Types of Tourism in Papua New Guinea
Diving
Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s recognized centers for diving. The coastal waters of the country abound with coral reefs, most of which have not yet been affected by human activity and mass tourism. The reefs are home not only to a variety of colorful fish, but also to large marine life – sharks, rays and turtles. In addition, during the Second World War, fierce battles were fought on the territory of Papua New Guinea, after which many sunken ships and wrecked aircraft remained at the bottom. Papua New Guinea is the birthplace of poppy diving. This type of diving involves diving in areas of coastal waters contaminated with household waste or silt, where you can see a wide variety of marine life among the mud. All resorts in Papua New Guinea are designed specifically for divers. On each of them you can find equipment rentals, instructors and dive boats that take tourists to remote dive sites. Almost every major tourist center in Papua New Guinea offers dive boat safaris, during which you can try different types of diving and explore a variety of dive sites, each of which is unique in its own way. The most spectacular dive sites are located in the waters surrounding the islands of the Bismarck archipelago.
The main places for wreck diving are located in the area of the resorts of Kavieng (New Ireland Island), Lissenung (near Kavieng), Loloata (near Port Moresby), Valindi (New Britain Island), as well as near the cities of Rabaul (New Britain Island) and Madang (northern coast of New Guinea). The water temperature in the northern part of the country in July-August is +27 degrees, in November-May – +29..+31 degrees, and in the southern parts of the Coral Sea during the year it ranges from +25 to +27 degrees. Check top-medical-schools.org for travel information in Papua New Guinea.
Diving in Papua New Guinea possible all year round. Visibility in Milne Bay off the southeastern tip of New Guinea Island averages about 20 m, reaches 30 m or more in offshore areas, can reach 40 m in the Bismarck Archipelago, and 50 m in the Coral Sea. here are weak, and the depths of diving are small, which makes it possible to dive even for beginners.
The country is home to several dive resorts that are among the most popular diving destinations in the world.
Loloata Resort
This is one of the most easily accessible resorts in the country, as it is located very close to Port Moresby on a small island of the same name. You can get to the resort by boats that run from the pier, located a few kilometers from the capital. As in other resorts of Papua New Guinea, the Loloata hotel complex consists of several bungalows, on one side of which is the sea, and on the other – mangroves. There are more than a dozen dive sites in coastal waters, divers are delivered to them by 2 dive boats. The best time to dive on Loloata is from late October to early December. There are two World War II shipwrecks, coral walls, tunnels and coral reefs where you can snorkel. The maximum diving depth on local sites reaches 25 m.
Resort Tufi
The resort is located on the northeast coast of the island of New Guinea, 250 km east of Port Moresby. In this part of the coastline, fjords created by volcanic activity are common. The resort has several bungalows and a guest house built by locals for those tourists who lack the exotic. The main types of diving on Tufi are diving near the fjords and near the reefs surrounding the resort, where you can conduct macro photography, poppy diving, as well as wreck diving to the wrecks of the Second World War. Underwater visibility throughout the year is about 30 m. Among the reefs of Tufi resort the most impressive are the House Reef and Malway Reef. The house reef is great for snorkelling and underwater photography. Here you can see a wide variety of corals, gobi fish, shrimp, seahorses, clams, pipefish and Chinese perches. The dives at Malway Reef are quite difficult and suitable only for experienced divers. Hammerhead fish, reef sharks and rays are common here. Also near Tufi on the seabed are the remains of patrol torpedo boats and a Dutch military freighter from the Second World War. Dive sites Black Rocks and Shark Fin are suitable for those who like to swim close to sharks.
Tawali
Resort Tawali Resort is located in an inaccessible part of Milne Bay, which can only be reached by boat from the city Alotau. The isolation of the resort makes the rest here quiet and calm. Tourists are delivered to dive sites by two vessels equipped with special equipment for processing digital photos on site. The waters surrounding the Tawali resort are considered among the best for poppy diving. The underwater world of this part of Milne Bay is very diverse, here you can see all kinds of corals that have created entire coral walls and huge fans, among which, in addition to small fish, there are large marine life, including sharks and rays.
