Rabaul Mask Festival 2026 & Skeleton Festival – The Ultimate Tribal Experience in Papua New Guinea

The Ultimate Tribal Experience in Papua New Guinea is an immersive cultural journey through the diverse and unique highland communities of this fascinating country. The itinerary is filled with exciting activities such as visiting coffee growers, witnessing sacred practices, traditional performances and unique festivals. Visitors get to experience firsthand the warmth and hospitality of these communities, sample their traditional cuisine, and learn about the ancient rituals and practices that have been passed down through generations.

Skeleton Festival & Rabaul Mask Festival 2026 June 30 – July 14, 2026 13 Days / 12 Nights

Highlights

  • Exclusive access to two of Papua New Guinea’s most spectacular festivals:

    • Skeleton Festival (July 5) in the Highlands, featuring dramatic body paint, ancestral rituals, and rare tribal performances.

    • Rabaul Mask Festival (July 7–8) on the coast of East New Britain, including the Kinavai canoe ceremony and the legendary Bainings Fire Dance.

  • Immersive experiences with over 40 tribal groups across the Highlands and coastal regions.

  • Day trip to Wii Towai Waterfall Lodge to see Bird Spirits, Honey Bee Girls, Tomamapre, Kopa Warai Tribe, and the Voice of Bird of Paradise.

  • Cultural encounters with iconic tribes including the Asaro Mudmen, Burning Heads of Gimmesave, Insect Hunters, Dust Shakers, Sorcerer Tribe, Huli Wigmen, and more.

  • Explore East New Britain: climb Mt Tavurvur volcano, visit WWII tunnels and bunkers, discover old Rabaul town, plantations, and Tolai villages.

Itinerary Overview

  • Goroka & Asaro Highlands – Meet the Asaro Mudmen, Burning Heads of Gimmesave, and over 20 unique cultural groups.

  • Mindima / Skeleton Festival – Exclusive participation in the Skeleton Festival (July 5) with 12+ performing groups.

  • Rabaul & Kokopo – Attend the Rabaul Mask Festival, the Kinavai dawn ceremony, and the Bainings Fire Dance. Explore volcanoes, war history, plantations, and island culture.

Practical Information

  • Dates: June 30 – July 14, 2026

  • Group Size: Max. 20 guests

  • Activity Level: Easy – minimal walking/driving

  • Accommodation: Eco lodges in the Highlands (Asaro, Skeleton, Waterfall) & Rapopo Plantation Resort in Rabaul

  • Included: All meals, festival fees, tribal performances, cultural encounters, tours, guides, transfers

  • Not Included: International flights, domestic PNG flights, insurance, personal expenses

Experience | Difficulty

  • Beginner, amateur, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers
  • DSLR, mirrorless, compact or iPhone cameras
  • Moderate schedule
  • Travel by car or minibus
  • Moderate elevation changes and lots of walking and some hiking
  • (non-photographers also welcome)

Weather | Sun

In June, Goroka and Mount Hagen, both located in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, experience cool temperatures with an average high of around 21°C (70°F) and an average low of around 12°C (54°F). The region is known for its misty and foggy weather, especially in the early morning and evening, with occasional rainfall.

Includes

  • 15 Days
  • Travel, landscape, seascape and nature photography
  • Professional photographer | guide
  • Photo walks & discussions
  • Maximum 15 Guests
  • Breakfasts
  • National park permits
  • Local transportation

Tribes you will see on this trip.

Asaro Mudmen – Moko Moko Dance – Widow ceremony – Gimisave Arunumuna Tribe Women Group – Burning heads of Gimisave – Yangpela Asaro Mudboys – Bere Tribe – Skeleton Tribe – Narku dust Walkers aka The Ash Kondai Pia – The Insect Hunters of Mindima – Bogo Tribes – Graiku Tribe –  Sekaka Tribe – Jiwaka Tribes – Forest Skull Kids of Koskala

Your Photographer

David Van Driessche

www.davidvandriessche.com 

David Van Driessche, also known as David Dennis, is a travel photographer with a flair for capturing eye-catching photographs of places and people. Originally from Belgium, David studied photography and film in Europe and worked as a tourism product manager in the 1990s, where he traveled the world photographing some of the finest hotels and resorts around the globe. Eventually, he settled in Thailand and has since explored much of Asia over the past 20 years, photographing destinations and leading hotels in countries such as Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, and China.

