Gulf & Western Provinces

Introducing Gulf & Western Provinces

Rain drenched, sparsely populated and frighteningly remote, the Gulf and Western Provinces are the Wild West of PNG. A vast and mangrove-pocked coastline arches around the Gulf of Papua from one isolated community to the next. Inland the rich wetlands and seasonally flooded grasslands eventually give rise to the foothills and mountains of the Highlands.

Locals hardy enough to survive the thriving population of malarial mosquitoes and endless meals of sago get around by foot, canoe and small plane. There is barely a sealed road to be found, and roads of any description are rare. Because of this limited infrastructure, few travellers reach the area and even fewer do so independently. Those that do seldom venture far beyond the sleepy provincial capitals of Kerema and Daru, which attract a small, but growing, trickle of nature enthusiasts.

In the forests and riverside wetlands around Kiunga and Tabubil, adventurers are discovering a dizzying array of some of the island’s most exotic birds. Similarly, two of the country’s greatest rivers, the Fly and the Strickland, along with Tonda Wildlife Management Area, are receiving rave reviews from fishermen with the resources and tenacity to get there.

In the remote northwest corner of Western Province, the Ok Tedi Mine is of major economic importance to Papua New Guinea, and subject to considerable litigation by traditional landowners who are concerned about environmental degradation and the validity of royalty payment calculations.

In a country often considered the last frontier for adventure seeking travellers, it is only fitting that these provinces have the final word in the Papua New Guinea section of this book.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009