Papua New Guinea: exploring the unexplored

GEOGRAPHICALLY speaking, Papua New Guinea is often considered part of the Australian continent. But although only 150km off the coast of Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, it’s a land almost utterly unknown to Australians.

PNG, the country, occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, a rocky gateway between Micronesia and Asia which employs a straight line of longitude to demark its Indonesian territories to the west. The eastern half of New Guinea is Australia’s closest neighbour, but remains a strangely distant land of secrets, twice the size of New Zealand but inconspicuous on our traveller’s map, Oceania’s elephant in the room.

To be fair, the lack of Australian tourism in PNG is due to some pretty intimidating deterrents. Car-jackings, armed robberies and other serious crimes are an ever present reality in the capital of Port Moresby, and a general lack of infrastructure makes internal mobility difficult. Transport around the island is typically handled by bush pilots in extreme weather on poorly maintained airstrips.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warns visitors of an expanding cholera outbreak and violent ethnic disputes. Official advice calls for exercising a “high degree of caution” when touring the country. Not your typical Pacific getaway.

Add to these concerns PNG’s crisis-level imbroglio over the current prime ministerial election and you get a lot of cynicism about a banana republic that’s more trouble that it’s worth. But the crowds, cities and politics of this ex-Australian territory have never defined its true character. PNG’s soul lies in the rainforest, the 850 indigenous languages and the most unexplored country on Earth.

Needless to say, pleasure touring in PNG is a relatively new idea. There has, however, developed in recent years a burgeoning industry of escorted tour packages, cruises and guided visits to the region’s tribal extremities. This kind of travelling is decidedly more adventurous than the hotel hopping most of us are accustomed to, so safety considerations should be a top priority when planning a trip.

Even if you’re normally an independent traveller, the safety factor of joining a group with a company escort is indispensible. Tour groups going to PNG vary from a half dozen to over 50 people and are a must for Australians wishing to penetrate the country’s rural areas. Travel insurance is essential.

Unfortunately, travelling to PNG pretty much requires that you pass through troubled Port Moresby where an astronomical crime rate is pinned on unemployment sometimes measured at 90%. A good package tour will minimise your exposure to this city, get you through customs and onto your connection as quickly as possible without leaving the airport. Be sure to discuss these logistics with your tour operator and be sure that you’re comfortable and informed about the details of the entry procedure.

Once you’ve made it to the outlying areas and small towns where guided tours begin in earnest, you’ll be able to exhale. This is where the PNG of our imagination materialises, where the pageantry of local costumes, sing-sing rituals and virgin tropical surrounds stop time. Birdwatching, cruising, bushwalking and snorkelling are popular activities, but interaction with the native people is universally reviewed as the highlight of a rural PNG trek.

Papua New Guinea Tourism is a good place to start if you’re looking for general information about tour groups going to the outskirts of the island. Most of the outfits recommended on this site are headquartered in PNG but there are a few Australia-based providers as well. See also Niugini Eco Tourism Services and Ecotourism Melanesia to get a better feel for the different kinds of tours available before making a decision.

Packaged tours to PNG are expensive, commonly exceeding $10,000 or $15,000 per person. But if you scratch the surface of this fledgling industry, it’s possible to find a few interesting deals. Aurora Expeditions, for example, is running a couple of tours this April that start at about $5600 per person. These kinds of trips often follow a theme, showcasing the scars of Australia’s World War II campaign in New Guinea or coordinating stop-offs to coincide with local festivals and events.

Exploring the coastline of PNG’s more rugged regions can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it’s not for the faint of heart (or wallet). Cruises are comfortable but not luxurious. Shared quarters and camaraderie are the norm. If you’re looking to discover one of the world’s most exotic frontiers, you needn’t go too far – but be sure to review your options, plan thoroughly and take safety seriously.