"‘One of the last frontiers’ is an expression that couldn’t be closer to the truth where Papua New Guinea is concerned. Whether nature or culture excites you, these are some of the most diverse and untouched lands on earth. The white-sand beaches and islands are as attractive as you’ll find anywhere, and the underwater scene is better: sunken relics of WWII, colourful coral reefs and majestic marine life make the region arguably the world’s best diving destination.

Parts of Papua New Guinea can be dangerous, but the country is not as bad as commonly perceived. If you use common sense you’re more likely to be smothered in smiles than encounter difficulties.

So set fear aside – the last frontier awaits."

Lonely Planet

Getting Here

Air Niugini flies to Port Moresby from Brisbane, Sydney and Cairns in Australia, as well as from Singapore, Honiara, Manila and Tokyo.

Airlines PNG flies to Port Moresby from Brisbane and Cairns.

There are daily flights with Air Niugini from Port Moresby to Kavieng.

We will collect you from the Airport and the return airport transfers are included in your charter costs.

A layover night in Port Moresby is often required when waiting for connecting flights to Kavieng.

At Jackson’s Airport in Port Moresby, the Domestic Terminal is 200m to the right after exiting the International Terminal.

An Air Niugini domestic flight is the only practical way to get to Kavieng from Port Moresby.

There is a weekly passenger boat from Rabaul to Kavieng, or daily flights with Airlink from Rabaul to Kavieng (via Lihir Island) if you are already in-country.

Money

The unit of currency is Kina, divided into 100 toea. The highest Kina note is K100, although we recommend getting as much small denominations as possible for buying wood carvings, shell jewellery and other island offerings whilst on charter.

Generally, AUD$1 equals around K2.

Package Deals

By all means, you can book direct, but you will find that booking a package through one of the wholesale agents for Air Niugini will afford you a substantial savings on the airfare component of your trip.

Niugini Holidays are one such agent, and specialise in accommodation and tour options in Papua New Guinea. With many years experience and a huge product portfolio, they are hard to beat with both their experience of the products, and the package deals that they are able to offer. Contact Karen and Owen in the Cairns office, Penny and Katie in the Brisbane office or Heidi in the Sydney office. A charter on Tiki Tu can be arranged in conjunction with other fabulous places and tours in Papua New Guinea with Niugini Holidays. See our Links Page for contact information.

Entry Requirements

Tourist Visas are required for entry into Papua New Guinea, and are available on arrival at a cost of K100 (AUD$50). Immigration will only accept PNG currency. You can get visas in advance by applying through the PNG Consulate in Brisbane.

There are restrictions for entry for some nationalities. The list of nationalities seems to change on a regular basis, so it would be recommended to contact a PNG Embassy or Consulate for the most up to date information.

Customs officers will open all of your bags and look them through them carefully.

Medications and Vaccines

"Certain vaccines like that of Hepatitis A and Typhoid are regarded as must-haves for those travelling to developing countries, no matter if you’re the town-bike or the town bishop"

Jess Gleeson, Get Lost Magazine

Yes, well, PNG is a developing country, so some things are essential to protect yourselves from disease that you aren’t subject to in your comfy urban environs in the western world. It is recommended that you touch base with your GP, Naturopath, Homeopath or someone whose advice that you trust and go with their recommendations.

There is malaria in the area, but deciding whether to take anti-malaria tablets is up to you. One thing to consider is that these tablets are a broad spectrum antibiotic, so will therefore also assist you in fighting infection if you happen to get a coral cut or an infected ear etc whilst you are on holiday.

One thing the doctors forget to tell people though is that Doxcycline (the most commonly prescribed anti-malaria tablet) also increases your risk of sunburn, so you need to be especially vigilant in applying your 30+ Sunscreen whilst on the medication. The best thing to do to is to use a good insect repellent and cover up at dawn and dusk.

Generally, you won’t even notice mosquitoes on Tiki Tu as you are out over the water, but experiencing a mumu and sing sing on an island of an evening shouldn’t be missed because you are afraid of getting malaria.

I have never been sailing before, can I still go?

Of course you can. Whilst on a charter, you can get involved in the sailing process as much or as little as you like. If you would like to learn more about sailing, we will be more than happy to have you assist us in sailing Tiki Tu. Otherwise, you can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Can I charter the boat without any crew or skipper (Bare Boat)?

Unfortunately not. Most of the areas that we take you to are literally uncharted. Therefore, we cannot allow people to take our pride and joy out into an area with so many reefs and underwater obstacles.

Who else will be on the yacht?

As we only do exclusive charters, the only guests will be those that you book the charter with. Your skipper, Adam, and cook/deckie/hostie Dani are the only crew on Tiki Tu on extended charters. On Day Sails, we also have another local deckhand who assists us.

What will be the itinerary?

That is completely up to you, and what your interests are. If you would like to only do short sails each day and spend most of your time snorkelling and relaxing on a beach, we would do that. If you want to get as far away as you can from the world as you know it, we can spend a whole day sailing to a very remote destination to experience a truly untouched location. If you have specific destinations in mind, we can get there, depending on weather and your time restraints of course.

When is the best time to go?

Kavieng is equatorial, so the temperatures are always warm and the snorkelling and diving is excellent all year. Water temperatures range from 28-30°… year round. Surf Season is from early November to late April, which coincides with the North West monsoon season. During monsoon, we generally have fine days and a daily down pour of rain in the late afternoon or evening, with winds which are variable and light. During the southern hemisphere’s winter months (June-September), we receive the tail end of the South East Trade Winds which have made their way all the way up from the east coast of Australia. By the time they get this far north, they have diminished in strength quite a bit, but they offer fantastic sailing conditions amongst the sheltered waters of the islands.

Port Moresby has such a bad reputation. Is it necessary to overnight there on the way to Kavieng? Is it as bad as it is made out to be?

Port Moresby does have a bad reputation, but for the tourist transiting through there really is nothing to be concerned about. The hotels in Port Moresby are safe, and most of the problems in Port Moresby are in no way associated with tourists. In reality, Port Moresby isn’t as bad as it is made out to be, and you should not be deterred from experiencing all the wonderful places Papua New Guinea has to offer just because you have to go through Port Moresby. Having said that, we actually really like Port Moresby. The Museum has an excellent collection of South Pacific Art and artefacts, Parliament House is worth a visit for its fantastic architecture, and the Royal Papuan Yacht Club is an excellent place to have an afternoon beer, looking out over the marina. There are some excellent restaurants in Moresby as well.