The Upper Sepik villages are smaller and more spread out. Here the river narrows into hilly, denser country, and only small boats are able to navigate upstream from Ambunti . There are no roads in the Upper Sepik region, so travel is difficult without careful planning, but for the adventurous it can be interesting.

Villages on the Upper Sepik are known for their specialised religious cults. The people of Maio and Yessan have a yam cult, and the isolated village of Swagup is the home of the insect people, whose art form incorporates the figures of the sago beetle, dragonfly, praying mantis, and other insects. The Swagup people have their own language and are renowned for their tenacity.

The Sandaun Province is near the Irian Jaya border and is inhospitable terrain. It is home to the Upper Sepik people who move around in long, narrow dug out canoes. Travel is always difficult as there are no roads and the rivers are narrow.

The centres are Vanimo and Amanab and villages around here have strong religious beliefs centred on deities that are believed to hold supernatural powers vital for survival in this remote and dense countryside.

Aitape was established as a station by the Germans in 1905 and was occupied by the Japanese during World War ii. Bits of aircraft wreckage can be found near the wartime Tadji airstrip and a war memorial stands nearby.

The headwaters of the Sepik River are in West Sepik Province. Here the river narrows into dense, mountainous country and only small boats can navigate upstream from the village of Ambunti. There are no roads in the Upper Sepik and much of the province is covered in rainforest.

The villages here are known for their specialist religious cults. The people of Maio and Yessan have a yam cult and the isolated village of Swagup is the home of the insect people, whose art form incorporates the figures of the sago beetle, dragonfly, praying mantis and other insects.

Among the distinctive artefacts from Sandaun are painted canoes of Sissano Lagoon and large shields from the Telefomin district. The shields have broad zigzag, spiral or V designs that represent their ancestors' bodies.

Air Niugini flies to Vanimo weekly en route to Jayapura, Irian Jaya