The “Mayang 2026” expedition, led by the French exploration group Centre Terre, is a major scientific and caving mission into the remote Nakanai Mountains of Papua New Guinea. Its primary purpose is to locate and explore the underground system feeding the mysterious Mayang resurgence—one of the largest karst water outflows in the world—which has remained largely unexplored despite decades of attempts. The expedition targets a vast, untouched region of dense rainforest and rugged limestone terrain, aiming to map caves, trace underground rivers, and reach the elusive “collector” system believed to drive this massive water flow.

Beyond exploration, the expedition has a strong multidisciplinary scientific focus. Researchers are studying geology, hydrology, biodiversity, climate records, and human interaction with the environment to better understand this unique and largely inaccessible ecosystem. The findings are intended to fill major knowledge gaps about one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and support conservation efforts, including a potential UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Nakanai karst region. Overall, the expedition combines extreme exploration with scientific research to reveal and protect one of the planet’s last truly unknown cave systems.

Photo of Bo’s presentation at April VSA meeting. Courtesy of Nadine Muresan.