Papua New Guinea is a travel destination in Melanesia. Its capital is Port Moresby. July and August are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Papua New Guinea
Kokoda Track (landmark, Oro Province) — WWII jungle trail across the Owen Stanley Range — 96-km pilgrimage through the same mud and mist where Australians halted the Japanese advance in 1942.
Tufi Fjords (natural, Oro Province) — Deep-cut drowned river valleys on the Oro coast — world-class wall diving, pristine coral gardens, traditional Tapa cloth villages on steep slopes.
Kimbe Bay (natural, West New Britain Province) — Coral Triangle marine corridor in West New Britain — over 60 % of the world's coral species, manta rays, and pygmy seahorses on seamount pinnacles.
Sepik River (natural, East Sepik Province) — One of the world's great rivers — 1,126 km of jungle waterway, ancestral spirit houses, intrinsic wood carvings, and crocodile-worship ceremonies.
Mount Hagen Cultural Show (landmark, Western Highlands Province) — Annual highland festival gathering 100+ tribal groups — a dazzling collision of bilum bags, feathered headdresses, tribal face paint, and sing-sing.
Rabaul (Simpson Harbour) (landmark, East New Britain Province) — Spectacular volcanic harbour ringed by five volcanoes — WW2 tunnels, Japanese submarine bunkers, and the 1994 eruption's petrified town.
Port Moresby (city, National Capital District) — Pacific's most diverse capital — National Museum and Art Gallery, Hohola cultural market, adventure zipline park, and PNG Birding Day tours.
Milne Bay (natural, Milne Bay Province) — Far eastern tip where sea-kayaking explores submerged WWII aircraft and the world's largest sand cay (Samarai Island) amid unvisited coral reefs.
Birds of Paradise (natural, National Capital District) — PNG has 38 of the world's 43 birds of paradise species — the Varirata N.P. near Port Moresby and Ambua Lodge in the highlands are prime sites.
Goroka (city, Eastern Highlands Province) — Cool highland city hosting the September Goroka Show — 100 tribal groups perform in elaborate ancestral regalia at one of Oceania's great festivals.