Home » Papua New Guinea » East Sepik

East Sepik, Papua New Guinea

Enrico Salte

Displayed: times.

One of the worlds largest waterways, the Sepik, snakes its way through East Sepik Province. Dense rainforest covers the north coast and the mountains north and south of the river basin. Birdlife and rainforest creatures splash colour across the blue and green hues. Sepik fishermen in their dugout canoes wave to visitors on the great white catamaran, the Melanesian Explorer, as it plies it way down the river taking passengers on a journey which will impress an unforgettable image of the magnificence of Papua New Guinea.

The Sepik River, often compared to the Amazon and Congo Rivers, presents nature untamed and unspoilt. See it from the comfort of the Melanesian Discoverer or the Sepik Spirit, a luxury twelve berth flat-bottom river cruiser. For the more adventurous, the Karawari Lodge on the Karawari River south of the Sepik is a quality but very remote jungle tourism lodge, or spend some time in a guest house in the villages along the river.

Wewak, with its palm fringed beaches is the main town of East Sepik. Not far from Wewak is Cape Wom, the site of the Japanese surrender where Lieutenant General Adachi signed the surrender documents and handed his sword to Major General Robertson on 13th September 1945. A war memorial marks the site and the wartime airstrip is still in place. Another memorial in town has been erected at the site of the Japanese war graves and nearby is the Japanese/PNG Peace Park.

Accommodation in Wewak, while not luxurious, provides adequate facilities as a base for day trips to one of the 15 islands off the coast of Wewak. Idyllic tropical islands become a reality when you travel by boat to Kairiru Island with its waterfalls and hot springs. Swimming and snorkelling are superb in these clear turquoise waters. Diving is simply spectacular. Virtually unknown and untouched, the waters and reefs display an abundance of sea life - turtles, sharks, manta rays, tuna, corals as well as sunken wrecks from World War 2.

Wewak has a pier for overseas and costal shipping. with 32 airstrips, much of East Sepik is accessible by air and Air Niugini has daily flights from Port Moresby to Wewak