PNG: Getting There and Staying Safe

One can get to Port Moresby via Sydney, Hong Kong or Singapore. One must obtain a visa ($50 via the online application: https://ica.gov.pg/visa/visit/visitor.) While it's supposed to take about 15 days to receive the visa, apply at least 45 days in advance.

From Port Moresby, it's an hour's flight to Hoskins via Air Niugini, which is notoriously undependable. I loaded their app on my phone, but it still required a healthy dose of patience. One should arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before departure because the crowds are large and the processing is slow.

Port Moresby has serious crime problems. While awaiting the hotel shuttle at the airport, I saw an airline crew being picked up by a van marked as belonging to a security company; it appeared to have metal screens over the windows. In July 2023, the U.S. State Department issued an advisory stating, "Reconsider travel to Papua New Guinea due to crime, civil unrest, and piracy. Exercise increased caution due to kidnapping, unexploded ordnance, inconsistent availability of healthcare services, and potential for natural disasters.

I was advised not to leave the hotel and to eat in the hotel restaurant.

PNG is a malaria zone, and I received a prescription for Malarone, which I began two days before arrival and continued throughout the trip.

I had no problems staying at the Airways Hotel, which is close to the airport and provides its own efficient, 24-hour shuttle service. On arrival, I got a day room for a little over $100, and on the return, stayed overnight for about $150. The room was clean and air-conditioned, with a comfortable bed. The main building has an elevator, but there was none in my building, so the strong bellman carried my scuba gear in one hand and my buddy's hard-sided underwater photo case in the other. He earned a good tip.

The Airways Hotel restaurant has a menu and an extensive buffet at dinner. A unique design feature of this hotel is a full-size DC-3 perched outside. The counter at the front desk is a re-purposed piece of an aluminum aircraft wing.

- G.P.T.