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Papua New Guinea travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Mount Wilhelm
Mount Wilhelm. Photo: Nomadtales (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 2.1 au, via Wikimedia Commons
18h 15mflight from London
Kinacurrency
Apply onlinefor UK passports
Type Iplugs

Highland tribes, sing-sings and wild jungle treks

Don't miss

  1. Goroka Show
  2. Kokoda Track
  3. Tufi fjords
Good forCultureAdventure

Best time to visit Papua New Guinea from the UK

Best value: May, Oct. May–Oct: drier season. Busiest and priciest: Jun–Sep.

25.1 C25°J24.7 C25°F24.6 C25°M24.7 C25°A24.7 C25°M24.6 C25°J24.2 C24°J24.6 C25°A25.8 C26°S26.4 C26°O26.7 C27°N26.4 C26°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Port Moresby, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Port Moresby for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: May and OctoberThe warmest of the best-value months (25–26°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Jun–SepUsually 24–26°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Nov–AprAround 25–27°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: November (27°C) · coolest: July (24°C)Temperatures barely change through the year, so the season matters more than the weather.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
25.124.724.624.724.724.624.224.625.826.426.726.4

Festivals and events

  • Goroka Show Sep · Goroka
  • Mount Hagen Cultural Show Aug · Mount Hagen

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 18h 15m
Distance
14,496 km
Main airport
POM

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Papua New Guinea to your bucket list Search flights to POM

Practical info and travel guidance

KinaCapital: Port Moresby
Type I · 240VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the leftSame as the UK
112
EmergencyAmbulance 111
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against all but essential travel to parts of Papua New GuineaCheck which areas before you book.
  • VisaApply online before you goApply online in advance
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
  • Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Papua New Guinea, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 17 August 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Papua New Guinea before you book and again before you go.

Open Papua New Guinea on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.