Product Description
MT Wilhelm Ascent
| Trek: | MT. Wilhelm Ascent |
| Grade: | 7/10 |
| Tour Duration: | 8 days |
| Led: | Australian led |
| Guide: | Shane Goodwin |
| Arrival Date | 21 July |
| Departure Date | 28 July |
| Status | Guaranteed |
Our MT Wilhelm Ascent is an 8 day tour including 2 nights camping, 3 nights hotel stays and 2 nights in a rustic village guesthouse at Base Camp.
We ascend PNG’s highest mountain standing at 4509m with 3 full walking days to ensure sensible acclimatisation routine is followed.
The highlight of our tour includes a theatric ghostly performance by the Mud Men of Asaro village. Their dance is display is world renowned although very few westerners have ever experienced the display.
Experience local village life and culture with our well trained Australian and local team developing an accurate insight into the history of the highlands with your experienced guide.
Starting out with a flight to Goroka is the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a town of approximately 19,000 people (2000), 1600m above sea level. It has an airport (in the Centre of town) and is on the “Highlands Highway”, about 285 km from Lae in Morobe province and 90 km from the nearby town of Kainantu also in the Eastern Highlands. Other nearby towns include Kundiawa in Simbu Province and Mount Hagen in Western Highlands Province. It has a mild climate, known as a “perpetual Spring”. Our stay in Goroka takes in the performance of the world famous mud men and their ritual dance. The Mud men are located in Asaro village where we spend our first nights stay.
From Asaro village we travel to Kelsugl, where they spend the night.
The Keglsugl route involves climbing up and through a mountain rain forest and then along an alpine grassland glacial valley to the twin lakes of Piunde and Aunde (male and female name). This takes from between three to four hours with 4 stops on the way. At Piunde (the lower lake) there are two huts, one being an old university monitoring station and the other an ‘A-Frame’ hut. Though not a technical climb, once past Lake Aunde (the uppermost lake, which feeds Piunde), there are at least four sections where sure footing is essential; in wet weather various sections can be treacherous. It is essential that an afternoon trek to the top lake is taken to help the body adjust to the altitude.
These are beautiful lakes where brown trout once lived, but it appears too cold for even them to survive and none have been seen for many years.
The MT Wilhelm ascent final climb to the top is undertaken at pre-dawn, starting around 1:00am and trekking out shortly afterwards, to appreciate all that MT Wilhelm can boast. Trekkers have the best opportunity to see the panoramic view north before the weather sets in, and brings cloud cover. Trekkers are briefed of the need to be protected with adequate cold wet weather clothing as the weather can get very cold and can turn fairly quickly. The type of cold weather gear required for this trip is similar to what is taken to Mt Kilimanjaro.
The decent down is quicker, however time is taken to enjoy the trek and to get the pictures of where you had trekked while it was still dark only hours before.
A second nights stay is enjoyed at the A-frame hut before returning to Goroka the next day.
From Goroka we head to the airport for transfers back to Port Moresby.
The last night is enjoyed at the Ela Beach Hotel before trekkers return home.
Join us for our amazing MT Wilhelm Ascent and cultural tour.