Papua New Guinea Guide
What should I know before visiting Papua New Guinea?
Don’t travel alone at night
It’s important to stay alert while travelling through Papua New Guinea, particularly at night. The major cities of Papua New Guinea have groups called raskols that roam the streets at night and commit robberies. If you do travel after dark, make sure to stick with a local guide.
Be careful not to trespass on someone’s land
All of the land across Papua New Guinea is privately owned, either by families or local tribes. While travelling through the country after your flights to Papua New Guinea, be careful to plan where you will be going and make sure you have permission to be there. Accidentally trespassing on someone’s land can result in a tense situation. To avoid this, consider travelling with a local guide when you book airfare to Papua New Guinea.
Book domestic flights to travel between cities
Papua New Guinea has a very mountainous terrain. Because of the landscape, there is no passenger train system in PNG, and road access is limited in many areas across the country. The most efficient way to see the country when you have return flights to Papua New Guinea is to catch flights between cities. Cheap domestic flights can be booked through Webjet.
What are the best things to do in Papua New Guinea?
Mount Wilhelm
Mount Wilhelm is the tallest mountain in Papua New Guinea at 4,509 metres (14,793 feet). When you book flights to Papua New Guinea, several local guides offer tours of the mountain. If you are an experienced climber, you can participate in a summit hike, which takes approximately four days and includes incredible views of the PNG landscape. Alternatively, you could visit the base of the mountain where there are several scenic day hikes. Since Mount Wilhelm is so tall, visitors with return flights to Papua New Guinea can spot it from many viewpoints around the centre of the country.
Kokoda Trail
Hiking along the Kokoda Trail is the perfect activity for thrill seekers who have booked tickets to Papua New Guinea. The trail winds for 96 kilometres (60 miles) through the south of the country. The trail begins near the capital Port Moresby and concludes in the village of Kokoda. The Kokoda Trail is teeming with natural beauty and is also a place of historical significance. In 1942, it served as the backdrop for a major WWII battle between the Japanese and Allied forces. If you’re hoping to walk the full length of the Kokoda Trail after your cheap flights to Papua New Guinea, allow yourself about a week. Also keep in mind that the hike is challenging, and visitors should never try to complete it solo. In order to hike the Kokoda Trail after your flights to Papua New Guinea, book onto a tour or hire a local guide.
Yuo Island
Head north after your cheap flights to Papua New Guinea to experience the idyllic Yuo Island. The tiny island is located near the city of Wewak and can be reached in about 20 minutes by boat. Visiting Yuo Island feels like stepping onto a remote, never-before-visited island. It does not have electricity or running water, and it sees very few visitors. For a taste of paradise after your return flights to Papua New Guinea, head to Yuo Island to lounge on the beaches, go surfing, or snorkel in the unbelievably clear ocean water.
What is the cost of visiting Papua New Guinea?
The local currency you will use after arriving on cheap flights to Papua New Guinea is the kina. $1 NZD is approximately 2.15 kina.
After booking your airfare to Papua New Guinea through Webjet, you can also use the site to book your accommodation. Hotels are available in a range of prices across the country. On average, a hotel room costs somewhere between $150 and $250 NZD per night. Webjet can also be used to book further transport in the country after you’ve booked your cheap flights to Papua New Guinea from New Zealand. Domestic flights are the best way to travel between cities in PNG. Flights between major cities such as Port Moresby, Lae, and Mount Hagen typically cost about $200 NZD one-way.
Food and drink are another aspect to budget for when you book tickets to Papua New Guinea. A meal from a casual sit-down restaurant in PNG costs around 50 kina (about $23 NZD). If you visit a local cafe after your flights to Papua New Guinea, a latte typically costs around 8 kina (about $3.70 NZD). If you’d like to try one of the local drinks after your flights to Papua New Guinea, a domestic beer costs about 12 kina (about $5.50 NZD).
