10 ADVENTUROUS THINGS TO DO IN

10 ADVENTUROUS THINGS TO DO IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

by Jackson Groves

Papua New Guinea is widely regarded as the ‘final frontier’ because much of the country remains untouched and full of natural beauty. The tribal culture and traditions of generations are still present throughout the island nation and are the reason many travellers are drawn to Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea has so much to offer that so few know about, which made it such a privilege to explore this island nation. Here are some of the best things to do in Papua New Guinea which I experienced on my three-week trip throughout the country.

The most popular tourist attraction in Papua New Guinea is most definitely the Kokoda Track and I can’t recommend the Kokoda Trail enough.

The Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea is known as one of the toughest multi-day treks in the world. It also has an immense historical significance as it was the epicentre of the Kokoda Battle between the Japanese and the Australian Forces in WWII. The gruelling battle of war along the muddy ridges of the Kokoda track was played out in harsh tropical conditions. Today, trekkers from around the world reflect on the four pillars of Kokoda, which are mateship, endurance, sacrifice and courage as they push themselves physically and mentally to complete the arduous journey across the Kokoda Track.

The Kokoda Track is a single-file trail, which runs through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea. The Track begins at Owers’ Corner in Central Province, which is 50-kilometers east of the capital, Port Moresby. The Kokoda Track finishes in the village of Kokoda, which is in the Oro Province.

The trail is a total distance of 96-kilometers, which sounds like a long way but when you break it up over 8 days it becomes a manageable 12-kilometers a day. The important part to consider is that it is very slow going due to the muddy and uneven terrain. 12-kilometers on flat terrain walking around the local park may take you 2-3 hours but on the Kokoda Track, you can expect to go twice as slow so 5-8 hours a day of hiking is about the norm.

2. TREK UP TO THE HIGHEST POINT IN

PAPUA NEW GUINEA & OCEANIA:

MOUNT WILHELM

Climbing Mount Wilhelm is one of the toughest challenges in Papua New Guinea. In fact, it is the tallest peak in Oceania at 4,509m. The journey to base camp and then the summit requires planning, determination and hopefully some good weather!

Mount Wilhelm is part of the Bismarck Range and the peak is the exact point where three different provinces meet. Generally, most people take 2-3 days to complete the trek as it is best to acclimatize to the altitude rather than rushing up.

The total distance of the hike from Betty’s Lodge to Base Camp (where most trekkers stay) to Summit is 11.7km one-way so a total round-trip distance of 23.4 kilometres is what you are up against.

The trail consists of a dirt path, slippery muddy terrain, and moderate bouldering. There are no technical sections that require rock-climbing experience or ropes/ equipment. It is slow going due to the slippery, uneven terrain.

This was one of the toughest experiences I’ve ever had as we battled the altitude and the cold to reach the summit for sunrise! Mount Wilhelm is one of the most difficult places to visit in Papua New Guinea.

3. ISLAND HOPPING IN MADANG

Madang is one of the most pristine coastal regions in Papua New Guinea with excellent diving, multiple WWII plane and shipwrecks as well as a number of land attractions and villages in the jungle to explore. There are hundreds of islands off the coast of Madang and with few other boats in the area, you can stop off and enjoy the peaceful calls of birds and nature at your own private island. There were many highlights but the pick of the bunch for me was Pig Island. It was covered in palm trees and was surrounded by incredible turquoise waters. The jungle seemed to overflow onto the beach and into the water. It was beautifully wild.

4. SCUBA-DIVING IN MADANG

On one of our days in Madang, we headed out from Madang Resort to discover several wrecks that are remnants of the battles that took place in WWII.

I personally love diving wrecks and think it’s incredible to witness history but also see how nature slowly takes over. We dove down to the Henry Lieth shipwreck and the B-25 bomber plane wreck. Hundreds of species call the wrecks home and it becomes a hotspot of diversity and activity with fish and corals covering the wrecks. The underwater wrecks are one of the best things to see in Papua New Guinea.

5. EXPERIENCE THE HAILIKU VILLAGE TOUR, CAVING AND CLIFF JUMP

The discovery of the Hailiku Village cliff jump in the jungle-cave called ‘Mali Cave’ was all a bit of an accident for us. It was a strange old day, in which 50 members of the village, young and old, led us through the rivers, caves and watering holes of their community.

