Seeking advise on where to go in PNG

I plan to spent 10-20 days in PNG in late Nov early Dec. I want to do a combination of hiking and diving. I definetely plan to spent at least few days in Alotau area, but also want to do a 4-7 days hike and perhaps some good day hikes. It seems to be a bad time to do Kokoda, besides I am not interested in WWII history - I am much more interested in topical flora and fauna and good views. Any advise on where to go, what are good trails at this time of the year, reliable guides, how to get there and where to stay would be greatly appreirated.

Also, I am considering an option of going to Indonesia after PNG (I am on 1y holiday) - is ti possibel to do from PNG or do I have to fly to Singapure.

Did anybody heard of Airlines PNG? I did a search on tickets to PNG and they seem to have by far the better prices from Australia, but I never heard of them before.

Thanks

PNG's most obvious hiking territory is the Highlands, with Mount Wilhelm being the pick of all hikes.

You can cross from Vanimo in PNG to Indonesian Papua by land, but you will need to get an Indonesian visa in advance.
See the PNG and West Papua links in my signo line.

Airlines PNG has been around for a while, and I've heard no complaints about them.
One thing to bear in mind though is that if you fly into PNG with Air Niugini, you'll also qualify for tourist discounts on their domestic flights.
These may make up for the fare difference on the international flight.

You don't really need to be interested in WW2 history to walk Kokoda or go there -- I find war history extremely boring most of the time... Although it seems like some people trek Kokoda because of the history, there are still those who trek it due to the challenge and the enjoyment of adding a new destination to their trekking history.

As for other recommendations on places to go, I hear that the Black Cat Track has an opposite optimal season to the Kokoda Track. It might be worth checking out.

See our website for a list of village-to-village trek packages. PNG is not really the kind of place where you can just get off the plane and start walking -you need to have a guide and have things organised in advance.

Kokoda is a difficult walk that you only do if you want a real physical challenge or if you are an Australian and it has some significance for you. There are many much nicer trekking areas around PNG that are not so physically arduous, eg Tufi and Simbai. Black Cat Trail and Bulldog Track are similarly difficult walks.

Those people who rave about Kokoda being the best trek are those who haven't trekked anywhere else in PNG. 5000 people a year walk the Kokoda Track and the village people hardly look up when trekkers arrive any more. The villages are unattractive and the village guest houses provide a poor standard of service, compared to other places in PNG.

Wouldn't you rather trek into a village that sees less than 50 visitors a year and the children stare at you and the people trip over themselves to welcome you and look after you? That's what Simbai and Tufi villages are like.

Greetings from Milne Bay. Trekking in Milne bay is excellent with heaps of steep, rainforest clad mountains and lots of trails, some of which are very tough and others much easier. You can walk across the ranges to the north coast and do a mini Kokoda. You say you want to come in PNG in late November, but if possible, you should try to be in Alotau from 30th October ready for the start of the Canoe and Kundu Festival in Alotau on 31st November through that weekend. It is a stunning and unique festival and celebration of the marine cultures of Milne Bay. Goodenough Island has a mountain that has the tallest height to base ratio in the world. Best wishes, Gretta