Papua New Guinea Tours & Trips
4.5 stars on(7,646 reviews)- Choose from 24 Papua New Guinea tours
- 19 verified reviews from TourRadar travelers
- 24/7 customer support
Table of contents
- The best Papua New Guinea tour packages
- What people love about Papua New Guinea Tours
- Travel Papua New Guinea your way
- Top operators in Papua New Guinea
- Discover Papua New Guinea tours for every budget
- Papua New Guinea tours for every group
- Top Papua New Guinea travel itineraries to fit your plans
- Demographics
- Best time to visit Papua New Guinea
The best Papua New Guinea tour packages
Compiled by
NinaPapua New Guinea travel expert at TourRadar
The 1200km Sepik River stretch from Pagwi to Kamindimbit reveals authentic crocodile men initiation rituals and sacred Spirit Houses (Haus Tambaran). Guests stay at In Wewak Boutique Hotel and visit Prince Alexander Ranges, with stops at traditional villages like Palmibei and Kanganaman.
Duration 7 days Destinations Port Moresby, Wewak, Pagwi Age Range up to 80 year olds Operator Indigo Safaris From
- US$3,098+$1,984 upfront costs
Goroka Festival and Asaro Mudmen Day trip 5-night Tour - Bird of Paradise Hotel
1 Review by TourRadar travelers“Wonderful experience.”
Gerrit, traveled in September
PNG's largest cultural gathering at the Goroka Festival brings together 140 groups performing for 30,000+ attendees. VIP access at the central showgrounds complements stays at the Bird of Paradise Hotel, while an exclusive Asaro Mudmen day unfolds in the Asaro Valley.
Duration 6 days Destinations Port Moresby, Asaro, Goroka Age Range 6 to 99 year olds Operated in English, French, Spanish Operator Indigo Safaris From
- US$2,378
Australian Led Kokoda
14 Reviews by TourRadar travelers“No Roads expeditions are first class, the support we received from my initial enquiry to the bookings of flights, insurance and the trek itself is second to none.”
SandraLicciardo, traveled in October
The iconic trek from Port Moresby to Kokoda Village takes you across the Kumusi River, through war memorials, and pristine rainforests. Eight nights of camping and village stays include freshly prepared meals by master chefs, while expert Australian guides ensure safety across challenging terrain.
Duration 11 days Destinations Port Moresby, Popondetta, Kokoda, Efogi Age Range up to 99 year olds Operator No Roads Expeditions From
- US$2,895
Rabaul Mask Festival
1 Review by TourRadar travelers“I had a very good time in the mask festival and in Papua New Guinea with the fantastic people I met over there.”
Rodrigo, traveled in July
The Mask Festival in Kokopo celebrates Tolai traditions with dawn's Kinavai ceremony. Mt. Tavurvur's steam vents, Matupit Island survivors' settlement, and the spectacular Bainings Fire Dance at Kainagunan Village create unforgettable memories. Four nights at oceanfront Rapopo Plantation Resort costs approx. $920 per day.
Duration 5 days Destinations Rabaul, Kokopo, Matupit Island, Port Moresby Age Range up to 99 year olds Operator Crooked Compass From
- US$4,659
South Bougainville's cultural heritage unfolds from Buka with banana boat transfers. The historic Panguna Mine site, WWII wreck snorkeling near Arawa, and the exclusive Siwai Cultural Show await. Traditional lodges offer base camps for White Island excursions and Upei headdress ceremonies.
Duration 7 days Destinations Buka, Panguna, Siwai Wa Islet, Port Moresby Age Range up to 99 year olds Operator Crooked Compass From
- US$6,159
What people love about Papua New Guinea Tours
- Australian Led Kokoda
Norm, our guide, was amazing. His knowledge of Military history was superb & has a great personality for leading a trek group. The porters did a fabulous job & were always there when we needed them. We had a fantastic group of Trekkers so all in all it was an amazing and life changing experience!!! Thanks No Roads!!
- Rabaul Mask Festival
The guides in Rabaul were utterly kind and helpful, a bit late but I reckon that's due to their local culture. Also, I would have appreciated some help from the organiser in Port Moresby airport to take the domestic flight to Rabaul. Anyway, I had a very good time in the mask festival and in Papua New Guinea with the fantastic people I met over there. Buena tuna! (Thank you in Tolai language).
