If you’re new to Port Moresby, just visiting, or just looking for something new to eat, drink, see, do or buy in this harbour city, this is for you! This guide will tell you where to find some of the world’s best coffee, the best food in the city, tantalizing cocktails and surreal sunsets, pulsating nightclubs, pristine white sand beaches, hiking and diving, dazzling turquoise waters dotted with sailboats, the best places to shop, and more.

It will not, however, tell you EVERYTHING great about Port Moresby. This is the kind of town that likes to keep some secrets up its sleeve; surprises you’ll discover over time. It is, after all, the capital of the Land of the Unexpected. But if you have any personal favorites you think are too good to keep under wraps, feel free to share in the comments below.

To skip to a specific section, click the respective link below, or scroll away to your heart’s content!

Where to Eat & Drink

Where to Shop

Places to Visit

Sports / Fitness / Recreation

Salon / Spa / Massage

Map

Day Trips from Port Moresby

Where to Eat & Drink

Let’s start with this since it’s my favorite topic! If you’re a fellow foodie, I have good news for you: whether you like to cook or eat out or both, plenty of deliciousness is waiting for you here in Port Moresby! Here are some great options to get you started:

BEST COFFEE/BREAKFASTS:

Edge Café: Here you’ll find world-class coffee (non-dairy milk options: soy and almond) and copious breakfasts with excellent service and fresh sea breezes, near the Yacht Club marina. Eggs Benedict, breakfast tacos, pancakes with ice cream and fresh juices available here, among many other options.

Blueberry pancakes (minus the ice cream), the Port

Duffy Café Harbourside: Nice waterfront location, pleasant ambience and fantastic coffee here too (non-dairy milk options: soy only). On Saturdays and Sundays, a pricy but decadent weekend brunch is served. The eggs Benedict deserve a gold medal. The Nutella crepes are good, but if you’re accustomed to a genuine French savory crepe, skip the savory crepes here. The croissants and pastries are the best I’ve found in POM so far.

Port Terrace Restaurant: A beautiful restaurant for breakfast (the blueberry pancakes are amazing with or without ice cream), lunch or dinner with friendly, professional staff and a gorgeous sea view (especially for sunset). Good cappuccinos (with dairy, oat, soy or almond milk) and you get a discount for bringing your own takeaway cup.

Kofi by 77 Eggs Benedict on pancakes — Eggs Benedict on pancakes, Kofi by 77

Kofi by 77: This place is a gem, hidden away in Waigani inside the Food Republic compound. To find the entrance, look for a sidewalk sign and potted plants next to glass doors. It’s gorgeous inside with hands down the best chairs of any restaurant in this town (gray velvet and supremely comfortable) and a killer breakfast menu. The eggs benedict on pancakes are a 10 out of 10, and they serve matcha lattes! (If there’s anyone else in POM serving matcha lattes, I haven’t found them yet.) Open every day 6am-4pm.

Bakeology: An adorable bakery/coffee shop tucked away next to the parking lot of the Shady Rest Hotel, serving coffee, fresh green juices, quiches, cakes and cookies. (Non-dairy milk options: soy, almond, macadamia. ) Barista Fiona makes beautiful latte art, and the green juice and quiches are yummy. They’ve only existed since July 2022 and they’ve still got a few kinks to work out, but let’s hope they get there. Their seating is all outdoors and it’s lovely, amidst trees and plenty of greenery, but the 2nd floor is missing ceiling fans. (Hopefully they’ll add some soon!)

Tribe’s Coffee Club (the Lawes Road location near Ela Beach): spacious and uncrowded with a sea view, this is a nice choice if you want a peaceful air-conditioned spot for some laptop time with your coffee or breakfast, along with gated parking and a smiling security guard to open the front door for you. Waffles, omelets, French toast and eggs Benedict are on the breakfast menu. The waffles and cappuccinos are good (non-dairy milk options: almond and soy) although bring your patience for the food preparation time. They’re open for lunch and dinner too (hours 6am - 9pm) which I haven’t personally tried but the menu looks good.

Bunka Cafe: If you’re in the Baruni area, or willing to take a short scenic drive for something different, Bunka Cafe is a lovely spot open for breakfast and lunch Monday to Friday. Here you’ll find fast, friendly service and strong, delicious coffee, tasty steak sandwiches and more at in a charmingly decorated open-air cafe cooled by ceiling fans. They may often get busy at lunchtime but around 11am you might have the whole cafe to yourself. Located inside the Red Sea Compound. (It’s on Google Maps.)

Green Haus: If you’re really hungry, Green Haus on the first floor of the Stanley Hotel has a breakfast buffet every day from 6am to 10:30am with a wide selection of hot and cold items, including an impressive fruit selection. My favorite thing here is the soy chai latte (not included with the buffet, but it’s only 10 Kina.) You can also get this chai latte at the Rainforest Cafe (see below.)

Back to the buffet: It includes a selection of pastries that are made in house every morning and they’re not bad. A little dry, but dip them in the aforementioned delicious chai and the dryness vanishes. These pastries include croissants, pains au chocolat, mini pains au raisin, pseudo-almond croissants sprinkled with a few sliced almonds but with no almond paste inside. (Disclaimer: having lived in France I am now a total pastry snob and I must say, these wouldn’t stand up against any flaky, buttery, heavenly French viennoiseries, except the mini pains au raisin, which are pretty irresistible.) But given that we are very far from France, this is a good pastry fix option if you need one.

