Port Moresby: Where Every PNG Air Journey Begins

Every PNG Air route in the country runs through Port Moresby, and that’s fitting — long before it was an airline hub, it was a trading hub. The Motu people built their livelihood on the Hiri, seasonal voyages by outrigger canoe to trade clay pots for sago along the coast, and that same spirit of connection still defines the city. Hanuabada, the stilt village where Motu families have lived over the water for generations, sits within sight of Waigani’s government towers — two eras of the same place, sharing a harbour.

Most visitors touch down at Jacksons International expecting a stopover and end up staying longer than planned. Parliament Haus, built in the form of a traditional spirit house, is worth seeing on its own. The National Museum and Art Gallery lays out PNG’s cultural range in one building — ceremonial masks, war relics, art from across more than 800 language groups. Port Moresby Nature Park puts you face to face with birds-of-paradise and tree kangaroos without leaving the city. And Ela Beach, recently rebuilt with walking paths and open lawns, is where Port Moresby actually slows down — especially in September, when the Hiri Moale Festival brings lakatoi canoes and ceremonial dress back to the foreshore in honour of those original trading voyages.

The city carries history too. Bomana War Cemetery, just outside town, holds the graves of those who fought to keep Port Moresby out of Japanese hands during WWII — and the city remains the starting point for the Kokoda Track, the 96-kilometre trail where that campaign was decided.