Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Bougainville to Solomons Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Solomon Islands
bound_for_png 12:41 UTC 20 Jan 2013 | Hi all, I've seen a bunch of posts and info about going through the Solomons to Bougainville (Honiara, ferry to Gizo, flight to Shortlands, boat to south Bougainville). Has anyone done the reverse direction? Assuming I get a Solomons visa in advance, I just want to make sure that I can get any exit stamps for PNG and entry stamps for the Solomons (presumably in Gizo) that I might need. Thanks! |
Laszlo 05:03 UTC 21 Jan 2013 | I went from Bougainville to the Solomons years ago. Back then, it was most definitely considered illegal by the PNG authorities, so getting an exit stamp in Buin was out of question. Never mind, Solomons immigration in Gizo was ready to stamp me into their country anyway. Things have changed since - it may now be possible to get a PNG exit stamp in Buka, while the immigration post in the Solomons was reported to have moved from Gizo. | 1
lewoski 09:07 UTC 21 Jan 2013 | THERE WAS A NICE REPORT ABOUT THAT IN 2012 BUT WAS DELAY / WE DONT KNOW WHAT HAPPEN IN THIS FORUM ITS JUST FOR INCREASING BOOK SALES BE CAREFUL BOUGAINVILLE IS CRAZY EXPENSIVE AND BANANA BOATS ARE VERY DANGEROUS 170 KINAS FOR BASIC ACCOMODATION PEOPLE LESS OPEN THAN IN OTHERS PART OFF PNG | 2
ozziegiraffe 12:12 UTC 21 Jan 2013 | There have been moves to make this crossing legitimate for travellers, but I am not sure of the current situation. There should certainly be an immigration office in Gizo, Munda or Noro, in Western Province. Noro is a international shipping port. | 3
faisi 22:48 UTC 30 Jan 2013 | I was last time in Buka in 2006. I talked then to the than provincial police commander for PNG Bougainville Province. He told me about a lady from PNG Customs service, which could me stamp out of PNG in her office in Buka. I met this lady in her Buka office and she confirmed she could stamp me out of PNG, she mentioned that she is very often in Arawa town, so I assume it is possible to stamp out from PNG in Arawa as well. However I fly from Buka via Moresby to Honiara. On the Solomon side in Shortlands. At a place called: Kulitanai Bay in March 2009 a newly build Police Station opened, the old one located at a place called Korovou was run down and closed. In 2011 I met a customs officer working at Honiara habour in Honiara and asked him about Immigration and Customs staff stationed at the newly opened Police station in Shortlands, he said NO staff there yet. Nobody wants to go there because of the remoteness. I located Kulitanai Bay on a local map of Shortlands I have here. It seems to be either very near or identical with a place locally called: Lofang. Lofang has started als place for a logging camp, years ago I met a German in Honiara, who told me he was involved with the setting up of the Lofang logging camp and picked up his local wife there. Later during the 1990 the Solomon Field Force, a paramilitary force to protect Solomon border during the Bougainville civil war, was camping at Lofang. During my last visit to Solomons in Oct. to Dec. 2012 I heart from an Australien Police Force member, who was stationed in Solomon Islands as technical support team member for Solomon Police, that there is now a data communication line established between Honiara Police and their outpost at Lofang. In 2011 I met a Scandivian traveller in Honiara, who came via Bougainville. He told me he had to go for stamping into Solomons to Noro. He got asked for his ticket out of Solomons and provided a fake airline booking and got then his entry stamp in Solomons. | 4