Papua New Guinea

Getting around

Boat

Island hopping through PNG and the Solomons is a pretty cool way of travelling, especially if you have no concern for time. Unless you take a cruise, the only certainties of travelling this way are that you’ll have a truly memorable, exotic experience, and you’ll spend a lot of time sitting under palm trees waiting for your freighter, banana boat, luxury yacht or outrigger canoe to finally set sail. But hey, life could be worse.

The main ways of getting around by sea are by large boats, small boats, charters and yacht crewing.

Cruise boats

Melanesian Travel Services (MTS; www.mtspng.com), owners of the Madang Resort Hotel, Malagan Beach Resort et al, sold their popular cruise boat MTS Discoverer in November 2006. They plan to build another cruiser soon.

For the time being, that leaves only the Sepik Spirit, run by Trans Niugini Tours (www.pngtours.com), cruising PNG waters full-time. It can accommodate up to 18 people in its nine luxury rooms and does mainly Sepik River cruises, usually packaged with the company’s luxury lodges in the Highlands and on the river. It’s not cheap – all inclusive four-day/three-night Sepik cruise costs about US$1740 per person, twin share.

Large boats

Sailing from one exotic locale to the next, via who-knows-where, on a slowly rolling freighter has a certain Joseph Conrad–style romance to it. And while cargo boats generally don’t take travellers, it’s worth trying your luck. Lae on the north coast is the main shipping hub in PNG, and it’s the best place to look; ask around the port to see what’s going. You’ll almost always have more luck getting on a freighter by talking directly to the ship’s captain (and perhaps investing in a few SP Lagers) rather than the office people. Accommodation is usually in a spare cabin and you should ask about food and water (you’ll probably have to BYO). Bring plenty to keep yourself entertained as freighter ‘schedules’ are unreliable due to delays in loading/unloading cargoes. If freighters load (or ­expect to load) dangerous cargo such as petrol, they will not accept passengers.

If you don’t have time to sit around waiting, there are regular passenger services linking the island provinces with Lae and, to a lesser extent, Madang.

Several boats have recently started scheduled services to the islands of Milne Bay, making those more accessible than they have been for years. There are no passenger vessels linking the north and south coasts or any running along the south coast.

The main operators along the north coast and to the islands are Lutheran Shipping (472 2066 in Lae, 852 2577 in Madang, fax 852 3641; luship.madang@global.net.pg) and Rabaul Shipping (Star Ships; 982 1070/1071, fax 982 1955 in Rabaul; rabship@starships.com.pg). Based in Lae, Lutheran Shipping has a virtual monopoly on passenger shipping along the north coast. Boats run at least once a week from Lae to Oro Bay, Finschhafen, Madang, Kimbe and Rabaul. From Rabaul there are regular boats to Kavieng and Manus. Schedules are released at the end of the month for the following month, and you can only make a booking once the schedule is out. Even then, the departure is far from guaranteed.

Some boats carry cargo and passengers and have tourist class (air-conditioned seats and berths) and deck class (air-vented seats and berths). Deck class can get crowded; both classes have video ‘entertainment’ and it’s worth avoiding bunks near the video. There sometimes are simple snack bars which might be just someone with soft drinks in a cooler and a carton of kundu crackers. Students are sometimes entitled to discounts.

Small boats

In addition to the freighters and passenger boats, local boats and canoes go literally every­where. For these you have to be in the right place at the right time but, with patience, you could travel the whole coastline by village hopping in small boats.

Trade boats – small, wooden boats with thumping diesel engines – ply the coast, supplying trade stores and acting as ferries. They are irregular but if you’re prepared to wait, they can get you to some off-the-track places. Don’t expect comfort, bring your own food and make sure the operator is trustworthy before you commit yourself to a day or two aboard. If you’re in a major centre, such as Alotau, ask around the port and at the big stores, which might have a set schedule for delivering supplies to the area’s trade stores. Negotiate the fee before you leave.

