The HighlandsShopping

Shopping in The Highlands

  1. Hagen market

    The Hagen market is one of PNG's biggest and most varied (Saturday is the big day). It's the best place to buy bilums and Highland hats. There's also a vast range of fresh produce on sale and if you're lucky you may also see cuscus, pigs and birds trussed up on poles or in enclosures.

    It's busy each day and thieves work the crowd. They're mostly kids working in tandem - one might distract you while another snatches a bag or wallet. The atmosphere in the market can be edgy, and the best way to make friends is to buy stuff.

    reviewed

  2. market

    The open-air market is interesting to walk through. It's very busy on Saturday, but colourful any day and you'll see piles of potatoes and exotic leafy greens as well as more familiar tomatoes, capsicums and avocados. Bilums and Highland hats are sold, as are spools of intensely colourful twines and strings used in bilum manufacture. Watch out for pickpockets.

    reviewed

  3. artefacts shop

    There's an artefacts shop near Mendi Motors that sells hand-loomed products, baskets and weapons. Mendi dolls make a good buy, although they are now rarely in the traditional designs, which had religious significance.

    reviewed