Papua New Guinea, is the last frontier of the travel world. It is a fantastic place for a holiday where you can experience some of the most primitive cultures in the world, mixed with the energy of an emerging independent country. No where else in the world can you see and experience the colour, excitement and different cultures that come together to make up the fantastic experience that is Papua New Guinea. For Australians, the experience is even more real with the memories of the second world war, lost loved ones and the aura of the Kokoda Track. For the international tourist, there is an unforgettable experience waiting as you see ancient cultures, fantastic costumes, unique wildlife and some of the most spectacular tropical scenery that exists on the planet today.
Papua New Guinea is an emerging nation blessed with plenty of natural resources and a conglomeration of different peoples, all striving to enter the modern world.It is located to the east of the Solomon Islands and north east from Vanuatu. Australia is its closest neighbor and is directly south. The country has more individual languages than any other nation on earth and many different races of indigenous people. This is where the Pacific Islands meets Asia and the native people in different areas have a totally different appearance. In the Gulf of Papua and the surrounding mountain ranges live the Kuku Kuka people who are diminutive in stature. In the highlands you will find the Chimbu whose stature in short, strong and muscular. In New Britain and the northern islands live the Tolai who are a tall muscular and handsome race and in the eastern part of the country and islands the racial overtones tend towards a Melanesian appearance. Today, the more educated tend to live in the towns and cities like Port Moresby which is the capital, Lae, Goroka and Mt Hagen. The country has its own university and parliament which are located in Port Moresby. They have a constitutional monarchy, the same as Australia and are part of the British Commonwealth. The National currency is the Kina which is divided into 100 toea. Credit cards are accepted although not everywhere.
The Kokoda track is the greatest drawcard for Australian tourists. Many Australian servicemen died here during the war against Japan and many of the soldiers descendants come here to walk the track and experience some of the hardships that there relatives endured during the war. The track is not for the fainthearted. Papua New Guinea's terrain is incredibly steep and ridge after ridge follows valley after valley. There are rushing streams in every valley and the tropical climate sees regular thunderstorms and rain that turn the track to a sea of mud. Never think that crossing the Kokoda Track is a walk in the park because it can and does kill under prepared people. I walked down to the Goldie River and back to the start of the track as a fit 18year old when working in Hydrographic survey as a young man, and the memories of the climb out has lived with me ever since and this is really only the first hill that you will encounter.
Some of the other areas that you must visit include the highlands and the towns of Mt Hagen and Goroka. In this region some of the local festivals where the men dress and dance in traditional costumes are without equal as a fantastic spectacle. The Milne Bay region in the countries south east is magnificent and along the north coast the towns of Lae, Madang Tufi and several others are surrounded by magnificent coastal scenery and constant reminders of the last war. In the islands to the north, like the Trobriand Islands, you can still see wonderful native people who still live in their ancient tribal ways. Right through these areas, you will find something totally unique in cultures and scenery. For the diving fraternity, Papau New Guinea is paradise. Some of the worlds clearest waters, fantastic coral reefs and many sunken ships that are relics of the war provide a myriad of incredible dive sites. Fishermen too, can find some sensational experiences here. The Papuan bass is a large fresh water fish that fights like a bulldozer and is a trophy fish that few western anglers have had the chance to catch.
If you get the chance to visit this country and the Papua New Guinea restaurants, don't miss out as the opportunity to see the emergence of a new nation and the experience of watching the different native cultures will, unfortunately , be diminished over time as the westernisation of the county increases. So don't miss out on this incredible experience, travel to Papua New Guinea, and stay in Port Moresby hotels for your next holiday.