Travel Papua New Guinea

The country is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, at the point of collision of several tectonic plates. There are a number of active volcanoes, and eruptions are frequent. Earthquakes are relatively common, sometimes accompanied by tsunamis.
The country's geography is diverse and, in places, extremely rugged. A spine of mountains, the New Guinea Highlands, runs the length of the island of New Guinea, forming a populous highlands region mostly covered with tropical rainforest. Dense rainforests can be found in the lowland and coastal areas as well as very large wetland areas surrounding the Sepik and Fly rivers. This terrain has made it difficult for the country to develop transportation infrastructure. In some areas, airplanes are the only mode of transport. The highest peak is Mount Wilhelm at 4,509 metres (14,793 ft). Papua New Guinea is surrounded by coral reefs which are under close watch to preserve them.

Climate

Papua New Guinea is just to the south of the equator and has a tropical climate. In the highlands, though, temperatures are distinctly cool. The (very) wet season runs from about December to March. The best months for trekking are June to September.

Cities

• Port Moresby — the capital city with its interesting Zoological gardens, the Parliament building, the museum, and general Melanesian atmosphere.

• Alotau — laid-back capital of Milne Bay province and gateway to some fascinating but remote islands.

• Goroka — an attractive highland town with pleasant climate and the annual Goroka Show. Centre of the country's coffee industry.

• Lae — the country's second city, main commercial center and gateway to the Highlands.

• Mt. Hagen — the 'wild-west' frontier town in the Highlands, which will introduce you to the cool, crisp Highlands weather and Highlands culture.

• Madang — a beautiful city with breathtaking flights of bats in the evening (it is illegal to hurt them), and even more breathtaking diving.

• Rabaul — the city at the foot of an active volcano which was evacuated and severely damaged by a major eruption in 1994.

• Vanimo — the border town if you want to make you way to or from the province of Papua in neighbouring Indonesia. Popular surfing destination.

• Wewak — the gateway to the Sepik river, where you can experience Sepik culture, the river itself, and the elaborate carvings typical of the region.

Entry requirements

All foreign nationals who wish to enter Papua New Guinea are required to obtain a visa (either in advance or on arrival).
A visa (valid for 60 days, also known as 'Easy Visitor Permit') can be obtained on arrival in PNG (fees for Tourist Visitor are zero for many countries --> http://www.immigration.gov.pg/images/documents/Publication-Revised%20MSF2.pdf) if the applicant is not a national of one of the following countries: all African countries (including North Africa), all Middle Eastern countries, all Central American and Caribbean countries (except Mexico), all Central Asian countries, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, China (not including Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan), Cyprus, Georgia, India, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam (see here for the full list of countries).
Alternatively, a visa (also known as an 'entry permit') can be obtained in advance at a PNG embassy, high commission or consulate. The application fee (per person) is 75 kina (tourist/visitor), 200 kina (yachtsperson), 500 kina (businessperson/journalist) or 50 kina (sportsperson).
As of August 2014, 60 day tourist visas are issued by the PNG consulate in Jayapura free of charge. Processing time is five business days.
If you live in a country that does not have a Papua New Guinean embassy or consulate, you may be able to apply for a PNG visa in advance at an Australian or British embassy, high commission or consulate. For example, the Australian Embassy in Copenhagen  accepts applications for PNG visas from residents of Denmark, Iceland and Norway; the Australian Embassies in Budapest  and Warsaw also issue PNG visas. The British Embassy in Minsk and Riyadh and the British Consulates in Al Khobar and Jeddah accept applications for PNG visas (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a PNG visa application and an extra £70 if the PNG Department of Immigration and Citizenship requires the visa application to be referred to them. The PNG Department of Immigration and Citizenship can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly.
More information about the PNG visas is available at the website of the PNG Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

By plane

Jackson International Airport in Port Moresby is the nation's international airport.

• Air Niugini flies to and from Cairns, Sydney, and Brisbane, Australia; Honiara, Solomon Islands; Manila, Philippines; Tokyo (Narita), Japan; Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

• Airlines of Papua New Guinea  flies to and from Cairns, and Brisbane.

• Pacific Blue connects Port Moresby to Brisbane four times a week.

• QANTASLINK  flies to and from Cairns daily

By boat

The ports include Madang, Lae, and Port Moresby on the mainland, Kieta on Bougainville, and Rabaul and Kimbe on New Britain. However, they are only internal ferries. International ferries are unavailable.
There are also cruises such as the Coral Princess and ones from Aurora Expeditions .
Few travellers travel between Buin in Bougainville and Shortland Island in the Solomon Islands by a banana boat. There are flights between Shortland Island and Gizo or Chiusel in the Solomon Islands (alternatively banana boats on very rough seas). This route has been described on a few blogs and older editions of the Lonely Planet.

