Papua - New Guinea

It rained almost the entire night before the ascent and there was a strong wind. Due to the weather, it was decided to postpone the start an hour later. At 4.30 in the morning we had breakfast, filled up the thermoses and left the camp at 5.00.

 The first part of the route also passed through swampy terrain. By dawn, we reached the ridge, from where a stunning view of the top of Giluwe opened up, painted in the warm rays of dawn.

 The ascent itself is not technically difficult. However, the last part of the route is a rocky section where belay is required. At one time, our leader Alexander Abramov equipped this section with bolts. We divided into two groups and continued the ascent.

 At 8.30 in the morning, our "Team A" in full force stood on the top of the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania! Great weather and magnificent views from the summit!

Everyone was happy! For many participants, this volcano has already become the 4th, 5th and even 6th of the "7 Volcanoes" project. 

The ascent did not seem easy to anyone. The rocky section is quite slippery, you need to be on guard all the time so as not to slip, which once again proves that there are no easy mountains!

Group guides: Alexander Dorojukov and Svetlana Kotlyar.

October 3. At 5 am we left for the gates of the national park. In the morning there was good visibility and while we were driving we were surrounded by stunning mountain landscapes. An hour and a half later we arrived at the beginning of the route. Here we changed into rubber boots, porters took our bags, and we went trekking.

 The hike to the camp is 12 km and about 6 hours in time. The first part of the route is a real jungle: tall trees, ferns and mosses. Then the path goes along the river, underfoot there is grass and marshy soil. That's why we wear rubber boots, without them there is nowhere.

At the foot of the mountain we have a real base camp: large comfortable tents, toilets, this season we brought a dining tent and tables. The 7 Summits Club created the maximum possible comfort for the participants in such conditions!

After lunch, we discussed the ascent plan, practiced walking in ropes and working with equipment.

Group guides: Alexander Dorojukov and Svetlana Kotlyar.

Today, at 8:30 am local time, the 7 Summits Club Team "Group A" in full force climbed to the top of the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania - Giluwe, 4,368 m high! The day turned out to be quite difficult and very eventful, all participants are great! Details later.

Hello to everyone from the "Group A" team! We continue our journey through the exotic country of Papua New Guinea!

This morning we checked out of the hotel and stopped at a very colorful local market for fruit. The locals greeted us very joyfully - they smiled, waved their hands and most importantly - everyone was smiling!

Then we drove towards our mountain lodge, stopping at Paya Village on the way. The villagers told us about their customs and traditions, treated us to a traditional dish "mumu" - this is meat baked in an earthen pit, lined with hot stones and coals and wrapped in banana leaves. And while we were waiting for lunch, the Papuans put on a performance with songs and dances for us.

After that, we drove to the place of overnight stay and checked into the Mountain Lodge. Now we are already at an altitude of 2400 m. In the evening at dinner we will discuss the plan for tomorrow, in the morning we move towards Giluwe! There will be no connection for the next 2 days, do not lose us and wait for greetings from the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania!

Guides: Alexander Dorojukov and Svetlana Kotlyar.

Hello from Papua New Guinea from the "Group A" team! Today we met all the participants of our program at the Port Moresby airport. Before boarding the domestic flight, some participants even managed to swim in the Coral Sea - when else would there be such an opportunity? Then we flew to Mount Hagen, where our program of climbing the Giluwe volcano and Wilhelm Peak will begin. We checked into the Highlander hotel with a beautiful green area, bought the necessary products for the mountain. And in the evening there was a welcome dinner, where all the participants (and there are 13 of us!) met and told about themselves. It is nice to watch how people who are still strangers to each other in the morning, by the evening begin to actively communicate, laugh and become a team.

Guides of the 7 Summits Club: Alexander Dorojukov and Svetlana Kotlyar.

Olga Rumyantseva, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Papua New Guinea:

On the last day of the trip to Papua New Guinea, the Sun Shine group visited three villages, where we looked at various outfits and dances of the inhabitants of Papua.

Of course, none of them walk like that now, but they preserve traditions, passing on legends and related dances from generation to generation.

And in the evening, all the climbers on Giluwe received well-deserved awards - diplomas and medals.

This simply does not happen on the Giluve volcano! So that during the two days of approach and ascent we never put on raincoats. On the first day, we reached the base camp by a rapid march through the jungles and swamps. In the evening, we worked out the movement in ropes, simultaneously learning how to knit the necessary knots. And the very next day our group "Sun Shine" fully justified its name. Dressed only in longsleeves, under the sun, we admired the views from the top of the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania!

The ascent was wonderful, everyone worked smoothly, and the ropes did not slow down the progress. We quickly went down to the camp, packed up our things and ran to the bus, which took us, satisfied, to the shower and bed.

The gala evening with the presentation of medals is scheduled for the next day. But now we sincerely congratulate the team from Uzbekistan, the members in our expedition became the first representatives of their country at the summit of Giluwe! And, of course, Andrey Kravchenko, who completed the Seven Volcanoes program!  Hurrah!

