Zarafa Camp

Hidden among the Doma Peaks near Tari at almost 7000 feet above sea level is Ambua Lodge. This award-winning, eco-friendly lodge has magnificent views of the Tari Valley below. The lodge is immersed in pristine, mid-montane jungle with a mass of interlocking green tree tops and occasional splashes of color from high altitude orchids and rhododendrons. The well-maintained nature trails venture out into this wilderness crossing over traditional vine bridges and meandering along clear mountain streams to secluded waterfalls. Ambua is accessible with the lodge’s own air service from either Mount Hagen or Karawari Lodge on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; or with Air Niugini on scheduled services between Port Moresby and Tari.

The lodge has 24 hour eco-friendly electricity provided by its own hydroelectric power plant that generates clean, natural energy from a nearby mountain stream. The main lodge building is the meeting place and houses the bar, dining and lounge areas and a central fireplace.

Guests are accommodated in thirty round houses set among landscaped gardens and built almost exclusively from natural materials. Each unit features 180 degree picture windows with stunning views and in suite bathrooms. Travelers to Ambua may also stay in a two story block of 18 modern hotel rooms. Each room has electric blankets and cozy quilts for the cool highland evenings. 

Ambua arranges cultural excursions to nearby Huli villages where you can observe the everyday life of the Huli people as well as the peculiarities of their traditions and beliefs. You will be accompanied at all times by experienced and knowledgeable Huli guide from the local area making for a more educational and rewarding.  The Huli Wigmen are a proud, flamboyant tribe known for their ornate ceremonial "wigs" with dances and songs fashioned on that of the mating rituals of the Birds of Paradise.  Life for the majority of villagers around Tari remained mostly unchanged until the turn of this century. Social, tribal and ancestral beliefs and dynamics, once embedded so deeply, are being rapidly forgotten and replaced by more "rewarding" and modern pursuits. Tari today, however, is one of the few remaining areas where men and women still adhere to their traditional beliefs and where a man's wealth is still measured by his amassing of pigs, wives and land.

This is also a favored destination for birders.  Ambua's rainforests is home to an incredible 217 species of bird and 13 different species of Bird of Paradise. Ambua employs knowledgeable local birding and orchid guides for all interest levels.