Papua New Guinea Tours – PNG Papua New Guinea Direct Tour Operators – Safety in PNG
Papua New Guinea Tour Operators for the Interior, Roads and Bush – Real Tour Guides, Real Security Staff, and Responsible Cargo Managers – Safety Warning PNG

Thinking of PNG?

Pro or Veteran Traveler?

Read This – Briefing Room:

We hope you are getting super-excited for your expedition and adventure in PNG with PNGVT.

The clock is ticking down, so we are putting a checkpoint here in the road for you so as to make sure you have everything you need, and to make sure you are prepared physically, mentally, gear-wise, and so as to anticipate and have level expectations of the challenges and experiences that await you ahead.

Travel in Papua New Guinea is, as we say it, the Last Frontier in Asia (and one of them in the world for certain) for tourism. This is not a marketing slogan, it is true, and you are coming to a very special, very raw, very real place, where nothing is contrived, very few places are set up for tourism, and the rewards and challenges there-in are much greater. This may be among the most unique trips of your life, and it will also be tiring and tough at times.

In the Papuan main island especially and its minor islands as well, travel, life, and daily needs are much much more difficult, challenging, amazingly more expensive, and unpredictable than they are anywhere else in Asia, let alone the world. This region, only comparable to afar raw frontiers in Angola, the Congo, and a bit of C.A.R., is not only the most expensive, obstructionist, bureaucratic, and most difficult for business and travel in Asia, but the entire world. Travel here, beyond yours, ours, the locals’, and even the president’s control, is subject to some if not all of the below:

! General chaos and lack of infrastructure in the interior. Changes to roads, boats, and (not so much) flight schedules. Replacement Logistics often unfeasible, & wait time.

! Delays, Cancellations, and Breakdowns of Vehicles, Services, Electricity, and Communications endemic through PNG

! Tropical Weather which halts or at least obstructs plans and transport

! Extortion and Solicitation for Bribes of our staff and crew from Officials and Villagers, or just general requests for money from strangers

! The highest prices in the world for hotels, tourism, transport overland, and one of the worst service cultures, though people are friendly

! Expensive and Exploitative Tourist Entrance Fees for some places and Travel Permits with Manager Overreach

! High Difficulty in Getting Good Food in the Interior ; Unsanitary street food.

Some other countries in Asia and Africa share some of these difficulties, but none of them to remotely the same extent as PNG.  Travel in Asia or anywhere does not prepare you for travel in this part of the world. If you have traveled to 50, 100, 150 countries – this will make you less prepared, not more, for what is to come just as often. PNG is different and everybody who writes and requests to come here is a self-reported travel expert. This country is not a place they can or would do on their own effectively, or if they would it would not be cheap nor easy and they find the same challenges. We do not promise in any way shape or form to shield you from these nuisances or characteristics of the country. You are agreeing to face them. Guides and everybody here wants you to have a good time, but you cannot ask them to do things out of their purview or out of safety and common sense either.

Accommodation and tourism value in PNG, though hugely expensive, never and cannot yield the same value as the selections and professional tour circuits for value-prices found in veterans like Thailand and Japan. Expectations should be accordant with this. There is no such thing as 5 star, anywhere here, in the interior. There is also really no such thing as budget travel, though PNGVT’s mission is to make that possible this year and in the coming years.

As for personal preparations, mentally be prepared for these general local nuisances and challenges, minor and occasional major plan changes, and delays in just about everything in the environment (although all will be notified within reasonable time of knowing them, and modified without cost to you, in accordance to circumstances.) You are not to blame others for your own decision to travel to the earth’s last frontier, and then the trip being difficult. There will be exhausting times, and there will be delays.

You are advised to bring additional personal kit including but not limited to:

mosquito net and repellant
solid walking boots
sunscreen and sun repair crème like Cetaphil
snacks and dry goods for the road
hygiene supplies extra, and an extra towel
flashlight and if you have it, an extra sleeping bag if you get cold easily at night
Swimgear or surfgear if you wish to swim in the rivers, lakes, or sea (where it is safe)
A cheap cellphone that can accept SIM cards if you wish to make texts/calls outside.

Besides that, bring an open mind and a sense of patience and humor, and relax! You will largely have the whole country to yourself, and will see some of the least developed parts of the planet, with the densest culture and nature, and where you will feel farthest from home and deepest into the Papuan heart.

However, PNG will not align to make absolutely everything go smooth more often, and we are honestly warning you kindly but very clearly that it often won’t, and that extra costs or delays would be your responsibility to pay whether you have a rushed or long time frame, 100% non-refundable, solid, and non-negotiable. You are advised not to visit here and to ask us for alternatives if you are used to neat little organized adventure tours where you have no risk of nusiances or extra costs. This is not a destination like any other, and you need to remember that. It is not our responsibility to warn you any further, and it is yours to face the consequences of ignoring these prefaces, regardless of the number or substance of your past trips and destinations.

None of this is metaphor or exaggeration. The trip will be one of the most serious you have ever taken, and you are in for a treat if you can come prepared. Rest up and get ready, roll up your sleeves, and welcome to The Final Frontier!

Sincerely

The PNGVT Team