Is 2 weeks in PNG enough at all?

Hi all,

Im currently studying in Brisbane and might be able to do some travelling - I will probably be able to travel for around 2 weeks. Because of this Im looking for places which is easily accessible from Brisbane and which won't blow away the budget.
I have always dreamed about going to Papua New Guinea but I am unsure if its gonna be worth it just for 2 weeks - I don't mind being on the road a lot and discover while moving from one place to another but I know infrastruture can be a challenge at PNG.
What do you guys suggest - PNG for 2 weeks or find another destination - please give me suggestions - As it looks right now I will probably go to the Darwin area if Im not going to PNG or an island destination somewhere.
Any suggestions well be appreciated!

/Martin

I'd recommend Solomon Islands. 3 hours from Brisbane, and culturally similar to PNG. You could do the dive thing on guadalcanal, Gela or in the Western Province, or visit much less westernised parts of the country, eg Malaita, Makira, Santa Ana. All possible from Honiara by plane or boat.
It is a smaller country, with less mainland and more islands, and it has nothing like the crime probelm in Port Moresby.

Hey,
Thank for your advice! I might go there but the flight tickets seem a bit more expensive going there and for example PNG but Im still considering it since it do make more sence going there when I only have such a limited amount of time available.
Do you know anything about the costs there - like basic accommodation (do they have hostels), transport, basic meals etc.?
Thank you for all the help!

Two weeks in PNG is enough if you're very selective. You could do, say, one week in the Highlands and another on the coast. You'll see a good cross-section of the country.

I spent 10 days in Mt. Hagen and that was definitely more than enough. Five days in New Ireland was just enough. In both places, I met people who wanted to attract more budget travelers and were building backpacker accommodation. They should be ready by now. Let me know if you want names.

Here are some budget tips for PNG I wrote for Matador:
http://matadortrips.com/6-budget-travel-tips-for-papua-new-guinea

Have you checked Pacific Blue (Virgin) for flights to Honiara? They are considerably cheaper than flights used to be before they started flying to Honiara.
There are no hostels like we are used to in Australia, but the church rest houses offer very good central budget accommodation, with the added advantage of being locally run, and frequented by locals, so you can get all sorts of information by talking to your fellow guests.
I regularly stay in Honiara at St Agnes (stagnes@solomon.com.sb) or Chester House (mbhches@solomon.com.sb) and can recommend them both. Both have guest cooking facilities, and are close to shops, hot bread shops and the main market, so you can save a lot of money by self-catering.
However, you have to book, as they are very popular, and rooms are rarely available if you just drop in.
For more information, look at visit Solomons.

Dear Ozziegiraffe and bia_mojotrotters,

Thank you very much for your help - your advice is very usefull!

I assume you have to fly to both Mt. Hagen and New Ireland or pretty much to anywhere in PNG - do you have any estimate on how much it is or maybe some links to domestic airline companies in PNG so I can get and idea about how much its gonna cost me + can you recommend any places not too far from Port Moresby where its possible to get to by overland transportation/boats - I don't mind travelling a lot in a few days since I always experience a lot while being on the road?
If you had to recommend one place in the highland for trekking, maybe some kayaking and climbing village stays etc. where would you recommend and is it possible to just ask the village chief if you can spend the night in their village or would that me too naive to think that?

Have checked fligts to Honiara from Brisbane and the cheapest I can find seems to be around 665 AUD return. Is this the price I shoud expect or have any of you guys found cheaper tickets before? The period I can travel is around September 27 - October 12.
The church rest houses sounds very interesting - are these to be found through out the whole country or only in Honiara - otherwise do you think I can just camp in villages if I bring my tent?
What places on the Solomon Islands would you recommend for hiking, maybe some kayaking, villages stays/cultural experiences etc.? And will it be very difficult/expensive to get there from Honiara?

Sorry guys for all the questions - Any help from you or others that wants to join in will be highly appreciated - Thank you!

/Martin

Hi Martin. The time you want to visit is Australian school holidays, and likely to be a little more expensive even giong to an out of the way place like Solomon Islands. I have seen fares under $500 return, but you have to be lucky. however, until recently, you would have been paying over $1200 for a "cheap" return.
There are church rest houses in some of the provincial capitals, eg Buala (Ysabel) and Kira Kira (Makira).
Don't bother taking a tent - there is nowhere where you would be welcome to camp, but villages do have houses for guests, if you negotiate with the chief. (They would be offended if you chose to use a tent instead).
I can connect you with the owners of this village stay, in the Lau Lagoon. The can organinse hikes (you need a guide, as all the land has customary owners) and also canoeing down a great lagoon by dugout. The family also make traditional shell money, and can give you a real (as opposed to put on for the tourists) village experience. If you are interested in it, send me a PM. I love the place, and try to spend at least a week a year there: I was there for 3 weeks last Christmas. The Exploring Solomons site gives lots of other suggestions for people with your interests.

Hi Martin,
In two weeks you can see a lot but as you said already, infrastructure in PNG is a problem so you'll have to fly.
My experience was that flights are not crazy expensive, especially airlines PNG is not that bad. Check their website www.apng.com for fares.
For hiking, if you like a challenge, climb the Mount Wilhelm, tough work but amazing views. Not very hard to organize, just go to Kundiawa, then to Kegsugl, the hike itself will cost you two days.
If you really like a challenge, go to the Wasi Falls. Absolutely beautiful but not easy to get there. If you want some information, I can get you some emailadresses of some blokes working for the WWF, they can organise the transport.

As a coastal area, I really liked Alotau, a relaxt place to stay and great diving in the surrounding area.
Check www.explorepng.com, a quite new company run by some nice Australian guys.
I also loved New Ireland, great diving, great people, beautiful islands.

Have a nice trip!

Anke

@akorfage

Hi, I am planning on going to Lake Kutubu and would like to hike to Wasi Falls. How many days does it take do do this and could you give me the contact of those people from WWF? I want to try and stay at Tubo Lodge, but so far I have been unable to reach them. Thanks!