Ecotourism Melanesia’s PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Papua New Guinea is the ultimate challenge for pilots. Short, rough airstrips. Dog-leg approaches. Unusual payloads like live animals, timber and coffins. Despite the rigorous flying conditions, Papua New Guinea has an excellent aviation safety record. Local pilots are mainly Papua New Guineans and Australians who have extensive experience flying in PNG conditions. Workhorse aircraft like the Twin Otter are specially selected for their resilience and ability to take off from very short airstrips and are carefully maintained by local aircraft engineers trained to international standards.

Normally it costs an arm and a leg to charter an aircraft to see Papua New Guinea from the air. A much cheaper option is to take a few round trips on "milk run" flights with small local airlines. These flights are not normally promoted to tourists because they don't run every day of the week, they don't always run on time, and they don't provide any in-flight catering or on-board toilet.

However if you are flexible timewise and you don't mind ducking into the bushes at the end of the airstrip to relieve yourself, you won't find a more interesting way of seeing large tracts of Papua New Guinea by air.

On "milk run" flights the plane stops at each airstrip for 15-20 minutes to load passengers and cargo. At each stop you will be able to disembark from the plane to have a walk around, take a few photos and chat with some of the locals who always come and meet the plane to see who's coming and going. If you bring a pocket full of coins you will be able to buy things from the inevitable airstrip markets: fruit and vegetables, drinking coconuts and sometimes unusual artifacts such as hand-made tools or items of traditional dress (bilas).

Ecotourism Melanesia offers FLIGHTSEEING PACKAGES including:

• round-trip airfare
• dropoff at Port Moresby airport and assistance with checkin arrangements
• pickup when the flight returns, no matter what time it is
• a small esky with plenty of fresh food and cold drinks for the flight, and a hot flask of tea/coffee
• accommodation and meals if aircraft overnights
• flight monitoring (we keep in touch with the airline control centre in case the flight is delayed and we need to re-book or adjust your follow-on travel arrangements)
• souvenir map showing the route you fly

SELECT FROM THE FOLLOWING FLIGHTSEEING TOURS EX-PORT MORESBY: (days/times current as at November 2003)

GULF PROVINCE AIRSTRIPS - TUESDAYS THURSDAYS FRIDAYS SATURDAYS (Twin Otter)
1000 depart Port Moresby - Kerema - Kikori - Sasereme - Kamusi - Kikori - Kerema - Port Moresby arrive 1530 (NB Ports may vary with day of the week)

WESTERN PROVINCE FLY RIVER AIRSTRIPS - TUESDAYS (Twin Otter)
0800 depart Port Moresby - Daru - Awaba - Balimo- Nomad - Kiunga - Nomad - Balimo - Awaba - Daru - Port Moresby arrive 1630

WESTERN PROVINCE LAKE MURRAY AIRSTRIPS - SATURDAYS (Twin Otter)
0640 depart Port Moresby - Daru - Wipim -Suki - Obo - Aiambak - Lake Murray - Kiunga - Lake Murray - Aiambak - Obo - Suki - Wipim - Daru - Port Moresby arrive 1600

CENTRAL PROVINCE MOUNTAIN AIRSTRIPS - TUESDAYS FRIDAYS (Twin Otter)
0620 depart Port Moresby - Woitape - Fane - Tapini - Port Moresby arrive 0810 (Warning: Fane and Tapini are white-knuckle airstrips. BYO defibrillator).

KOKODA - WEDNESDAYS, SUNDAYS (Twin Otter)
0920 depart Port Moresby - Ononge - Woitape - Kokoda - Port Moresby arrive 1105 (Warning: Ononge is a white-knuckle airstrip. Ononge Wednesdays only)

ORO AND MILNE BAY AIRSTRIPS - departs SUNDAYS returns MONDAYS (OVERNIGHT TRIP) (Twin Otter)
0720 depart Port Moresby - Itokama - Popondetta - Tufi - Wanigela - Vivigani - Salamo - Gurney (Alotau) - Rabaraba - Agaun - Gurney (Alotau) - Salamo - Vivigani - Wanigela - Popondetta - Tufi arrive 1640. OVERNIGHT TUFI
0630 depart Tufi - Popondetta - Itokama - Port Moresby arrive 0810

For FLIGHTSEEING tour costs please contact us

 

BY THE WAY: Ononge to Woitape is said to be the world's shortest scheduled air sector - 5 minutes flight duration. Ononge is certainly the world's scariest landing as the ridgetop strip has a dogleg and the pilot has to make a ten-degree turn halfway down the airstrip. However, Fane and Tapini are arch-rival white-knuckle strips guaranteed to take your breath away as you take off over a cliff, just like taking off from an aircraft carrier.

 

ARTICLES ON AVIATION IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA	Number One Strip - Milne Bay
*Published in "Paradise", the in-flight magazine of Air Niugini	Finding Beaufighter A19-130

 

ECOTOURISM MELANESIA LTD
Unit 1 Lot 3 Section 444, Ranu Place
Four Mile Hill, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea
(Postal address: PO Box 24 Waigani NCD)
Phone & Fax (675) 323 4518
E-mail ecomel(at)online.net.pg · Website: www.em.com.pg

Back to http://www.em.com.pg