David offers photography services and tours throughout Asia, combining his passion for travel with his profession and background in tourism and hospitality. He also provides web-design services and consultation to the tourism industry. His photography tours cater to both beginner and advanced photographers, offering them a chance to capture stunning images in some of the most remote and exotic locations in Asia, including Myanmar’s Chin state and the Mergui archipelago.

David’s work has been featured in various online channels and mediums, including TTR Weekly eMag, Myanmore Magazine, Phuket Gazette, thetravelmagazine.net, Expression Magazine, Gisborne Herald New Zealand, HLN Belgium, Primo Magazine, Fah Thai Bangkok Airways inflight Magazine, Airasia Inflight Magazine, and Thaiger. He has also worked on main stories in TRAVEL + LEISURE magazine and GEO, a family of educational monthly magazines similar to the National Geographic magazine, known for their detailed reports and pictures.

ITINERARY

Arrival in Goroka, the gateway to the Eastern Highlands. Transfer to Asaro Mudmen Lodge and settle into your accommodation. In the afternoon, take a short village walk to learn about the Asaro people and their haunting mud masks. Evening welcome dinner and cultural storytelling by the Asaro community.
Overnight – Asaro Mudmen Lodge

Spend a full day immersed with the Asaro Mudmen. Witness their famous “Ghost Walk” with mud masks and body paint, explore the nearby caves and sacred Mount Gurupoka, and learn about the widow’s ceremony. In the afternoon, enjoy a studio-style photography session with the Mudmen for close portrait opportunities. Evening at leisure at the lodge.
Overnight – Asaro Mudmen Lodge

Travel into the Simbu region for the Heads of Gimmesave Festival, a dramatic tribal gathering where performers set their headdresses ablaze in ritual display.

Visiting groups:
Mudmen – Moko Moko – Hogiana – Kuka Nokondi – Gurupoka Wena – Bamboo Band – Suru – Dwarf – Burning Heads – Arunumuna Wena – Kande – Cannibalism – Gosia – Korokuvo – Gotoroha Wena – Mareta Wena – Simberena – Lopone – Hipuruto – Crocodile – Metega String Band – Arunumuna Alu – Gotoroha Wena

The day is spent photographing and interacting with these tribes, each presenting unique costumes, dances, and rituals. In the late afternoon, return to the lodge.
Overnight – Asaro Mudmen Lodge or nearby accommodation

Depart Asaro for Mindima village, stopping en route to visit Bena and Chimbu communities. Afternoon arrival and introduction to the Mindima community. Enjoy a short evening performance of traditional dance and songs before settling into your guesthouse.
Overnight – Skeleton Tribe Eco Lodge, Mindima

Today we make a special day trip to the Wii Towai Waterfall Lodge in the mountains of Chimbu Province. Here, you will experience five unique cultural groups performing in the dramatic natural setting of the waterfall:

  • Bird Spirits of the Wii Towai Waterfall

  • Honey Bee Girls

  • Tomamapre

  • Kopa Warai Tribe

  • Voice of Bird of Paradise group

After the performances, enjoy a village walk and photography by the falls before returning to Mindima in the late afternoon. Evening at leisure.
Overnight – Skeleton Tribe Eco Lodge, Mindima

A full day devoted to the Skeleton Festival, one of Papua New Guinea’s rarest and most haunting cultural spectacles.

Festival Performing Groups 2026:
Skeleton Tribe – Dust Shakers – Insect Hunters – Doko Daka Tribe – Niur Concert Group – Sorcerer Tribe – Pea Pea Rock Veecap Fighters – Dead Body Tribe – Penis Coat Tribe – Mindima Women’s Singsing Group – Chimbu Players (marriage ceremonial tribe) – Traditional Bamboo Flute Welcome – Courtship & Friendship Ceremony (young boys and girls).

