Papua New Guinea Things to Do

 
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  • Kokoda Memorial Museum
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  • Kokoda Memorial Museum
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  • Kokoda Memorial Museum
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  • Kokoda Memorial Museum
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Dive the Reefs and Walls

by jadedmuse

Walindi Plantation provided the dive boats, dive tanks, and the most experienced (and personable) dive masters. We were never pandered to or patronized, and the dive masters always consulted us on our likes/dislikes - so as to get a good feel for where we'd like to spend our time diving. We all had dive computers but the dive masters still accompanied us on our dives - we were basically let "loose" to do our own thing out on the reefs and walls...if that is how we wanted it. This was the best dive experience ever - and I've been scuba diving in a lot of places!

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The kokoda trail..

by KoanSeeker

The Kokoda Trail is a 96 kilometre hike through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea. It stands as a legacy to the Australian diggers who surpassed the Japanese forces here during World War II and prevented an invasion into Australia.In 2005 i was lucky enough to have the opportunity to hike the kokoda trail in papa new guinea...and it was one of the most profoundly challenging yet rewarding experiences in my so far short life. The hike is approximately 96 kilometers (thats 59.65 miles) through some of the most brutal, isolated terrain youll come across. Mountains so high they reach deep into the clouds and mud so thick youll loose your shoes...yet there is something so seemly rewarding about walking in the footsteps of such heros.The 12day hike usually starts in kokoda, ending in Owers Corner, however the track can be walked from either direction. Weather usually consists of...

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Harbour in a Volcano

by Bwana_Brown

I always enjoyed flying into Rabaul on New Britain Island. Its harbour is in a volcano that has partially collapsed into the sea, with multiple cones visible around its edges. In Sept. 1994, another eruption partially buried the town such that its businesses and residents had to be relocated about 20 km distant to Kokopo. Eruptions are still occurring on and off even today. Photo of two of the volcano peaks surrounding the town, as seen on one of my trips to their local diesel station. Interestingly, even back then, when more electric power was required for the area, a new diesel station was built many kms distant in preparation for the fact that some day the volcano was going to blow again! I was amazed to still see relics of World War II in close proximity to the town. In the palm trees close to the airport were crashed Japanese bombers with the Rising Sun still visible on their wings....

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Markham River valley

by Bwana_Brown

Another area that I really enjoyed was heading up into the Highlands from Lae, on the other side of the mountains from Moresby. As one heads up the Markham River valley, the hillsides seem to be covered in a soft green velvet. The Highlands Highway was a quite good paved road that wound its way up into the centre of the country, even beyond Mt. Hagen. Not too far out of Lae, it branched off to the right for a poorer quality road to the resort town of Madang - this part requiring several river fords that required 4WD transportation. In my young and foolish days, I had to include in this photo the 66,000 volt transmission line that supplied the city of Lae from the hydro generation complex further inland and in the mountains, near Kainantu.

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Explore the Island of Rabaul!

by jadedmuse

You can take half a day and explore the island by either renting a car, or hiring a guide (which is what we did). This was great for us because he not only offered us a native's point of view together with some real history of the island, but he knew some great places for photo opportunities and he also led us to some interesting spots along the shore where the Japanese hid artillery during WWII.As you can see, the hideout caves are quite small.I recommend hiring someone for a half day ride around the island - it's worth it!

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Don't Miss Rabaul's Open Air Market

by jadedmuse

If you visit Rabaul, do NOT miss the chance to stroll along the famous open-air market where you'll find all kinds of lovely tropical fruits and vegetables, and an equally vibrant kaleidescope of native tropical attire worn by the locals. It is a real treat to see, smell and ultimately TASTE, while in Rabaul!

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Dive the Harbor in Rabaul

by jadedmuse

Well, I don't have any photos of us diving the wrecks here, but we did a shore dive and explored a Mitsubishi bi-plane (some military expert will know what that means, to me it was just a sunken war plane!) which was at a depth of about 80 feet....The journey out there was half the fun as I recall.....bright BLUE starfish all over the ocean floor, with the water gradually getting deeper until we were finally able to submerge ourselves completely.....underneath the sea, life was teeming in and around the plane wreck. Clownfish were there to welcome us (well, more like defend their territory - if you know clownfish behavior) and it was really a pleasant dive...most memorable being those unbearably blue starfish...big and fat and all over the place!Another day had us diving in the harbor, deep down (a decompression dive to about 175 feet) to explore the bowels of a Japanese warship. We all...

