Itinerary advice PNG July-August 2015

Hi there,

This summer I'll be travelling with my wife in PNG. We'll be arriving in Port Moresby on July 28th and we'll be leaving from there on August 13th. Our itinerary is not fixed yet but I was thinking of doing as follow
Port Moresby > Goroka > Madang > Mount Hagen > Wewak/Sepik > Losuia Island or New Britain Island > Port Moresby.

What do you think of it ? Is it something doable in about 15 days ?

We are also used to travel in a backpack style (using local public transport & sleep in cheap places). Is it something easy to do in PNG ?

Look forward to your reply,

Cheers

thats a lot to do in 15 days especially if you dont have accommodation and guides booked ahead and plan to arrange as you go

plus surely you would make youur way to hagen from garoka then go to madang

lots of advice here - have a look at my posts particuarly 'a month in PNG'

Hi @Derafe, it sounds like you've got quite the trip planned! I was in PNG in May, and did Port Moresby > Kimbe Bay > Mount Hagen > Tari > Tufi > Port Moresby in 10 days, so from experience you'll have a full schedule and Port Moresby will be your second home, but it is do-able.

If you like rushing around, great, but I would maybe suggest taking one of the locations out of the planned route to give you more down time. I travelled there from the UK which took 28 hours, so if you're coming from somewhere a little closer, then I guess you should be fine :)

There isn't a lot of accommodation geared towards backpackers in PNG, and getting around relies on a lot of air transport and being picked up by your hotel / accommodation once you land.

There isn't any public transport really either. There are buses in Port Moresby, but you will struggle to get around the other locations if you're planning on relying on buses.

My suggestion would be to book the places you want to stay in advance, as well as all your flights (sometimes go on time, sometimes they don't!) and then build your trips and tours from there.

PNG isn't your average destination. It is still far behind other destinations in terms of public transport because most people live in villages and don't need to leave. It's a fascinating place to explore, so I hope you have a great time!

If you get stuck for accommodation in any places, it might be worth reaching out to the Papua New Guinea Tourist Authority in Port Moresby. They are always willing to help! https://www.facebook.com/PapuaNewGuineaTourismPromotionAuthority

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