St. Louis Regis - Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands Travel Guide

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Coral-ringed beaches, smouldering volcanoes and rainforest-covered mountains set the stage for unforgettable adventures, while traditional villages and tropical islands provide magnificent settings for a remote getaway.

Test your mettle on a 10-day trek following the steps of Australian diggers along the Kokoda Track, or summit Highland peaks for a glimpse of both sparkling coasts on a clear day. Prowl through jungle-clad scenery with village guides, en route to thundering waterfalls or in search of magnificently plumed birds of paradise. On the coast, hundreds of islands and atolls cry out for exploration. You can slow-boat your way along pristine stretches of shoreline, overnighting at peaceful villages along the way.

An Ulu Island boy enjoying azure waters in East New Britain ()
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The Solomon Islands and PNG are both world-famous diving destinations, with excellent conditions most months of the year. The biodiversity beneath is astounding, with a colourful array of hard and soft corals and teeming fish life, along with a jaw-dropping collection of WWII plane- and shipwrecks. Live-aboard boats and first-rate dive resorts provide access to sites far from the hordes. The waves are equally uncrowded for surf lovers, with fantastic reef, point and beach breaks scattered around the regions northern shores. Theres also fantastic fishing in these pristine waters, with yellowfin tuna, mackerel, sailfish and the legendary Papuan black bass in abundance.

Home to more than 800 distinct languages and lifestyles, Papua New Guinea and the Solomons provide fascinating opportunities to be immersed in traditional cultures. Its well worth planning your trip around over-the-top annual festivals: see colourfully painted and feathered Highland warriors, fearless snake-wielding fire dancers and brilliantly attired island oarsmen chanting to the backdrop of pounding drums. Festivals aside, there are myriad ways to have a paradigm-altering experience: an impromptu singsing on the Trobriand Islands, learning about the legends of an eerie skull cave or sharing fruit with new-found friends on a bumpy PMV ride.

Travel is rarely easy in Melanesia, but the rewards are bountiful. After a few weeks of hard travel you can find your way to a pristine swath of coastline and unwind for a few days in a beautifully sited ecofriendly resort or bush-material village guesthouse overlooking the sea. Spend your days snorkelling coral reefs, walking sandy beaches, paddling up placid rivers or lounging beneath a palm tree. By night, watch the sunset, feast on fresh seafood and watch the sky slowly fill with stars while daydreaming about the great adventures still ahead.

A Malaita Islander () plays a traditional bamboo panpipe
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PNG and the Solomons rank among the best destinations on Planet Scuba, with an irresistible menu of underwater treasures: luscious reefs festooned with huge sea fans; warm waters teeming with rainbow-coloured and bizarre critters; eerie drop-offs that tumble into the abyss; and a host of atmospheric WWII wrecks not to mention the thrill of diving uncrowded sites. A handful of beautifully set dive resorts () provide the idyllic gateway to your undersea adventure. To reach even more remote and pristine environments, sign on to a live-aboard vessel.

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Kokoda Track

Its muddy and gruelling, with maddeningly steep uphill scrambles followed by slippery, bone-jarring descents. Treacherous river crossings ensure feet dont stay dry for long, while the humidity wreaks havoc on even the best-prepared trekkers. Why walk the 96km Kokoda Track ()? To follow in the footsteps of giants, recalling the great men who fought and died on this hellish, mountainous stretch. As you pass through remote villages and pause beside evocative war memorials youll find like the many whove done it before the rewards far outweigh the physical challenges.

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Seeing a Festival

Rios Carnaval has nothing on the magnificent pageantry of a Highland festival. PNGs biggest fests, such as the Goroka Show (), are pure sensory overload, with massive feather headdresses, rustling grass skirts and evocative face- and body paint adorning enormous numbers of participants over 100 tribal groups at last count from all across the Highlands. Singsing groups perform traditional songs and dances in this pride-filled extravaganza. The thrill of coming face to face with such uplifting traditional cultures is indescribable and well worth planning a trip around.

A Mara man in Goroka
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Rabaul

One of the prettiest towns in the South Pacific was devastated by Mt Tavurvur, which erupted in 1994 and buried much of Rabaul (), with its village of megapode egg-hunters, go diving in wreck-strewn Simpson Harbour and peer back in time at eerie WWII bunkers hidden in the hillsides. There are great views to be had, particularly from atop the volcanoes looming over town.

Simpson Harbour and Mt Tavurvur
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Marovo Lagoon (SI)

A visual feast awaits you at Marovo Lagoon (). A profusion of dive sites at South and North Marovo offer excellent fish action, suitable for all levels of proficiency. The reefs are blanketed with sea fans and act as a magnet for marine species, from tiny critters to marauding pelagics, including manta rays and sharks. South Marovo rewards divers with scenic sites off a cluster of three islands Kicha, Mbula and Male Male Islands while North Marovo has a vibrant assemblage of dramatic walls, exhilarating passages and uncomplicated reef dives.