A few questions on PNG....

I'll be going to PNG in early Feb for about 7 days. From reading previous post and threads it seems I could spend a month there and not get everything done! Anway I've a few questions if anyone is able to help me out:

1. Is February a good time to travel here, in terms of weather etc.

2. As I said I'll never get everything done so I'm not even going to try to. What would be people's recommendations as the best way to spend the 7/8 days that I'll be there. So far I've been thinking of 3/4 days in POM then 3/4 days in one other area (I don't really wanna spend every day travelling). Was also looking at Alotau, Tari, or Wewak. Is it worth spending 3/4 days in POM or am I better off just heading somewhere else? Would I be better spending the whole time in POM and taking day trips to other places? I suppose I just wanna go somewhere for 4 days or so that I can experience the real PNG, so if this is possible in POM I won't bother leaving!

3. Safety: I've read a bit about safety in POM. From what I gather if I'm back in the hotel before dark and get flights everywhere I should be okay. Is this correct (I'm traveling alone, but I'm a 6'4" bloke!) ?

Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

3/4 days in POM? Don't know if there's that much to see there unless you want to do a day/short trip to Kokoda or some other war sites.

To experience the real PNG it probably best to head to the highlands, Mt Hagan or Goroka. If you stay at one of the better hotels they can organise day tours for treks or singsings.

February is an okay time to travel, but not ideal as you could get some heavy down pours. It won't be cold though, so just take a good rain coat and maybe an umberella.

I would only spend one day in POM. Really, there isn't much to see. You could go to Parliament House, the Botanic Gardens, Town and Ela Beach all in one day. After that there is nothing. True.

I would suggest a trip to Tari to see the real PNG. See my post of just a week or so ago about my recent trip there. At Warili Lodge you would have a great time.

On the coast you could go to Lae (see me post of 6 weeks ago - A few Days In and around Lae). You can easliy get from Lae to a village and stay there as long as you want. The scenery is great and the beaches fantastic. Lae is very under rated.

Safety is an issue, but if you are careful you should not have any problems. Travel during the day is okay, but do not walk anywhere at night. I have travelled on PMV's during the day without incident. I would not travel on a PMV at night.

Come and enjoy PNG - I am sure you will have a great time. I have a positive view of PNG - check my posts for various reports.

the less time in pom the better!!!it is not pretty,if you have a week to travel it will not get you into the real png,my tip is to get a connection into wewak,and then out to sepik river for 4days,,,good hard travel...check into ambunti lodge,check local villages(bad mosquitos)on a day trip or 2 on dugout canoes,,,but a bit expensive,,fuel costs!!!check my webblog for info..www.donstravelstories.blogspot.com<BR>hot spot to stay in wewak at wewak boutique hotel or the beachside windjammer hotel(bit rough).highlands is good but tense with crime,hotspot to stay in mt hagen is hagen park motel in centre of town,ask for maggie or keith,good day trips from here

Hey OCH,

I am just back from PNG, I wrote some travel notes and they are on this board: here!

I had ZERO problems with security, but I stuck to the Milne Bay area.

LostScot

I agree with everyone else. No point wasting 4 of your precious days in PM. PNG is a fantastic country with so much to see. The best thing to do is fly out of Port Moresby when you arrive and start enjoying 'real' PNG. It's great. Maybe choosing 2 areas to concentrate on is a good idea, but choose somewhere other than PM. You could spend it all around the highlands area and Madang which is a lovely place to relax. Milne bay is also great but if you only have a week I think the highlands area is maybe more interesting. It will also depend how many internal flights you can afford. I had no trouble with PMV's between Madang, Goroka and Lae, but I know the situation changes a lot.

Have fun!

Yep,

POM is not pretty. I spent 2 weeks there recently (Sorting out a passport and visa issues) and wouldn't recommend it for any real reason. I wouldn't feel safe walking around at night, although most parts are safe in daytime. All that asside, there's nothing really to see and it's relatively expensive.

I recommend Milne Bay. I spent 4 months there and got back to Oz in November 2007. I have never felt threatened there and it's one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Have a look at wildpng dot com for a big image gallery, more info on the area and a couple of videos.