How much money do i need for PNG/ Fiji/ Vanuatu?

Hello dear people out there,

best regards from norway! I am a student from Bergen, Norway, planning a trip to the south pacific. I have never been to these regions and i don't know anyone who has, so i could need some help here... Maybe you know something? I want to go from the middle of june and my planned schedule looks like that:

4 weeks Papua New Guinea
2 weeks Solomon Islands
3 weeks Vanuatu
3 or 4 weeks FIJI.

so we're talking about 3 months alltogether, that would be my wish.But i am not sure if i can afford this... I want to travel the cheapest way as possible, i am not a luxury girl. I did some tougher trips before, but only in cheaper regions...I heard these islands are expensive...do you think i will manage this trip with 6000 euro? my flights are paid already...

...and any suggestiuons to my schedule? Too short/long?

best regards from the snowy mountains, storfjell

Solomon Islands is bigger than Vanuatu, so probably you should have 3 week there, and two in Vanuatu. Solomon Islands also has less tourist infrastructure. If you travel by local boat(ship) and truck, it is much cheaper than flying, and you can visit some of the less travelled parts of the country. However, you need to allow for cancelled trips, and gie yourself plenty of time to get back to Honiara from whereer you are going.
360 Discovery is a newer boat that offers reliable travel from Honiara to Gela (Tulagi, the old pre-Wold War II capital) and Auki in Malaita.
In Honiara, stay at one of the church rest houses, which have cooking facilities, so you can buy local food at the market and cook it yourself. St Agnes and Chester are both good value and close to the centre of town. It is wise to book in avance, as they are popular ith locals.
St Agnes has rooms about $50-$60 US a night, Chester has some with shared bathrooms quite a bit cheaper.
I will check on what I paid for transport on my recent trip when I have time.

Of course it depends on where you go in Fiji and what you want to do. All your time in holiday resorts with fixed meal plans costs more than staying in guesthouses in small towns with a choice of restaurants and a market to get some of your own food. €30 a day is possible without it being too tight.

Here are a couple of websites with accommodation prices, to give you an idea.

http://www.fiji4less.com/index.html

A resort in your budget
http://www.dolphinbaydivers.com/

Ovalau island to the east of Viti Levu is a good alternative to the more expensive Yasawa islands.

any suggestiuons to my schedule? Too short/long?

There is never enough time. ;-)
My philosophy is to make the best of the time you have.

Thanks so much guys ! Sounds good. And do you think my budget will be ok so far or should I travel less time or something? Very worried to be broke on a mountain... :) best regards from snow land, storfjell

Thanks so much guys ! Sounds good. And do you think my budget will be ok so far or should I travel less time or something? Very worried to be broke on a mountain... :) best regards from snow land, storfjell

I only know Fiji for sure. If I divide your budget by number of weeks, then per week you have enough for Fiji. Maybe some othe other countries will be more expensive on average. If your between-country flights are already arranged, the I'd guess you still have enough if you are content with low budget living, using local transport to get around, and other such things.

Many of us here know one country very well, but not al the others. Wait a week or so, to see who else responds.

PNG is the most expensive one to travel around (domestic flights) whereas Fiji is the least expensive. Vanuatu and Solomons fall somewhere in between. As Ozziegiraffe says, it's easy to get around using inter-island ferries in Solomon Islands. Inter-island trips in Vanuatu require flights. Very easy to get around Fiji using local transport and local shipping to other islands.

Everything in PNG is more expensive. Try to stay in the church run hostels as they are cheaper than hotels. Places like the Holiday Inn or Ella Beach hotel in Port Moresby were starting at about 500 USD per night last year. Get out of Moresby as quick as you can, there's little to see there and it's dangerous.

It's safe enough to walk from the International terminal to the Domestic terminal. Strangely I used to get asked that question in the International terminal by new arrivals. If you have to stay overnight in Moresby, use the hotel's shuttle.

People rave about the highlands and if you dive, some of the resorts are not to be missed. But again, expensive and expensive to fly to them. There's no road connecting Moresby to the Highlands, so there's no choice about flying.

I think there are flights from Solomon Islands to Bougainville now, unless that fell apart. Air Niugini have a strangleneck on flights in/out of the country and few others manage to compete with them. Air PNG. There might be another airline, Blue? Qantas to Moresby.

The flight to Bougainville from Solomon Islands was very short-lived, and hasn't been flying for a couple of years.

Bear in mind that due to high fuel costs, sea travel between islands and/or villages not frequented by regular passenger ships is extremly expencive. This also applies for excurtions like snorkeling trips and local seightseeing. In SI, expect to pay at least 1000 SBD (780NOK) pr hour for a trip on a dingy w/outboard motor. Of course sharing with other tourists would bring down the costs.

Personally I would spend more time in Vanuatu than Solomon Islands. But that's my very personal opinion. I just love Vanuatu and its people!
In SI, be sure to visit Tetepare Island! http://www.tetepare.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVWV1vOqf6g

Vennlig hilsen
eflatjan
http://www.pbase.com/bolla49
http://my.flightmemory.com/eflatjan

I've never paid anything near the price that Eflatjan quotes for outboard travel in Solomon Islands, but I usually travel with locals.
Also, the more commercial areas of the country, including the Western Province, see more tourists, and would probably inflate the prices.

thank you so much guys. you are very very helpful! warm regards!