Papua New Guinea: cruising

Why cruise in Papua New Guinea?

With most of PNG’s attractions close to the coast and, for visitors at any rate, the interior largely inaccessible, easily the most practical way of seeing the country and its islands is by ship. There are still relatively few cruises here compared with the Pacific islands, and those ships that visit tend to be small expedition ships that carry specialist expedition crew with forays ashore in Zodiac inflatables.

But things are starting to change.

Tourism as a whole grew by an astonishing 280 per cent in the first nine months of 2013 and PNG is soon to be visited by a 2,000-passenger ship. Sailing from Brisbane, P&O Australia’s 70,000-tonne Pacific Dawn is making its first four cruises there next year. Fares for a 10-night voyage start from AUD$1,699 (£945) per person for an inside cabin; balcony cabins from $2,549 (£1,418) through P&O Cruises (0843 374 0111).

For British passengers the most convenient cruise is likely to be Noble Caledonia’s (020 7752 0000; noble-caledonia.co.uk) 16-night trip departing from Port Moresby, the PNG capital, on February 26. With nine ports of call the itinerary is also among the most extensive. The price – from £5,995 – includes return flights via Singapore between London and Port Moresby (1) with 14 nights’ cruising aboard Caledonian Sky. Shore excursions, house wine and beer at lunch and dinner and crew gratuities are all covered in the fare. Many of the excursions from the 114-passenger expedition ship are by Zodiac.

Among the stops are Lababia, and the rain forest of the Kamiali Wildlife Management Area, which is only accessible by boat; the tropical fjords of Tufi; the intriguing old colonial port of Samarai (2) and the island groups of Trobriand, Marshall Bennett and D’Entrecasteaux (3). Besides witnessing village life and having the chance to buy examples of the country’s outstanding handicrafts, there are several opportunities for snorkelling and bird watching, both of which are exceptional.

Two of Silversea’s (0844 251 0837; silversea.com) expedition ships are calling at PNG next autumn. Silver Explorer is spending four days there on its way between Guam and Fiji, and Silver Discoverer, in its first season with the fleet, is including PNG on two of its Pacific voyages. The ship will visit 10 ports as part of a 14-day cruise that leaves the Solomon Islands for Cairns in Australia on October 20. Prices range from £6,550 to £13,150, excluding flights.

The ships each carry around 120 passengers and combine daytime adventures by Zodiac and sybaritic luxury back on board.

The Australian-based cruise line Coral Princess is another at the high end of both comfort and price. Its flagship, Oceanic Discoverer, is two and a half times smaller than Roman Abramovich’s superyacht, Eclipse. It carries 72 guests and has the advantage of a draft of only three metres. That means it can spend two days cruising on some of the remoter reaches of the Sepik River (4), where transport is normally by dugout canoe.

Operating out of Cairns, Oceanic Discoverer’s itineraries feature some of the historic Second World War sites where the Australians saw action, such as Milne Bay (5) and Rabaul (6), headquarters of the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto. The town was buried under 12 feet of volcanic ash in 1994 when two volcanoes erupted. There are eight cruises next year. The cost of a typical 12-night voyage from Cairns to Wewak costs from AUD$9,190 (£5,114) to $10,690 (£5,948), excluding international flight, through Mundy Cruising (020 7399 7670; mundycruising.co.uk).

Two other ships in these waters next year are the luxury 332-passenger Paul Gauguin, which is making three stops in PNG on two cruises between Fiji and Cairns in June and August, and Orion. An 11 night voyage on Paul Gauguin costs from US$5,995 (£3,662) to $15,595 (£9,525) for the Owner’s Suite. Paul Gauguin Cruises (020 7399 7691; pgcruises.com).

Orion (0800 444 462; orionexpeditions.com) was one of the pioneers of cruising to PNG and is exemplary in the sensitive way it introduced tourism to traditional societies. Now owned by Lindblad Expeditions, and renamed National Geographic Orion, the 102-passenger purpose-built expedition ship has a more general remit. Sailing from Cairns on November 5 it will spend two days in PNG en route to Fiji. Fares from US$12,550 (£7,665) to $26,270 (£16,045) for the 13-night voyage. Flights, some excursions and tips for the crew are not included.