Vunalama is a remote village deep in the interior of New Britain island, Papua New Guinea, reachable only by helicopter or grueling overland travel through some of the most challenging jungle terrain on Earth. The village is home to the Baining people, an indigenous group renowned for their elaborate ceremonial traditions, including sacred fire dances that have been practiced for generations. New Britain's interior jungles are among the least-explored environments on the planet — Gates describes them from the air as "some of the wildest and least-explored jungles on Earth," noting that Papua New Guinea averages approximately two newly discovered species per week. The surrounding jungle is known to contain numerous unidentified aircraft wrecks from the Pacific Theater of World War II, which is what drew Gates here in the first place. In the series premiere of Expedition Unknown, Gates helicoptered roughly 40 miles inland from the coast to investigate local reports of airplane wreckage that some believe could be the remains of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra.
Baining people established communities across the interior of New Britain, developing distinct ceremonial traditions including the fire dance
Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear over the Pacific; their fate and the location of their Lockheed Electra remain unresolved
Pacific Theater operations bring extensive Allied and Japanese air activity over New Britain, resulting in numerous aircraft losses in the surrounding jungle
Gates helicopters to Vunalama Village in S01E01 of Expedition Unknown to investigate local reports of jungle aircraft wreckage possibly linked to Earhart
The Baining people of New Britain are one of the oldest and most culturally distinct indigenous groups in the Pacific, with a ceremonial life centered on elaborate masked dances and fire rituals that anthropologists believe carry deep spiritual significance. Their fire dance — performed at night, with dancers moving through and over open flames — is considered among the more visually striking indigenous ceremonies in Oceania, though the full meaning of the ritual is guarded within the community itself. Gates encountered this ceremony firsthand during his visit, though he deferred to his hosts rather than offering any outside interpretation of its significance.
New Britain's jungle interior presents a genuinely unresolved historical puzzle when it comes to aircraft wrecks. The island saw intense aerial activity during World War II, and the dense, mountainous terrain swallowed many planes from both sides of the conflict. Researchers and aviation historians have documented numerous unidentified wrecks across Papua New Guinea, and new discoveries continue to emerge from the jungle decades after the war ended. Any wreckage found in the region is far more likely — statistically speaking — to be a WWII-era military aircraft than anything connected to Earhart's 1937 disappearance.
The Earhart connection is the more speculative thread Gates is pulling on here. The prevailing theory among mainstream researchers is that Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan went down somewhere in the central Pacific near Howland Island, far from New Britain. Fringe theories have placed wreckage in various Pacific locations over the decades, but none have produced verified physical evidence of the Electra. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) has conducted extensive research in the Phoenix Islands, while other investigators have pursued leads in the Marshall Islands — no theory centered on New Britain has gained significant traction among mainstream aviation historians.
What the Expedition Unknown episode contributes is a vivid portrait of just how vast and genuinely unexplored New Britain's interior remains, and how local oral traditions can preserve knowledge of things — including downed aircraft — that outside researchers have never catalogued. Gates' visit to Vunalama is less a definitive investigation than an honest acknowledgment that the jungle holds secrets that haven't been sorted out yet. The episode explores the possibility without claiming resolution, which is an accurate reflection of where the Earhart search stands.
Papua New Guinea is believed to average approximately two newly discovered species per week, making it one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth — a statistic Gates cites while flying over the jungle toward Vunalama.
The Baining fire dance is a sacred ceremonial tradition in which performers move through open flames, and it is considered one of the most distinctive indigenous ceremonies in the Pacific.
New Britain's interior jungle contains numerous unidentified WWII-era aircraft wrecks, a legacy of the island's position as a major battleground in the Pacific Theater.
Gates noted on camera that at 6'3", he made what he called 'a pretty easy target for a well-aimed projectile' when uncertain whether the group approaching the helicopter was a welcome party or something else entirely.
Vunalama and the Baining interior of New Britain are extremely remote and not set up for independent tourism — access generally requires charter helicopter or extended overland travel in capable vehicles, and conditions can deteriorate rapidly with weather. Travelers interested in Baining culture should seek out organized cultural tourism operators based in Kokopo or Rabaul, who can arrange more accessible encounters with Baining communities and fire dance ceremonies. Check current travel advisories for Papua New Guinea before planning any visit to the interior.
Kokopo (formerly Rabaul), approximately 40–50 miles east of the Vunalama area on the northeastern coast of New Britain.
The dry season, roughly May through October, generally offers more manageable travel conditions in New Britain's interior, though the jungle remains humid and unpredictable year-round. Rain can ground helicopters and make overland routes impassable with little warning.
Australian Outback
The Australian Outback features in Gates investigations connected to remote, frontier-style searches for missing persons and lost history in the Pacific-adjacent world.
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean has been a focus of Earhart-related and other Pacific disappearance investigations, connecting thematically to the same S01E01 mystery Gates pursues at Vunalama.
Sky Caves of Nepal
The Sky Caves of Nepal represent a similarly extreme, helicopter-accessed remote investigation in an indigenous cultural landscape — the same format Gates used to reach Vunalama.