Papua New Guinea Disney Travel Agents Near Me

Overview

Introduction

Papua New Guinea (PNG) was one of the last inhabited places on Earth to be explored by other nations—and it's still the land of the unexpected. Travelers to this wild and beautiful island nation are in store for plenty of surprises—both good and bad.

On the positive side, there is the unspoiled nature of the landscape: isolated beaches, volcanic mountains, primal rivers and dense jungles. PNG's indigenous cultures, too, have retained much of their original character. With an incredible 700 separate languages still spoken, the country has tribal cultures as diverse as its flora and fauna.

Unfortunately, those same qualities that make the country so unusual also contribute to the downside of travel there. Because many of its people have remained isolated in the rugged countryside, there are unresolved tribal enmities and rivalries that have only been partially muted into the annual dance and costume competitions known as "sing-sings." In a number of regions, you'll still see fierce warriors carrying bows and quivers of arrows—just in case.

Everywhere you travel in the country, you're trespassing on someone's land. The attitude of the people whose land you're traversing will range from friendly to fearsome, although those who welcome visitors far outnumber the few who don't. But of more concern than stepping on tribal boundaries is PNG's general crime problem, which has plagued urban and rural areas for years, and which appears to be increasing in the capital, Port Moresby. Some sites (such as the Baiyer River area, one of the country's most interesting nature reserves) are too dangerous to visit.

There is, however, a way to minimize PNG's downside: Visit the country on an escorted tour. We seldom issue a blanket recommendation for this option, but independent travelers will have a hard time relaxing enough to enjoy PNG. Even on a tour, expect an atmosphere tinged with some paranoia.

History

The first settlers arrived on the main island (the second largest in the world, after Greenland) from Southeast Asia more than 50,000 years ago. European explorers, who spotted the coastline in the 1400s, didn't exploit the island—it was pretty much left alone until the 1800s. But then the Dutch, Germans and British split the island into colonies. Australia (100 mi/160 km south) inherited administration of the British colony, called Papua, and the German colony after World War I. During World War II, the northern half of the island was invaded by Japan, but eventually came under Allied military administration. Papua joined administratively with New Guinea following the war, and the territory was placed under international trusteeship. It regained independence in 1975. (The Dutch half of the island was seized by Indonesia in 1963 and is now the troubled province of Irian Jaya.)

Snapshot

Scuba diving, trekking, beaches, river cruises and rafting, jungles, animal and bird watching, saltwater fishing, tribal cultures, cave exploration and orchids are the main attractions of Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea is recommended only for flexible, seasoned travelers interested in excellent scuba diving or primitive cultures. We do not recommend the country to inexperienced travelers, those who require world-class hotels or anyone whose trip would be ruined by mosquitoes, heat, humidity, delays or schedule changes. Organized tours are highly recommended for all but the most adventurous visitors who have plenty of time.

Potpourri

Sugarcane originated on the island of New Guinea. Arabs brought the plant to Spain, and the conquistadors carried it to the New World.

Chewing betel nuts, a local pastime in New Guinea, is a rather messy ritual. First, you chew the betel nut's fleshy core to a pulp. Then you dip various parts of a mustard plant into a bowl of lime (a white powder made from crushed sea shell that has been baked) and carefully add the stuff to your mouthful of pulp. When chewed together, this combination should produce a bright red liquid that must be spat out repeatedly, as if one were chewing tobacco.

There is particularly good diving in the Milne Island group, the Bismarck Sea and—one of the late Jacques Cousteau's favorite spots—Wuvulu Island. About 500 wrecks from World War II lie beneath the waters of PNG.

More than a million U.S. military personnel served in and around PNG during World War II. It was also there that General Douglas MacArthur earned the nickname "Dugout Doug," because he never visited the frontline troops.

The Kula Ring is the term used around Milne Bay to describe certain exchanges of goods. Historically, armlets were traded among islands in a counterclockwise fashion, and shell necklaces went clockwise.

Magazines and literature deemed pornographic are subject to confiscation, and their owners may be fined heavily. Blank videotapes are subject to customs duty and must be declared.

About 700 languages have been identified in the country, and of these, only 350-450 are related. Most are extremely complex grammatically.

Among specialty tours we've seen offered over the years are those that feature World War II sites, spelunking, diving, ethnological/anthropological/archaeological programs, white-water rafting (on the Watut and Waghi Gorge Rivers—both in the Highlands and jungle areas), climbing snowcapped Mt. Wilhelm (15,850 ft/4,830 m—best views tend to be in the early morning hours), trekking the southern Highlands near Mendi and Lake Kutubu and taking a cruise through the reefs from Madang to Rabaul.

More varieties of orchids are found in PNG than anywhere else on Earth.

More than US$500,000 in gold was discovered on Woodlark Island, in Milne Bay, during its gold rush.

The black-eared giant rat, found in PNG's forested mountains, can weigh up to 4.5 lb/2 kg and is a vegetarian.

Port Moresby has a "show" (festival) in mid July featuring singing, dancing, colorful costumes and a general party atmosphere. Mt. Hagen has one in late July and Goroka in mid August. If you're not planning on participating, avoid those times.

U.S. aviator Amelia Earhart's plane disappeared after taking off from Lae's Airport in 1937. Some believe she disappeared near New Britain.