Valindi
Resort Valindi Resort is located on the shores of Kimbe Bay on the northern coast of New Britain Island, 60 km from Hoskins Airport. It was built in 1983 on a former palm plantation surrounded by lush vegetation and volcanic peaks. To date, about a dozen bungalows have been equipped for tourists. Valindi was the first place in the country where diving began to develop. There are 25 dive sites here. The reefs of Kimbe Bay are among the richest in Papua New Guinea.. More than 400 coral species (about half of the world’s known coral species) and more than 900 fish species have been identified here. Divers are delivered to dive sites by 3 dive boats. One of the most popular dive sites in Valindi is the Hanging Gardens. It is located very close to the resort and is a vertical wall with many ledges and caves, from which various types of sponges hang. This site is also great for night diving. Namundo Reef is known for having the richest range of hard coral species in Kimbe Bay. Here you should be more careful, as a stone-like wart often hides at the bottom, on the back of which poisonous spikes are located. Not only for diving, but also for snorkeling, Chumann and Restorf islands are suitable, where you can see thickets of anemones, clown fish, Gobi fish and hawk fish.
Lissenoon
Resort The Lissenoon Resort is located on a small island off the northern coast of New Ireland. You can get here from the city of Kavieng. Lissenoon Island is so small that you can get around it in 10 minutes on foot. It is covered with palm trees, among which there are 4 bungalows with 7 rooms. The main attraction of the resort is the colorful underwater world. The resort has 35 dive sites. In the waters surrounding the island of Lissenun, strong currents are observed. The water temperature during the year is +29 degrees, and visibility ranges from 30 to 40 m. The resort has 2 dive boats for trips to distant sites. The underwater world of Lissenun surroundings has about 200 species of fish. Here you can see a wide variety of corals and sponges, shrimp, seahorses, clownfish, frogfish, needletail tuna, Spanish mackerel, octopus, cuttlefish, barracuda, turtles, rays and gray reef sharks. Also in Kavieng Bay ships and planes from the Second World War lie at the bottom.
Beach holidays
Papua New Guinea is located near the equator, which makes it possible to sunbathe and swim here all year round. Mostly people go to the country in order to combine a beach holiday with diving and snorkeling, so the best beaches in the country are located on the territories of the main dive resorts. The beaches of Milne Bay, the beaches of the islands of New Britain and New Ireland and the beaches of small private islands are very popular.
Surfing
Papua New Guinea has some of the best surfing in the world. These are the beaches of the northern coast of the island of New Guinea near the cities of Vanimo, Wewak and Madang, the southern part of the island of New Guinea near Port Moresby and Alotau, as well as the beaches of the city of Kavieng on the island of New Ireland. Surfing is best practiced between September and January. On the northern coast of the island of New Guinea, in the border areas, windsurfing is possible from December to March, as strong northwest winds are observed at this time. From May to November, kite surfers come to Papua New Guinea, at which time steady winds begin to blow at a speed of more than 9 m / s. This type of surfing is practiced in the vicinity of Port Moresby and in Milne Bay.
Fishing
The coastal waters of Papua New Guinea are full of all kinds of fish. Fishing is best near the cities of Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Wewak, Rabaul and Kavieng. Here you can catch blue and black marlin, sailfish, kingfish, dogtooth tuna, mackerel, barracuda, barramundi, giant trevally, coral salmon and wahoo fish. In the city of Kandrian, on the southern coast of the province of West New Britain, there are Papuan black and spotted perches, which are found only in Papua New Guinea.
In addition, in Papua New Guinea Recreational activities such as canoeing and rafting on the Sepik, Hulu and Watut Rivers, as well as sea kayaking in the Sepik Delta and between small islands, have developed in recent years. Sea cruises along the coasts of the country are very popular.
