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Voykit pocket guide · Papua New Guinea

Port Moresby

Port Moresby is a connection city, not a walking city: arrange a hotel or operator car for every leg, do the museum and one market by day with a driver, keep evenings inside the hotel — and read your own government's travel advice before you book.

Port Moresby has serious crime, including armed robbery and carjacking, and governments advise care or, for some areas, against travel. The sights are simple and spread out, the pavements are poor and taxis should not be hailed. The safe pattern is a booked driver or hotel car door to door, daylight only, and no valuables on show. Four clusters cover a first visit; most visitors are here to connect to a flight or a lodge elsewhere.

Town & Ela BeachKoki market & fish mark…Waigani: National Museu…Boroko shops & hospital…Town and Ela BeachWaigani1 kmpins: sleep areas · dots: places
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Papua New Guinea
Best months
May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
Time zone
Pacific/Port_Moresby
Stay
1 days: Museum and Parliament by car, back to the hotel before dusk

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
PGK
Money
Cards work at larger hotels and shops. Take cash from ATMs inside hotels or banks in daylight, keep a reserve out of sight, and do not carry more than you need for the day.
Daily spend
Budget K 250–450 excl. bed · Mid K 450–1,000 excl. bed · High K 1,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Digicel has the widest coverage; Vodafone PNG and bmobile cover towns. Buy a SIM in Port Moresby with your passport.
Emergency
Police 112 (check; some towns use local numbers) · Ambulance (St John) 111 · Fire 110 (check)
Plugs
Types I · 240 V · 50 Hz · Same angled flat pins as Australia; bring a power bank, since lodges run generators for set hours.
Tipping
Restaurants and hotels: Not expected.; Guides and drivers: K50–100 a day as thanks if service was good (2026 estimate).; Kokoda porters: Operators set a tip pool; also give gear you no longer need, as many trekkers do.; Villages: Pay agreed custom fees rather than tipping individuals.
Water
Not safe from the tap. Drink bottled, boiled or filtered water; lodges supply rainwater that should be treated.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels and lodges; long-drop pit toilets in villages and on treks. Carry paper and hand gel.

Get in

By air

Jacksons International Airport (POM)
POM to your hotel: one pre-booked hotel or operator car, about 20–45 minutes — the risk is arriving without a ride, so do not go outside the terminal looking for one.

Get around

Hotel car or a booked driver door to door; no walking between clusters.

Passes
No pass. Agree the day rate with your hotel's driver, and pay after the ride.
Late at night
No rail. Do not hail taxis: ask the hotel to book the ride back before you go out.

See and do

  1. 01Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art GalleryNational Museum and Art Gallery

    Go in the morning with a booked car: the museum is the best single introduction to PNG's cultures and a safer stop than the streets.

  2. 02Koki market

    Go only with a driver or guide who waits, in the morning, with small notes and no valuables: a working market for fish and vegetables, not a place to browse alone.

Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.

Eat

Hotel dining rooms in Town
Eat inside your hotel or at a restaurant your hotel books with a car both ways; do not go out on foot for dinner.

Sleep

Town and Ela Beach
First-timers: choose a hotel with 24-hour security, a restaurant on site and a booked car from the airport; do not plan to walk out.
Waigani
Closer to the museum and the government district; a car ride from Town, with security-managed hotels.

Language

Tok Pisin is the common language across the north, Highlands and islands; Hiri Motu is used around Port Moresby and the south; English is the language of government, schools and hotels. With about 840 local languages, your guide's own language may be spoken only in his valley.

  • Tok Pisin basics: 'Apinun' (good afternoon), 'Tenkyu tru' (thank you very much), 'Hamas?' (how much?), 'Mi no save' (I don't know / understand).
  • 'Wantok' (one talk) means someone of your language group — the social safety net that runs through PNG life.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Shake hands lightly; greet everyone in a group; avoid: Crushing handshakes or ignoring elders
  • Village visit: Arrive with your guide, meet the leaders first, bring a small gift if advised; avoid: Walking into gardens or houses uninvited
  • Money and gifts: Pay agreed fees to the right person; avoid: Handing out money or sweets to children
  • Anger: Stay calm and let your guide negotiate; avoid: Shouting; public shame can escalate quickly
  • Sunday: Expect church and quiet; join a service if invited; avoid: Noisy activities near villages
  • Dress: Loose clothes covering shoulders and knees; a laplap (sarong) works; avoid: Swimwear or short shorts in villages

Red lines

  • Ask permission before photographing people, and expect to pay a small fee in some places.
  • Do not photograph police, military or government buildings without permission.
  • Betel nut is chewed widely: never spit it in hotels, shops or vehicles.

Scams (Papua New Guinea page)

  • Unofficial 'guides' and fixers: Book guides and drivers through your hotel or a licensed operator; do not accept lifts from people you have just met.
  • Photo and entry fees raised on the spot: Agree custom fees through your guide before you arrive; they are legitimate, but settle the amount first.
  • Fake artefact antiques: Buy carvings as new craft; real old pieces need a National Museum export permit anyway.
  • ATM ambush: Use ATMs inside hotels or malls in daylight, with your driver waiting; do not count cash in the open.
  • Online visa lookalike sites: Apply only on ica.gov.pg; agency sites charge extra and some are not genuine.

One and two days

1 day

The first day of the timed plan.

Day 1 — National Museum by car, a 12:30 lunch table at the hotel

  1. 08:30Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery
  2. parliament house (optional)
  3. 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (hotel dining, Town)
  4. Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; dinner inside the hotel.

2 days

The first two days of the timed plan.

Day 1 — National Museum by car, a 12:30 lunch table at the hotel

  1. 08:30Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery
  2. parliament house (optional)
  3. 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (hotel dining, Town)
  4. Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; dinner inside the hotel.

Day 2 — Koki market with a driver, early morning

  1. 07:30Koki market
  2. koki fish market (optional)
  3. Evening: dinner in the hotel; do not go out on foot.

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Port Moresby

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Take me to

  • National Museum and Art GalleryPapua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/port-moresby). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.