11 Tips You Need for Travelling to Papua New Guinea
There’s not much information online about travelling to Papua New Guinea is there? I mean, compared to most of the rest of the world.
Papua New Guinea is one of the most untouched countries by British tourists, but after spending almost two weeks there in September 2017, I really can’t see why (apart from the cost of getting there!). I enjoyed a chilled 10 days visiting the villages, staying at some amazing lodges and sampling the legendary scuba diving. And it wasn’t scary at all.
Here are my top tips for travelling to Papua New Guinea, just in case you fancied a trip over there yourself.
11 Tips for Travelling to Papua New Guinea
1. Planes are always late
Or at least the 4 I took were. They’d come in at anything from 30 minutes to 90, and there was never any information up. It’s usually due to weather or supply and demand – just buy yourself an airport snack and sit back, relax and hope that one even turns up.
2. People were very serious
Especially up in the Highlands. There was no laughing and joking, not even with each other. Sometimes I found this quite unnerving. I’m not sure if people were just trying to work me out – from what was said I don’t think many 30+ solo travellers visited those parts.
3. Food was generally basic
I ate a lot of bread in my first week in Papua New Guinea. Sometimes the food was actually inedible, especially the packed lunches when we had day trips (see above). You might want to take a few little snacks with you as there was no food to buy at the first two lodges I stayed at either. I was so hungry I went and asked for some bread or something, just to last till dinner, and got a dry biscuit.
The food at Walindi Lodge was amazing though – and they even had crisps and ice creams to buy although I never felt the need with the delicious meals there.
4. I never felt in danger
I didn’t ever feel in danger in Papua New Guinea, apart from the stupid actions of fellow tourists, but I was always with a guide. The only times I was ever on my own was getting in and out of the airports.
I asked a few people if solo travel was advised in PNG and the general consensus was that it was ok, if you know where’s safe to go, that week. There can be different tribal flare ups depending on recent events and so the best thing to do, if you want to travel Papua New Guinea solo, would be to book to go to somewhere like Walindi Resort for 3-4 nights and then speak to Johnathan, the land guide. He knows everything. He’ll be able to tell you where is safe and where to avoid.
READ MORE
My Advice on Arriving into Papua New Guinea
First Timers Guide to Papua New Guinea
23 Fascinating Facts About Papua New Guinea
To say that Papua New Guinea is dangerous is a huge and offensive generalisation. Certain parts are, with certain tribe wars and when tourists do certain things, but there are plenty of safe places to explore in Papua New Guinea alone or in a group.