Popular lodge hit hard

The National Weekender
COVER STORY
Covid-19 has deprived Tari’s pride of tourist visits but hope remains high that things will return to normal soon
Lodge manager Paul Sepsi during an interview The National.

By PATRICIA KEAMO
AMONGST the Doma peaks of Mt Ambua in the home of one of the most recognisable cultures of Papua New Guinea – the Huli wigman – nestles Ambua Lodge with a scenic view of Tari valley.
About 40 minutes’ drive from the Hela capital, Ambua welcomes with you with a lush rainforest, bird song and insects chirping.
Owned and operated by Trans Niugini Tours, the lodge offers standard and corporate rooms that accommodate guests from around Papua New Guinea as well as tourists from abroad.
Guests have an option of being accommodated in 41 standard round houses built almost exclusively from natural materials with the view of landscaped gardens and 180-degree windows to enjoy the view of the Tari valley at sunset or sunrise.

Ambua lodge manager Paul Sepsi (third from left) with few of the staff in front of the lodge reception.

The other accommodation option is the 20 two-storey modern furnished self-contained rooms with en-suite bathrooms with both cold and hot water.
The lodge can accommodate up to 122 guests with rooms equipped with electric blankets and continental quilts for the cold highlands weather.
The lodged is powered by 24-hour eco-friendly electricity generated by its own hydroelectric power plant which creates clean natural energy from a nearby mountain stream.
The main lodge building has a bar, dining room, lounge with a cozy fireplace and an adjacent gift shop.
Apart from accommodation and catering, Ambua arranges excursions for guests at the nearby Huli villages where they learn about the culture and well as the everyday lives of the locals including their traditions and beliefs.
The lodge employs locals who are familiar and experienced with the culture and place as guides for the tours.
The rainforest surrounding the lodge is home to 13 different Bird of Paradise species and 217 other document species which is an attraction for bird watchers.
Guests who want to go bird watching are accompanied by the lodge’s knowledgeable guides who cater for their excursions.
Spattered with a mass of tree tops interlocked by different shades of green, you could see splashes of high altitude orchids and rhododendrons amongst a vast variety of flora.

Nipon daisy, one of the plant species found in the lodge gardens.

The natural trails are well kept with traditional vine bridges that lead to mountain streams and secluded waterfalls.
With multiple cultural shows in the highlands region spanned out throughout the year, the lodge accommodates guests who travel in to experience the unique cultures and traditions.
“We provide cultural tours in different villages, bird watching, fishing, climbing, sight-seeing and track walks,” lodge manager Paul Sepsi told The National.
“We also provide tours for big cultural shows including the Mt Hagen Show, Goroka Show, Lae Show and Enga Show.”
For the last 36 years the lodge has been operating, these services have been consistent with guests frequently visiting.
However, during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, business has been rather slow for Ambua with the travel restrictions on international flights and lack of tourists traveling into the country.
During my recent visit to Ambua, the manager Paul Sepsi highlighted how much Covid-19 has impacted the lodge, especially with the challenge of keeping employees and maintaining operations.
“Our revenue is very low right now,” said Sepsi.
“Not many people are coming into our lodge except for a few from within the country.
“They are giving us some money to keep going during this tough time but we had to let most our employees go.
“We used to have about 100 employees including a driver, guides and gardeners but due to the impact of Covid-19, we had to lay them off.
“Right now I have about 14 essential staff to help keep the place running.
“Every year we get hundreds of tourists; the rooms used to be fully booked.

The two-storey corporate rooms on the right – Nationalpics By PATRICIA KEAMO

“But now our occupancy rate is below 50 per cent, maybe 20 to 25 per cent occupancy.
“When the time comes around for the cultural shows in the highlands, we have tourists making bookings through Trans Niugini Tours.
“Trans Niugini Tourists is a very well-known company in the country and we get most tourists from Europe and America.
“We are hoping that the pandemic ends sooner so things can go back to normal, this is really affecting the company.
“People are really suffering because we cannot employ them.
“When tourists come in, at least they earn something to sustain themselves but now it’s really hard.
“We are just hoping that from next year onwards, people will start coming back, especially tourists.
“So we can start picking up our business.We’ve been suffering for a long time now so we really need Covid-19 to go away.
“We want free movement of people and businesses to go back to normal.
“I only have a few people left to look after the lodge and the few guests that come in.
“Things are starting to pick up so hopefully next year we will employ more people and business will get back to normal.”
That, in fact, is a hope shared by others in the toursim industry across PNG.