Papua New Guinea
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
In regard to border crossings, the latest news is that PNG and Indonesia have agreed to close their only common road border crossing, between Jayapura and Vanimo, because of PNG's concern over the SARS outbreak. They're also clamping down on sea travel between the two countries, although there are no scheduled boat services anyway. This closure makes it impossible to travel directly between the two countries, since there are also no scheduled flights between PNG and Indonesia. The next best way to travel via Cairns from either Port Moresby or Denpassar, but it's a long way round. The closure is valid for 3 months, but that will obviously depend on the spread of SARS. Keep up to date with the PNG papers: The National and Post Courier
Alan McNeil, Australia, (May 03)
Travel Tips
In Wewak town centre there are two banks, one of which has ATMs. Unfortunately though, the ATMs only accept Papua New Guinean bank cards - so foreign visa/maestro/link/mastercards are not accepted. The bank concerned also do not allow cash withdrawals on these cards (they referred me to Port Moresby). Luckily, the Westpac bank in the centre did offer cash withdrawal against a visa card - so i did manage to get some money out.
Nick Smallwood, UK (Jan 06)
The villagers are very friendly and welcoming and quite used to visitors. However, remember that this is their home and you are just visiting so respect their cultural rules. Villagers are fairly prudish, so always wear long shorts (knee length) or pants/skirts and t-shirts. When bathing, even swimming costumes are a bit too revealing. Men should wear shorts and women should either bathe in shorts and a t-shirt, or a laplap (sarong)-bikinis are out and nude bathing is not acceptable in any of the villages, although men can usually get away with it. As a general rule, do not enter the waswas if there is an adult already in it; bathing with children is acceptable. This is really only an issue in Haia as Herowana has an indoor shower and Maimafu's outdoor shower is enclosed.
Also remember that you are an oddity and in their culture it is not rude to stare. You will be followed by curious children and stared at by everyone anytime you are out in the village, so don't be intimidated. On the contrary, a smile and a cheerful "apinun" will break the ice and help you get some interesting conversations started with the locals. Most will speak only tok pisin and tok ples (the local language), but most villages have a few English speakers as well. Try to learn some basic tok pisin as this will make your visits to villages easier and more enjoyable.
Nancy Staus, USA (Jun 02)
Moving About
I recently drove to the beginning of the Kokoda Trail near Sogeri. It is a short, 30 minutes or so drive from Port Moresby. Once you arrive at Soreri, you turn left at a small war memorial and head along a dirt road. This dirt road is like red sand. It's dusty and dry but when it rains, it turns to very slippery clay. I was driving a 4WD and was caught in a huge downpour. Even my 4WD was slipping all over the place. It's probably not a good idea to attempt to drive this dirt road in rain unless you are in a decent 4WD.
Mark Alexander, Australia (Dec 04)
Regular PMVs heading south on Bougainville Island depart most days. It costs about k60-70 plus gear if you have lots of it. The road is in pretty good condition down to Arawa but beyond that it becomes an adventure in its self just travelling.
Steve, Papua New Guinea (Nov 03)
Getting from A to B usually takes longer than one thinks. Once in a PMV or truck 10-20 km per hour is a good estimate. Waiting is the other issue. On the main highlands highway it is usually no problem. Getting further out west towards Tari or in the backcountry longer waits are common. Sundays are usually a bad day to travel even though I was mostly lucky and actually reached my destinations also on these days.
Erik Schäffer, Germany (Sep 02)
Scams & Warnings
The currency of Papua New Guinea (Kina) has fallen in value to one third it's value of less than two years ago. The Papua New Guinea Government wants to encourage tourism. This means that from being an expensive place to visit, Papua New Guinea is now great value. However this has brought it's own problems.
Virtually everything in Papua New Guinea is imported, there have been steep price increases for the locals, bringing an already poverty stricken populace to new lows. Consequently there has been a very marked increase in crime.
We were attacked with machetes and robbed on a public vehicle just outside Mt.Hagen. They took everything except my wife's plastic, which they didn't find. I was able to buy my passport back in Hagen the next day. All this is so common that there is a regular routine to get passports back. One parades up and down a certain section of the street where you may be approached. I didn't manage to get anything other than my passport back although we hung around for three days.
