Papua New Guinea: When to Go

You'll probably want to avoid rainy seasons (although a good tropical downpour is a sight to be seen) but they vary across the country. In most places the wet season is December to March, the dry season from May to October. During April and November the weather can't make up its mind which way to go and tends to be unpleasantly still and sticky. The most notable variations on this pattern are Lae and Alotau where May to October is the wet (and we mean wet ) season. The months from June to September are cooler, drier and better to visit PNG.

There are no real high and low seasons in PNG. At Christmas, Easter and other major holidays, hotels and transport can fill up, and booking ahead is advised if you're in a town during one of the cultural shows. It's worth scheduling your trip around a festival or event, such as one of the unforgettable cultural shows that are held between July and October. If you plan on trekking, diving or looking for that elusive bird, you'll need to research the best times to go.

Weather

PNG has one of the most variable climates on earth but the climate is typically monsoonal: hot, humid and wet. While April and November are truly anyone's guess, the defined wet (December to March) and dry (May to October) seasons are also subject to regional variation (especially in the islands). Rainfall, for example, varies tremendously. Temperatures on the coast are reasonably stable all year, usually hovering between 25 and 30°C (77-86°F) but humidity and winds are changeable. Temperatures drop at higher altitudes, and it can be very chilly in the Highlands.