Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea and the major exit/entry point for travellers, is located on a superb natural harbour on the southern coast of New Guinea. Much drier than the rest of the country, Port Moresby often suffers from extended droughts which can lead to water restrictions. A sprawling, some suggest crime-addled city (razor wire and snapping guard dogs are everywhere), Port Moresby is probably more bark than bite and does have some interesting things to see and do.
This was our second port in PNG. This is a much more populated area than Alotau and gave us the feeling that we were not as safe here as in the previous port. We did an Oceania-sponsored tour which took us to the Kokoda Trail up in the mountains. The tour was not at all as described by Oceania. It is very hot in PNG and the busses we were transported in seated 16 passengers. No air conditioning, just windows open to the heat and humidity. The interior of the busses were in considerable disrepair. The ride up the mountain was on paved and unpaved roads. The tour was also to include a stop at a museum which was closed for a month because of the Christmas holiday. We were particularly disappointed about the museum being closed. The tour ran almost 2 hours longer than expected. We did NOT complain about this tour. However, many passengers did. As a result, Oceania gave us a full credit for the excursion. I worry that Oceania will discontinue PNG as a port. These people need the money tourism can bring but they do not yet have the infrastructure to support tourism at this time.
Port Moresby was replaced by Bali due to "political unrest". Bali has lots of slums and trash on streets and rivers. Not the "island paradise" the locals talk about.
My husband took Oceania's excursion for a forest walk which he did not enjoy. Very poor conditions and nothing much to see. Oceania's tour descriptions are rather deceptive.
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