Mary Tao looks at some of the best day tours available in Papua New Guinea’s major cities.

Port Moresby. Credit: BAI

Port Moresby

Buna Treks and Tours offers day trips to see the highlights of Papua New Guinea’s capital city.

After an 8.30am shuttle bus pick-up from your hotel, the tour sets off on a scenic drive that includes Ela Beach, APEC Haus (in the shape of a traditional lagatoi sail) and the Paga Hill Ring Road.

The tour then journeys out of town (about 30 minutes) to the Bomana War Cemetery. Among the buried are local forces and Australian soldiers who died during World War 2.

Next on the itinerary is the Adventure Park at 14 Mile. The park has lots to see, including a crocodile show, and the National Orchid Garden with hundreds of orchid species.

Then, it’s back into town to the National Museum and Art Gallery, the country’s biggest collection of traditional artefacts, paintings and preserved wildlife. This is followed by an opportunity for photos outside Parliament House, just next door. It is inspired in shape by the sacred meeting house of the Maprik people in East Sepik, with motifs representing different tribes at its entrance.

The final stop is Port Moresby Nature Park. It has more than 350 indigenous animal species, as well as a snake exhibit and a walk-in aviary.

If you do this tour on a Saturday, it can include stops at craft markets around the city.

The tour ends about 3pm. Water is provided, but it’s a good idea to ask your hotel to pack a lunch.

Lae

For a real local’s perspective, take a tour with LaeAbout Tours to Lake Labu, also known as Herzog Swamp.

Pupuli waterfall, near Lae. Credit: BAI

Tour owner and operator Emma Nasinom organises trips to her own village, Labu Miti, beside the lake.

The tour typically starts at Lae’s main wharf at 7am (a later start can be arranged). It’s a 15-minute boat ride to the village, with the dinghy carrying a maximum of 12 people.

Along the way you’ll see mangroves, which are vital for the lake’s thriving ecosystem, sago palms and villagers in their dugout canoes returning from their island gardens
or fishing.

From the village, it is a one-hour hike to Pupuli waterfall for a refreshing swim and a drink of kulau (water from a young coconut).

After walking back from the waterfall, have a break at Nasinom’s family area before heading to a secluded beach where leatherback turtles come to nest.

The last part of the tour includes traditionally prepared mud crabs, shellfish and freshly caught fish with root crops, made by the women of Labu Miti.

You can end your day with a swim, a game of volleyball with the villagers, or chill on the beachfront before heading back to Lae at 3pm.

Madang

Melanesian Tourist Services has an afternoon tour that immerses visitors in local culture, including a village visit with a sing-sing welcome with traditional dancers and kundu drums.

Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse. Credit: BAI

Visitors can interact with the villagers to learn about their culture, and there’s a demonstration (and tasting) of traditional cooking methods for root crops such as kaukau. You can also see how betel nut is chewed.

At another village stop, there’s a demonstration of clay pots making. Clay pots were used for trade, and today, villagers continue to use traditional methods to make them.

The pots are available for sale, as well as other souvenirs like beaded necklaces.

There’s also the opportunity to paddle a dugout canoe before visiting the Nettai Butterfly Garden at Bilbil.

To finish the day, there’s a stop at the Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse, commonly known as Kalibobo Lighthouse, at the entrance to Madang Harbour. It stands in commemoration of a group of Allied soldiers who spied and reported on Japanese movements during World War 2.

The tour wraps up at 4.30pm.

This is an edited version of an original article first published in the July-September 2024 issue of Paradise, the in-flight magazine of Air Niugini.