Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands Travel Guide
Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands Travel Guide
Papua New Guinea is an island nation in Oceania. A country of immense cultural and biological diversity, it’s known for its beaches and coral reefs. Inland are active volcanoes, granite Mt. Wilhelm, dense rain forest and hiking routes like the Kokoda Trail. There are also traditional tribal villages, many with their own languages.
Papua New Guinea is just to the south of the equator and has a tropical climate. In the highlands, though, temperatures are distinctly cool. The (very) wet season runs from about December to March. The best months for trekking are June to September.
Regions & Cities
Southern Papua New Guinea
Southwestern Papua New Guinea
Madang-Morobe
Highlands
Sepik
Milne Bay
New Britain
New Ireland and Manus
Bougainville
Port Moresby is the capital city with its interesting Zoological gardens, the Parliament building, the museum, and general Melanesian atmosphere.
Alotau
Goroka
Lae
Mt. Hagen
Madang
Rabaul
Vanimo
Wewak
Kokoda Track
Louisiade Archipelago
Trobriand Islands
Papua New Guinea's fjords
The Solomon Islands, a nation of hundreds of islands in the South Pacific, has many WWII-era sites. Guadalcanal, a province and one of the archipelago’s largest islands, honors fallen Allied soldiers at its U.S. War Memorial. Guadalcanal is also home to the nation’s capital, Honiara, whose bustling Central Market showcases the islands’ produce and traditional handicrafts.
Islands & Cities
Choiseul
Florida and Russell Islands
Guadalcanal (Honiara)
New Georgia Islands
Malaita
Renell and Bellona
San Cristobal this island is also known as Makira
Santa Cruz Islands
Santa Isabel
Honiara Capital of the Solomon Islands - Guadalcanal Province
Gizo Western Province
Auki Malaita Province
Noro New Georgia Island, Western Province
Munda New Gerogia Island, Western Province
Yandina Russell Islands, Central Province
Tulagi Central Province
Buala Santa Isabel, Isabel Province
Kirakira Makira-Ulawa Province
Lata Temotu Province
Taro Choisel Province
Tigoa Renell and Bellona Province
Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal, is the capital city of the Solomon Islands. Its buzzing Central Market sells local produce and handicrafts. Traditional frescoes adorn the conical National Parliament building. The National Museum has WWII relics and cultural artifacts. The Botanical Gardens includes an orchid house. Outside the city, the waters of the Mataniko Falls thunder down a rocky cliff into a canyon.
The American War Memorial has descriptions on marble slabs of local battles fought during the Guadalcanal Campaign of WWII. Built by Japanese veterans, the Solomons Peace Memorial Park commemorates those who died. West of the city, Vilu War Museum has memorials and WWII aircraft. Nearby, Bonegi Beach, with 2 sunken wartime vessels, is a popular site for diving and snorkeling. East, Bloody Ridge is a hill defended by U.S. troops against the Japanese in 1942. It has a small, pyramid-shaped U.S. memorial. With views over the area, nearby Mount Austen was a strategic WWII site.
Port Moresby is the sprawling capital of Papua New Guinea, a country north of Australia. The vast anthropological collection at the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery includes masks and carved wooden poles. Nearby, Parliament House is modeled on a traditional house of worship. Its entrance is dominated by a large, colorful mosaic featuring national motifs. There are views over Port Moresby Harbour from Paga Hill.
Nearby traditional villages include Koki, built on stilts in a bay. To the north, Port Moresby Nature Park combines botanical gardens, featuring many orchids, with a zoo housing tree kangaroos, parrots and reptiles. The Bomana War Cemetery holds the graves of many Papua New Guinean, Australian and other soldiers who died during WWII. Hikers are drawn to Varirata National Park in the east, with its resident wallabies and birds of paradise. Nearby, the town of Sogeri is at one end of the long, mountainous Kokoda Track, which passes through dense rainforest. Diving is popular on coral reefs off the coast.
A lot to see in Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands such as :
S.I. Visitors Bureau
Solomon Scouts & Coastwatchers Monument
Honiara Botanic Gardens
Holy Cross Cathedral, Honiara
American War Memorial
Japanese War Memorial
Tenaru Beach
Port Moresby Nature Park
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery
Ela Beach
Paga Hill
Fairfax Harbour
Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery
Idlers Bay
Mosque Hohola
Royal Port Moresby Golf Club
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