Papua New Guinea
Mr & Mrs Smith Your Journey Outline
Hilton Hotel, Port Moresby 1 night
Walindi Dive Resort, Kimbe Bay 3 nights
Rapopo Plantation Resort, Rabaul 3 nights
Nusa Island, New Ireland 3 nights
Air
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Mr & Mrs Smith Your Daily Outline
Day 1 Arrive into Port Moresby Hilton Hotel
• Arrive into Port Moresby Airport and clear • Double Room immigration, customs and bio-security • Breakfast, lunch and dinner • Your expedition leader will meet you in the arrival’s hall for your private road transfer to the Hilton Hotel
• Check-in to your accommodation and enjoy lunch in the hotel restaurant
• Meet your guide in the hotel lobby for your Privately Guided Port Moresby Afternoon
• Dinner will be served in the hotel this evening
Day 2 Port Moresby to Kimbe Walindi Dive Resort
• This morning your guide will meet you in • Double Room the hotel lobby for your Half Day Tour around Port Moresby • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Return to your accommodation for lunch in the hotel restaurant
• Meet your driver in the hotel lobby for your private road transfer to Jackson Airport
• Fly Port Moresby to Kimbe
• Meet your driver in the arrivals hall for your private road transfer to Walindi Dive Resort
• Check-in to your accommodation and spend the remainder of the day at your leisure
Some suggested activities may include: o Diving o Visit local villages o Fishing o Guided walks
**Please note some of these will be at an additional cost**
• Dinner will be served in the lodge this evening
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Mr & Mrs Smith Your Daily Outline
Day 3 Diving, Kimbe Bay Walindi Dive Resort
• Enjoy up to Three Dives today at locations • Double Room around Kimbe Bay • Breakfast, lunch and dinner • In the afternoon, your guide will take you to the hot river where you can bathe in natural waters heated by the Volcano
• Dinner will be served in the resort this evening
• After dinner take a short tour with your guide to visit the firefly trees where beetles flash in synchronous waves of light
Day 4 Diving and War History Tour, Kimbe Bay Walindi Dive Resort
• Take a further Three Dives today at • Double Room locations around Kimbe Bay • Breakfast, lunch and dinner • In the afternoon, your guide will take you for a Guided War History Tour in the surrounding area
• Dinner will be served in the resort this evening
Day 5 Kimbe Bay to Rabaul Rapopo Plantation Resort
• Your driver will meet you in the hotel lobby • Double Room for your private road transfer to Kimbe Airport • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Fly Kimbe to Rabaul
• Meet your driver in the arrivals hall for your private road transfer to the Rapopo Plantation Resort
• Check-in to your accommodation
• Your guide will meet you in the resort lobby for your Private Tour of Rabaul
• Dinner will be served in the resort this evening
Day 6 Diving, Rabaul Rapopo Plantation Resort
• Enjoy a Full Day Diving in the Duke of York • Double Room Islands today • Breakfast, lunch and dinner You may also wish to enjoy a night dive this evening
• Dinner will be served in the resort this evening
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Mr & Mrs Smith Your Daily Outline
Day 7 Diving, Rabaul Rapopo Plantation Resort
• Enjoy a second Full Day Diving in the • Double Room Rabaul region • Breakfast, lunch and dinner • Dinner will be served in the resort this evening
• After dinner, you may wish to enjoy a Baining Fire Dancing Performance
**Please note this will be at an additional cost**
Day 8 Rabaul to Nusa Island Nusa Island Retreat
• Your guide will meet you at the resort for a • Double Room morning Guided Hike to Mt Tuvervur • Breakfast, lunch and dinner • Your driver will meet you in the resort lobby for a private road transfer to Rabaul
Airport
• Fly Rabaul to New Ireland
• Your driver will meet you in the arrivals hall for your private road transfer to Nusa Island Retreat
• Enjoy an Afternoon Dive in the Albatross Passage
• Dinner will be served in the resort this evening
Day 9 Diving, Nusa Island Nusa Island Retreat
• Enjoy a Day of Diving between New • Double Room Ireland and New Hanover Islands today • Breakfast, lunch and dinner • This afternoon, you may wish to spend some time at your leisure
Some suggested activities may include: o Visit local villages o Fishing o Guided walks o Relax at the resort