By land

The only land border is with Papua (Irian Jaya), Indonesia, and crossing it involves some preparations but is not that difficult as it might have been. In Jayapura, Indonesia, there is a consulate to apply for a tourist visa. The consulate is located in Mendi, a 10 min green bus ride away from Jayapura's capital. As of August 2014 the tourist visas are free of charge. There's a currency exchange office nearby with good rates to buy kina.
Depending on your Indonesian visa there are different options to cross the border. If you have a visa on arrival, issued to you for example at the Jakarta Airport, you can only cross the border using a boat or by stamping out at customs in Jayapura and then immediately traveling to the border 30km away. Western travelers attempting the latter should expect to pay some miscellaneous fees and jump moderate bureaucratic hoops before leaving.
Boats can be rented from Hamedi.
Any other type of visa you can rent a car, or an ojek and cross the land border. If renting a vehicle for the crossing one should expect to pay approximately 300,000 rupiah from Jayapura town and travelers should expect to pay upwards of 500,000 rupiah to return from the border to Jayapura. Shared taxis to the border leave early in the morning from Pasar Youtefa, among other places. Alternatively, from the same place, you can catch a bemo to the village Koya Timur (half way to the border, 9000 rp, frequent departures) from where you can hire an ojek to the border for 70000 rp or try to hitchhike.
From the border to Vanimo a bus charges 10 kina. A few days a week there is a market at Batas, immediately on the Indonesian side of the border, that attracts many shoppers from PNG. IThe roads are busy on those days.
In April 2014, following a shooting, the land border was closed for any traffic. As of late July 2014 it seems to be back to normal. Travel by sea in banana boats is always an option, although more expensive.

See

South New Guinea

The Kokoda Trail is a 60-mile trail, beginning in the Port Moresby area and leading up into the Owen Stanley Range. This trail was first used by gold miners in the 1890s and is most known as a historical World War II site as the Japanese tried to reach Port Moresby along it. It takes about five days to hike this track, which includes plenty of ups and downs between mountain ridges and streams.

The Highlands

The Highland region is made of long string of fertile valleys, each separated by mountains, that mean the Highlands are composed of many distinct tribal regions.
In the Eastern Highlands is Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea's highest mountain (14,880 feet). Climbing Wilhelm is relatively easy; but three or four days are recommended to allow for sightseeing. There are views of both the north and south coasts of New Guinea from the peak. The Wahgi River in this area is considered one of the best whitewater rafting destinations in the world.

The Northern Coast

• Madang is good for scuba diving of all levels,and the coral reefs are home to a variety of rare species of colorful fish. There are also underwater wrecks of Japanese fighter planes, with weapons and cargo intact. There are still-active volcanoes for trekkers to hike up not far from Madang.

• Further west you come to Wewak. It is the gateway to the Sepik River region with a fascinating culture distinct from that of the Highlands. Take long canoe rides up the river and it's tributaries to visit the impressive Haus Tambaran's. The Crocodile Festival (Pukpuk Show) in early August in Ambunti on the Sepik river is a good and less crowded alternative to the Goroka and Hagen shows.

The Islands

• New Britain. This island offers excellent swimming and snorkeling. Trails in the area are perfect for day hikes and treks through the rainforest. There are also hot thermal springs and bubbling mud holes in this region of the island. The Baining people who inhabit the northeastern area of New Britain are famous for creating ephemeral art-forms, perhaps no better demonstrated than by their firedance. A dramatic and beautifully made mask is constructed from bark for this ceremony and thrown away as worthless immediately afterwards.

• Bougainville. Well off-the-beaten-path in the far east of the country, with great untapped tourism potential. World-class diving, dramatic treks and World War II Japanese relics are the key attractions.

• Trobriand Islands. The so called Islands of Love are well known for their unique culture.

Do

Scuba Diving

Go scuba diving, using one of more than a dozen local scuba diving operators. The national Scuba Diving industry body is a good starting point. Papua New Guinea has some of the very best tropical reef diving anywhere in the word.

Birdwatching

This a birdwatching mecca with over 700 species of birds including many birds of paradise. Definitely bring a pair of decent binoculars and ask in the villages for a volunteer to help you find the birds. An amazing experience!

Surfing

Information through the Surfing Association.

Trekking

Another popular attraction here is trekking through the mountains, coastal lowlands and rolling foothills of the Kokoda and other trails. The Kokoda Track attracts many hundreds of walkers a year.

Festivals

The most popular activities for tourists here are festivals such as the The Sing-Sing performances at the annual Goroka and Mt. Hagen shows. During these shows, there are usually more than fifty ensembles that turn up. The festivals are competitive and the winning ensemble is rewarded by being invited to give concerts at many restaurants and hotels during the following year. This beauty and colorfulness of New Guinea’s festivals is both pleasing to watch for tourists and helps the locals financially.

Fishing

Fishing is becoming increasingly popular. Species include Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Yellow Fin, Skipjack and Dogtooth Tuna and the Giant Trevally. Mahi Mahi (Dolphin Fish), Mackerel and Wahoo. A particularly challenging fish is the black bass, which, pound for pound, is considered to be the toughest fighting fish in the world.

