Waiyaki Semani is the owner of Sibonai Guesthouse and a fantastic host
Sibonai Guesthouse: Is it worth the effort?
Chris Shorrock explains what to expect from a trip to Sibonai Guesthouse and, ultimately, whether it’s worth the effort.
Planning a trip to Sibonai Guesthouse can seem somewhat daunting. Papua New Guinea (PNG) isn’t the easiest country to travel around in the first place. Add to that the remoteness of Sibonai and the vague threat of piracy in the waters of Milne bay, and you’d be forgiven for questioning whether it’s worth the effort.
Well, we were there for New Year 2023. And we can confirm the effort of a trip to Sibonai is definitely worth it.
What Sibonai lacks in creature comforts, it more than makes up for with its pristine natural environment and immersive cultural experience.
Getting there is a challenge, and you need to be prepared for at least a little discomfort when you arrive.
‘Is there somewhere to wash?’ we probed on arrival, hot and sticky after hours in the sun waiting for a dinghy.
‘I’ll show you the river,’ came the response matter of factly.
But you’ll also experience local culture, try fresh veggies grown in forest gardens and watch eclectus parrots coming home to roost in the evenings.
Chris standing on the shores of Sewa Bay near Sibonai Guesthouse
There’s the chance to see the famous birds of paradise displaying in the surrounding rainforest and the opportunity to snorkel the offshore reefs. All the while fully immersed in the local village life of the island.
Waiyaki Nemani, the guesthouse owner, is a well-known local guide. He often leads scientists on their expeditions to discover new species. He has a wealth of knowledge about the rainforest and Milne Bay Province.
Where is Sibonai Guesthouse?
Sibonai Guesthouse is nestled in the rainforest on the southern shore of Normanby Island’s Sewa Bay. In PNG’s Milne Bay Province, Normanby Island is large, mountainous, and the southernmost of the D’Entrecasteaux Islands.
Positioned at the top end of Waiyaki’s family village of Sibonai, the guesthouse is just inside the rainforest and next to a small freshwater stream. It’s a short two-minute walk from the shore of Sewa Bay.
Is it easy to get to Sibonai Guesthouse?
Not especially. And that’s what made us question if it was really worth it in the first place. With the constant talk of pirates, we nearly chickened out. Like most places in PNG, getting there from the capital, Port Moresby, involves an internal flight.
Landing in Alotau, it’s about 1.5-2 hours by public transport (PMV) from here to East Cape, where dinghies depart for Sewa Bay. A PMV from Alotau to East Cape costs 13 kina.
We stayed at Tawali Resort first, so they picked us up from the airport and then dropped us off at East Cape after our stay. Unfortunately, raskols operate on this route and occasionally hold up and rob PMVs. However, you’re less likely to be stopped in a private vehicle, so we were happy to go one way with Tawali.
Dinghies come to East Cape from Sewa Bay in the mornings, wait for their passengers to go to Alotau for shopping, and then head back across in the late afternoon once all their passengers return.
Access to Sibonai Guesthouse is by boat from East Cape
We contacted Waiyaki, who owns Sibonai Guesthouse, ahead of time, and he booked us onto a dinghy for the afternoon crossing. Prices depend on the cost of petrol, and when we travelled, it was 50 kina per person on a public dinghy. Hiring your own dinghy for the journey will set you back approximately 500 kina.
The bigger the dinghy motor, the better. Pirates usually work on 40-horsepower engines; anything more than that is ideal, but don’t travel in a dinghy with anything less.
The small village of Sibonai lies between the guesthouse and the shore
It’s also worth noting that dinghy skippers often skirt the line with the amount of fuel they carry. On our way back, we ran out of fuel just before East Cape. Thankfully it’s a busy route, and another dinghy quickly came to our rescue.
Oh, and take your own life jackets; there’s none on board. We took these inflatable waist life jackets, which thankfully remained unused.
Water at Sibonai is collected from the nearby river
How much does it cost to stay at Sibonai Guesthouse?
Accommodation in PNG isn’t cheap if you purely consider the room itself. But at least at Sibonai, your cash helps the whole community and supports the preservation of the surrounding rainforest.
We paid 150 kina for the bungalow per night for the two of us, and the meals averaged 25 kina per person per meal.
What is the accommodation like at Sibonai Guesthouse?
Sibonai isn’t luxury. But you probably wouldn’t be considering a trip there if you were all about the number of stars. Sibonai Guesthouse is wholly constructed from jungle materials, with forest wood floors and sago leaf roofs.
