Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

“Papa don’t preach, I’m in New Guinea,
Papa don’t preach, I’m in PNG,
Papa don’t preach, I’m in Port Moresby,
But I made up my mind, I’m touring the city…” – Mad Donna

Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

Port Moresby is a whackpacker’s dream. This is a place straight out of my textbook days of backpacking endless countries, upon which this blog and my passion for travel was built. Indeed, “Amazing” Port Moresby was probably the biggest surprise of my recent Pacific Islands tour. Get it on your list soon before everybody and their horse has backpacked it! It’s a city vivacious, precocious and outstandingly welcoming.

“Life is precocious in the most peculiar way” – Noel Gallagher.

Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

Port Moresby is the capital city of Papua New Guinea, located in the south of the country. Papua New Guinea boasts over 400 languages, countless tribes and endless backpacking options.

Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

I managed to tour all the main sights I wanted to see in Port Moresby, enjoy dinner for sunset by the harbour, have some beers in a few bars and I left the city completely blown away and impressed by it after being told to avoid it by buck eejits beforehand. Where are those buck eejits afterhand?

“Gone away” – Duran Duran.

Backpacking in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

For sure, for sure, for sure – this is a hidden gem of a city and a backpacker’s paradise. Don’t be surprised if in 10 years time, every backpacker has Port Moresby on their stop over list when heading from Australia to Singapore or the Kong, or vice versa. Port Moresby is an almost perfect stop over and one of the cool things about my trip in 2019, is that is was largely free from other tourists (except in the hotels we visited) and visa free on arrival too.

Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea - easy visa on arrival

Papua New Guinea – easy visa on arrival

Also what hits you immediately in Papua New Guinea is just how friendly and welcoming the people are – it’s incredible. I would say it’s up there with Iran, Russia, Poland and Afghanistan with friendliness and welcomes from the locals. You cannot and will not be disappointed by the people here. Smiles and hellos on almost every corner.

Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

Smiles in Port Moresby

I was here at the tail end of a Least Visited Countries Tour with YPT (Young Pioneer Tours) and due to visa issues, I had to add this onto my itinerary as a late comer. It was an absolutely inspired decision and I want to tell you how brilliant this city is and convince you to visit it. It also made a final dream come true on a 10 year plan. You see when I lived in Parramatta in Australia, I once met a guy called Lucas in the One World Sports Bar and he was from Papua New Guinea. At one point, my then flatmate Daniel Evans and I planned to get a boat from north Australia into Port Moresby. The dream didn’t happen, but I arrived by flight finally in August 2019 and it was worth it!

Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

Touring Port Moresby
To tour Port Moresby, you can use the local minibuses, get a driver, take taxis or in some cases (those sights near the hotels) you can walk them. Our group of 5 chose to get a driver in a 9 seater car on the first day, and then a taxi ride (with a few stops) on the second day when there were just 3 of us. Organising such things saves time but costs more money. Yet they save the hassle of hopping on and off minibuses, which sometimes don’t go directly to all of these sights, stopping at the viewpoint for example or the parliament, war memorial and museum.

Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby – our driver Jackson

Our Drivers in Port Moresby
Our first day we had Danny from Black Swan security group (625 Kina split between 5 of us, so $200 US – $40 US each) and the second day we had Jackson from Mountain Mangi (190 Kina split between 3 of us, so $60 US – $20 US each). These 14 sights are my personal top 14 in a short space of time here. I was so impressed by this city!!

Our minibus with Black Swan on day 1

1.Boroko Market
I’ve been in more markets than I can ever remember or find time to write about and this means I’m usually disappointed. I usually find markets boring, repetitive and uninspiring. And then – wham – we headed to Boroko Market.

Boroko Market, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

This well organised fruit and vegetable market blew not just my mind, but that of all our group of 5. What stood out here was – the people. Whether it’s the locals selling produce or the fellow shoppers, everyone stopped their daily lives to chat to us, pose for photos and welcome us. It was an eye opener.

Boroko Market, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

I have to say it’s probably the friendliest market I’ve ever been in. Prices are cheap and the produce is fresh and grown locally. The people love to see tourists and they say “thank you” to you when you take a photo of them!!! It was so brilliant.

Boroko Market, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Boroko Market, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The lasting memory was when I stopped to take the below photo of some of the market traders and after taking it, they said a huge “thank you” to me! They thanked me for taking the photo!! Normally I have to thank the market traders for letting me take the photo. Here – the total opposite. It felt like we were pioneers or guinea pigs to take such photos and help promote their country. You have to go to Boroko Market to witness this first hand – it’s incredible.

Boroko Market, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Boroko Market, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

  1. The National Football Stadium

In a new city I always want and need to visit the national football stadium, or in some instances, any football stadium. I managed to see 4 stadiums in Port Moresby, used interchangeably for the country’s main two sports – Rugby League and Football.

The National Football Stadium

The main national football stadium for Papua New Guinea is a magnificent structure right next door to the Citi Boutique Hotel (where my friends Pier and Douglas were staying) and also opposite Boroko Market.

The National Football Stadium

Security had to request clearance for us to enter the actual grounds and as it was tight for time (we’d have missed the museum which closes daily at 3 p.m.), we just saw it from the outside, and I posed for my standard photo with my Northern Ireland flag. Papua New Guinea have never qualified for the football World Cup.

Stadium, Port Moresby

Another stadium in Port Moresby

3.PNG National Museum and Art Gallery – Indoor
The PNG National Museum is across the fence from the parliament and totally worth a visit. But please be aware of the limited opening hours, it usually opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m., which is even shorter on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekdays are free entry for all, with a tariff of 10 Kina at weekends for foreigners.

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Once inside, prepare for a lesson in Papua New Guinea history, some superb art and an insight into the countless tribes that reside here.

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

There were too many highlights from our visit to the museum and we were also very lucky. We literally arrived at 3 p.m. as they were closing and they kindly let us in. This gesture typifies how friendly people from Papua New Guinea can be.

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Although the guide isn’t officially included in the entry cost, we had the excellent Patricia Sosori (Education Officer) showing us round and explaining things to us.

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

National Museum, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

4.PNG National Museum – Outdoor Relics
If you are unlucky and the National Museum is closed, fear not. Outside in the grounds, on the grassy banks, they are lots of interesting relics. It’s like an open air museum.

PNG National Museum – Outdoor Relics

PNG National Museum – Outdoor Relics

These are mostly remnants from World War 2 with tanks, guns and aeroplanes, all destroyed but all on display in the gardens.

Port Moresby, Papua New Guniea National Museum – Outdoor Relics

Port Moresby, Papua New Guniea National Museum – Outdoor Relics

Port Moresby, Papua New Guniea National Museum – Outdoor Relics

Also in these gardens are outdoor souvenirs stalls. Again, the friendly welcomes we got here were ridiculous! Everyone was so friendly and happy to see tourists here.

Port Moresby, Papua New Guniea National Museum – Outdoor Relics

Port Moresby, Papua New Guniea National Museum – Outdoor Relics

Port Moresby, Papua New Guniea National Museum – Outdoor Relics

Port Moresby, Papua New Guniea National Museum – Outdoor Relics

Port Moresby, Papua New Guniea National Museum – Outdoor Relics

5.PNG Parliament
The Papua New Guinea Parliament building is behind gates and fences, but we were able to take photos from both the side and the front. We spoke to the security guards here.

PNG Parliament

The parliament is right beside the National Museum and for an odd reason, the city reminded me a bit of Canberra in Australia.

PNG Parliament

6.Viewpoint of the Village on Stilts – Hanuabada
When I backpacked through Venice (Italy), Suzhou (China), Bydgoszcz (Poland), Tai O (Hong Kong) and Kampong Ayer (Brunei Darussalam), they all shared a common trait – they are villages built on stilts on water. Here in Port Moresby there is also a similar village called Hanuabada. We didn’t visit this time, but were able to get up into the hills for a viewpoint down on the city including Hanuabada. The viewpoint itself was marvellous – with a calm breeze and watching the ships come in.

Hanuabada viewpoint

7.Harbourside Wall Murals
There are murals aplenty in Port Moresby but by far the most interesting collection was down towards the harbour, opposite the yacht club. Murals included football, tribes, Australian history and art. Again, locals loved it and posed with us for photos!

Harbourside Wall Murals

Harbourside Wall Murals

Harbourside Wall Murals

Harbourside Wall Murals

Harbourside Wall Murals

8.Port Moresby Harbour
We had dinner down by the harbour. A good place to watch the sunset here, lots of yachts in the marina and you can blag your way into the “members only” Port Moresby Yacht Club for a beer or four.

Port Moresby Harbour at sunset

Dinner at Port Moresby Harbour for sunset

I had pasta for dinner here which was actually my first decent meal for about 3 weeks, food in the Pacific islands was bland except for one cheeseburger in Anibare, Nauru and a Chinese sweet and sour pork in Meneng, also in Nauru. Actually the coconut fish in Kiribati was good too, but generally mediocre.

Port Moresby Harbour at sunset

Port Moresby Harbour at sunset

Beers went down well here too – I loved the local South Pacific Export and SP (a different beer). The fridges were well stocked and incredibly clean.

Port Moresby Harbour beer at Royal Papua Yacht Club

Well stocked fridge at Royal Papua Yacht Club, Port Moresby

An SP beer in Royal Papua Yacht Club, Port Moresby

Royal Papua Yacht Club, Port Moresby

An SP beer in Royal Papua Yacht Club, Port Moresby

Royal Papua Yacht Club, Port Moresby

9.The Commonwealth War Cemetery
There was a sadness here too and on the second day, myself, Rick and Ingve my fellow backpackers decided to ask our driver Jackson to take us out of the city to the countryside war cemeteries. This was an essential thing to do, to see these mass graves was sombre and tranquil. Though strictly not in Port Moresby, I’m including them in this list as they are important and not too far a drive from the city – 30-40 minutes if I recall.

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

At The Commonwealth War Cemetery, there are a few things to check out. Firstly the explanation boards and monuments at the front, then walk around the graves themselves and gasp at the many bodies that were buried here but remain unknown and unidentified. Some of the names, I noted were Polish or Irish sounding. Below, I pictured a Blicharski and a Quinn.

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – Blicharski

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – Quinn

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Nameless graves – “A Soldier of the War”

The final part of the Commonwealth cemetery to check out is the memorial at the top of the hill with all the names of those who perished here at Papua New Guinea during the Second World War.

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Commonwealth War Cemetery, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

10.The Papua New Guinea Cemetery
The local cemetery was very close to the Commonwealth and again, mass graves here. Perhaps there was a slight sadness that locals had grafittied some of the graves.

The Papua New Guinea Cemetery

The Papua New Guinea Cemetery

The Papua New Guinea Cemetery

The Papua New Guinea Cemetery

11.Vision City
I am not normally a shopping centre geek, but our hotel, the excellent Stanley Hotel was connected to the fabulous Vision City Shopping Mall. This mall had everything a mall should have – a supermarket, cafe, cinema, sports shops, massage places, international food court, beer shop, post office. The list goes on. I visited it on both days. Again locals smiled at us and posting a postcard was very easy here.

Vision City Shopping Mall, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Vision City Shopping Mall, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Vision City Shopping Mall, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Vision City Shopping Mall, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Vision City Shopping Mall, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Vision City Shopping Mall, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Vision City Shopping Mall, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

12.Sir John Guise Stadium
The Sir John Guise Stadium was right next to our hotel and is a whopping 15,000 all seater stadium Papua New Guinea play rugby league and football mostly and both are played here. The country is also hosting the Asian and Pacific games in the near future and will be ready for that! There was also another stadium beside it – pictured below also.

Sir John Guise Stadium

Another stadium next to the Sir John Guise Stadium

13.Port Moresby Nature Park
The Port Moresby Nature Park could well be the highlight from your time backpacking in Port Moresby. Down the years, I always heard about the Bird of Paradise and here, I finally saw it – and a few of them! The Bird of Paradise is native to Papua New Guinea and there are a few of them in this Nature Park.

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Entrance is 9 Kina for students and 15 Kina for adults. Once inside, you walk around and follow the trail which includes lots of bird species, many of which can only be seen in this part of the world.

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

We also saw wallabies, tree kangaroos, crocodiles and flying foxes.

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

Port Moresby Nature Park

However, the highlight came in the final aviary on the tour, when a beautiful green (male) Eclectus Parrot jumped on my friend Yngva’s shoulder and neck. This bird was so cute, and then he jumper on Rick’s arm and back before backpacking with me with his green plumage matching my green MindShift gear backpack and green hat from Bolivia’s La Paz in 2010!

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

The green elcectus parrot at Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea

Also here is a great souvenir shop, good coffee and friendly staff! It’s a must visit in my opinion! Just brilliant.

Souvenir Shop

Smiling staff at the Souvenir Shop

14.The Stanley Hotel
Even if you don’t sleep in the Stanley Hotel, you should try and visit it. This magnificent hotel towers over the city, has 4 bars, 2 swimming pools, a spa and is connected to the shopping mall. We slept here and it was pure luxury, worth a post of its own sometime. I also visited both bars.

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

The Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

That’s a quick 14 and covered all I really wanted to see in Port Moresby. As I explained the city exceeded all expectations – especially thanks to the local people for their friendliness – from the airport to the flight staff to the restaurants, the llocals at the market, the bar staff, the hotel staff, the museum staff – all were so delighted to see us. This country is a tourist gem waiting to unravel. That bird of paradise again…

Bird of Paradise, Papua New Guinea

Bird of Paradise, Papua New Guinea

Goodbye Papua New Guinea, thanks for a great time!!

Goodbye Port Moresby

Goodbye Port Moresby

I must have made about 40-50 videos in Papua New Guinea. Here are just some videos I made while backpacking in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea:

4 thoughts on “Backpacking in Papua New Guinea: Top 14 Sights in Port Moresby

  • Great overview of Port Moresby! The Kokoda Trail probably gets the majority of promotion for Papua New Guinea travel blogs followed closely by the Goroka Show. But, Port Moresby definitely seems like a great 2 – 3 day visit to get a comprehensive overview of what the country is all about. The Parliament Building looks stunning, BTW. It’s unfortunate that you were unable to visit the interior as I can only imagine what vivid images and colourful designs could be seen from the inside.
    Ray recently posted…Scenes of Saint JohnMy Profile

  • Hi Ray, thanks for the comment and sorry for the delay. I am getting round to reading and reply to about 1,500 comments now. Port Moresby was great and I still would have thousands of unwritten blog posts which I will never have time for. Safe travels. Jonny

  • I went there got a free shuttle ride from airport then met one of the airport staff and went on a tour in a classic old Cuban style taxi for 90kina from outside megamart shopping complex attached to Stanley hotel. Wasn’t even staying at hotel 😀 did you get up and personal with the stilt villages?

  • Hi Bob, Thanks for the comment. I enjoyed Port Moresby but didn’t get to any stilt villages on that trip. I backpacked them at Sai Kung and Tai O at Hong Kong away instead. Safe travels. Jonny

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