Papua New Guinea

Private Tour: Half-Day Port Moresby City Sightseeing Tour

Your tour begins when you are picked up from your Port Moresby accommodation. Your vehicle will be air-conditioned and the type of vehicle is dependent on your group size. From your hotel you will proceed to the first stop which is Burns Peak, a hill overlooking the harbor. Burns Peak was a key anti-aircraft defensive position during World War 2, very effectively attacking Japanese bombers flying in from Rabaul trying to sink the ships in Port Moresby harbor. From Burns Peak you will drive the back way past police headquarters into Hanuabada Village, home to about 10,000 people packed into two square kilometers. The village has been there since the pre-colonial days and the city has grown up around it. The original inhabitants of the Motu tribe have inter-married and the village is now rather a melting pot of Papua New Guinea people and has many social and health problems which your guide may elaborate on. From Hanuabada you will drive into the Central Business District which local people call “Town” as it was the site of the first colonial settlement after being claimed for Britain in 1873 by Captain John Moresby. He actually named both the "Port of Port Moresby" and the adjacent wider "Fairfax Harbour" after his father Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby. In Town you will see the original post office building which is still used today. Most of the population no longer lives in Town, having moved out to distant suburbs to make way for office buildings. From Town your tour vehicle climbs a steep curving road up Touaguba Hill, where most of the foreign ambassadors live, to a scenic lookout viewing both sides of the promontory on which the Town area is located. Here your guide will point out the Motukea container port, the NapaNapa oil refinery, Fisherman Islands, the old Paga Hill fort and Ela Beach which is the only piece of sand in the city, popular with locals. From Town your tour vehicle passes the Koki Fish Market and climbs Two Mile Hill. Like many parts of the city, this area is named after one of the old milestones which lined the road from the post office up to Sogeri in early days. The stone posts are long gone but the names remain: the city hospital is located at Three Mile, the main shopping centre at Four Mile and the airport at Seven Mile. A short stop will be made at the handicrafts market outside the Holiday Inn (toilets available inside) and then the second half of the tour will be taken up with longer stops at the national museum (1-hour), the national parliament (30-minutes) and the Port Moresby Nature Park (1-hour). On weekday afternoon tours these three stops may be re-arranged to accommodate early closing times at the museum and parliament. On weekends when the museum and parliament are closed these stops and the Nature Park will be replaced with the Bomana War Cemetery (30-minutes), Adventure Park Papua New Guinea Zoo (1-hour) and the National Orchid Gardens (30-minutes).

Private Tour: Full-Day Port Moresby and Sogeri

Upon pick-up from your hotel in an appropriately sized air-conditioned vehicle you will begin the tour at Burns Peak, a hill overlooking the harbor. Burns Peak was a key anti-aircraft defensive position during World War 2, then continue driving through Hanuabada Village, home to about 10,000 people packed into two square kilometers. The overcrowded urban village has many social and health problems which your guide may elaborate on. From Hanuabada you will drive into the Central Business District which local people call “Town” as it was the site of the first colonial settlement after being claimed for Britain in 1873 by Captain John Moresby. In Town you will see the original post office building which is still used today. Most of the population no longer lives in Town, having moved out to distant suburbs to make way for office buildings. From Town your tour vehicle climbs a steep curving road up Touaguba Hill, where most of the foreign ambassadors live, to a scenic lookout with a panoramic vista of the harbor. Here your guide will point out the Motukea container port, the NapaNapa oil refinery, Fisherman Islands and the harbour entrance which was previously protected by two gunnery forts.From Town, pass by the Koki Fish Market (optional stop if time permits) and climb Two Mile Hill. Like many parts of the city, this area is named after one of the old milestones which lined the road from the post office up to Sogeri in early days. The stone posts are long gone but the names remain: the city hospital is located at Three Mile, the main shopping centre at Four Mile and the airport at Seven Mile. After a short stop at the handicrafts market outside the Holiday Inn (toilets available inside), make further stops at the national museum (if open), the national parliament (if open), the Bomana War Cemetery, Adventure Park Zoo and the National Orchid Gardens before climbing the steep winding road through the Rouna Gorge to the scenic Sogeri Plateau. Explore tiny Sogeri town with just a few shops, schools and WW2 historical markers then return via the same steep road down to Port Moresby. (NB Owers Corner/Kokoda Trail and Varirata National Park are not included in this tour due to time constraints). Lunch will be either a packed picnic lunch or a hot lunch at a convenient outlet en route - the guide will pay for lunch.If taking this tour on a Sunday during the academic year you have the option of a 6am start in order to commence the tour at the weekly farm market at the Pacific Adventist University where students and staff from all over the Pacific Islands sell their traditional foods and handicrafts (Sundays only).

