Alotau PNG

[GCHAN]

Anybody here been to this port who can suggest local tours please.

[amatuercruiser]

3 hours ago, GCHAN said:

Anybody here been to this port who can suggest local tours please.

 

When are you going?

 

I loved PNG when I went there by  plane. Morsby & Kimbi.

 

Australia is really lucky to have PNG so close.

 

Please let us know what it was like.

 

I absolutely want to go a cruise to PNG.

Edited February 28, 2020 by amatuercruiser

[Gwendy]

Most cruise lines will have organised tours to what they call a cultural fair, dancers, canoe trips etc.

we took a bus from outside the port into town, looked at Milne Bay monument and local market, walked up the hill to the hospital for best view.

When we were there some years ago, there was not much to see, shops had bars in windows and doors, felt relatively safe but I am always very aware of my surroundings.

We caught a local taxi back to ship, he had his daughter with him as he was babysitting daughter as Mama was at the market.

please take Kina with you as it costs locals extra to exchange AUD at bank.

[GCHAN]

9 hours ago, amatuercruiser said:

 

When are you going?

 

I loved PNG when I went there by  plane. Morsby & Kimbi.

 

Australia is really lucky to have PNG so close.

 

Please let us know what it was like.

 

I absolutely want to go a cruise to PNG.

On the Sapphire Princess mid year.  I will let you know what it was like. I had heard it was small and the people are very poor. Some people suggested taking supplies for the school kids and hospitals as it is really appreciated. 

[SinbadThePorter]

2 minutes ago, GCHAN said:

On the Sapphire Princess mid year.  I will let you know what it was like. I had heard it was small and the people are very poor. Some people suggested taking supplies for the school kids and hospitals as it is really appreciated. 

 

The own of Alotau is relatively large. It's probably comparable in size to Port Vila. Unfortunately it makes Vila look like Paris. It's not a very attractive place and is very, very poor. I would not go wandering the streets on my own.

 

There is not much to see in town apart from the "Cultural Festival" at the local teachers college, which is kind of a cut back imitation of the actual Kenu and Kundu festival which takes place in November. The real festival is worth seeing, the tourist version not so much.

 

Outside of town there is excellent diving and snorkeling, but the tours for such tend to be quite expensive.

[lyndarra]

Alotau was one of the few occasions where I have booked a ship tour. There will be some locals offering guided tours by mini van but they are generally have no aircon and are not in great shape. The drivers, for the most part, are keen to show you around but there can be a language barrier unless you are conversant in Pigdin. I ended up booking two tours, one a.m., one p.m., both of which were quite good. The a.m. tour was a boat tour of historic sites along the coast with a commentary on WW2 history of the area. The guide was a local educated in Australia and very knowledgable. The boat was well equipped and a light snack of local fruits was provided. We also saw pods of dolphins. Some distance from the ship dock is a local market which we saw from the tour boat but did not visit but if you're prepared to take a walk in the tropical heat it could be of interest.

The afternoon tour was a cultural experience of a local family "village" which was a few houses around which the family grew their staple vegetables. We were taken there in a mini bus with a young lady giving a commentary along the way. She was softly spoken, no p.a., so it was difficult to hear her over the noise of the bus. This is not a criticism but more an observation as the PNG people are, by nature, softly spoken a little shy and polite. We were treated to a small meal of the what they  grew cooked in the traditional way - a unique experience. After that we were treated to an enthusiastic traditional dance by young people from the village.

As more cruise ships visit I expect more more souvenir shops and cafes will spring up. get in now before the place gets spoiled like we have seen in the Caribbean. yes, take kina currency for purchases in Alotau and any other PNG ports. What I kina I had left over I donated to a couple of schools on the last port PNG stop, as did many others. School materials, pencils books etc were a popular and welcome gift.

 

 

[aussielozzie18]

Alotau Tours, cruising with Ben. Came highly recommended.  Booked online prior and paid in cash AUD on the day.  Did the village combo tour.  You meet him at his stand directly outside the ship gates.  Small group tour in air-conditioned van.  His daughter was our guide.  Spoke excellent English.  Visited two villages, a local food market, and final stop was an outlook over Alatou for excellent photo.  I thought it was a very good tour. He offers a variety of tours including war history.

[aussielozzie18]

We were told on board our ship that in PNG the ship tours will be in basic vans with no air-conditioning and the bus drivers will not speak much English.  On the day I did the private tour, one of the ship tours vans broke down and their tour was cut short.

[amatuercruiser]

5 hours ago, GCHAN said:

On the Sapphire Princess mid year.  I will let you know what it was like. I had heard it was small and the people are very poor. Some people suggested taking supplies for the school kids and hospitals as it is really appreciated. 

 

If you want to give something take it to the local school direct then it will get to the teachers.

 

My suggestion is pencil paper sure. But also

 

CHILDREN'S SIZE T Shirts.

 

If you go to a Australian Op shop and you buy 25 CHILDREN'S size T-Shirts you will cause a stampede when you give them away.

 

They have lots and lots of people giving them adult clothes but very few children's cloths.

[MicCanberra]

We used Ben as well Alatou tours, really not a lot going on there as a port but the shorex was fine. If you particularly want to see the cultural show, you will need to book a ship's tour as only those seem to have access. We didn't but that suited us fine as well.