The Adventurer’s Guide to Papua New Guinea

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Papua New Guinea, or PNG, is not the most accessible travel destination you can pick for your holiday. Located on the eastern part of the island of New Guinea (the other half belongs to Indonesia), PNG is a fascinating place with a unique culture and tons of sights, but unfortunately with an almost non-existent tourism infrastructure. On one hand, this can be considered as a blessing: nothing is artificial or modified for the sake of trapping tourists, what you see is what you get. And what you get are gritty towns, isolated mountains, jungles and villages that don’t seem to have changed for centuries.

Port Moresby

The country’s capital and also the main point of entry into PNG. Port Moresby is a not a large town by western standards, but what it lacks in size it makes up in diversity. There are lots of traditional sights, for example the building of the Parliament, the Botanical Garden, several craft markets and monuments. The city’s nightlife is pretty lively, but unfortunately Moresby has the reputation of being quite crime-infested, so hanging around the streets on your own at night might not be such a good idea.

The Highlands

Most of the population of Papua New guinea lives in the  Highlands, which incidentally is the least accessible part of the country. In the Eastern Highlands, Kainantu, Goroka and the village of Bena Bena are somewhat used to visitors, and sometimes as a tourist you might get more privileges than a local (for example, in some villages the locals have built spirit houses – where their ancestors where traditionally honoured – for the benefit of tourists).

In these regions you’ll have the opportunity to find rare handmade objects, as the highland villages are famous for their handicrafts. In the Western Highlands, if you are lucky, you might observe a few sing-sings – celebrations of events ranging from marriages to the opening of a new shop. The Southern Highlands are home to the Huli Wigmen, members of a tribe who actually look like the western perception of what a tribesman should look like: painted skin and wigs made of human hair.

Madang

photo by Jan Messersmith

The capital of Madang province in the northern part of the island is a great spot for diving and snorkeling. Papua New Guinea is a poplar destination for divers, seeing as it has one of the healthiest coral reefs in the world. What makes these diving spots interesting are the wrecks of WWII ships which are still lying on the bottom of the ocean. In addition to this, some also say that Madang is one of the the prettiest towns in the South Pacific.

Kokoda Track

Kokoda Track is a collection of trails leading from the south to the northern coast of the island, across the Owen Stanley mountain range. The trails cover around 100 kilometres, crossing over several valleys and villages.

Some of the trails are more difficult than the others, even if you’re not especially a fan of trekking, you’ll get the chance to see remote villages that you wouldn’t be able to reach any other way. The track is very populat nowadays, and sometimes trek parties can reach up to 100 members.

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