Ecotourism Melanesia’s PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SANDAUN (WEST SEPIK) PROVINCE

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- Air Niugini F28 jet flights from Port Moresby to Vanimo three days a week (all flights are via Wewak)
- AirLink connects Vanimo with Aitape, Wewak, Madang, & Mt Hagen
- MAF and VanAir light aircraft connect Vanimo with Green River, Telefomin and other small airstrips. MAF connects Telefomin with Tabubil in the Western Province

Vanimo town – scenic coastline and nearby surf beaches

Jayapura – an Indonesian city a few hours drive over the border

Green River township - gateway to the Upper Sepik

Telefomin and Oksapmin - the most remote townships in mainland PNG

Wutung border post – “David and Goliath” lighthouses

Sandaun Motel

Vanimo Beach Hotel

Visser Guest House

Nitu Village Guest House
Maiwetem Guest House, Aitape/Lumi District
Mouti Guest House, Aitape/Lumi District

Ali Island Guest House

Jayapura 3 day visit with PNG guide

Sandaun is the Tok Pisin spelling for “sun down”. The name was taken on by the former West Sepik province to give it a more separate identity from the neighbouring East Sepik province. As one of the two westernmost provinces in PNG, the people of Sandaun (and Western Province) are the last Papua New Guineans to see the sun set each day.

 

Sandaun is a huge province with rugged, cold mountains in the interior, steamy jungles in the lowlands, and scenic tropical coastlines. Only some of the coastal towns are connected by roads. Most of the inland districts can only be accessed by light aircraft or vessels reaching the Upper Sepik River. The small airline MAF is the lifeblood of the province.

 

In the interior, the small townships of Telefomin and Oksapmin are said to be the most remote towns in PNG. Telefomin has a large Baptist mission station, a hospital and a high school. A day’s walk from Telefomin is the Oksapmin district, which is well known for its primitive art.

 

On the coast, the major towns are Vanimo and Aitape. Aitape is a major catholic mission station. Half an hour drive from Aitape is the Sissano Lagoon which was devastated by a tsunami in 1997. Aitape is connected by a rough coastal road with Wewak in the East Sepik province. Inland, the Sandaun townships of Nuku and Lumi are also linked by road to Wewak, by a different route via Maprik.

 

Vanimo is the provincial headquarters, tucked away in the northwest corner of the province, about as far away as you can get from all the other districts. It is a quiet little township with an attractive foreshore area and long sandy beaches suitable for beachwalking. Above the town centre is a residential area situated on a bluff looking out over the ocean. There is a lookout with great views of the ocean on one side and the town and airport on the other side.

 

There are two main hotels in Vanimo; the better one is the Sandaun Motel which has good rooms and good food with a clean, comfortable airconditioned restaurant and bar. The other hotel is the Vanimo Beach Hotel which is Indonesian-owned, and attracts Asian logging workers and the PNG working class. The restaurant and bar here are rather spartan (and smoky) but the Asian food is good, and comparatively cheap. Both hotels are opposite the little Dali Beach, which has clean white sand, clear water and overhanging trees that make it ideal for paddling and bathing without getting sunburnt.

 

A short drive to the west of Vanimo there are surf beaches with good waves at certain times of the year. An Australian surf magazine has rated the surf here very highly, but the waves break mainly onto rocks and reefs, not sand, so it wouldn't be very safe for inexperienced surfers. Some accommodation is available at local villages on the surf beaches, eg Lido Village.

 

Vanimo is the jumping-off point for the border crossing into West Papua (Irian Jaya) which is administered by Indonesia. The border crossing checkpoint is at Wutung, about one hour’s drive west of Vanimo. Jayapura is a surprisingly large city, at least twice the size of Port Moresby, about three hours drive over the border. Jayapura is a hidden jewel for tourists: very clean, very safe, and very cheap. No beggars or spruikers, no pickpockets. Great markets, great food. Easy to get around in taxis and local buses. A side-trip to Jayapura for a few days is highly recommended. Short-stay tourist visas for Jayapura can be easily obtained from the Indonesian consulate in Vanimo. There are no scheduled air services between Jayapura and Vanimo or any other PNG towns. The only way for tourists to visit Jayapura from the PNG side is by road from Vanimo or by chartered aircraft. For more details see our page on Visiting Jayapura.

 

PHOTO ALBUM

 

 

MORE INFORMATION

ARTICLES ON SANDAUN PROVINCE
*Published in "Paradise", the in-flight magazine of Air Niugini	Surfing
	Up and down the Gorge (trekking from Lake Kopiago to Oksapmin)
	Origin of the Great River (the Upper Sepik)
	Tree Kangaroo

Map of Sandaun (West Sepik) Province

Visiting Jayapura

Our PNG links page

Frequently-Asked Questions about travel in PNG

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