We drove out along a bumpy road through the jungle, passing by lots of small villages throughout the journey. When we arrived the kids led us through the jungle towards the caves. When we arrived it was a dark, scary cave full of water. I’m not sure exactly what they wanted us to do but we ended up deciding to have a cliff jump. I checked the landing area, climbed back up and then sent a jump from the entrance. Locals never did that, apparently ever so they all loved it and a few of them joined in.

The other adventure at Hailiku Village was a tour of the Itanub Cave. It’s a deep cave complex where the locals have built access ladders out of bamboo. A small, narrow entrance opens out into a huge room inside the cave. During the war, it’s said the Japanese used the caves in these regions to hide out when necessary.

6. DISCOVER THE TALASEA PLANE WRECKS

IN NEW BRITAIN

During World War II the South Pacific Sea was an explosive battleground between Japan and America. There was some serious action throughout Papua New Guinea, which means that inevitably, there are many plane and shipwrecks scattered throughout the island nation. Many of the plane wrecks are accessible by scuba-dive but throughout our three weeks in Papua New Guinea, we also visited a number of plane wrecks on land. The most impressive of them all was the Talasea plane wrecks in New Britain.

The Talasea Plane Wrecks are found in an area to the west of Kimbe Town in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. It’s just a 30-minute drive from Walindi Plantation Resort.

The drive into the Talasea Plane Wrecks takes about 30-40 minutes along the coast from Walindi Plantation Resort. The road is only accessible by four-wheel drive and is very muddy and rocky. We were sideways at one point but our driver, a local legend named Joseph, was always in control.

The Talasea Plane Wrecks are in the same position they crashed in. They haven’t been moved but a palm-oil plantation has been planted in the region, replacing the former town. This means that the jungle is slowly overtaking the two bomber wrecks found at the site. The wrecks are on either side of the road and you can explore each with just a 20-yard stroll from the road making it an easy activity after a day of scuba-diving or island-hopping.

8. HIKE TO THE TOP OF MOUNT GARBUNA VOLCANO

Mount Garbuna (sometimes named Gabuna) is just 20-km from Kimbe in New Britain. Sitting atop the lush, forested mountain is one of the largest thermal fields in all of Papua New Guinea. The three-hour, 8-kilometer trek through the forest is rich with birdlife and hundreds of different plant species. Once you emerge from the forest, the smell of sulphur fills the air as bubbling thermal pots send plumes billowing into the sky.

The hike begins from the small village at the foot of the mountain. A group of kids met us as we emerged from the Landcruiser. With 2L of water each and a sandwich packed (and of course all our camera gear), we head off into the jungle. The trek is 8-kilometers up and you return the same way so it is a total of 16-kilometers for the entire journey. The incline was about 850m in total (depending on what peaks you climb at the summit).

At the summit, we scampered across the muddy plains, weaving in between the countless dead trees. We climbed our way up the ridge and made it to the base of the sulphur pit where we found a thermal field with bright yellow sulphur creating small chimneys where the plumes of smoke flowed out. The entire scene is just very wild and with no other tourists or even locals around, it felt like we were on another planet.

SOAK IN THE ENCHANTED HOT GARU RIVER

The Garu Hot River in New Britain is one of the most enchanting places I’ve ever visited. Hidden in the jungle, this Papua New Guinea gem is truly magical. A crystal clear river steams at temperatures close to 40-degrees warmed by the thermal fields of the volcano. It’s a perfect place to soak in the natural spa while taking in the lush jungle surroundings.

The island hopping in Kimbe Bay is like nowhere else. I say this because there is literally one tour operator and that’s it. This means there are no other boats, no other tourists. It’s just you and nature.

We did an entire day of island-hopping with Walindi Plantation Resort and it was just incredible! I’m talking deep blues, tropical turquoise and a jungle full of green. We swam through underwater caves, snorkelled with colourful fish and coral and watched birds nesting on the islands as we sat on the boat.

I’ve been to a lot of beautiful tropical destinations and this region is definitely up there as the most pristine and stunning I’ve come across.

10. SNORKELING AND SCUBA DIVING IN

KIMBE BAY

Papua New Guinea is up there as one of the best diving destinations in the world. The sits can often be a little remote to reach but once you are there, settle in for a week of mind-blowing underwater action.

Walindi Plantation Resort is the home base for all of the diving in Kimbe Bay and some of the dive sites are just off the charts. You can go snorkelling, free-diving, and scuba-diving at locations that are in pristine conditions. Thousands of fish, corals, dolphins, sharks, and turtles call the reefs home. The water clarity was just ridiculous in some spots and we could see 40-ft deep with perfect vision just from the deck of the boat.

Jackson Groves