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Take Time to RELAX!

by jadedmuse

With so many great activities to choose from, it's easy to lose sight of why we go on vacation in the first place....to RELAX and ENJOY!On that note, I have to point out that you can't help but appreciate the beautiful sunsets provided courtesy of Walindi Plantation in Kimbe Bay.....Sometimes we'd be really tired from the day's dives....but we'd rouse ourselves around sunset time so that we could sit and enjoy the evening breeze while watching the sun set on this mysterious part of the world -it really made the stay here special!Don't forget to look for the sunsets, wherever you are...

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Play Some New Games!

by jadedmuse

One of the greatest things I love about traveling to far away places is that I always meet interesting - and fun - people.This was definitely the case with our stay at Walindi Plantation in Kimbe Bay.Even if we didn't see some of the other guests during the day, we'd all usually convene at night in the "social hall" or next to it at the pool. After a few Special Export lagers (award winning PNG beer) or a couple of glasses of wine, everyone was usually ready to play "group games".Some were especially memorable...but I won't go into the sordid details.This photo is a small glimpse into some of the fun we had during these evenings together.....

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Appreciate the Kimbe Locals!

by jadedmuse

On our excursion into town (in Kimbe), we passed by this young woman who was obviously pregnant, balancing both a child AND a heavy bucket of bottles on top of her head - and doing it all with an easy smile.We just had to pull over and ask her for a photo...she graciously obliged. We then went one step further and asked her to set the bucket down so that my friend and I could try placing it on our heads.I couldn't get the bucket off the ground.Amazing.

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Fun things to do in Papua New Guinea

Top 3 Hotels in Papua New Guinea

Airways Hotel  Port Moresby

 1 Review and 54 Opinions  4 star: swimming pool and restaurant with great view over airport and surrounding hills. Lively bar... 

 Hotels in Port Moresby

Flag Hotel Coast Watchers  Madang

 3 Opinions

 Hotels in Madang

Kimbe Bay Hotel  Kimbe

 1 Opinions

 Hotels in Kimbe

17 Hotels in Papua New Guinea
 
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Reviews and photos of Papua New Guinea attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Papua New Guinea sightseeing.

Experience Papua New Guinea
Things to Do: Cities in Papua New Guinea
  1. Port Moresby Things to Do
  2. Rabaul Things to Do
  3. Popondetta Things to Do
  4. Wewak Things to Do
  5. Lae Things to Do
  6. Kimbe Things to Do
  7. Lorengau Things to Do
  8. Madang Things to Do
  9. Siapan Things to Do
  10. Mount Hagen Things to Do
  11. Goroka Things to Do
  12. Daru Things to Do
  13. Yentchan Things to Do
  14. Bulolo Things to Do
  15. Timbunke Things to Do
  16. Kainantu Things to Do
  17. Vanimo Things to Do
  18. Kokopo Things to Do
  19. Kundiawa Things to Do
  20. Tari Things to Do
  21. Kokoda Things to Do
  22. Angoram Things to Do
  23. Namatanai Things to Do
  24. Brunai Things to Do
  25. Kokoda Village Things to Do
  26. Nusa Island Things to Do

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Popular Regions in Papua New Guinea

National Capital Province Things to Do  East New Britain Province Things to Do  East Sepik Province Things to Do  Morobe Province Things to Do  Northern Province Things to Do  Eastern Highlands Province Things to Do  West New Britain Province Things to Do  Manus Province Things to Do  Western Province Things to Do  Madang Province Things to Do  Western Highlands Province Things to Do  New Ireland Province Things to Do  Sandaun Province Things to Do  Southern Highlands Province Things to Do  Central Province Things to Do 

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Questions and Answers

julieroberts profile photo

Q:  HI THERE, I'M ON THE HUNT FOR THE BEST RESTAURANT (NOT PART OF A HOTEL) IN PNG. IDEALLY IT'S HARD TO GET TO, A REAL SURPRISE FIND,... 

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A: Hi, Me again. What a coincidence as I have lived both in the Congo and PNG. In Port Moresby, the best place to hang around is at the Port Moresby Yacht Club.... 

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