New britain Travel Guide

New Britain, one of the provinces of Papua New Guinea, is a popular tourist destination for divers, and many boats are available to pursue this activity. New Britain is actually made up of a series of islands, and is also divided into West and East New Britain. Tourists to the

On the island itself, Rabaul, the former capital of New Britain (Kokopo is the new capital), has suffered damage due to volcanic activity; it is still renowned for the remains of the Gunantabu – a Queen’s palace – with the private cemetery; the underground bunker with 360 miles of tunnels built during the Japanese occupation, and the Admiral’s Bunker is currently a museum. Visitors may also wish to look around the Rabaul market, which is renowned throughout Papua New Guinea. Rabaul is still a popular location for scuba diving, and there are many diving operators and sites nearby, although most of the former capital is now a wasteland of volcanic ash; the airport was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1994, and the nearest landing spot is now at Tokua.

Kimbe is the capital of West New Britain, famed for its coral reefs and the Walinda Plantation Resort is the capital’s main diving center. The capital is also encircled by volcanic activity, although this does not seem to disturb the teeming wildlife that occupies the region, from Cockatoos to the largest moth in the world.

The most obvious activity in the islands of New Britain is water-related; as noted, diving is the most common reason to visit this part of Papua New Guinea, and there are also fishing, swimming, snorkeling and other water sports, particularly available on the Duke of York Islands, these sports can be arranged in the capital Kokopo, and there are also snorkeling available around Tavui Point

Any New Britain Travel Guide should not fail to include the increasingly popular sport of volcano climbing; Tavurvur is considered too dangerous to be climbed, but the others are climbable – Vulcan is usually only accessible on the Northern side, and other volcanoes may become difficult when heavy rain affects the ash soil of these mountains.

Trekking is also a popular occupation in New Britain; it is possible to walk around the Bainings Mountains, or trek from Tokua to Merai through the Wide Bay area.