- Papua New Guinea Goroka Show and Kalam Cultural Festival
Was a mind opening... unforgettable experience
Travel Papua New Guinea your way
Our highland festival tours get you right into Papua New Guinea's rich cultural heritage, with exclusive access to watch 150 tribal groups perform at the Goroka Festival, where you'll capture warriors preparing their face paint in the early morning light. Along the Sepik River, you'll venture into villages where ancient traditions live on - spending time with the Crocodile Men, exploring spirit houses, and learning carving from village artisans. The Mount Hagen tours connect you deeply with the Omo Masalai Skeleton dancers and traditional sing-sings in Paiya village, while overnight stays in Asaro village guesthouses let you master mask-making techniques and join in earth oven celebrations. Over in Rabaul, the festival experience starts with the mystical Kinavai ceremony at first light, where masked Tumbuan spirits emerge from the water by canoe and builds up to the remarkable Baining Fire Dance, where dancers step through actual flames without harm. Our Bougainville cultural route takes you through remote Siwai communities to witness the elaborate Upei headdress ceremonies, then into villages where traditional hunting and gathering remains part of daily life. Our travelers often tell us it's the local guides who transform these experiences - they go beyond translation to share ancestral knowledge that's been passed down for generations.
Top operators in Papua New Guinea
Based on what travelers tell us, No Roads comes out clearly ahead when you're looking at PNG tour operators, especially for Kokoda Track treks. They've built up a solid reputation with guides like Norm, George, Andrew Johnson, Justin and also Robyn who really know their stuff and make the experience work well. Crooked Compass has had some issues - one traveler specifically mentioned problems with outsourced services in PNG that didn't match what was promised. Meanwhile, No Roads maintains direct control of their operations and puts real effort into supporting the local communities along the track. What makes No Roads stand out is how they handle the logistics and planning. Their guides get consistently positive feedback for both their historical knowledge and practical skills on the track. The way they work with local communities also shows they're invested in doing things right, not just running tours through the area. The difference between the two operators seems pretty clear in how they manage their operations. No Roads keeps things in-house with their own tested team, while Crooked Compass's outsourcing has led to some disappointing experiences for their customers.
- 4.5 (2 Papua New Guinea reviews)
"The tour was OK. The organization well managed
- Tours
- 6 Papua New Guinea tours
- Age range
- 12 to 80 years old
- Adventure type
- Festival & Events
- Response time
- 7h
- Response rate
- 100%
- Average price
- $474
- 5.0 (58 Papua New Guinea reviews)
"I cannot recommend No Roads Expeditions highly enough. I have recently completed the Kokoda trek in PNG - and the entire team at No Roads were beyond excellent in every aspect of the trip. The trip itself was so well planned and we were incredibly well taken care of. Initially we had some hiccups with lost baggage from the airlines and the team at No Roads helped us out immensely. Have to give a really big special shout out to Fiona from the No Roads team who worked tirelessly to get us all back into Australia before the border closures happened - it was an incredible feat on short notice to chopper us out and get us home just before the cut off time. We cannot express our gratitude to Fiona and her team enough for getting us all home safely amongst the most challenging circumstances. Outstanding team and outstanding care for all travellers - you cannot be better looked after than on a No Roads Expedition!!! As a side note we were very well fed, and Clement, Paul and the rest of our guides were fantastic!
