Packing for Papua New Guinea can be tricky. First thing to remember is that it’s tropical. Whatever the time of year you can expect high temperatures and a humid atmosphere, but then if you’re travelling in the Highlands there’ll be a chill in the air.

So you know what that means when it comes to what to pack?

Yes, layers.

You need lightweight layers of natural fabrics. Stay casual, conservative and comfortable. Even though you might see some of the tribes people walking around half naked, it’s different for you and you need to be respectfully covered. This’ll help with avoiding the sun’s glare and the mozzies anyway.

I got by on sportswear and jeans when I visited in September. And chuckled to myself when a group of 60+ year olds got on the tour bus in full on safari gear chic – a little excessive.

All the hotels in PNG offered a cleaning service, but I’d had a hot tip at Rondon Ridge that it was free at Walindi Resort, so I waited till then and got everything done. With the weather, and the activities, I liked to wear an entirely new outfit every day, so getting stuff washed really helped with the luggage allowance (see below).

Packing List for Papua New Guinea

Let’s start from the toes up…

Shoes

I’d definitely recommend taking hiking boots,