Harold, UK (Oct 02)
Most visits to PNG are trouble-free. But visitors should be aware that in the cities of Port Moresby and Lae, the law and order situation remains very poor. Assaults, robbery, vehicle hijacks and serious sexual assaults are common. Whilst not specifically targeted, foreigners are much more visible targets. Violent incidents may occur without warning and vigilance is required at all times. Although there have been no incidents of terrorism in Papua New Guinea travellers should maintain extra vigilance at all times, bearing in mind the relative proximity to recent terrorist incidents in Indonesia.
UK Foreign Office, (Oct 02)
A word of caution: I was robbed in the Benaria valley even though I was accompanied by two locals and we took the trail that was supposed to be safe. 'Money or Life' and within a minute I only had my shirt, shorts and shoes left - the latter people told me was luck. I didn't lose any valuables/passport which I had left behind in Mt. Hagen. The complete valley was upset and I was more than taken well care of. I spent another three days in the valley and slowly half of my things came back after talking to the village leaders and pastors. They gave me shelter, food, and clothes. In the end they even collected some money for me that I could continue my journey back to Mt. Hagen. They accompanied me for two days and helped me to file a police report in Tari. The back country of the southern Highlands seems to be a bit rougher than other provinces. One often encounters people with home made guns for protection. At the moment I would advise to go hiking further towards the east. Lake Kutubu is a beautiful lake to visit though - bathtub temperature in an excellent setting.
Erik Schäffer, Germany (Sep 02)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
There is a very interesting smoked body close to Watama Village which can be seen for a small donation to his brother who is still alive.
Christophe Rosat, Switzerland (Nov 02)
The eastern tip of the country, Milne Bay, is a great place to visit. Not only is it idyllic in pristine beauty, but it is so peaceful with friendly, humble people. It has been targeted as the number one eco-tourism destination in the country. Milne Bay has some of the best diving in the world, unique orchids, birds of paradise, interesting trekking and lots of village guest houses in the rural areas where people will look after you. It is a safe and peaceful place, no matter what is happening in other parts of the country.
Gretta Kwasnicka Todurawai (Mar 02)
I reached the top of Mount Wilhelm in a haze of fatigue, mild altitude sickness and tears of joy. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I felt the times suggested in the Lonely Planet were rather optimistic. We reached the top in five and a half hours, but this was considerably quicker than the other groups who went up at the same time. One group took seven and a half hours, and the last one, eight and a half hours. Also, the trip down took all groups at least four hours.
Melanie Hirsch, UK (Jan 02)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
Papua New Guinea was my most exhausting but also rewarding destination so far. What I first had to get used to, was that one hardly ever meets any other travellers - at least during the time that I was there (Jan. 02 - Feb. 02). The 'rainy' season is not that rainy after all. Maybe every 3-4 days a downpour in the afternoon or over night. In the seven weeks I was there I met only 2 other travellers. Travelling by myself this meant no exchange of experiences with anybody else but the native people and occasionally a missionary. With broken English/Pidgin this was difficult in the beginning and a deeper conversation was sometimes missing. However, after a while you get used to the slow and easy life - it is very pleasing to just sit for hours in the same spot gazing at the nature and life around you. Sometimes one feels like nothing has changed here since the stone ages. In one village, people sometimes still light their fires using friction - matches are not reliable.
Erik Schäffer, Germany (Sep 02)
I did the walk from Menyamya to Kerema this Summer. It was absoutely great and I can recommend it to everyone who is interested in nature, people and tradition. You get to walk through a great variety of different vegetation in a completely untouched environment (Kunaigras, mountain forest, bush and rainforest). The people who live in the villages along the way are very friendly, curious and open. They still live off the forest and if you leave the main track they still wear traditional clothing. Be prepared to walk for 8 to 11 days (it is worthwhile to take your time) and eat kaukau every single day. In case something happens you can fly out of Kaintiba. I'd also like to recomend to join a sing-sing for a small donation at a village close to Watama (information at the Menyamya district office).
Christophe Rosat, Switzerland (Sep 02)
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