**Please note some of these will be at an additional cost**
• Dinner will be served in the resort this evening
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Mr & Mrs Smith Your Daily Outline
Day 10 Rabaul to Nusa Island Nusa Island Retreat
• Your guide will meet you in the resort lobby • Double Room for a tour of the local Fisheries Research Station learning about Conservation of the • Breakfast, lunch and dinner reefs in the local area
• This afternoon, enjoy a Guided Tour along the coast stopping at the many stunning beaches
• Dinner will be served in the resort this evening
Day 11 Depart Nusa Island
• Your guide will meet you in the resort lobby for your private transfer to Kavieng Airport
• Fly Kavieng to Port Moresby
• Depart Port Moresby on your International flight
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Hilton, Port Moresby 1 night
Welcome to Hilton Port Moresby, a hotel in Hohola showcasing the lifestyle and heritage of Papua New Guinea. Part of the Star Mountain Plaza development, our hotel is connected via walkway to the Kutubu Convention Centre, offering a range of state-of-the-art event spaces.
During your stay, enjoy unique restaurants and lounges, a fitness centre, outdoor pool, an exclusive Executive Lounge, and 24-hour security.
Hilton Port Moresby has five dining options, from a lobby café to a rooftop lounge. Grab a sandwich and tea at Halo and savour traditional dishes at Mumu. Feast's buffet is open all day and you'll love Copper's deli and full bar. Be sure to check out Summit, a top-floor lounge with panoramic city views.
Relax in a modern guest room featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, ergonomic workspace and a 50- inch HDTV with 'bring your own content' capability. Deluxe rooms offer stunning views of the city skyline and surrounding mountains, and our suites impress with a separate lounge area and a freestanding bathtub.
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Privately Guided Afternoon Tour
After lunch and settling into your hotel, your Expedition Leader will meet you for an escorted tour of the Nation’s capital.
The National Museum houses a fascinating, world-class collection of artefacts that showcase the incredible cultural and geographical diversity of the nation of Papua New Guinea. You will tour Parliament house before continuing on to the Nature Park. You will walk through the landscaped gardens and displays that show you the amazing wildlife of PNG. Situated in the original Botanic Gardens, the Nature Park has pristine gardens featuring the best of Lowland New Guinea rainforests where you’ll come face to face with many of the rare and exotic animals endemic to PNG.
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Privately Guided Port Moresby Tour
After breakfast this morning take a half day tour around key local sites in Port Moresby which give you a good local feel for the city.
Take in views of Hanuabada Village, the settlement on stilts over the water, Touaguba Hill look out, local bustling centre of commerce and trade the Koki Fish Market and peruse the local handcrafts and wares at Boroko Arts & Crafts Market.
Enjoy lunch back at the Hilton before your private transfer to Port Moresby Airport.
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Walindi Dive Resort, Kimbe Bay 3 nights
Walindi Plantation Resort, established in 1983, is an intimate dive resort situated on the shores of Kimbe Bay on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Celebrating over 30 years of operation, the resort is world famous for its quality of diving, international award-winning photography and warm hospitality. The resort's guest book reads like a Who's Who in the world of Sport Diving and Underwater Photography and the resort has been voted to have "the best diving from a resort anywhere in the world" by reader surveys.
Good company, great food, friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere provide a perfect backdrop while you enjoy the delights of Kimbe Bay diving, explore the local area, join a birdwatching tour or just relax the day away.
Walindi Resort offers 12 traditional style, self-contained bungalows spread along the shoreline and 8 Plantation House Rooms, all surrounded by rainforest gardens. They are all constructed with local materials and timbers in a bure style with thatched roofs.
