In the Hidden
THE KWAIO PEOPLE OF MALAITA
The Kwaio are one of the very last melanesian tribes holding on to their traditions. Some groups still remain in the hidden, as they call it, and live according to Kastom -their indigenous culture-, rejecting church and modern life.
These families live in extremely inaccesible places, but recently a few chiefs started opening up to visitors and asked us to help them promoting their way of life to the outside world. Hence we set up this homepage. Goals are:
Giving these last few "Kastom-Man" an outlet to reach the world.
Connecting those interested to visit this unique place directly with them.
Some things to keep in mind
Remoteness
Access to the bush on Malaita is very limited and there is no infrastructure in place for visitors yet. Visiting the Kwaio and staying with them further inland is more of an adventure than just a trip. But of course becoming one of the first visitors ever isn't expected to be easy!
Time/Flexibility
You should allocate a lot of time for an adventure like this. Reaching some of the remote Kwaio will take days and things like weather, transportation, unforeseen issues may add up to the number of days required. We would recommend to stay on Malaita for a week at least.
Neccessities
Preparation! Contacting some of our Kwaio friends in advance is possible and prearranging parts of the trip is higly recommended. Still Malaita is an expensive and in parts "complex" island, therefore it really can't be done without serious dedication, a reasonable budget and proper preparation.
Photos from Kwaio
Other Indigenous Tribes
We have stayed with numerous other rather "isolated" and traditional living tribes around the world. Most of those tribes are not accessible to short-term visitors - but some are! You can contact us anytime regarding the Kwaio, but also other remote indigenous people and we may be able to suggest you some possibilities and especially tribes that are interested in having visitors.
More Photos Contact us
