Overland from Madang to Vanimo

puficek22:35 UTC09 Aug 2007

Hi,

we are going to PNG for about 2-3 weeks. After POM we will fly to Mt. Hagen (or Lae) visiting Goroka etc. Ideally, we would like to travel overland/river/boat to Vanimo before exiting to Indonesia. I have done some research and it looks like the only way to go in couple of places is boat (like Wewak to Vanimo). Is this true? If so, how frequent is the boat? Easy to get on? Also, are 2 weeks enough for this sort of itinerary?

thanx heaps for all your info.

Petr

Laszlo08:13 UTC10 Aug 2007

It is true.
The boat is quite regular from Madang to Wewak, less so between Wewak and Vanimo.
Once one is going, getting on is easy.

I doubt you can cover all that ground overland in only 2-3 weeks though.

See the PNG link in my signo line for more.

puficek08:25 UTC10 Aug 2007

Re #1

Hi Laszlo,

I read your info about PNG, West Papua and Indo before. Very useful. We dont have much time, so I have decided to skip Kokoda and Alotau and stay just in those areas mentioned above. How much time you think we would need? Or what part should we miss in order to stay within three weeks max.?

Cheers Petr

Laszlo18:24 UTC12 Aug 2007

Concentrate on one area of the Highlands (say Goroka OR Hagen and Mt. Wilhelm), the Middle Sepik, and Madang.
You could cover these in 3 weeks, but be prepared to fly from Moresby to Hagen, and maybe Wewak to Vanimo.
Hagen-Madang-Wewak should be easy overland.

deano11:55 UTC28 Aug 2007

I agree with Laszlo's advice regarding time frame. It's slow going anywhere in PNG.

I just returned home last week from PNg and (just to make matters confusing) have some different advice for overlanding.

Madang to Wewak is difficult (but not impossible). If you manage to time it for the now only once a month sailings on Star Ships you're okay but otherwise you will need to take a PMV dingy fromthe Ramu River to the mouth of the Sepik. Then a dingy if you can find one to Angoram from where you can take a PMV to wewak. Allow about 5 days to be safe.

From wewak to Vanimo you can get as far as Aitape by PMV before switching to a PMV dingy. This is more straight forward.

Watch out for dangerous seas. If is rough, don't go, many boats sink.

Overland from Madang to Vanimo Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Papua New Guinea
puficek22:35 UTC09 Aug 2007	Hi, we are going to PNG for about 2-3 weeks. After POM we will fly to Mt. Hagen (or Lae) visiting Goroka etc. Ideally, we would like to travel overland/river/boat to Vanimo before exiting to Indonesia. I have done some research and it looks like the only way to go in couple of places is boat (like Wewak to Vanimo). Is this true? If so, how frequent is the boat? Easy to get on? Also, are 2 weeks enough for this sort of itinerary? thanx heaps for all your info. Petr
Laszlo08:13 UTC10 Aug 2007	It is true. The boat is quite regular from Madang to Wewak, less so between Wewak and Vanimo. Once one is going, getting on is easy. I doubt you can cover all that ground overland in only 2-3 weeks though. See the PNG link in my signo line for more.	1
puficek08:25 UTC10 Aug 2007	Re #1 Hi Laszlo, I read your info about PNG, West Papua and Indo before. Very useful. We dont have much time, so I have decided to skip Kokoda and Alotau and stay just in those areas mentioned above. How much time you think we would need? Or what part should we miss in order to stay within three weeks max.? Cheers Petr	2
Laszlo18:24 UTC12 Aug 2007	Concentrate on one area of the Highlands (say Goroka OR Hagen and Mt. Wilhelm), the Middle Sepik, and Madang. You could cover these in 3 weeks, but be prepared to fly from Moresby to Hagen, and maybe Wewak to Vanimo. Hagen-Madang-Wewak should be easy overland.	3
deano11:55 UTC28 Aug 2007	I agree with Laszlo's advice regarding time frame. It's slow going anywhere in PNG. I just returned home last week from PNg and (just to make matters confusing) have some different advice for overlanding. Madang to Wewak is difficult (but not impossible). If you manage to time it for the now only once a month sailings on Star Ships you're okay but otherwise you will need to take a PMV dingy fromthe Ramu River to the mouth of the Sepik. Then a dingy if you can find one to Angoram from where you can take a PMV to wewak. Allow about 5 days to be safe. From wewak to Vanimo you can get as far as Aitape by PMV before switching to a PMV dingy. This is more straight forward. Watch out for dangerous seas. If is rough, don't go, many boats sink.	4