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Kimbe Bay Diving
Kimbe Bay sits on the northern coast at the western end of the island of New Britain, above the meeting place of two tectonic plates and a land where geology is very much alive, volcanoes litter the horizon, three of them still active. The destructive imminence of the landscape is awe inspiring enough, yet its underwater where the true enchantment of this magical place captures the imagination. Recognised as one of the world’s premiere marine biodiversity hotspots, Kimbe Bay has over 60% of the coral species in the entire Indo Pacific region and almost 900 fish species. Ranges of shark species are regularly sighted, and a resident pod of friendly dolphins often enjoy interacting with and entertaining visiting divers. An underwater kingdom awaits your exploration.
Day one has an early start with three dives, one of which is the wreck of the Japanese Zero plane from WWII. The Zero is located towards the northern end of the Willaumez Peninsular. Three blades of the single propeller are still very much intact. With a rich covering of sponges and colourful coral, fish life is concentrated around the open cockpit. A large anemone and a small colony of nemos have made their home behind the pilot’s seat. The plane’s fateful final flight remains a mystery. One story is the plane ran out of fuel and others say the pilot may have kamikazed into the sea. Various local legends are afoot in regard to the wellbeing of the Japanese pilot… was he forced to live in the jungles of New Britain forever due to loss of honour or was he captured and killed by a local tribe?
The next day, take a further three dives; one of which is in the Hanging Garden. This site is situated along a sheer vertical wall starting from just below the surface and descending to a depth of ninety feet. Along the wall are numerous ledges and overhangs and the site is named for the many tangles of rope sponge hanging down along the face of the wall.
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Guided Rabaul Tour
Discover the fascinating history of Rabaul, the city of ruin and rebirth. Learn why she has been considered such a prize, occupied over the years by English, German and Australian colonial powers. A forward operating base for the Japanese in World War II, Rabaul was the scene of pivotal battles in determining the outcome of the war.
On land, a wide variety of historical and cultural attractions are enjoyed in East New Britain, "the Pearl of the South Pacific". Explore 500 km Japanese war tunnels and relics left from World War II, climb Mt Tavurur, the island’s active volcano oozing plumes of black smoke into the sky.
Take up the option to witness the spectacular Baining Fire Dancing, where initiated men from Baining tribes in elaborate, ghostly masks come from the shadows jumping into and through the fire, sending ash and sparks into the sky. One of the absolute highlights of Papua New Guinea cultural experiences.
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Rapopo Plantation Resort, Rabaul 3 nights
For the visitor to Papua New Guinea, a stay at Rapopo Plantation Resort, once the site of a Japanese fighter airstrip, is a must. Centrally located on the Gazelle Peninsula on the Island of New Britain, one of the most beautiful and exotic islands in the South Pacific. Looking across Simpson Harbour, the rim of an ancient volcano to Rabaul, the area is a wonderland above and below water.
Truly, ‘The Land of the Unexpected’, this wide variety of attractions is best enjoyed as a guest of the Rapopo Plantation Resort. Just ten minutes from the spectacular Tokua Airport and the new township of Kokopo, Rapopo has been designed for your relaxed comfort. Climb a volcano, discover the undeveloped islands, dive in turquoise waters with excellent clarity, snorkel or swim on our beach approximately 10 metres from your room or simply relax in our amazing pool.
The Plantation Verandah Restaurant and Bar overlook the Bay and is just one place to sip a chilled beverage and relax. Our chefs will tantalize your palate with ambrosia from the Southern Seas – sweet reef fish, crabs and lobsters together with succulent fruit and tropical vegetables grown in the local, rich black volcanic soil.
Your day’s catch can be served as your palate demands; you may wish to arrange a romantic candle lit dinner on our beach or beside our beautifully landscaped pool and aquatic bar.
All rooms boast balconies offering sea views where guests can enjoy direct beach access. Floors are polished local timbers or tiles and rooms are fully air-conditioned. Rooms include a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a refrigerator and tea/coffee making facilities. Each has a private bathroom, some offering a bathtub.
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Rabaul Diving
Rabaul is located on the rim of a huge caldera that forms the superb natural anchorage of Simpson Harbour. Rabaul was the second area captured by the Japanese in 1942 when they invaded, becoming the main army and navy base for the Imperial forces in PNG. The tide of war turned when the Allied Forces counter-attacked.