Private Tour: Full-Day Sogeri Plateau

This tour heads straight out of town 30 minutes to the Bomana War Cemetery which has over 3500 graves of Australian and other Commonwealth soldiers killed mainly in the Pacific War. It's a serene setting with many bird species in the surrounding trees. Next stop, the nearby Adventure Park Zoo is a popular spot for local families and has a large collection of native PNG animals, plants and exotic birds including the magnificent National Orchid Gardens.From here the road climbs steeply up the scenic Rouna Gorge to Sogeri, a tiny town surrounded by lush farmlands that supply much of Port Moresby's fresh produce. From here you may select from 4 different side trips to fill out the rest of the day (1) Owers Corner (3 hours) - this side trip to the southern end of the Kokoda Trail is only possible in dry weather when the unsealed access road is safe for small vehicles to navigate. 45 minutes drive each way from Sogeri and an hour or so on site is enough to read the informative display boards, examine the Howitzer artillery gun and, if you are fit enough, take a walk down the first steep embankment to the Golide River and up again in order to say you have walked part of the Trail. (2) Varirata National Park (2 hours) - the park is an area of rugged montane forest about 2000 metres above sea level about 30 minutes drive along sealed road from Sogeri. There is not much wildlife to be seen in the public areas of the park due to noisy cars, picnickers playing music etc so it's necessary to hike 20 minutes into bushland and sit quietly and wait for some time in order to have any chance of seeing any wildlife. The other attraction in the park is the scenic lookout which on a clear day offers panoramic views of the Papuan coastline and out to sea. (3) Crystal Rapids (1-2 hours) - this is a popular picnic and recreation spot close to Sogeri with swimming waterholes and cascading waterfalls on a pretty creek. Bring your swimming gear. (4) Lake Sirinumu (2 hours) - a side trip along a sealed access road comes to this artificial lake created by damming the Laloki River in the 1960's. Water from the lake is used twice - first it is directed at speed down high pressure pipes in the Rouna Gorge to spin turbines to create hydro-electricity and then the water continues through to a treatment plant and used for the city water supply. Anglers fish at the lake and there is good birding around the perimeter. Local people cross the lake in canoes and small boats to get to villages on the other side.   For lunch the guide will either provide a packed (boxed) lunch or pay for lunch at a convenient outlet en route.If taking this tour on a Sunday during the academic year you have the option of a 6am start in order to commence the tour at the weekly farm market at the Pacific Adventist University where students and staff from all over the Pacific Islands sell their traditional foods and handicrafts (Sundays only).

Port Moresby Day Tour

Beginning at 9AM this morning, you are picked up from your chosen pickup point in Port Moresby. This can be your hotel, accommodation, or even the airport for those who are just landing. The tour today will include transfers in a private airconditioned and comfortable vehicle. Our first stop will be at the Koki Fish Market where you will experience a bit of a day in the life for the locals here who come down to sell their catch. In this historical part of Moresby, and up Toaguba Hill, you'll find an incredible view of Fairfax Harbor. As you look across the bay, you're able to see the Fisherman Islands and Hanuabada Village where the Motu and Koitabu have lived for generations in their village of stilt houses built over the sea.From the centre of town, we will make our way to the Waigani area passing through street markets of paintings by local artists. If you feel like doing a little shopping for a painting, you can do it now or return later on your own time to find that perfect souvenir. Next, you will head to the National Museum and Art Gallery before walking over to the PNG parliament house. As you walk through the garden, it is worth walking around to the front of the parliament as there is a beautiful Murial that is a perfect spot for photographs. From the parliament, we drive to the Botanical Garden where a collection of PNG's national bird species are. Here expect to find the Bird of Paradise, Cockatoo, crocodiles, hornbills, and beautiful orchid gardens. While you are at the gardens, you can opt to enjoy lunch here or you can ask your guide to take you to the mall where you have many options of food available. After lunch today, we will head to (or back) the airport where we will see the new development that is taking place on one side of the airport. From here you will be transferred back to your desired location as the tour comes to an end.End of services.

Day Tour - Varirata National Park

As you arrive at the park it is instantly made clear why this is a must-see while you're in Moresby. The park is an absolute bird lover's haven and is home to many species of birds including the famous Bird of Paradise. As you stroll through the park you'll notice there are many incredible photo opportunities including a great view of the city, Port Moresby. Itinerary:Today, your tour can begin from your accommodation in Port Moresby around 9 am, or the airport if you wish and are coming off of a flight. You will be picked up by your guide today and then transferred to Varirata National Park to begin your exploring. The time spent at the park today is yours to explore at your leisure as there are many different reasons for visiting the park. Regardless of whether you choose to sit back, relax, and enjoy one of the many viewpoints for the day or decide to add a bit of extra adventure by hopping on one of the hiking trails and diving deep into the lush rainforest-like geography of the park, you're sure to have a great time surrounded by beauty. As the day comes to an end, or when you are ready to head back to the busy city you will hop in the car and begin the journey back. End of services.

Day Tour - Madang City

If you are beginning the tour from your accommodation in Madang, you will be picked up in a private car from your accommodation around 9AM. If you are arriving via cruise ship an earlier time, or later time can be coordinated, no problem at all. Once your private tour guide picks you up this morning you will head out and begin your day of exploring. We will make our way through the town of Madang, through Balashiko Betel Nut Market as we head to Ohu Village. The drive to the village where the Ohu Butterfly Farm is located is approximately 50-minutes this morning. Once we are at the village, you will have the opportunity to see many different species of butterflies - including the national blue butterfly. There are plenty of flowers, herbal plants, orchids, and different kinds of birds at Ohu Butterfly Farm - including the famous Ragiana Bird of Paradise.We will enjoy approximately two hours at the butterfly farm before we transfer to the Balek Natural Habitat where there is more history to explore. Here you will see fish from both freshwater and limewater, turtles and eels, have a chance to visit a bat cave that was also used as a shelter at one point for locals, and also see a variety of orchids, insects, and butterflies. Our next stop of the day will bring us back to the town of Madang, to the wharf where we will transfer onto a banana boat and head north to Malmal Village. After an approximately 20-minute boat ride, we will arrive at the village for some more exploration. The village is a great spot for history lovers as there are plenty of World War Two remnants including warship ship tunnels, machine guns, and much more.  Before we make our way back to the city, the Malmal traditional dancers will put on a unique dance as they send us off.From the village, you will be transferred back to Madang and dropped off at your accommodation between 4PM and 5PM.End of services.