- Tours
- 2 Papua New Guinea tours
- Age range
- 12 to 99 years old
- Adventure type
- Active
- Response time
- 6h
- Response rate
- 100%
- Average price
- $376
- 4.0 (5 Papua New Guinea reviews)
"I cannot recommend any tours to PNG by Crooked Compass. They outsource their tours to a local provider who fails to deliver on many of the services claimed. This company operates under many names depending on where they are in PNG - PNG Footprint Tours, Bougainville Horizion (sic) Tours, all run by the Kawage family (Lucas and Serah) and their offspring and buddies. They likely have other supposed companies too. From the first day it became clear that there would be problems. We were told our hotel was "upgraded" but in reality it was downgraded to accommodate the many other tours that our so-called guide, Daniel, was running simultaneously. The room was freezing, cockroaches and no lunch provided despite listed in the itinerary. When we asked if we could have anything we were simply told "no" and that we'd have to wait for dinner at 7:30pm. There was no opportunity to buy anything as the location was very isolated. At no point did we actually have a guide doing any guiding. Frequently, excuses were given when they'd drop us somewhere and only reappear hours after the fixed time slot. Or we'd be put into a van to stay on time, then they'd park us at the side of the road for a couple of hours while they'd disappear. At one point our so-called guide deposited us at the mudman village and reappared two days later, albeit very late, to transfer us to the airport. He was so late, we were just making our own way down to the road to try to catch a local bus to the airport. We were made feel foolish for often enquiring about the meals we were supposed to have. One day we were made babysit for the full day for two small children. The final straw was when we were supposed to have 3 nights on the Kombe islands. It became very clear at this point that the local operators never thought we'd stick with the tour this long and nothing was arranged and they began to ignore my whatsapp messages. Crooked Compas also was very slow at answering my more-and-more desperate emails, usually believing the local providers and indicating that my expectations were too high. Yes, I did expect a room to sleep in each night, transfers as paid for, and meals each day as advertised in the itinerary. It's purely by chance that on arrival at Hoskins airport I asked around and found the shuttle service for the hotel we were to stay in at Kimbe before heading out to Kombe. The next day when we finally (heading towards sunset at this stage) got in a boat to the islands, the guide had no idea where we were going and kept asking why I insisted on going there... it was part of the 10-day itinerary I'd booked with Crooked Compass. When we finally got to an island, we were not allowed off the boat and the islanders didn't want us there. They told us that the island was too full (it was extremely crowded) and it wouldn't be safe for us to get off the boat. A village elder got into our boat and said he'd find somwhere for us - so we headed to the next island where they then accosted the school headmaster and told him we were "volunteers" who'd come to work in the school (!!!!). The headmaster was put on the spot, but agreed to let us sleep on the floor of the school as it was too dark for us to return to the mainland at this stage. Again, we'd had no food all day. He also said we could not stay there for 3 nights and we needed security with us. This even meant that I (female) needed male security with me if I needed to go to the loo. At this point we decided to quit the tour as it was clear there was no real tour organised for us. Sleeping on bare wooden floor boards in an open (with roof) classroom with 5 men around us for security did not seem like a good way to spend the next few days. And once class started the next morning we were again homeless. The headmaster agreed to bring us back to the mainland (we'd to hand lots of money over) then we'd to get a shared transport back to Kimbe (more money handed over as the "guides/escorts/their family members" insisted we'd to pay for them all too). It was only at this point I finally managed to get hold of Crooked Compass - local company they'd outsourced to run the tour still ignorning us - and they assured us that they'd cover the remaining nights for us in the hotel and our meals, plus get us our money back. We took them at their word, but of course they local company is still trying to fight this. The hotel we stayed in on quitting the tour is left with an unpaid bill and I hope Crooked Compass will resolve this. We were not met on return to Port Moreseby for the extra costs we'd to pay for to be refunded to us, but Crooked Compass again stepped in and managed to get the Kawages to at least return that money to us. However, we had paid for a trip in PNG and this was not what we had. We had a few good moments, with constant issues and excuses by the Kawages (and believed by Crooked Compass) why we couldn't have food, why we couldn't do things on the itinerary, why no accommodation was booked and why there was never any electricity or generator to power our phones so that we couldn't even contact anyone to try to get out of the bad and dangerous situations we were put into. If you search PNG Footprint Tours under "mentions" on Facebook, you'll see that several people have had similar bad experiences. While on the island with no facilities I badly injured myself in the semi-darkness by falling through a missing floorboard in the stilt school classroom. Thankfully, this did not need medical attention as I am able to treat it myself, but I dread to think how badly this could all have gone. I cannot recommed Crooked Compass on the basis of the experience we had in PNG. They did not do due diligence with the company they outsourced to, failed to believe us initially and were trying to insist that the delays/changes to itinerary were our fault. We'd no guides, no food, no accommodation, and it was unsafe. I really wonder what we actually paid for.
- Tours
- 8 Papua New Guinea tours
- Age range
- 18 to 99 years old
- Adventure type
- In-depth Cultural
- Response time
- 14h
- Response rate
- 100%
- Average price
- $982
Discover Papua New Guinea tours for every budget
Budget-conscious travelers will find good value in our Papua New Guinea cultural tours. Take the Sepik Explorer - you'll travel along the massive 1,200km Sepik River and spend nights in villages where old traditions still carry on, largely untouched by Christianity. Another solid option gets you to the Goroka Festival with VIP spots to see more than 150 tribal groups perform their traditional dances. These tours keep costs down with simple but nice places to stay like the In Wewak Boutique Hotel and local guesthouses, and most meals are covered so you can plan your spending better.
