Port Moresby
1 hostel
The capital and main international gateway, with the national museum and nature park.
Papua New Guinea country guide
Papua New Guinea Travel Guide
Over 800 languages, the Kokoda Track, and highland festivals where hundreds of clans gather in full dress. The hardest country in this guide to travel, and the most extraordinary.
K150
A guesthouse room, from
800+
Languages
96km
The Kokoda Track
Aug
Goroka Show month
Difficult, expensive, and unlike anywhere
Papua New Guinea has more languages than any other country on earth (over 800) across a landscape of highlands, rainforest, rivers and islands that kept communities separate for millennia. It is the least-travelled country in this guide and the one that asks most of a visitor.
It is not a place to improvise. Most travel here happens through organised trips, lodges that arrange transfers, or dive operators, because domestic infrastructure is limited, internal flights are expensive and often the only option, and there are real security considerations in the main cities.
What draws people: the highland sing-sings, particularly the Goroka Show in September, where clans gather in feathers and paint; the Kokoda Track, 96km over the Owen Stanley Range with a heavy Second World War history; and world-class diving off Kimbe Bay, Milne Bay and Tufi.
Two to three weeks, planned in advance.
Where to go
Internal flights link the regions because roads rarely do. Plan around Air Niugini schedules.
What kind of trip is this?
PNG is a trekking, diving and cultural festival trip, and almost all of it is organised in advance.
Adventure in Papua New Guinea
The Kokoda Track and highland trekking.
What to do
- Walk Kokoda over eight to ten days
- Trek in the highlands
- Surf the north coast in season
Spots to visit
- Kokoda Track
- Owen Stanley Range
- Sepik
Best cities for it
Culture in Papua New Guinea
Sing-sings where hundreds of clans gather.
What to do
- The Goroka Show in September
- Mount Hagen Show in August
- Sepik spirit houses
Spots to visit
- Goroka
- Mount Hagen
- Sepik villages
Best cities for it
Beach in Papua New Guinea
Diving rather than lying down.
What to do
- Dive Kimbe Bay
- Milne Bay muck diving
- Tufi fjords
Spots to visit
- Kimbe Bay
- Milne Bay
- Tufi
Best cities for it
Food in Papua New Guinea
Root crops, mumu earth ovens and very good coffee.
What to do
- A mumu feast cooked in the ground
- Highland coffee at source
- Market produce in Goroka
Spots to visit
- Goroka market
- Mount Hagen
- Port Moresby
Best cities for it
City break in Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby is a base rather than a destination.
What to do
- The National Museum
- Port Moresby Nature Park
- Coastal views at Ela Beach
Spots to visit
- Port Moresby
- Goroka
Best cities for it
Budget in Papua New Guinea
Expensive, and organised trips dominate.
What to do
- Guesthouses over hotels
- Share transport and guides
- Travel in the dry season
Spots to visit
- Goroka
- Port Moresby
Best cities for it
Things to do
Things to do in Papua New Guinea
The highland shows are the reason many people come. The Goroka Show in September and the Mount Hagen Show in August bring together dozens or hundreds of clan groups in full dress (feathers, paint, shells and drums) and they are cultural gatherings rather than performances staged for visitors, though visitors are welcomed and ticketed.
The Kokoda Track runs 96km over the Owen Stanley Range and takes eight to ten days, following the Second World War campaign route. It must be walked with a licensed tour operator and porters, it is genuinely hard, and it costs K8,000 to K15,000 all in.
Diving is the other draw. Kimbe Bay on New Britain has extraordinary coral diversity in a small area, Milne Bay is known for muck diving, and Tufi has fjord-like rias with reefs at their mouths.
The Sepik River, reached by air and then boat, has carving traditions and haus tambaran spirit houses that are unlike anything else in the Pacific.
Food and drink
Eating in Papua New Guinea
The staples are sweet potato, taro, sago, banana and greens, with pork for occasions. A mumu (food cooked in an earth oven with hot stones) is the feast format and the centre of any celebration.
Highland markets in Goroka and Mount Hagen are full of produce and are among the best places to spend a morning in the country.
PNG coffee is the country's best-known export and is grown in the highlands around Goroka and Mount Hagen, much of it smallholder-grown and genuinely excellent at source.
Restaurant food is largely limited to Port Moresby, hotels and lodges, where a meal is K40 to K100. Outside those, you eat what your guesthouse or lodge cooks. Betel nut (buai) is chewed widely and stains everything red.
Nightlife
Going out in Papua New Guinea
There is very little in the way of nightlife accessible to visitors, and going out at night in Port Moresby is not advisable: hotel bars and restaurants, reached by arranged transport, are where evenings happen.
SP Lager is the national beer, at K10 to K20.
Outside the cities, evenings are at your lodge or guesthouse. At the highland shows, the evenings around the festival are social and lively, and that is when a lot of the real cultural exchange happens.
Betel nut chewing is the ubiquitous social habit rather than drinking, and in some provinces alcohol restrictions apply.
Getting around
Getting around Papua New Guinea
Flying is how the country works. Air Niugini and PNG Air link the main centres, and there is often no road alternative: Port Moresby has no road connection to the highlands at all. Fares are high by regional standards, K400 to K1,200 a leg, and schedules change.
The Highlands Highway connects Lae with Goroka, Mount Hagen and beyond, and PMV buses run it, though travel by road in some areas carries security considerations and most visitors use arranged transport or fly.