Guides Boris Egorov, Olga Rumyantseva and Maria Besogonova.

Hello everyone from Papua! From a completely unnamed, but very good group, and your guides Boris Egorov and Olga Rumyantseva. Yesterday, our group in full force made an ascent on the highest point of Papua New Guinea, Mount Wilhelm.

Two days before, after a short move, we found ourselves in a paradise called Betty's Lodge, where we spent half a day among flowers, visited a trout farm and tasted fresh fish. The next day we moved to the base camp, making a trek through the picturesque jungle. This beautiful region pleased us not only with the already familiar views of jungles and swamps, but also with the most beautiful powerful waterfalls and mountain lakes, in which the most cheerful adventurers swam both before and after the ascent.

The ascent itself turned out to be quite a physically hard event with elements of rock climbing and acrobatics. It was very difficult, but we all coped. Such an adventure will be remembered by everyone for a long time.

In the evening we returned to our beautiful lodge. Today our group returns to Mount Hagen, from where our members will fly home tomorrow.

Greetings from distant Papuasia! Today, our large friendly company was forced to split up, some of the participants went towards home. But the other half continued their journey through this wild island. After spending several hours on the road, jumping on bumps and placing a decent amount of dirt, we found ourselves in a heavenly place, in a lodge under Mount Willhelm. We were greeted as the most honored guests! Mistress Betty couldn't hold back her tears, we managed to become friends last year, when I spent a lot of time on her property. Here we were waiting for a great service, which you absolutely do not expect in this remote part of the world. A huge number of flowers, paths strewn with hydrangea petals, a new lodge where each participant got a personal room, delicious trout from his own farm! I don't even want to go to the mountain tomorrow. But of course we will go. First, we will have a few hours of  walk to the base camp and swimming in a clear lake.

Guides Boris Egorov and Olga Rumyantseva.

Greetings from the extraordinary country of Papua New Guinea! Last night, very tired, but completely happy, we descended from the summit of Giluwe.

And today we went for new impressions. We visited three different villages, where we were shown a variety of dances and costumes. Of course, people in these villages don't dress like that now. They prefer ordinary clothes. But nevertheless, they preserve traditions, showing tourists picturesque outfits and telling various legends.

And in the evening we had a farewell dinner and the distribution of medals for climbing the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania. Half of the group will fly home tomorrow. The second half of the adventure will continue. We will go to the highest mountain in PNG.

Your guides are Boris Egorov and Olga Rumyantseva.

Boris Egorov, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Papua New Guinea:

Hello everyone from Papua and Wow! The largest group in my career, 19 people with me and Olya, at the top of the highest volcano in Oceania! Unforgettable! Today we rest, tomorrow details, awards and even more ancient culture of mankind. Hurray!

Guides Boris Egorov and Olga Rumyantseva.

Greetings from Papua New Guinea (PNG)! The guides Boris Egorov and Olga Rumyantseva are in touch. Today, our group spent almost the whole day in the village of Paya, where we got acquainted with the locals and their traditions.

The visit to the village began with a pig cooking ceremony. A pig in PNG is a great value, which is prepared only for special occasions. For example, for a wedding. Well, or if tourists come. The pig is being prepared very slowly. First, it is burned and cleaned, then cut up, then wrapped in banana leaves. Sweet potatoes and bananas are also put there, as well as various herbs. After that, everything is wrapped in leaves again and laid with red-hot stones. And leave to bake for several hours.

While some watched the pig cooking, others got to know the villagers, talked about the place where we came from, asked questions about life in PNG, took pictures, watched the local strange animals - a tree kangaroo and a cougar bird.

The locals dressed up in traditional costumes and prepared a program for us - they sang, we danced and took pictures. Actually, many tourists go to PNG for such colorful photos.

But that's not all we're after. Tomorrow we will embark on our journey to the top of Giluwe, the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania.

During a short tour of the village, we were told about ancient customs, about how people used to live and showed artifacts of bygone days. Shields, spears, magical figurines and the skulls of dead chieftains. It was a tradition to preserve the skulls so that the leaders would help their community even after death. They gave her wisdom.

In general, the day turned out to be eventful and interesting. We moved from the village to the mountains, from where, after spending the night at the lodge, we will go to the beginning of trekking tomorrow.

Our big Papuan adventure begins. To be precise, it officially starts tomorrow. But today, having made a difficult journey through half the world, which took us three days and three nights, after resting from the road, we began to prepare the expedition - we checked the camping equipment and bought a lot of delicious food.

Today, those participants who want to recover after a long road for one day, and not immediately embark on all adventures, began to fly to us.

There are a lot of adventures waiting for us. Our large group of 17 people, there have not been such groups in Papua yet, will go to the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania, Giluwe. After that, part of the group will fly home, and some will continue the program and go to the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea - Wilhelm Peak.

Tomorrow we will continue to meet the participants and get acquainted with the flavor of this unusual country.