For fortunate divers, Simpson Harbour became the last resting place of approximately 54 Japanese ships. It is now considered the wreck capital of diving in Papua New Guinea!
This combined with the gorgeous Duke of York islands and sprawling reefs some 30km to the East, makes East New Britain prime diving real estate. Visibility is normally 10–15 metres inside Simpson Harbour, which only adds to the sensation of diving an underwater graveyard; visibility at the Duke of York Islands is normally 30-40 metres.
Enjoy a full day travelling out to the Duke of York Islands and diving the stunning surrounding reefs. You’re sure to swim with an enormous pod of spinner dolphins on your way home.
On your second day diving in Rabaul, make the most of the Georges wreck and the Italy Maru. Both these ships lie on the bottom of the harbour; George’s wreck rests bow up on a steep slope with its anchor firmly fastened on the starboard side. They Italy Maru is a freighter built in 1919 and was sunk by US Navy aircraft in 1942.
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Nusa Island Retreat, Nusa Island 3 nights
Located on the outer reaches of the Niugini Islands, New Ireland is considered one of the safest and most relaxed provinces in Papua New Guinea with welcoming Melanesian hospitality. The Retreat is situated only a couple of minutes boat ride from the capital of Kavieng, making it perfectly positioned to the conveniences of town, yet far enough to be a world away!
Situated on a sheltered white sandy point which offers safe swimming and encompassing views back across the aqua blues of Kavieng Harbour. It exudes a relaxed easy going feel from the moment you set foot on the beach and bury your toes in the sand.
Nusa Island Retreat is serviced by a centrally located, large open plan beachfront restaurant (PNG hauswin style), with a fully licensed and well stocked bar.
The Retreat is constructed using a mix of PNG hardwoods & local New Ireland (Niu Ailan) 'bush material' to create traditionally styled bungalows with an island vernacular, designed to blend in with the natural environment.
Accommodation is in the form of simple yet high quality free standing bungalows, either elevated along the beachfront or perched over water. The rooms boast comfortable furnishings and large verandahs to ensure there's ample space to kick back and indulge in the views.
Being a relatively small facility of 11 rooms, ensures limited numbers and affords a private, relaxed holiday environment with personalised service and attention to guests.
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Nusa Island Diving
Nusa Island Retreat’s reputation extends around the world. The island surrounded by reef with water temperature is about 29°C/85F all year round and the underwater visibility is between 30 and 40 meters on most dives. With over 350 species of fish, and is a great place to night dive.
Explore this veritable underwater paradise which is so expansive parts of it are yet to be explored. There are over 40 known dive locations dotted between the main island of New Ireland and New Hanover Island alone, and your expert local dive guide will pick the perfect dive to suit the conditions, and your interests.
Dive Albatross Passage, at an incoming tide this narrow passage is like fish soup. Eagle Rays, white tip, black tip and grey reef sharks, big tuna, jacks, barracudas and even sometimes mobula rays can be seen here as well as little creatures such as nudibranchs, leaf scorpionfish and pygmy seahorse. In the right conditions, Albatross Passage is the best dive in the Kavieng area, and one of the best dives in Papua New Guinea.
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Guided Nusa Island Tour
Your guide will take you on a tour of the nearby fisheries research station. Conservation is still new concept in Papua New Guinea, and with a rapidly growing population and the ever-present threat of illegal fishing boats from Asia, learn what’s being done to educate and support local villages to manage their reefs and fish stocks. Your guide interprets and explains their work.
In the afternoon, take a guided ride down the Boluminski Highway, stopping for refreshments under the palm trees of picture-perfect white sand beaches as you go.
The perfect way to round out an unforgettable holiday.
Itinerary designed by The Exclusive Travel Group exclusivetravelgroup.com: Australia - New Zealand - South Pacific - Papua New Guinea
Itinerary designed by The Exclusive Travel Group exclusivetravelgroup.com: Australia - New Zealand - South Pacific - Papua New Guinea