In Port Moresby, use hotel transfers or arranged cars rather than walking or hailing transport.
For the Sepik, dive destinations and remote lodges, transfers are arranged by the operator as part of the booking: that is how travel is structured here.
Costs
What Papua New Guinea costs
PNG is expensive relative to what you get, mostly because internal flights and organised logistics dominate the budget rather than beds and food.
Guesthouses start around K150 to K350, and lodges are considerably more. Meals in hotels are K40 to K100, market food far less.
The big items: internal flights at K400 to K1,200 a leg, the Kokoda Track at K8,000 to K15,000 all in, dive packages at K600 to K1,500 a day at resorts, and show tickets and transfers during festival season.
A day, excluding flights and activities, comes to K250 to K500. Cash is important outside Port Moresby, ATMs are limited to main towns, and card acceptance is patchy.
Safety
Staying safe in Papua New Guinea
This section should be read before planning anything, because PNG requires more caution than anywhere else in this guide.
Government travel advice from the UK, Australia, the US and others warns about high levels of violent crime, particularly in Port Moresby, Lae and parts of the highlands, including carjacking and armed robbery. Advice for some provinces is more restrictive again, and it changes. Check your own government's current position before booking and follow it.
In practice this shapes how people travel: arranged transport rather than walking or public transport in cities, accommodation with security, movement during daylight, and lodges or operators handling logistics. Travellers who do this generally have trouble-free trips.
Health is the other consideration. Malaria is widespread and prophylaxis is essential, medical facilities are very limited, and serious cases are evacuated to Australia: insurance covering that is not optional.
Tribal disputes can flare locally and close roads. Ask your operator, not the internet, about current conditions in a specific area.
Entry and documents
Entry and documents
Many nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival at Port Moresby for 60 days, and an e-visa system also operates. Requirements change, so check the official PNG immigration position for your passport before booking.
Passports need six months' validity.
Yellow fever certification is required if arriving from an affected country. Proof of onward travel and accommodation is commonly requested.
The Kokoda Track requires a trek permit, which licensed operators arrange as part of your booking: independent walking is not permitted.
When to go
May to October is the dry season and the time to travel, and it happens to include the major highland shows in August and September.
Jan
Wet season. Roads difficult and diving visibility poorer
Feb
Peak wet in much of the country
Mar
Still wet, easing towards the end
Apr
Transitional. Conditions improving
May
Dry season begins. Good trekking conditions
Jun
Excellent. Dry and clear
Jul
Peak season. Best trekking and diving
Aug
Mount Hagen Show. Superb conditions
Sep
Goroka Show, the biggest of the year
Oct
Still dry. Very good
Nov
Wet season returning
Dec
Wet. Trekking becomes hard going
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs for Port Moresby, which is drier than most of the country. The highlands are much cooler, often 20°C by day and cold at night, and the Kokoda Track is walked in the dry season for good reason.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in kina.
Internal flights at K400–1,200 a leg, the Kokoda Track at K8,000–15,000 and dive packages at K600–1,500 a day sit outside these figures.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
What's on
What is on while you are there
The highland shows in August and September are what most cultural trips are built around.
September
Goroka Show
Goroka
The largest sing-sing in the country, with dozens of clan groups in full dress. Book accommodation months ahead.
August
Mount Hagen Cultural Show
Mount Hagen
The other major highland gathering, similar in scale and spectacle.
April to November
Kokoda trekking season
Owen Stanley Range
When the track is walked, with Anzac Day in April a significant date on it.
September
Hiri Moale Festival
Port Moresby
Marking the traditional Hiri trading voyages, with canoe races and dance.
July
National Mask Festival
Kokopo, East New Britain
Mask traditions from across the country, including fire dancing.
May to October
Dry season
Nationwide
Best trekking, diving visibility and road conditions.
Papua New Guinea travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is Papua New Guinea safe to visit?
It needs more caution than anywhere else in this guide. Government advice from the UK, Australia and the US warns about violent crime, particularly in Port Moresby, Lae and parts of the highlands, and restricts some provinces. Check your own government's current position. Travellers who use arranged transport, stay in secure accommodation, move in daylight and let operators handle logistics generally have trouble-free trips.
What is a sing-sing?
A gathering where clan groups perform in full traditional dress: feathers, paint, shells and drums. The Goroka Show in September and Mount Hagen Show in August are the largest, and they are genuine cultural gatherings rather than shows staged for tourists.
Can I walk the Kokoda Track independently?
No. It must be walked with a licensed tour operator who arranges permits and porters. It runs 96km over the Owen Stanley Range, takes eight to ten days, is genuinely hard, and costs K8,000 to K15,000 all in.
How do you get around?
By plane, mostly. Port Moresby has no road connection to the highlands at all, and internal flights run K400 to K1,200 a leg. In cities, arranged transport rather than walking or public transport is standard practice.
Is PNG expensive?
Yes, mostly because of flights and organised logistics rather than beds and food. Guesthouses from K150 to K350 and a day around K250 to K500, before internal flights, treks and dive packages.
When should I go?
May to October, the dry season, which conveniently includes the Mount Hagen Show in August and the Goroka Show in September. Accommodation around the shows books out months ahead.
What about health?
Malaria is widespread and prophylaxis is essential, medical facilities are very limited, and serious cases are evacuated to Australia. Insurance covering evacuation is not optional here.
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