Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is comprised of the eastern part of the world’s largest and highest tropical island, New Guinea. It also consists of many smaller offshore islands. To the west, it has a long and unpoliced land border with the Papua region of Indonesia. There is evidence of a human settlement here from as long ago as 35,000 years.

The official language is English. However, approximately 742 other languages and dialects are spoken in the country as well. Also, the predominant religion is Christianity (90% of the population claim to practice it).

Papua New Guinea consists of nine regions. The most popular tourist destinations are Southern Papua New Guinea (the starting point for all visits to Papua New Guinea. It also covers the National Capital District of Port Moresby), Madang (volcanic islands and spots for good diving), and the Highlands (consists of Enga and Chimbu Provinces and the Highlands. It has amazing culture and the rare tribal fight).

Other regions of interest are New Britain, where you can see the visible ruins from World War II both above and below water, and Bougainville, an autonomous island region, culturally and geographically more akin to the Solomon Islands.

The country’s currency is Kina. The approximate exchange rate is 3, 2 PGK for 1 US Dollar. The exchange facilities are available at trade banks. Credit cards are widely accepted, American Express being the most common one. Traveler’s cheques are also accepted in most shops and hotels. However, you should bring them in US Dollars, Pounds Sterlings or Australian Dollars to avoid additional charges.

The country uses type I sockets, as in Australia. You need to bring a travel adapter to fit the proper socket type. Check out the above-linked page to see the photos and other useful information. The standard voltage is 240 V.  Many of your devices may need a step-up transformer to match the electrical voltage.

Taxi rates can be quite expensive. So, if you plan to travel around a lot, the better option would be to rent a car. The cars in Papua New Guinea ride on the right side of the road.

July 12, 2016 12:00 am Published by Neha Rizal 1 Comment