Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Should a solo budget traveller worry about safety in western PNG? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Papua New Guinea
nikos_k 17:16 UTC 10 Apr 2010 | Hi there! The security situation in PNG comes very controversial over various internet sources! Many governement travel advice offices warn for terrible things to happen, while travellers report better situation. iI anybody has a good idea about how things are going this period, I would be greatfull to know! My plan is to travel solo and budget, so with public transport and stay at simple places, which might expose the backpacker to some more possible danger, instead of staying in top end hotels with security, private transport etc, which is not my case. I'm thinking to enter overland from Indonesia and stay for about 10 days, then return to Indonesia or fly ex Port Moresby. Many thanks guys Nik |
circuswatcher 13:21 UTC 11 Apr 2010 | I just got back from a trip to Western PNG. I was a solo budget traveler. My impression is that budget travelers are actually safer than those that stay in barbed-wire surrounded hotels. The locals will befriend you rapidly. As long as you smile and are very open you will have no problems. The PNG are amazing at reading emotions from facial expression. You must maintain a relaxed and amiable attitude. The PNG people in the Highlands are actually much more friendly than the coastal people. For sure you should take public transport. The drivers are as worried about safety as you are and often will work out a police escort through pieces of highway that are not surrounded by villages. In village and town areas, things are quite safe. This all assumes you are a seasoned traveler and have developed come traveler common sense. | 1
Laszlo 02:47 UTC 12 Apr 2010 | Judging by his posts and worries, OP is obviously NOT a seasoned traveler. I still think he should be safe enough as long as he avoids walking around at night and flashing his wealth (cash, jewellery, expensive camera gear) around. | 2
nikos_k 06:43 UTC 12 Apr 2010 | Thanks guys for your recomendations, Well, for sure it's great to travel to countries where traveler common sense is enough to keep you realistically safe (anyway there is not absolute safety anywhere, even in your house at home country!). Although, I really don't enjoy danger, and the official advise here is much more negative than in many countries of all continents. Especially, religious and ethnik tension are far worse than other kinds of insecurity, because they are more unpredictable, can go very high very fast and are completely blind, outside any human logic. If I make finally to get over there, I hope not to experience them! Exageration is of course a problem created by the government office people to confuse the others even more... thanks for helping, great travels to all! N. | 3
Laszlo 01:29 UTC 13 Apr 2010 | Browsing through all the PNG posts on this forum should give you a fair idea of what travellers visiting the country actually experience. | 4
ozziegiraffe 14:28 UTC 13 Apr 2010 | Hi, Nikos, I fly into Athens Friday morning. Hope Greece is happy at the mpoment. | 5
nikos_k 17:28 UTC 13 Apr 2010 | Yes, don't worry, things are going ok. Make a stop downtown on Friday for a coffee if you like! check your PM | 6
lightbulb 09:20 UTC 19 Apr 2010 | I am a very experienced traveller and my plan is to travel Solomon Islands this May then over to PNG then over to Indonesia but I am very nervous about going to PNG on my own through what I have read in LP and from what a couple of people said that it is not good to travel alone in PNG especially for a female. I would love a travel buddy to do the PNG part especially-anyone there in June? I';m leaving Brisbane in May to the Solomon Islands. I hope i read more positive posts for PNG or i will just have to start my asian trip in Indonesia which will be a shame but still not convinced about going it alone! | 7
Laszlo 02:31 UTC 20 Apr 2010 | Read this thread about travelling alone as a woman in PNG! Note that crossing from the Solomons to PNG overland (if that's what you had in mind) is not a simple undertaking for anyone due to being technically illegal. Flying is easy but $$$. | 8
ozziegiraffe 15:07 UTC 20 Apr 2010 | Lightbulb, check ticket prices from Honiara to Port Moresby - it may actually be cheaper to go back to Brisbane and then on the PNG. Meanwhile, Laszlo is right about the border crossing to PNG, and there is no ferry transport crossing the border - just open outboard boats, and I am not sure the locals would be comfortable taking a lone foreign woman they didn't know. (There was a diplomatic incident a few years ago during the Bougainville conflict involving an Australian woman crossing the border illegally.) They were setting up a border checkpoint somewhere in the Shortlands recently - it might be worth checking with the Solomon Islands consular office in Brisbane or Sydney or the High Commission in Canberra. You culd possibly fly from Honiara to Nauru and Micronesia with Our Airline, and cross to Asia from Micronesia. | 9
lightbulb 04:57 UTC 22 Apr 2010 | cheers all it looks like i will be giving PNG and the Solomon islands a miss and heading straight to Timor got 2 more weeks to decide!! | 10
Laszlo 05:56 UTC 22 Apr 2010 | Timor is tiny compared to either of those 2 nations, but it is certainly interesting, easier, and cheaper. | 11