Sibonai has three guest bungalows, and we had two separate rooms in the largest of the three. The rooms are sparsely furnished with beds, mosquito nets and tables. The common verandah overlooks gardens of tropical flowers and palm trees.
Across a gravel courtyard lies the dining area. Only partially complete during our stay, the dining hut is a lovely airy spot to while away an afternoon as myriad tropical butterflies flutter past.
There’s solar light in the evenings, and you can charge your devices with a solar USB charger during the day.
During our stay, the flush toilet was fill-by-bucket, and washing was in the nearby stream (but Waiyaki had plans to upgrade). Water for drinking is also collected from the stream, so bring some water purification tablets or similar.
What is the food like at Sibonai Guesthouse?
The food at Sibonai is always freshly prepared with local ingredients. Waiyaki, like everyone else in Sewa Bay, has forest gardens which supply the vast majority of the family’s and guests’ diet.
There are no local shops, and even locals make the long journey to Alotau for supplies they can’t grow themselves. So your meals will be limited to the three per day provided at Sibonai. That’s no hardship; there’s always more than you can eat.
For us, the protein was mostly tinned or fresh fish, but we were lucky enough to be there for their New Year’s Day feast. We paid for a chicken and got to try their local delicacy, ‘mona’, dough balls cooked in forest leaf-infused coconut water.
The fruits and veggies were just what was in season; yams, taro, sweet potato, bananas, pineapple….the list goes on. It will vary depending on when you visit.
What is there to do at Sibonai Guesthouse?
1: Spot Birds of Paradise
Normanby Island is home to the endemic Goldie’s bird-of-paradise. Found only on the D’Entrecasteaux Islands, the males sport elaborate tail plumes and display in the forest here to attract a mate.
We took the roughly two-hour hike (it gets very steep and very hot, so be prepared) to their display site, which Waiyaki has protected alongside the local community. The walk through the primaeval forest is spectacular. On the way back, we also enjoyed a post-bird-watching picnic and a swim with Waiyaki and his family.
Unfortunately, we missed the birds of paradise, but we saw some very impressive Blythe’s Hornbills. The Goldie’s are best viewed between September at November when they’re at peak performance levels
2: Paddle a Traditional Canoe
With no roads to speak of, within Sewa Bay, people either get around on foot or by traditional outrigger canoe. The canoe is hand-carved in one piece, with the outrigger carved from another tree chosen explicitly for its buoyancy. These are then linked by tree branches and lashed together with forest vines. They look somewhat flimsy but are surprisingly stable in the water.
Sewa Bay is mostly calm, and paddling the shoreline in one of these canoes is a great way to see the bay. Glide past stilt villages, spot ospreys as they fish, and watch the cockatoos and lorikeets in the mangroves.
Spending time with Waiyaiki's family was a pleasure, and they often joined us on excursions from the guesthouse
3: Go snorkelling
Milne Bay Province has some world-class snorkelling. Waiyaki can organise trips to local reefs to take in the tropical coral and colourful reef fish.
We took an outrigger canoe and paddled out to a small island in the bay. Unfortunately, the snorkelling wasn’t the best in the area; Waiyaki recommended Dutchess Island, which requires a more extended trip by dinghy, but reportedly has a great reef.
We were happy to combine an outrigger paddle with a local snorkelling spot. We enjoyed the friendly tropical fish and the steep coral-covered drop-off. Waiyaki showed us a lionfish chilling by a coral bommie. The water was so warm in places we’re still convinced there was some geothermal activity going on.
Not far from Sibonai Guesthouse, this island in Sewa Bay is a good local snorkelling spot
4: Take a jungle hike
The rainforest is the big draw here, and we joined Waiyaki on a hunt for freshwater shrimp. This involved hiking through the forest and swimming in the jungle rivers while Waiyaki and his brother-in-law foraged for dinner.
We also hiked up to Waiyaki’s rainforest gardens, spotting parrots and hornbills en route and learning about planting and harvesting the yams – there’s top-secret magic involved!
5: Relax
Once you’ve adjusted to island time, Sibonai is a great place to relax. Soak in the cooling waters of the nearby forest stream, or unroll a sleeping mat in the dining shelter and unwind to the sounds of the forest, maybe with that book you’ve been meaning to finish for the past year.
Sibonai Guesthouse is a great place to relax and recharge
So is it worth it?
Well, it’s not cheap. It takes some effort to get there. There’s a small but real risk of piracy. And it’s hot as hell.
But to experience the pure abundance of the rainforest, be immersed in the local culture, and experience somewhere so far from the beaten track they only get visitors every month or two, it’s so worth it.
Hell yeah.