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Need a little assistance in planning the perfect Papua New Guinea itinerary? Here’s what you could see in a 1-week itinerary, 2-week itinerary, and 3-week itinerary on the island nation.
On our first visit to PNG, we planned a 4-week grand tour and chose to travel mostly independently. We popped from the highlands to the islands and traveled up the Sepik River in a canoe. Obviously, with the help of local guides along the way. By the end of the month, I was emotionally, physically, and mentally spent. We had encountered weird illness, exploding undersea volcanoes with tsunami warnings, mild food poisoning, canceled flights, debilitating heat, and all-around rough travel the whole way.
One month was a bit too long for a first-time visit. Hence, this blog post. Let me guide you on HOW to plan your perfect itinerary and offer up some sample itineraries for 1-3 weeks as a first-time visitor.
How Long is a Typical Tour in Papua New Guinea?
99.99% of people visit Papua New Guinea on a tour. They are a package deal. Usually, they include domestic flights, hotels, transport, food, the whole shabang. The typical PNG tour lasts about 10 days. This allows you to either speed through two regions of the country or dive deeply into one, depending on the tour and your interests.
I wrote a full blog post detailing the tours I recommend for each region of Papua New Guinea. (*coming soon*)
Information on independent travel in PNG is nearly nil. So I decided to remedy that, too, if you’re not into the small group tours. Warning: independent travel in Papua New Guinea is not for the faint of heart. It will fight you the whole way. (*coming soon*)
Why did I do this? Because I reached out to every tour operator I could find online (including random local guides on Reddit) when I was planning my trip and got quotes ranging from $6,000 to $20,000 (LOL). I don’t want you to have to do the same.
First, Some Quick Tips on PNG Itinerary Planning
These will help you better understand WHY my sample itineraries cover what they do and how to craft your own without messing it up.
- Papua New Guinea is NOT connected by roads. They have, like, 4 unconnected highways, which means you’ll rely on domestic flights to hop from region to region.
- Domestic flights are almost always delayed and often canceled entirely. I wrote a full guide to booking the most reliable flights for your trip.
- Every region transits through Port Moresby. There are few exceptions. This means that to visit three regions, you’ll likely need 6 domestic flights.
- Because of delays and Port Moresby connections, you should always break up your travel days to include an overnight in Port Moresby and limit missed connections. This means you need to pad your itinerary with some extra days.
- Always spend a night in Port Moresby before your international flight as well.
PNG Regions at a Glance
These are the major tourism regions of Papua New Guinea. I’ve lumped together areas that you would travel by land.
- Lavender: Sepik River
- Purple: Highlands to Madang
- Pink: Manus
- Orange: New Ireland
- Blue: New Britain/Duke of York Islands
- Red: Port Moresby and Kokoda Track
1-Week Papua New Guinea Itinerary Options
Take a peek at that map up there. You could travel to one of the designated regions in one week’s time.
- If you’re interested in the tribal culture: choose the Highlands or Sepik River. The highlands are a classic route, and it’s possible to travel on a budget. But Sepik is a true adventure and my favorite place in PNG.
- If you want diving or islands: Obviously, choose either New Ireland or a combo of New Britain and the Duke of York Islands.
- If you want nature and wildlife: Manus is an excellent choice. With this time frame, you don’t have the days to complete the Kokoda Track.
If you only have one week, I suggest booking your domestic flight the same day you arrive in Port Moresby if possible. Then make sure you arrive in Port Moresby the day before you depart the country.
2-Week Papua New Guinea Itinerary Options
In two weeks, you have three highly recommended options. Personally, I think if you’re going to travel independently (or really at all) in PNG, you should stay for 2 weeks.
1. Highlands + One of the Islands.
You could spend 6 nights in the highlands, then 6 nights in either the New Britain/Duke of York Islands or New Ireland.
This option gives you lots of time for tribes and then the opportunity to beach it up. You can read my full guide to New Ireland and Lissenung Island Resort before you decide. (*coming soon*)
2. Highlands and Sepik River
This one is the ultimate PNG adventure, in my opinion. I recommend spending 5 nights in the Highlands, then 7 nights in the Sepik region. Again, read my full guide to the Sepik River to help you decide. (*coming soon*)
3. Kokoda Track
The Kokoda Track is a 10-day trek through the PNG jungle and looks like an epic adventure. I haven’t done it, so I don’t have the insider tips for you. But a two-week stay in PNG gives you just enough time to do the trek and recover in the Port Moresby area. If you wanted to add on the highlands, I would suggest extending your stay to at least 15 or 16 days in total.
If you want a great guide to hiking the Kokoda, check out Journey Era.
4. Two weeks on the Highland highway.
The highlands are the most visited region of Papua New Guinea. There are tons of tribes you could visit. But it’s also the most interconnected region. Fly into Mount Hagen and spend 13 days traversing the highlands Highway all the way to Madang. You’ll get wildlife, tribes, trekking, WW2 history, and islands all in one go. This is a great option because you need very few domestic flights. But you will be on buses/PMV for lengthy journeys. So, pick your poison.
3-Week Papua New Guinea Itinerary Options
If you have the stamina, the drive, the vacation time, and the cash, three weeks in PNG is ideal. In this amount of time, you can dive deep into whatever your Papua New Guinea interests are and visit loads of different areas within the country. I would not visit MORE than three regions in a single trip, however. That’s already 6 domestic flights, and I assure you— there will be annoying delays and challenges.
Here’s a quick overview of each region and why you could spend 5-7 days there. Choose the three that most vibe with you.
- Highlands: Tribes, Bird of Paradise, Hiking, Culturally important.*
- Sepik River: Remote, tribes, adventure, cool masks.
- New Britain/Duke of York Islands: Volcano hikes, snorkeling, and stunning islands.
- New Ireland: Shark calling, mask carving, and great diving.
- Manus: Wildlife-watching, birding, marine-biodiversity, and landscapes.
- Kokoda Track/Port Moresby Adjacent: For the hiking enthusiast.
*This region is one you could really sink into. The highlands stretch from Porgera in the west, where the road begins, all the way to Lae on the coast and around the bend North to Madang. The road West from Mount Hagen is one of the less safe areas in Papua New Guinea. If you wanted to you could fly into Mount Hagen and spend 10-14 days following the highland highway and getting pretty everything— islands, ww2 planes downed in the jungle, hiking, wildlife, and tribes all in one area. If you want to go this route, just add one more region to hit in the three weeks. Otherwise, stick to the segment of highway between Mount Hagen and Goroka.
Plan Your Perfect Papua New Guinea Itinerary!
While I think it would be crazy to visit PNG and NOT visit the iconic highland tribes, the country has a lot to offer. You can search the tree-tops for the pale cuscus, trek through verdant jungle, sleep in stilted bamboo huts on the river, go diving in the Bismarck Sea, and so much more! To craft the best Papua New Guinea itinerary, it’s important that you determine what most interests you in Papua New Guinea because it truly does have a little something for everyone.
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