Evening storytelling and Highlands mumu dinner with the community.
Overnight – Skeleton Tribe Eco Lodge, Mindima

Morning road transfer from Mindima to Mt Hagen. Fly Mt Hagen → Port Moresby → Rabaul (Tokua Airport). On arrival, meet your local guide and transfer across the Gazelle Peninsula to your seaside base. Evening at leisure (swim/snorkel, resort facilities).
Overnight – Rapopo Plantation Resort, Kokopo

At dawn, gather on the Kokopo foreshore for the Kinavai Ceremony, where masked Tubuans arrive on canoes to chants and the beating of kundu drums — the ancestral spirits arriving from the sea. After breakfast, transfer to the festival grounds for the opening day of the Rabaul Mask Festival, featuring tribal groups from across Papua New Guinea. Evening at leisure.
Overnight – Rapopo Plantation Resort, Kokopo

Spend the morning at the Mask Festival with VIP access for photography and close encounters with performers. After lunch, embark on a volcano tour — climb Mt. Tavurvur, explore hot springs and steam vents, and meet megapode egg hunters. Later, explore the remains of old Rabaul town buried by the 1994 eruption.
Overnight – Rapopo Plantation Resort, Kokopo

Morning visit to the Kokopo Museum, housing relics of colonial and World War II history. Continue to the famous Queen Emma Steps and hear the story of “Queen Emma of the South Seas.” Afternoon at leisure to relax, snorkel, or swim. After dinner, travel to Gaulim Village for the spectacular Bainings Fire Dance, where young men leap through blazing flames to rhythmic bamboo percussion. Return late evening.
Overnight – Rapopo Plantation Resort, Kokopo

Excursion to Matupit Island, which survived the 1994 eruption. Continue to Admiral Yamamoto’s WWII bunker with ceiling maps carved by Japanese officers. Explore vast underground tunnels, military barges hidden in volcanic cliffs, and the historic Chinese cemetery. Afternoon at leisure by the sea.
Overnight – Rapopo Plantation Resort, Kokopo

Tour the fertile Gazelle Peninsula to see cocoa, copra, and palm oil plantations, learning how volcanic soil fuels PNG’s agricultural economy. Visit the Niugini Organics factory, producing award-winning virgin coconut oil. Meet Tolai villagers and learn about shell money, still used for bride price and traditional exchanges. Evening farewell dinner.
Overnight – Rapopo Plantation Resort, Kokopo

After breakfast, visit the Bita Paka War Cemetery, the resting place of over 1,000 Allied soldiers. Stop by the Kabakaul landing site, where Australian forces began their WWI campaign in 1914. Return to Rapopo for a relaxing final afternoon at leisure.
Overnight – Rapopo Plantation Resort, Kokopo

Morning transfer to Tokua Airport for your onward flight to Port Moresby, and international connections home.

OPTIONS & BENEFITS

Price: 4500 Euro PP in shared double room

Single occupancy: 1200 Euro

8 persons is one person free of charge (no flights included)

– Local English speaking guide

– All room nights in shared double room

– Transportation for the whole trip

– Breakfast lunch and dinner (all meals)

– Performances for all cultural groups and tribes

– Guided walks to caves and mountains

– Taxes and fees

– Basic Laundry

– International and domestic flights to: Goroka Airport

– Insurance (recommended)

– Personal expenses (drinks and alcohol with your food, souvenirs, phone bill, etc.)

Accommodation is basic but clean, and at some places can be with shared toilet or showers. We stay with the tribes at local homestay guesthouses. Electricity is available during most of the whole trip, also you will have internet access. (For Phone access you need to pay extra SIM card at the airport)

Due to unforeseen events the organizers can change the program during the execution of the trip. We will do our best to follow the program and include all events mentioned. We make plans to cover most problems should they arise, which is very seldom, but the visitor must be aware of the small possibility of plans not working out as per schedule and accept this warning.

FOR BOOKING SEND AN EMAIL TO info@tribesofpapuanewguinea.com

We ask for a deposit of 50% to be paid. As soon as we have the deposit your booking reservation is confirmed. The deposit is non-refundable but valid for next year’s trip to join.

We ask for the final balance of payment 2 months before the expedition commences.

Cancellation within 3 weeks of the commencement of the expedition incurs a penalty of 100% of monies paid to date. Payments can be done by international bank transfers in PNG, EU, USA or Thailand (Asia).

– Please bring warm clothing for the evenings.

– There is no mosquito problem in the highlands

– Extra money can be changed at the airport upon arrival

– Sim card possible to buy at POM airport the company to choose is DIGICELL

– You need a passport valid for 6 months + VISA application and approved VISA

– https://ica.gov.pg/

– At the airports you need a printed version of all your vaccinations (this might change in 2023)