New Ireland and the Admiralty Islands are off the beaten track. There are no trees on the Northwest Admiralty Islands. The islanders make canoes from logs driven down the Sepik.
Bougainville and Buka are separated by a series of islets. Bougainville caters to tourists. There is excellent diving and swimming off the coast; the island offers good opportunities for bush walks and caving expeditions. Options include a six-hour hike (downhill) from Panguna to Arawa and a three-day trip to the top of Mount Balbi, an extinct volcano. One should obtain permission to visit some villages along the itinerary from the Tourism Officer before embarking on such an excursion. There is a 9-hole golf course in Arawa and in the nearby village of Kerei a butterfly farm that can be visited by prior arrangement. Another interesting excursion leads to the massive copper mines of Bougainville.
Everywhere in Papua New Guinea you can still find relics from the Japanese and German occupation times. The wreckage of Admiral Yamamoto’s plane lies in the Buin rainforest.
The islands around Bougainville have countless white sandy beaches. Of all the islands in the province of Milne Bay, the Trobriand Islands are the
most accessible. There are also excellent water sports facilities here.
- Andyeducation: Introduction to education system in Papua New Guinea, including compulsory schooling and higher education.
The D’Entrecasteaux – Islands rise steep and mountainous from the sea. In the middle of Goodenough Island there is a large stone decorated with mysterious paintings.
The Highlands
The majority of the population lives in the most inaccessible part of the country.
The Eastern Highlands have the longest contact with the West of any area in the country. Kainantu can be reached from Lae via the Kassim Pass. In the city center, visitors can expect a wide range of cultural activities, including the sale of traditional handicrafts and lessons in printing and weaving. The largest city is Goroka, the agricultural and economic center of the highlands. The extensive collection of the J. K. McCarthy Museum includes a series of photographs taken by explorers of the island in the pioneering days of photography, alongside local handicrafts. The Raun-Raun Theater Group in the city center stages contemporary performances of traditional stories and legends. The village of Bena Bena, 10 km from Goroka, has the largest hand weaver organization in the highlands. Asaro is very close by, where the men cover themselves with gray mud and perform the historical revenge campaigns against the neighboring village for the tourists.
The small town of Kundiawa is the capital of Simbu Province. Some of the local caves are used as tombs, but others are still inhabited. The Wahgi Rivers and Purari invite to raft trips. The 4694 m high Mount Wilhelm is the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea.
In many ways, Mount Hagen, capital of the Western Highland province, resembles a Wild West town. It has only recently grown to city size. The city has a cultural center. Baiyer River National Park, 55 km north of Mount Hagen, is ideal for bird-of-paradise viewing. Opossums, tree kangaroos and parrots also live here.
The Mendi Valley in the Southern Highlands is known for its impressive landscape and limestone caves. This is where the Huli wig men live, who wear red and yellow make-up on their faces and elaborately decorated human hair wigs.
Among the many cultural attractions in Wabang in Enga Province are an art gallery and a museum. You can watch young artists making sand paintings. Shields, wigs, weapons and utensils from across Papua New Guinea are on display at the museum. Enga is the most original of the highland provinces.
The islands
The principal islands are New Britain, New Ireland and the Admiralty Islands (which together form the Bismarck Archipelago), the northern Solomon Islands of Bougainville and Buka, and a more southern group of islands comprising the Trobriand and D’Entrecasteaux Islands includes.
The capital of New Britain, Rabaul, offers several hotels, clubs, restaurants, dance and other entertainment venues. There are also sports fields, e.g. B. a golf course, but the emphasis is clearly on water sports, including diving, fishing, sailing and windsurfing. You can visit various interesting sites: the Gunantabu (the remains of Queen Emma’s residence) with her private cemetery; the ruins of the German Government House on Namanula Hill; the 576km underground tunnel system dug by the Japanese; the Admirals Bunker, now a museum; an orchid park and the market in Rabaul, known throughout the South Pacific. Malmaluan and Namanula viewpoints offer good panoramic views. Adventure seekers and climbing enthusiasts can explore the island’s extinct and active volcanoes.
The Baining island people perform spectacular fire dances at night.
Lae and the province of Morobe
Lae is the second largest city in Papua New Guinea, an important economic center and seaport. The botanical garden is one of the most beautiful in the country. Mount Lunaman offers a good view of the Huon Gulf and the Markham Valley.
Not far from Lae is Wau, a former gold mining center. The Ecological Institute in Wau is a privately funded organization that also runs a zoo and a small museum. Attractions near Wau include McAdam National Park and Mount Kaindi, Finschafen (an extremely picturesque seaside town) and the Tami Islands, on which the famous carved wooden bowls are made. Sialum is an attractive coastal region known for its coral terraces. Whitewater rafting on the Watut River is possible.
