Avoid Visiting Papua New Guinea

The U.S. Department of State reissued its Level 3: Reconsider Travel for the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.

On April 11, 2023, the State Department announced travelers should reconsider visiting Papua New Guinea due to crime, civil unrest, and piracy.

U.S. government employees must obtain authorization before traveling to areas of concern, including the southern part of Bougainville and the provinces of Southern Highlands, Western Highlands (excluding Mt. Hagen), Eastern Highlands (excluding Goroka), Hela, Enga, Jiwaka, and other areas of Papua New Guinea where one is unable to fly directly.

Additionally, the Travel Advisory says 'do not travel' to:

• Southern Bougainville, particularly areas near the Panguna mine.
• The Highlands region, other than the towns of Mt. Hagen and Goroka.

And there have been reports of criminals attacking resorts popular with foreign tourists to steal goods and money. And police presence is limited outside of the capital, Port Moresby.

Furthermore, piracy is active in the waters surrounding Papua New Guinea, located in the eastern area of New Guinea, the world's second-largest island. The western half of the island is part of Indonesia.

Travelers by boat should reconsider travel to the Bismarck and Solomon Seas along Papua New Guinea's north and eastern coasts. In 2021 and 2022, the Embassy was aware of at least three occasions in which sailboats operated by or carrying U.S. citizens were boarded by criminals and, in one incident, severely injured the captain.

From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC suggests various travel vaccines before visiting Papua New Guinea.