Enga Province
Wabag is the capital of Enga province. It is about four hours drive by four wheel drive from Mt Hagen. The Wabag Cultural Centre includes a museum with a fine display of wigs, war shields and masks and an art gallery. The centre also houses a workshop where young artists are taught the skills of sand painting, an art form unique to Enga Province. Using ground stone in natural hues as a medium, the sand painters create landscapes and legendary figures on a base of wood or plasterboard. It is open from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm week days. There are several comfortable lodges to stay in and around Wabag including the Kaiap Orchid Lodge, the Wabag Lodge and the Malay Hostel, a budget priced mountain hideaway. All lodges will arrange transfers and day tours. Enga Province, sharing a border with Western Highlands Province and features rugged mountains high valleys and fast flowing rivers. The Engan people are a hardy race living mostly by subsistence farming. Tribal warfare is still a common way to settle inter-tribal disputes and ceremonial life encompasses the giving, receiving and displaying of wealth. Trekking enthusiasts will find their efforts rewarded by the magnificently unspoilt surroundings. In the west of the province is Laiagam. The National Botanical Gardens here have a collection of over 100 species of native orchids and more than thirteen species of rhododendrons. Lake Rau, in the middle of Enga is a crater lake 300 metres above sea level. It is a days walk from the nearest village of Pumas. A guide is recommended. The Kumul Lodge is closer to Mount Hagen than Wabag, therefore allowing easier access for visitors. It is just across the Engan side of the border from the Western Highlands.
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