Caves

The area around Alotau has several limestone caves including large caverns which are home to large colonies of bats and smaller 'skull caves' which are receptacles for the skulls of ancestors from pre missionary times. The story I heard was that when somebody important died they were buried up to their necks and a clay pot was put over the head. Once the flesh had rotted away the pot was removed and the skull was taken to a cave near the village.

The 'bat caves' near Alotau are home to 9 species of Bat, several spiders, and cockroaches. When I visited a bandicoot and cane toad were sheltering from the rain in the cave entrance. We were told that during the war many villagers hid inside these caves, which have several large caverns. There are other caves in the area, one of which requires wading through waist deep water to access.

Milne Bay Magic Tours operates tours to both skull caves and bat caves.

Trobriand Islands