Social ConventionsPapua New Guinea’s culture still includes elements of a primitive lifestyle. There are universities at Lae (which is a University of Technology with a liberal infusion of Europeans and North Americans) and at Port Moresby. Casual clothes are recommended. Informality is the order of the day and although shorts are quite acceptable, beachwear is usually best confined to the beach. In the evenings some hotels expect men to wear long trousers but ties are rare. A long dress is appropriate for women on formal occasions.
International Travel:Getting There by
AirThe national airline is
Air Niugini (PX) (website:
www.airniugini.com.pg).
Departure TaxPGK30 is levied on international flights. Children under two years of age and passengers not leaving the airport are exempt.
Main AirportsPort Moresby (POM) (Jacksons) is 11km (7 miles) from the city. There are direct flights to Australia and Singapore.
To/from the airport: Buses and taxis are available to the city (journey time – 20 minutes to 1 hour).
Facilities: Duty-free and banking facilities are available at the airport.
Getting There by WaterMain ports: Alotau, Kieta (North Solomons), Lae, Madang, Momote (Manus), Port Moresby, Rabaul (New Britain) and
Wewak (Sepik). Passenger/cruise lines running regular services include
Lindblad,
Peter Deilmann,
Society Expeditions and
World Discoverer. Main cargo/passenger lines include
Austasia and
Bank Line.
OverviewThe following may be imported into Papua New Guinea by persons over 18 years of age without incurring customs duty:
260 cigarettes or 250g of cigars or tobacco;
1l of alcoholic beverages;
a reasonable quantity of perfume;
new goods up to a value of Kina200 (Kina100 for persons under 18 years of age) excluding radios, tape recorders, television sets, video cameras, video tapes, record players and associated equipment.
Plants and soil, uncanned foods of animal origin (unless from Australia or New Zealand), and all pig meat from New Zealand.
Internal Travel:Getting Around By AirServices are run by
Air Niugini to all main centers, but are expensive. Internal services should be booked between November and February.
Air Niugini flies to over 100 airstrips throughout the country and operates regular services to the 20 major towns of the country.
Air Niugini also offers reductions for pre-booking excursions. Charter services are also in operation.
There is no railway.
Getting Around by WaterCruises and excursions are available lasting three to 16 days. These go mainly to the islands and some otherwise inaccessible places on the coast. Cargo/passenger services between Lae and Madang are run by
Lutheran Shipping with facilities including passenger cabins, accommodation and meals.
For the local people in some regions of the country, rivers, particularly the Sepik, provide the main thoroughfares. In these areas it is possible to hire motorized canoes or obtain passage on a trading boat; however, apart from cruises, there are no regular public transport operators on the rivers.
Getting Around by RoadDriving is on the left and is not recommended. Owing to the rugged terrain of Papua New Guinea, road development of the interior has been slow. There are currently 19,736km (12,262 miles) of roads of which 4865km (3023 miles) are highways or trunk roads. There is a network of roads connecting the northern coast towns of Madang and Lae with the major urban centers in the Highlands region. There are few roads connecting the various provinces, however.
Bus: PMVs (public motor vehicles) operate in the main centers from bus shelters or they can be hailed.
Taxi: Available in district centers but expensive. Although operated on a metered basis, fares can be negotiated.
Car hire: Available in principal towns.
Documentation: A national driving license is sufficient.
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