Flightseeing

Flightseeing is a word that should have been coined here. If you can afford it, just flying around some of the remote airstrips is an adventure in itself. There are strips that seem impossibly short, strips that seem to end with a mountain, strips where if you don't take off in time you will plunge into a ravine, and airstrips surrounded on three sides by water. From Port Moresby you don't have to fly far to get the experience. There are flights to villages on the Kokoda trail and others in the Owen Stanley mountain range in Central Province and you can fly a scheduled circuit or "milk run" in one morning, although you will have to be at the airport by 5:00 a.m. Check with Airlines PNG for schedules. Fane, Ononge and Tapini strips are particularly scary. Remember your life insurance.

Stay safe

This has a reputation as a risky destination in some circles (primarily Australian ones), predominantly because of the activities of criminal gangs (known in Tok Pisin as raskols) in major cities, especially in Port Moresby and Lae.
That is generally a result of unemployment stemming from increased domestic migration from subsistence farming in the hills to the nearest urban area.
There is no history of heavy settlement in the Port Moresby and Lae areas. Hence, they are colonial cities comprised of a mix of tribal people which fosters instability. Madang, Wewak, Goroka, Mt. Hagen, and Tari are much safer with longer periods of settlement and a more stable tribal homogeneity.
The villages are quite safe as the locals will "adopt" you as one of their own. In many places, if you are alone, someone will want to escort you to where you want to go even if they have to go out of their way and you haven't asked for it. Most people are extremely friendly, curious and helpful and it is easy to tell the bad guys from everyone else.
Avoid conflicts at all costs and stay calm whatever the situation. Many people are very temperamental and local conflicts (that will normally have nothing to do with you) might quickly get out of proportion. Superstition is very widespread. If you get mugged, stay calm and hand over your cash. Fortunately few people have guns but most people carry bush knives (they need them for their everyday business, which includes self defense). Most crime is related to alcohol or marijuana.
In case you get involved in any type of traffic accident, continue driving and find the nearest police station. If anyone gets hurt (a person, pig or chicken), no matter whose fault it is, there's a risk that someone might decide to take immediate reciprocal measures without much discussion.
If you are planning a trip to Papua New Guinea, avoid spending time in the cities as they are boring and devoid of the culture to be found in the villages.
If you must, the most important thing is to stay up to date on the law and order situation in the locations you are planning to visit.
Most hotels in Port Moresby are secure and situated inside compounds, generally with guards patrolling the perimeter. However, actual gunfire in the capital is mercifully rare. If you plan on taking a tour of any city, make inquiries with your hotel or accommodation provider, as many will be able to either walk with you or drive you to wherever you are planning to go, or just around the local area if that is what you want to do.
Avoid going out after dark, but if you must, stay very alert.
Flying in small planes can be very risky. Hardly a year goes by without at least one fatal accident (the most recent in August 2009 when 12 people were killed). While the planes are usually well-maintained and the pilots technically proficient the problem is the mountainous terrain. Many smaller airfields are situated in steep valleys. When there is cloud cover planes have difficulty in finding them and sometimes crash into a mountain. The national airline, Air Niugini, which flies internationally and to the major cities of the country has, however, an unblemished safety record in 32 years of operation.
Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are common in Papua New Guinea and are capable of growing to immense lengths of 7 m or more (although individuals over 6 m are rare). They occasionally devour humans and should be shown respect at all times. They are equally at home in coastal waters as they are in freshwater lakes and rivers. Swimming is generally not advised except at higher elevations and in hotel swimming pools. Papua New Guinea, along with Australia, has the highest and healthiest population of large Saltwater Crocodiles in the world.
Papua New Guinea is home to many active volcanoes and several of the most popular treks involve getting close or actually climbing one or more of these. Always heed local advice and a regular check of The Smithsonian Institute's Volcanic Activity Report  would be wise.

Scams

There are some rogue travel operators in Papua New Guinea who have taken people's money and then failed to provide the itinerary agreed or even in some cases have not bought the flights that were paid for, leaving travellers stranded or having to buy new tickets themselves. It is wise to use a search engine and travel forums to investigate the operator you are considering before paying any deposits. Be aware that these operators will often change their names from time to time.
Although PNG is definitely not a place where bargaining is expected or tolerated (many things might have a "second price" though, especially souvenirs and art), there are some dishonest people who might try to make a buck from the white man. Inform yourself beforehand or ask other passengers about bus fares. Shop around before chartering boats or canoes. Since there are some very rich tourists in PNG who pay ridiculous amounts of money for certain services, it is easy to understand why someone might think that Caucasian visitors have bottomless pockets. When chartering boats always make sure if the fuel is included.
Instead of bargaining beforehand, many guides, boat skippers etc. might try to extract extra money at the end of your journey, no matter what you agreed on beforehand. This is sometimes due to an honestly bad calculation on their side, but most often it is simply a way to make some extra money. If possible, be prepared to show that the previously agreed amount is all the money you have on your person. Otherwise, just stay firm but friendly!