For shorter distances, there are dinghies with outboard motors, often known as speedies or banana boats. These are usually long fibreglass boats that leap through the waves and are bone-jarringly uncomfortable. The cost of running outboard motors makes them expensive if you have to charter one, but there will often be a PMV boat (a public transport boat) with reasonable fares – about K20 to K30 per hour’s travel. Note, banana boats are no fun at all when the wind picks up and the open seas should be avoided. And the wind can pick up with little warning. We did a trip once returning from the Duke of Yorks back to Kokopo. The weather looked fine when we left but pretty soon the boat’s pilot was zigzagging around the crests of 3m waves and we were wet to the bone – it was genuinely terrifying! People die reasonably frequently in open-sea banana-boat crossings; try to stay within sight of shore.

For shorter distances, such as from Tufi to the surrounding villages, you might take an outrigger canoe and will be expected to assist with the paddling.

Yacht crewing

While there are thriving yacht clubs located in Port Moresby (www.rpyc.com.pg), Lae (472 4909; laeyacht@global.net.pg), Wewak (856 2708), Rabaul (982 1299; rabaulyc@global.net.pg), Honiara (22500) and Gizo (76004; (www.gizoyachtclub.com.sb), in practice it’s very hard to get a crewing berth on a yacht even if you have some experience. Yachties are sometimes looking for people to share costs and for the company. You could try contacting the yacht clubs directly or try the bulletin boards at www.noonsite.com.

^ Back to top

Hitching

Hitching is an important part of travelling in the region. The lack of scheduled transport means jumping onto a bus, truck, tractor, outrigger, freighter, plane – or whatever else is going your way – is a time-honoured way of getting around. You’ll often be expected to pay the equivalent of a PMV fare. If your bag is light, it’s also sometimes possible to hitch flights at small airports.

Keep in mind that hitching is never entirely safe in any country. Travellers who decide to hitch are taking a small but potentially serious risk, and solo women should absolutely not hitch in PNG. People who choose to hitch will be safer if they travel in pairs and let someone know where they are planning to go.

^ Back to top

Car & motorcycle

Driving yourself around PNG is not really a viable way of travelling. PNG really only has one road – the Highlands Hwy – that connects two or more places you might want to visit. It’s pointless bringing your own vehicle as even a dirt bike would need to be shipped between many locations due to the lack of roads. The same applies to buying a vehicle; it’s not worth the hassle.

You could, however, hire a car or 4WD in Lae or Madang for the trip up the Highlands Hwy, or perhaps to drive around New Ireland. All the major cities have an array of car-hire companies.

Hire

Four-wheel drives can be hired in most PNG cities, including on the islands, and in Lae and Port Moresby you can hire a plain old car. You must be 25 to hire a car and have either a credit card or K2500 cash as a deposit. Hiring anything will cost you an arm and probably both legs, and the rates are even higher when you add the per-km charges, insurance and tax. For example, a compact car (the cheapest option) costs from K175 per day, plus K0.80 per kilometre, plus 10% VAT, plus any fee for personal insurance. A 4WD is about K250 per day plus K1.35 per kilometre. Probably the cheapest way of hiring is with an accommodation and car-rental package; Coral Sea Hotels (www.coralseahotels.com.pg) and Budget do some good deals.

One-way rentals are available at locations along the Highlands Hwy.

Avis (324 9400; www.avis.com.pg)

Hertz (302 6822; sales@leasemaster.com.pg)

Travel-Car (323 9878; ­queenemmalodge@daltron.com.pg)

Insurance

Most hire companies supply full insurance as standard in their rental agreements, but be sure to ask before you drive off. This is particularly important as some travel insurance policies don’t cover driving off-road.

^ Back to top

Tours

From rough-and-ready village tours to luxury-lodge and cruise-boat affairs, there is a PNG tour to suit almost everyone. Of particular interest are the specialist tours catering to those with a penchant for watching wildlife, bird-watching, trekking and village-based tours. Smaller operators are usually cheaper and offer a more personal experience, though not necessarily a better-organised trip – try to contact them before coming to PNG and allow a couple of weeks organisation time.

