Ecotourism Melanesia’s PAPUA NEW GUINEA

 

WESTERN PROVINCE

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GETTING THERE

- Daily flights from Port Moresby to Daru, Tabubil, and Kiunga
- Daily flights from Mt Hagen to Tabubil
- Weekly flights from Port Moresby to Balimo area and Lake Murray area
- Weekly flights between Tabubil and nearby Telefomin in Sandaun Province.
- Connecting flights between the three major towns and the smaller station airstrips
(There are no flights between Western Province and Irian Jaya or the Torres Strait).
(There are no passenger ferry services from Australia or Indonesia into the Western Province, and no ferry service from Port Moresby).

PLACES TO VISIT

 

- The gigantic Fly River and its delta
- Lake Murray – largest lake in PNG,
- Daru - unique Kiwai dancing, crocodile farm and sea cucumber industry
- Balimo - Gogodala culture and artifacts, Gogodala Cultural Show Sept/Oct
- Kiunga and Tabubil – mining towns
- Ekame Wildlife Lodge, near Kiunga, see our Kiunga Birdwatching Tour
- Bensbach Wildlife Lodge, Morehead
- Tonda Wildlife Management Area, Morehead  

ACCOMMODATION – URBAN

- Hotel Cloudlands, Tabubil
- Kiunga Guesthouse
- Kiunga Lodge
- Kuki Guest House, Daru
- Tawo’o Hotel, Daru

ACCOMMODATION – OTHER AREAS

- Bensbach Wildlife Lodge
- Kubu Village Long House, Balimo
- Lake Murray Guest House
- Morehead Guest House

OUR TOURS - Kiunga Birdwatching Tour

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

One of the areas of PNG least visited by tourists, Western Province is very big and the only way for visitors to get around is by air. The mining towns of Tabubil and Kiunga are linked by road but the rest of the province is dominated by impenetrable dense forest, steamy jungle and swampy marshes. Barges and cargo vessels travel up and down the Fly River and its tributaries but they do not carry passengers.

Tabubil and Kiunga are service towns for the Ok Tedi mine, the province’s major income earner, which is due to be shut down during the next few years. They are both vibrant and safe little towns, but there isn’t much to see there: the mine doesn’t run visitor tours.

Daru is a sleepy little town on an island in the Fly River delta, plagued by rats and beset by water and electricity shortages, but it has a big crocodile farm worth visiting.

The cultural hotspot of the province is Balimo, where the colourful Gogodala culture has enjoyed an artistic renaissance in recent years. The annual Gogodala Cultural Festival is a rewarding experience for those intrepid travellers who make it for the occasion.

The Western Province has some spectacular flora and fauna, especially freshwater bird life. Several wildlife lodges run by village cooperatives cater for ornithologists and ecotourists, although they tend to open and close spasmodically due to landowner disputes. These are mainly in the Morehead and Nomad/Lake Murray areas. The Bensbach Wildlife Lodge has recently been taken over by Trans Niugini Tours which will set it better marketed and managed.

Western Province best buys: Gogodala artifacts.   
Our favourite spot: Kubu Village Long House, Balimo.

 

MORE INFORMATION

Ceremonial war canoe, Balimo area
Biami novices, Nomad River area