"Papua New Guinea" Top 5 Page for this destination Papua New Guinea by jadedmuse

Papua New Guinea Travel Guide: 565 reviews and 1,034 photos

Tari Mountain kids send greetings beyond borders

THE LAST FRONTIER...

NOTE: I have duplicate tips on my Rabaul, Timbunke, Tari, Yentchan, and Kimbe pages.

The Big Bee

"It sounded like a big bee. We looked up into the sky and there it was...

We were afraid! So we hid behind some bushes and watched as it got closer and closer.

When it landed we saw that it was not a bee at all...and from inside of it came two white men - were they ghosts?!?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was our guide's first experience with human contact outside his remote tribal village in the Highlands, back some time in the late 50s.

It was his first encounter with white man.

Today I realize with a mix of poignancy and wonder, that our guide surely represented the last generation of Papua New Guineans who can still recall a time when they had no knowledge of the white man's existence...or of anyone's existence really, outside of their nearest feuding tribe.

Most people will never get to Papua New Guinea, and if they do, it couldn't possibly be the same as it was when I visited it back in 1990. It seems a lifetime ago, in fact.

I've often wondered if there are internet cafes up there in the mountains where we came across feuding tribes with bows and arrows drawn....or down in the Sepik region where the men still carve their backs to scar the skin like crocodiles....surely in Rabaul, repository of WWII ship wrecks and ex-military outpost, there's high speed dial-up....

What we can be sure of is that even Papua New Guinea, considered to be the last frontier, cannot have escaped the fallout of today's progress: drugs, crime, and all the other sociopathic elements that go hand in hand with things like improved infrastructure, organized religion, better medicine, and yes - the internet.

Welcome to our 21st century's definition of progress.

Dancing villagers near the Karawari River

Papua New Guinea Factoids

> Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the second largest island in the world and takes up the eastern half of the island (Indonesia Irian Jaya forms the Western half).

> Over 800 languages (and around 3000 dialects) are spoken in PNG, and there are over 600 off- shore islands and atolls. PNG became an independent nation in 1975.

> In 1961, Michael Rockefeller, son of billionaire (and then governor of New York) Nelson Rockefeller, was reported missing. He'd gone on an exploratory mission to Papua New Guinea/Irian Jaya, a place known and documented for its headhunting practice - and was never seen or heard of again.

Today, the natives of PNG are friendly, colorful, delightful people with whom I feel fortunate to have interacted during my brief visit there.

I wonder what it is they're hunting now...

Off the New Britain coast (Rabaul)

Who Dares to go to Papua New Guinea?!
The person who decides to go to Papua New Guinea is someone who is fascinated by anthropology, and/or an obsessive scuba diver looking for that next great dive destination. Maybe I was a little of both.

Either way, Papua New Guinea goes down in my travel logs as one of the strangest, wildest, and maybe the most exciting place I've ever been. The people were warm and wonderful, the coffee was SUPERB, the diving spectacular, the cultural elements were surprising, and the scenery....well, it was pretty out of this world.

My photos don't do justice to the trip, and my memory is fading more every day.

I knew if I didn't get this down into words now, I will just wake up one morning and think that maybe it had all been a strange and beautiful dream.....

Pros and Cons

Pros:Curious, sincere people and a wild, untamed frontier feel
Cons:Encroaching "civilization"
In a nutshell:If you never make it to the moon, then at least shoot for Papua New Guinea

Intro Updated Aug 13, 2007
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Reviews (62)

Catch a Plane to Rabaul - Papua New Guinea

Catch a Plane to Rabaul Transportation (5)

The local carrier (Air Niugini) is the best way to get to Rabaul. It's about 1.5 hours from Port Moresby, and about 20... more travel advice

Explore the Island of Rabaul! - Papua New Guinea

Explore the Island of Rabaul! Things to Do (18)

You can take half a day and explore the island by either renting a car, or hiring a guide (which is what we did). This... more travel advice

Don't Miss Rabaul's Open Air Market - Papua New Guinea

Don't Miss Rabaul's Open Air Market Things to Do (18)

If you visit Rabaul, do NOT miss the chance to stroll along the famous open-air market where you'll find all kinds of... more travel advice

View of harbor off Rabaul coast - Papua New Guinea

Dive the Harbor in Rabaul Things to Do (18)

Well, I don't have any photos of us diving the wrecks here, but we did a shore dive and explored a Mitsubishi bi-plane... more travel advice

Hotels (6)
See All Oceanfront Bungalows!
Local Customs (20)
See All Extending a Warm Sepik Welcome
Shopping (3)
See All Bead Necklaces & Artifact Jewelry
Warnings Or Dangers (6)
See All Don't Forget that Cannibalism DID Exist...

What to Pack (2)
See All When in the Lower Sepik Region...
Favorites (1)
Making Friends in the Highlands
Off The Beaten Path (1)
Walk Across a Hemp-Suspension Bridge...
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Comments (28)

ettiewyn Jul 23, 2010 at 7:23 AM Report Abuse

What a wonderful page about this unknown country. Definately a place I need to see in the future... Thank you for this insight!
angiebabe Apr 26, 2009 at 4:42 PM Report Abuse

I have to come back and read through yr page here properly - what a wow youve been to PNG! Its been so volatile whenever Id thought of going and it still is not recommended for tourists just yet? but great we can see a lot in yr pg here thanks!
DennyP Dec 2, 2008 at 2:41 PM Report Abuse

hey michele...another great page mate..once again great photos with very interesting and informative tips..thanks for sharing..
RoyJava Jul 21, 2008 at 2:58 AM Report Abuse

TNX Michele, 4 drop & words, and wow, you were in Papua... have to return to explore all of your VT pages, until soon, greets RoyJava
JohnniOmani May 10, 2008 at 1:55 PM Report Abuse

I feel the same way about the Arctic or NW Pakistan incredibly remote. Great Page :) Jz
sourbugger Mar 29, 2008 at 4:01 PM Report Abuse

almost a masterclass in anthropology. great page. i'm sure i will be back for more.
crewrower Oct 8, 2007 at 8:42 AM Report Abuse

What are they hunting now? Sadly it seems each other.
Bwana_Brown Oct 1, 2007 at 9:49 PM Report Abuse

What an amazing page on your experiences in Papua New Guinea! You really conveyed the essence of the diverse areas and people of this country. Many thanks for bringing back fond memories of this special place!
jadedmuse Aug 13, 2007 at 8:21 PM Report Abuse

Great point - correction noted. Thanks!!!
musamp Aug 10, 2007 at 3:17 AM Report Abuse

Nice page. About the language I think PNG has over 800 hundred different languages and not dialects.