Paradise Adventure Tours (542 1696; www.paradisetours.com.pg) This Mt Hagen-based operation has had good feedback on its Highlands, Sepik and bird-watching tours. Good value.

PNG Frontier Adventures (856 1584/1400; www.pngfrontieradventures.com) These guys are Sepik experts. They can provide everything from a single guide to a full-blown tour. Recommended.

PNG Highland Tours (732 1602; png.gold@global.net.pg) A range of Highlands tours organised by the friendly Norman Carver, including climbs of Mt Wilhelm.

PNG Trekking Adventures (325 1284; www.pngtrekkingadventures.com) This operator offers the usual Kokoda Track fare, but also some interesting guided treks up Mt Wilhelm, the Wilhelm–Madang walk, the Black Cat Track and a Milne Bay War History walk.

Sepik Adventure Tours (856 2525; www.ambuntilodge-sepiktour.com.pg) Alois Mateos has vast experience and knowledge of the Sepik and can arrange all manner of tours. A genuinely nice guy.

^ Back to top

Local transport

Taxi

Considering PNG’s reputation for nocturnal danger, it’s surprising there are not more taxis. Port Moresby and Alotau have plenty and there are two in Vanimo. That’s it. Lae, Wewak, Madang, Popondetta, Goroka and Mt Hagen have no taxis, making it difficult to get around after dark when you don’t want to be walking. To fill the gap, hotels often have minibuses that will run you around.

If you do manage to get a taxi you’ll find most of them are complete clunkers – windscreens that look like road maps, broken seats, smelly drivers, no radios. Prices aren’t excessive (starting at about K5 and averaging about K2 per kilometre) but you’ll have to negotiate the fare before you get in, and don’t expect to be offered change when you get out. The one shining exception is Scarlet Taxis (323 4266) in Port Moresby, where the cars and drivers are (mostly) clean and well-kept, there is a radio dispatch network and the meters work.

^ Back to top

Air

PNG is probably more reliant on air transport than any other country on the earth. The population is scattered, often isolated in mountain valleys and on tiny islands, but even the most remote villages now have some familiarity with the ubiquitous balus (aeroplane). About 2000 airstrips have been cut out of the bush or into hill tops and coral islands during the last 80 years or so and the aeroplane has become almost symbolic of the way technology has intruded so successfully into what was a loose collection of hunter-gatherer societies. Less than a quarter of these airstrips are regularly used today, but many involve the sort of hair-raising landings you won’t easily forget. The pilots are extremely skilful – keep telling yourself this as you approach flat-topped ridges masquerading as airports.

Aircraft are often small and strips can be almost unrecognisable if you don’t know to look for them. Some of the more remote strips you land on might look and feel more like rally tracks, and others have slight bends to negotiate during take off and landing! The strip at Wau is on a nine-degree slope. All of them are great fun!

Aviation in PNG will probably prove more informal than you’re used to (alert: understatement of the year!). Outside Port Moresby you can forget about X-rays and metal detectors. For lighter aircraft, not only is your baggage weighed (16kg is the limit but 20kg is usually accepted), so are you – this can be embarrassing if you’ve been indulging in too much kaikai (food) and bia (beer). Excess-baggage charges are reasonable but can add considerably to your travel costs if you’re lugging around a weighty Sepik carving that you bought in a moment of pique. Some remote strips have no facilities at all – sometimes just a guy with a two-way radio who meets the flights, and at many of these remote strips you’ll have to buy your ticket direct from the pilot – cash only.

Outside the main centres don’t rely on being able to pay for anything on credit. Even in big towns there’s no guarantee. Air Niugini refused our plastic at Jackson’s Airport in Port Moresby because ‘the phone lines are down’ – a common problem.

Unpredictable weather combined with mechanical problems and complex schedules can frequently lead to delays, or cancellations. It’s not unheard of for passengers to stand around scanning the horizon all day. So have a book (or two) handy, and make friends with the locals.

Flying in this part of the world is far more than just getting from A to B and provides some of the most memorable moments of your trip (or your life). It would be even more of a joy if it wasn’t so damned expensive.

