Vanimo Surf Lodge - PNG

Vanimo surf lodge is located in waves-abundant part of Papua New Guinea, close to Indonesian borders. This absolutely remote territory with very few tourists visiting every year has been visited by adventurous surfers since 1980s. The amount of surfers in water at any time rarely exceeds 6 and it is usually 3-4.

The surf breaks are easy to access by foot or a short paddle and the range of waves is for all levels; easy Town Beach, Freight Trains at the right of Log Point or Lido's Left and Lido's Right. The size and direction of surf breaks in the area means that they work at the same time, giving you a plenty of choice when the surf is on. The waves break from 2-10ft all season.

The right-hander just outside the Surf Lodge (Lido's Right or Vanimo Right) is super consistent and offers long, walkable rides, but they also have a vehicle that they take to 6 surrounding surf breaks which are about 5-10 minutes drive away east and west of the Surf Lodge. 1 surf transfer and pickup per day is included in the price.

Besides quality waves, the area offers you tropical remote wilderness, thousands of coconut palms, occasional village huts and pristine jungle. Vanimo Surf Lodge encourages you to explore the surroundings and will help you organize small trips. The favourite one is the waterfall tour where you take a 2-km walk along a cool stream to a series of waterfalls to take a refreshing dip in crystal clear water.

In a country where time matters little, waves are pumping in the season, water is clean and warm, you can lay back and sip a cold iced coconut drink or PNG's world-class Arabica coffee, talk to other travellers and of course, surf your arse off between October and May.

The accommodation at Vanimo Surf Lodge is all beachfront- traditional PNG style architecture huts, blending well with its surroundings and giving you a cultural experience, leaving the busy western world behind. The huts are cleaned regularly and have lighting, ceiling fans and mosquito nets. They provide space for 3-4 people and also have room for storing your surf boards and gear.

All 3 huts are brand new and are opening in November 2011, with plans to double the capacity in the near future. The lodge employs local workforce which is supervised by expat Peter Moore, who trains the staff and looks after the quality of service.

There are no surf shops but there are local doctors, hospital, banks, supermarket and pharmacy in town.

Surfing

Surf season officially runs from November to April when it is at its best but it is not uncommon to score waves during the fringe season of October and May. Typically, regardless of which direction the wind is blowing at least half the breaks are offshore. The Lido Right is directly opposite the lodge and is accessed by paddling straight of the beach in a flat water entry. The racing Lido Left is a 500m walk. Waromo is a drive or boat ride 3km to the west and a further kilometre there is Yako, while Log Point is three kilometres to the east by boat or drive. Further to the east is Town Beach and Narimo Island’s right and left. The Town Beach break is ideally suited to anyone who fancies an easy small sand bottom wave and learning here is a great alternative for the family.

Enjoying a meal at the restaurant  with a couple of ice cold local South Pacific lagers to wash it down is not a bad way to end the day as the sun sets to the west in a very similar scene to that of Hawaii’s North Shore except there’s hardly anyone around to get in that sunset photo snap. Meals at the lodge are made from locally sourced seafood, meat, chicken, farmed crocodile and vegetables so it’s always fresh and cooked in the traditional way for another cultural experience. If you like fruit there is certainly no shortage as the lodge grows its own red paw paws and there are a wide selection of other locally grown fruits including bananas, mangoes, star fruit, mangosteens, pineapple and even local vanilla beans. On special occasions and also by special request a traditional earth oven cooking feast may be arranged for groups of 8 or more with a day’s notice.

Vanimo Surf Lodge has contacts with local villages to facilitate tours around the area and a favourite is the Waterfall tour where you meet with a team of guides who walk you along the cool mountain stream for approximately 2 kms upstream to a series of waterfalls where the water is so refreshing, crystal clear and cool.

The lodge can also arrange snorkelling and game fishing tours on request. The sea abounds with life as you can imagine in this idyllic blue water location without the threat of fishing trawlers attacking it on a daily basis. Local fishing is mostly enjoyed using a handline in a single person dugout canoe. For those looking for some adventure a little further afield the lodge can arrange a day tour into Indonesia’s thriving township of Jayapura approximately 2 hours’ drive to the west but you’ll need to arrange an Indonesian visa either before you leave home or at the Indonesian consulate in Vanimo town.

The lodge clientele ranges from those looking for adventure in waves surrounded by a jungle shoreline in uncrowded waves where smiling and waving dominates any aggression in the line-up which is reserved for the wave faces to those simply wanting to relax by the beach sipping a cool drink such as an iced coconut and mixer of your choice or coffee. Papua New Guinea grows some of the world’s finest Arabica coffee so you can be sure it is as fresh as you can get.

Disclaimer - This surf trip is an independent surf operator and is not part of or in partnership with The Perfect Wave Travel Co. The Perfect Wave acts as an agent only. We sell various travel related products on behalf of numerous transport, accommodation and other service providers, such as airlines, land based accommodation and boat charter operators. The Perfect Waves' obligation is to make travel bookings on your behalf and to arrange relevant contracts between you and travel service providers. The Perfect Wave has no responsibility for these services nor do we make or give any warranty of representation regarding their standards. All bookings are made subject to the terms and conditions and limitations of liability imposed by these service providers.

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