Our luxury PNG tours blend comfort with real cultural immersion. At the Rabaul Mask Festival, you'll stay at the Rapopo Plantation Resort - perfect for a cooling swim after watching the early morning Kinavai ceremony. You get special access to watch the Tumbuan masks arrive by canoe and also prime viewing spots in the VIP areas. Another top-end choice puts you at the Highlander Hotel during the Mount Hagen Show, where you'll have proper meals between festival visits and private transport to see village performances off the beaten path.
Papua New Guinea luxury tours
Papua New Guinea tours for every type of group
Who are you traveling with?
Group
22 tours in Papua New GuineaExplore Papua New Guinea on a pre-planned itinerary and meet like-minded travelers
Small Group
11 tours in Papua New GuineaPNG's small-group tours blend cultural experiences with expert guidance, and the Kokoda Track trek leads the way. The 96km jungle trek spans 7-10 days with local porters sharing both WWII stories and cultural knowledge as you walk. Our travelers form close bonds in these small groups, particularly during village ceremonies and overnight stays in local communities. For those drawn to river journeys, the Sepik Explorer takes you by motorized canoe to Spirit Houses and traditional settlements where you'll meet "Crocodilemen" communities and watch master artisans create. The Firedance Festival tour puts you right in village life, with guests learning traditional cooking, joining community activities and experiencing authentic fire dance rituals. The intimate group size means guides can adapt to individual interests, whether that's capturing festival moments through photography, spending extra time with village fishermen or diving deeper into local traditions and customs.
Top Papua New Guinea travel itineraries to fit your plans
Our week-long tribal tours along the Sepik River have really caught on with travelers. You'll spend five days on motorized canoes, heading deep into villages that have only recently opened up to outside visitors. The nights bring excellent crocodile spotting while days are filled with visits to sacred spirit houses where you can learn about the fascinating "Crocodilmen" customs. There's also a great route through Bougainville combining snorkeling over untouched reefs, walks to WWII crash sites and the lively Siwai Cultural Show - our guests always mention how the local dancing and chanting creates an incredible atmosphere. On the Papua New Guinea Sepik Explorer, you'll stay right in the communities, watching skilled carvers work and learning about age-old traditions that have stayed strong despite modern influences.
Demographics
Our highland cultural tours really click with solo travelers - you'll join festival experiences and stay in villages along the way. The Sepik Explorer lets you take it easy as you travel along PNG's mighty river, meeting the Crocodile Men and visiting spirit houses in villages that keep their old ways alive. We've got another option that puts you right there at the Goroka Festival with VIP access where you can grab excellent photos of more than 150 tribal groups in their traditional dress. Our travelers often tell us they love how the local guides help them navigate cultural differences while giving them space to explore independently within their small group.
The Mount Hagen Show makes for a special experience that couples really connect with. You'll start in the city before heading to Paiya village where you can watch performers get ready and learn about traditional marriage customs at an intimate mini-show. You'll share moments like enjoying a mumu feast that's been slowly cooking in underground ovens. Our couples appreciate how we mix deep cultural experiences with proper comfort - you get nice stays at places like the Highlander between festival days and time to relax together after watching all the performances.
The Firedance Festival expedition fits perfectly for young travelers looking for real cultural immersion. You'll sleep in local villages, learn to make traditional dishes like agir coconut stew and take boat trips out to the Duke of York Islands for some excellent snorkeling in clear waters. You'll get properly involved - joining welcome ceremonies and watching fire dancers perform until late. It involves walking on rough paths and basic village accommodation, so it works best if you're happy trading some comfort for genuine cultural connections.
Our Highlands Tribes tours give seniors a chance to experience PNG's rich culture at their own pace. You get VIP festival access with proper shaded seating and comfortable stays between cultural visits. Days include relaxed activities like visiting coffee plantations and early morning bird of paradise spotting. Our customers particularly value having guides who can adjust the pace and arrange private sing-sings without long walks. You'll stay in proper hotels in Port Moresby, Mount Hagen and can opt for early check-ins if you need extra rest after flights.
- Solo Travelers21 tours
- Couples13 tours
- Seniors (50+)13 tours
- Family7 tours
