Madang, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is located in the Pacific Ocean on the eastern half of New Guinea, which is the second largest island in the world. The mountainous country is slightly larger than California, and much of it is covered with tropical vegetation. The port of Madang is on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea and is sometimes included as a port of call on cruises between Australia and Asia. We stopped over for the day on our wonderful cruise from Sydney to Shanghai on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager.

While in Madang, we did a morning shore excursion to the village of BilBil, where we watched native women create earthenware pots, enjoyed a traditional singsing, and learned much about Madang Province and its peoples from our guide. In the afternoon, we did a boat tour of beautiful Madang harbor, toured nearby Krangket Island, and marveled at the pristine and colorful coral reefs while snorkeling at Pig Island.

Not many North American tourists visit Madang, but the people are warm and open.