture, although still very much alive, is greatly threatened by local mining projects. You will be welcomed by a group of men from Kobe Tumbiali Village where you will immerse yourself in the Huli way of life. The afternoon's activities will be centred around the house where you are staying and your hosts will reveal the secrets of their spectacular wigs and tribal ornaments. Meals will be served in your homestay -which will be basic, but comfortable.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at a homestay in Kobe Tumbiali Village (Basic Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Full day guided tour in and around Kobe Tumbiali Village: After breakfast, you will discover more about the colourful Huli Wigmen. Start by learning the secrets of Huli ornaments by attending a meeting at their "wig school," one of the major initiation rites of this culture. After that you will have time to explore the Huli gardens and habitats by taking an extended walk through the village lands with one of your hosts.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at a homestay in Kobe Tumbiali Village (Basic Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Private transfer: At the appropriate time today, you will be collected from your hotel by your driver/guide, and transferred to airport in time for your flight to Port Moresby.

Flight: PX865 Tari - Port Moresby 10.40 - 12.15

Private transfer: On arrival in Port Moresby, you will be met at the airport by your local guide and then transferred to hotel to check in.

Afternoon tour of Port Moresby Nature Park: This afternoon, you will have a gentle introduction to Papua New Guinea as you take a tour around Port Moresby Nature Park - PNG's leading botanical and native zoological park which showcases the best of the nation's flora and fauna in a safe and picturesque setting. Over 150 animals are on display including multiple species of tree kangaroo, cassowaries, birds of paradise, parrots, pigeons, reptiles and wallabies. The Nature Park also features Port Moresby's only 'rainforest', currently home to a family of fruit bats, as well as a host of native plant species such as orchids. After a chance to explore the park you will return to your hotel to relax for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Airways Hotel (Bacchus Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: At the appropriate time today, you will be collected from your hotel by your guide and then transferred to the airport in time to check in for the flight to Manila with Philippine Airlines.

Flight: PR216 Port Moresby - Manila 09.20 - 12.45

Flight: PR1859 Manila - Cebu 14.25 - 15.40

Meet & greet:  On arrival in Cebu, you will be welcomed to the Philippines by your private English-speaking guide, and then transferred to your hotel to check in. Once checked in, you have the remainder of the day at leisure to relax after your long flight. 

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Shangri-La Hotel (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided tour of Cebu City: You will be met on arrival at the jetty by a private guide. You will then immediately set out on a tour of Cebu, a city which retains a certain colonial charm. The tour is a special journey that introduces Cebu's history in a nutshell as you cruise along its main thoroughfares. The first stop will take you to the majestic Taoist Temple which is situated 4 miles from the city centre. This impressive and highly ornate temple, of the Taoist religious community, is evidence that a considerable part of Cebu's population is Chinese. You can get a good view of the city from this magnificent temple. On your way to the Basilica, you will pass by Cebu's seat of government and its graceful piece of architecture, the Cebu Provincial Capitol and then you will make a stop at the Carbon Market, where most of the city's fresh produce is being sold.

Afterwards, stop at the Basilica Minore de Santo Nino, an ancient stone structure that was once called the Basilica Minore de San Agustin, and which now houses the statue of the Infant Jesus. A short walk away is Magellan's Cross, the spot where Christianity was first introduced to Cebu. Not far away is Fort San Pedro, the first military stronghold in the country. Its walls were restored in the late 60s and a garden is laid out in the inner courtyard, an enticing refuge not far from the hustle and bustle of the harbour. Your last stop is Casa Gorordo - the Parian district in today's downtown area which was the residential home of Cebu's wealthy at the turn of the century. Of the remaining four houses, the Gorordo residence was restored and furnished in the style of the period. Apart from its furniture, there are porcelain, liturgical pieces, clothes and old photographs of Cebu. Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant, and you will then transfer back to your hotel. 

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Shangri-La Hotel (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Private transfer: After an early breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the pier in time to board a ferry bound for Bohol.

Ferry to Bohol: On arrival at the pier, you will take the ferry to Bohol. The journey will take around 2 hours. Please note that your free baggage allowance is limited to 10kg per person including carry-on luggage. Any amount over this will be subject to an excess luggage charge.

Private transfer: On arrival at Tagbilaran, on the island of Bohol, you will be met and transferred to Panglao Island, just over the bridge from Bohol. Check in and spend the remainder of the day at leisure. 

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Amorita Resort (Dakota King Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Full day guided tour of Bohol: After an early breakfast, you will be picked up from the hotel and taken for a tour of Bohol's scenic spots. The tour starts at the 'Blood Compact Site' where an agreement was reached on 16th March 1565 between Sikatuna, a native chieftain, and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the Spanish explorer and colonizer. You will then continue on to Baclayon Church which is one of the island's ancient Spanish churches. From here you will drive to the Loboc River where you will have a chance to see one of the world's smallest primates. The Tarsier, no larger than a man's hand, is indigenous to the Philippines and is an extremely rare animal these days, due to the destruction of its natural habitat. Afterwards you will join a river boat for a leisurely lunch-time cruise up the Loboc River to see one of the island's waterfalls and this afternoon you will drive to see the incredible 'Chocolate Hills'. From a viewing point you will be able to look out over the 1268 hills which combine to make up this incredible landscape. The tour ends with visits to "the Man Made Forest' and Hinagdanan Cave. Afterwards you will return to your beach hotel on Panglao Island.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Amorita Resort (Dakota King Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Days at leisure: After breakfast each day you have time at leisure to explore the island, snorkel, dive or simply laze by the beach.

Accommodation: Stay these nights at Amorita Resort (Dakota King Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel transfer: At the appropriate time today, you will be transferred from the hotel to the nearby airport in time to check in for your flight to Manila.

Flight: PR2778 Tagbilaran - Manila 16.15 - 17.30

Private transfer:  On arrival in Manila, you will be met by your guide, and then transferred to your hotel to check in. Once checked in you have the remainder of the day at leisure to relax. 

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Dusit Thani Manila (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast