Rostique » 04 сен 2007, 10:25
Из-за нехватки русскоговорящих людей бывавших в ПНГ и особенно нехватки желающих предоставить хоть какую-то практическую инфу по жилью/перемещениям/что-деланьям в ПНГ, я решил штурмовать буржуйские форумы. С английским проблемы, но в общих чертах понятно. И понятно то, что заезд в ПНГ получается непонятно зачем. Разве что для галочки. Но за галочку (максимум неделю перебывания) отваливать достаточно большое количество денег тоже не совсем понятно для чего. В общем всё больше и больше задумываюсь о надобности заезда из Индонезии в ПНГ. В ближайшее время должен приехать ЛП по ПНГ, думаю что инфа из него либо окончательно разубедит меня в надобности посещения ПНГ, либо наоборот. Одна беда что все в один голос очень ругают его в неадекватности информации.
Убивает то, что все буржуи в один голос кричат что ПНГ очень дорогая страна. Учитывая что это говорят люди из стран очень даже развитых, то что тогда говорить человеку из страны третьего мира.
В общем что нарыл, выкладываю. Не щемите что на инглише, но переводить мне облом, тем более похоже что тема малоинтересна. Судя по не очень интересующей народ теме посещения ПНГ, буду выкладывать что найду, но не знаю надо ли это.
Итак поехали. Все было нарыто в ЛП-шном форуме и на виртуалтуристе. Думаю что многие кого это интересует это читали. Но кто не удосужился и кому интересно читаем.
Sandaun Province
Crossing from Indonesia
First of all, while LP actually recommends giving bribes to Indonesian immigration officers, DON'T do it!
While such "road taxes" used to be expected by some border guards in the past, this year nobody asked for them so please don't reintroduce the idea!
Getting to the land border from Jayapura, a taxi now costs around 2-300.000 Rp.
By public transport you can go from Pasar Baru in Abepura to Skouw, the last village before the border for 7000 Rp. An ojek (motorcycle taxi) from the Skouw border road junction to the border is 30.000 Rp.
However, note that you can't get an exit stamp for Indonesia at the border itself - you must get one at the immigration office in Jayapura. The catch might be that they might want you to go by sea, not land - at least if you entered Indonesia on a "Visa On Arrival". You would have to charter a boat in Hamadi for a million Rp to do so - the regular boat mentioned in the new LP guide hasn't existed for 5 years or so!
Once you have the exit stamp, you can exit via the land border though, and from the PNG side it is easy to hitch a ride (often free) to Vanimo, the first PNG town across the border.
***Update: As of late 2006, people could once again get exit (but not entry!) stamps for Indonesia at the border itself. This seems to keep changing.***
Vanimo
While the cheapest hotel rooms here start at 90K, if you hang around the beach in front of the Vanimo Beach Hotel looking helpless with a backpack, there is a good chance locals will offer you rooms in their houses for about 30K. An American guy I met got 2 such offers within 1 hour!
Moving on from Vanimo without flying can be tricky, as there are no regular, scheduled shipping services.
If neither Lutheran Shipping nor Star Ships has a ship within a few days, check also the noticeboards outside the supermarkets for boats to Aitepe. "Banana boats" now charge 90K to take you there.
Aitepe
Aitepe now has a guesthouse (not in LP) opposite the post office. While rooms upstairs cost 80K or so, they appearently have beds downstairs for 30K.
PMVs to Wewak leave a few times a week, charging 30-50K. The road is rough but scenic.
East Sepik Province
Wewak
LP only lists one budget place here, Ralf Stuttgen's Place with dorm beds for 40K. Note that it is a long way out of town and hard to reach by public transport (I waited over 2 hours for a lift to town), and very run down (mice chewed my guidebook at night there!).
A much better option is the Wewak Guest House (not in LP) close to the centre of the town on Church Street (but entered from the back) which has backpacker beds for 25K and rooms from 50K.
Proceeding eastwards from here to Malang by sea is easy, with boats (often two) every week.
Maprik
Well worth visiting this town as the haus tambarans (spirit houses) here are very different from those on the Sepik River! There are 5 different places to stay here, all listed on the prominent "Welcome to Maprik" signboard you will see when entering the town, but LP only lists the Maprik Hotel, the most expensive one!
Middle Sepik
This is the most interesting part of the river, with the best selection of artifacts and most impressive haus tambarans.
The gateway is Pagwi, reachable by PMV from both Wewak and Maprik, and the best time to head down there is on Maprik's market days (any Maprik local or PMV driver in Wewak could tell you which those are) when there will be lots of village boats returning from Maprik via Pagwi to villages as far upriver as Ambunti, downriver roughly to Palembei, and south to Chambri. This time you could just get a cheap passenger ride to these places instead of having to hire a boat for yourself.
For a base on the Middle Sepik, villages downstream (east) from Pagwi are handiest, Ambunti the worst choice. In the villages you can stay with locals (conditions are basic!) and hire boats to take you to other villages for a much lower price than LP-endorsed operators would charge you. In Korogo, Kaua Gita is a good guy to contact.
There are also nice new village guesthouses in Kanganaman and Yamok (an hours walk inland from Korogo) charging 25K pp.
Yamok village has built 2 new haus tambarans that are very beautiful and of a different style from others on the river.
Chimbu Province
Eco-tourism
Near Dumun village, on the Highlands Highway a few kms before Kundiawa there are two ecotourism projects offering a chance to stay in a cheap guesthouse and go hiking and birdwatching with local guides. Neither is in LP, but both have signs on the road. "Mailbobo Wildlife Conservation" is said to be the better of the two, with accomodation for 20K.
Mount Wilhelm
Guides to climb the mountain cost 75K for the whole trek, porters 20K/day. Actually the trail up there is pretty clear and if you are an experienced hiker you can almost certainly do without a guide.
In Kegsegul, the gateway to the climb, the East Kege Guest House (not in LP) near the airstrip is the cheapest place for 45K, and very friendly. Betty's, recommended by LP, now charges 75K without meals.
At the lakes avoid staying at Henry's guestouse which is not as well located and comfortable as the other place right by the lakeside.
Southern Highlands Province: Tari
Note that both places mentioned in LP are actually almost an hour from Tari itself, hard to reach by public transport, and impractical for visiting the Huli villages in the Tari Valley itself. They are better located for birdwatching, and the Warili Lodge only costs 40K, not 60K as in LP.
However in Tari itself the Tari Women's Guesthouse (which was in the old LP but isn't in the new one!) is still the cheapest option for only 20K. There are also at least 2 new, cheap guesthouses in nearby villages, well located for experiencing village life.
East New Britain Province
The volcano in Rabaul is still very active, which means that the town is showered with ash every few minutes. This is really bad in the eastern part where Hamamas Hotel (highly recommended by LP) is located, so don't stay there unless you enjoy being covered with ash or plan on hiding from it in your room all day.
Stay in Kokopo.
Also note that the Kabaira Beach Hideaway recommended as a good budget place is an hour from town with public transport very scarce that way (I had to wait 2-3 hours), and the owners are not too keen on backpackers as they are more into catering for divers.
North Solomons Province (Bougainville)
Buka
While I didn't stay there, there are appearently cheap guesthouses (none in LP) costing about 30K in both Buka itself and across the strait in Kokopau. PMVs to Buin cost 80-100K (the most expensive PMV ride I took in the country by far) and supposedly leave on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was a BRA checkpoint between Arawa and Buin that apparently turns foreigners back sometimes, but as I was riding in a PMV owned by a local BRA bigman, I passed it easily.
Buin
There is a guesthouse with rooms for 60K attached to Wolik Trading.
You can also change your leftover PNG currency into Solomons dollars there at a (poor) rate of 1K=2SD.
Crossing to the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islanders come to the market in Buin on Thursday (only a few) and Saturday (more) and you can negotiate a ride to the Shortland Islands with them. I was charged 100 K but locals pay 30K - the first in a line of rip-offs in the Shortlands!
Note that police in Buin will tell you that crossing to the Solomons here is not allowed, and if more travellers do it they may start cracking down on it actively.
Once in the Shortlands, nobody cares that you came from Bougainville, and you can wait for transport to Gizo in peace. Unfortunately the only rest house in the Shortlands, near Korovou, should be avoided as the caretaker steals from the rooms! Arrange to stay in a village instead, ideally in Maleai where the Solomon Airlines agent lives.
Note that flights from Ballelae in the Shortlands to Gizo now only operate fortnightly, on every second Saturday. This means that if you come from Buin on a Saturday market boat you will have missed it and will have to wait for the next one for a full week or two!
No ships service the Shortlands with any regularity (maybe one every 3-4 weeks) but small fibreglass boats with outboard engines do cross the 120 kms open sea to Vella Lavella and on to Gizo sometimes for 200 SD/person. This is quite scary and though I took one I would never do it again!
Once in Gizo, there is no problem getting your entry stamp for a 3months stay in the Solomons, and it will be dated from the day you arrive in Gizo, not in the Shortlands!
Some border entry/existing PNG and more...
With so many people posting about PNG (the most amazing country I've been so far, and I have seen over 30 countries!!!) I thought I can add some very recent info about my experience with the border entry via Port Moresby and existing via Vanimo/Jayapura. This info was valid as of May 2007.
Flying INTO Port Moresby I got(I have a Canadian passport) at the airport a 60 days visa on arrival for 100 kina, with NO question asked, no onward ticket, no proof of sufficient funds..nothing:)
Getting out of PNG via Vanimo, was very easy as well, getting in 1 day the Indonesian visa in Vanimo (you get get either 30 or 60 days visas there). At the border itself you WON"T get the entry stamp , but you have to go to Jayapura Immigration office to get it. The official from that office asked me with a big smile if I brought anything "special" for HIM, from PNG: a 10k(1USD) rupiah resolved this "issue".
The taxi from the border to Jayapura cost me 350000 rupiah, but I've shared it with others..so it came cheap, otherwise...
PNG was/is a very expensive country, as just with taking one flight out of Port Moresby, it came to around 55USD/day/person for 2 people traveling together. Nothing fancy with this money..just transport/accommodation and food on the mainland, without any Sepik trip.
You might be able to halve this cost by trekking a lot and staying in villages , otherwise pay this price:)
In the middle of May the road from Mt Hagen to Tari area was VERY problematic with locals telling me to FLY there in order to avoid the problems on the road( some clan-fighting of some sort..not rascals)
The expensive lodge that is listed LP for the Mt Hagen area(I forgot the name) has been closed ...
In one month of traveling in PNG(mainland only) I've met just 5 other tourists:)
Overall PNG has proved to be the MOST friendliest country that I've been to (from over 30 countries) with amazing people and landscape. I cann't wait to go back and do some more trekking:)
hi, thanks for info, especially good to hear that border is open to jayapura! i have just posted and sounds like i'll be following at least some of your footsteps - you say you only flew out of POM (presumably to lae or highlands) - what were your movements to get to vanimo (ie boat?). one possibility i have toyed with is going up the sepik from wewak to green river, then hitch a ride to vanimo... i know fuels pricey, but always wanted to explore in there!
To get to Vanimo , you can either FLY , take the bi-weekly boat from Wewak..or catch a ride to from Wewak to Aitape, then charter a boat to Vanimo.
I concur with your experiences. I've spent the last year in the western part of png and i had to visit jayapura every 60 days to renew my visa. The border between Vanimo and Jayapura is very open, unlike it used to be. The minimum price for taxi from Batas ("the border") to Jayapura is 150,000 rupiah but if the drivers think you are rich they will ask for 400,000. From Vanimo to Batas the price is 10 kina. You can get a 60 day tourist visa on arrival from the PNG Consulate in Jayapura for 1,670,000 rupiah. There is no need to bribe the customs officials at Kantor Imigrasi (the immigrations office in jayapura). If you have any problems report it to the PNG Consulate because they helped get the last crew thrown out for excessive bribery.
PNG is an expensive country, especially compared to Indonesia where everything is 1/10 the price in the western world. On the other hand if you live like the local people, many of whom are dirt poor, you won't spend much.
The Tari people are known for their use of knives and axes to remove human limbs but this is usually restricted to infighting and they respect tourists.
You can fly from POM to Madang then take a boat Madang - Wewak - Aitape - Vanimo.
I went down the Sepik for transportation but it was the sort of trip people would pay a premium for. That said, I don't personally like the culture of the Sepilk peoples. And if you don't have a mosquito to get into by sundown you could die from loss of blood alone, not to mention acute malaria. I estimated mosquitoes not in the 100s but 1000s trying to get into my net. It is a long way from Wewak to Green River. I estimate the fuel costs alone will be over 1000 kina. It is easier to ride the other way because you can hitch a ride with a trader in Green River who has sold his goods and is going back towards Wewak way anyway.
I wouldn't count on getting a flight out of Green River. There are charters leaving there with an empty backload after delivering goods to a trade store. If you talk to the trade store owner who got the charter you may be able to fly out. The two bush plane operations (MAF and DovAir) are officially not servicing Green River so you can't book a flight ahead of time. You could WALK from Green River to Vanimo but it would take about 5 days of 8 hours each.
If you want an extreme trek, you could go to Vanimo by boat from Madang (2 nights at sea). From Vanimo try and get a ride to the "end of the road" on a logging vehicle. From there it is about 4 days walking to Amanab and another day or so to Green River. Make sure you have a local guide who knows the road. I considered myself experienced at hiking and in good shape so I didn't think the trek would be that much of a problem. I was wrong. I came right up to my physical limits. From Green River you could go down the Sepik in canoe or fly back to Vanimo.
My name is Ata, you might see me in Vanimo.
From PNG to WestPapua at Vanimo Boarder
Going to Jayapura from Vanimo is easy. Visit the Indonesian consulate in Vanimo and get a 30 day tourist visa for 50 kina (takes 1 night to process). It costs 10 kina bus fare on a PMV to Batas (border) and 200,000 rupiah from Batas to Jayapura. In Jayapura visit Kantor Imigrasi (immigrations) to get your visa stamped. You don't have to pay any bribe. There is a PNG consulate in Jayapura and the folks there are nice, especially Rosina. You can find a hotel in Jayapura from 80,000 to 350,000 rupiah per night.