The PNG domestic air scene is currently in a period of dramatic change. Popular third-level airline Airlink went broke in mid-2007 after being grounded for a period over transgressions of safety regulations. Airlink was the only flyer servicing many remote airstrips in PNG – many barely profitable with the current cost of aviation fuel – so it remains to be seen exactly if or how this hole will be filled.

At the time of writing, Airlines PNG had ‘suspended indefinitely’ since June 2007 its services to all but its major destinations. After the collapse of Airlink this created further isolation for people around the remote airstrips.

Following stiff competition from Airlines PNG for both its main international and domestic routes, Air Niugini revised its fares in 2007. Air Niugini domestic fares were reduced by an average of about 10%.

A 30-day Port Moresby to Honiara return flight with Air Niugini costs K1449 (K2206 valid for six months).

Airlines in the region

While Air Niugini operates larger planes to the larger centres, the smaller second- and third-level airlines service everywhere else. Airlines PNG (formerly called Milne Bay Air) is the main secondary airline in PNG, with North Coast Aviation, covering destinations out of Lae, and MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) dealing with the smallest communities, and doing it pretty well. In theory, tickets on Air Niugini and Airlines PNG can be booked at any travel agency linked into the international computer reservations network.

Following is a list of airlines operating scheduled flights in PNG and the Solomons. Local offices and up-to-date fare tables can be found on the airline websites. Other airlines do charter services; see the Yellow Pages.

Air Niugini (327 3444; www.airniugini.com.pg)

Airlines PNG (325 0555; www.apng.com)

MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship; 325 2668; ­www.maf.org.au)

North Coast Aviation (472 1755; ­norco-lae@global.net.pg)

Solomon Airlines (20031; ­www.solomonairlines.com.au)

Fares & discounts

Airlines PNG doesn’t offer any discounts on its domestic sectors, so a return fair is simply twice the price of a one-way fare, all year round. One-way flights within PNG are a little cheaper with Airlines PNG than with Air Niugini, so if you’re only travelling one way it’s better to fly with Airlines PNG. If, however, you can arrange your itinerary around return flights then it’s better to fly with Air Niugini.

Air Niugini has a bag full of discounts – nobody pays the full fare on Air Niugini domestic flights – and its discounts apply to return journeys. To benefit you must arrange your flights as a series of return journeys. So if you want to fly Port Moresby–Rabaul–Kavieng–Port Moresby, rather than buying three one-way flights, buy a Port Moresby–Rabaul return, and a Rabaul–Kavieng return.

The ‘See PNG Fare’ offers a 20% discount on all advance purchases of domestic tickets to non-PNG residents who can produce their international ticket (so don’t forget it). This is the only discount available if you’re buying the ticket outside PNG; it’s valid year-round.

Following is a summary of other deals. If these tickets are purchased outside PNG they’re GST-exempt. Some are not applicable at peak times such as Christmas and Easter. Discounted tickets must be paid for in full within 24 hours of booking. For more details see www.airniugini.com.

Flexisaver Fares At 30% off the normal economy round-trip fare, Flexisaver Fares have no minimum stay and a 90-day maximum stay.

Fully Flexi Fares At 15% off the normal economy round-trip fare, Fully Flexi Fares can be upgraded to full economy class.

Supersaver Fares These are 45% off the normal economy class round-trip fare. The same conditions apply on these tickets as on the Wantok Fares (though they may be available when Wantok Fares are not).

Wantok Fares These are the cheapest at 60% off the normal economy class round-trip fare. Passengers must stay away at least one Sunday (if they fly out on a Sunday they must stay away at least one week). There’s a 30-day maximum stay.

These fares may not be available at all times, and must be issued on Air Niugini ticket stocks – you must buy them from an Air Niugini office. Be certain of your travelling dates as changing them incurs a K110 penalty. Cashing them incurs a K165 penalty.

^ Back to top

Bicycle

In the odd town or island, such as New Ireland, it’s possible to rent a bike (about K20 per day), but don’t expect anything flash.

^ Back to top