Rainforest Cafe, on the ground floor of the Stanley Hotel to the left of the lobby, has a pretty, peaceful atmosphere for your morning dose of caffeine, with a tall wall of living plants intersecting with a curving stone wall. They have a more limited pastry selection here: only the plain croissants and the sprinkled-with-sliced-almonds croissants.

WEEKEND BREAKFASTS/BRUNCHES:

Tandoor on the Harbour: for my fellow lovers of authentic Indian food! From 11:30am Saturdays and Sundays, they serve masala dosas and aloo parathas among plenty of other traditional options. They’re delicious, but bring your patience and be prepared to wait for an hour or so for your food to be prepared. Even, for example, if you order a masala chai upon arrival – you might need to request it 3 times and it may very well not be delivered until you’re finished eating. UPDATE: as of September 2023, we found the timeliness of the service to be vastly improved. Everything we ordered was delivered in approximately 5 minutes.

J’s Cafe is a delightful oasis in the lap of nature a 25-30 minute drive outside POM, on the road to Sogeri, 7 minutes past Adventure Park. Open 8am-4pm on weekends only, they serve excellent coffees, breakfast, lunch, and cocktails. So much to love here: the peaceful ambience, lovely decor, spacious, open-air dining area overlooking the river and an enormous mango tree, the fresh breezes complimented by the ceiling fans, the great service, the flavorful Thai omelette and poached egg with avocado & feta on sourdough toast, the best-looking adffogato I’ve ever seen (and it tasted as good as it looked), and an excellent playlist with just the right volume. There’s a small second-hand shop here with women’s clothes too where you might snag some good finds. Bring mosquito repellant though!

Calling ahead to confirm that they’re open is recommended. Occasionally they close for private events and other assorted reasons. 7649 0903.

The Cellar at the Shady Rest Hotel also serves masala dosas on the weekends, and aloo parathas for breakfast every day. The parathas are not quite as scrumptious as Tandoor’s, but they’re prepared in half the time.

Asia Aromas: Situated at Harbourside. Nice Asian breakfast options on the weekend including Chinese and Filipino. The congee is excellent. If you find yourself waiting a long time here, it’s most likely because the wait staff failed to transmit your order to the kitchen and then forgot about you, even if you are only one of two tables in the restaurant. So don’t be afraid to ask for an update on your order if too much time passes.

Feast at the Hilton offers a weekend breakfast buffet on Saturdays and Sundays for 70 kina (including coffee, cappuccinos, etc.) from 6 - 10:30am. It’s pretty decadent and includes a tempting selection of fresh fruits, pastries, savory items and fresh coconuts (while supplies last). I recommend bringing your appetite!

LUNCH:

Edge Cafe, Mojo, the Port, Asia Aromas and Tandoor on the Harbour are also great for lunch. Lucky Lucky is now open for lunch as well.

Edge Café and the Port Terrace Restaurant have some healthy, delicious options, including a mouthwatering calamari salad at the Port (and Coke Zero, if you’re looking for that). Edge Café serves Buddha bowls and the best veggie burger I’ve ever tasted, along with delicious beef burgers and reef burgers.

Aviat Club: The lobster sambal here is legendary: one bite and you’ll understand why. Luckily, you don’t need to be a club member to eat here Monday through Friday. The outdoor seating is very pleasant, shaded under giant mango trees. If you want to avoid waiting a very very very long time for a server to come take your order, you can order your food from one counter and your drinks from another counter.

Singapore Bee Hoon at Diner's Place — Singapore Stir-Fried Bee Hoon; Diner’s Place

Diner’s Place: hidden gem here! This is a great downtown lunch spot. Don’t be put off by the unassuming front entrance - inside you’ll find good food and friendly, fast, efficient service. Their menu includes soups, noodle, rice and veggie dishes, sandwiches, burgers, fish, chicken, meat, coffee and fresh juices. The noodle dishes are great (if a bit on the salty side). I recommend the Singapore Stir-fried Bee Hoon, but everything we’ve tried has been good.

Fu Gui: Fantastic Chinese and Malaysian food in Waigani. Excellent flavor and very professional service. Apparently they get quite busy during weekday lunchtimes, but Sunday lunches we’ve found to be quiet and relaxed. The laksa is especially delicious; aromatic and satisfying.

Anna’s Kitchen: Deeelicious Vietnamese food; fresh and full-flavored! Tucked away inside the immigration building (enter through the main door, walk through the lobby, turn right, walk down the hallway and you’ll see the door to Anna’s at the end of the hall.) For the banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake), call at least an hour ahead or the day before. Call to check if they’re open; as of mid-February 2023, they are closed for an unspecified amount of time and I fear this may be a permanent closure. 7068-1766.

Asia Aromas at Harbourside has an extensive and very tasty menu of Chinese and Thai options, although surprisingly, they don’t serve Thai tea.

Daikoku: also at Harbourside (with a second location in Konedobu.) We’ve had some very nice fresh sushi, sashimi and salads at this Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately their outdoor seating consists exclusively of hard wooden chairs - cushions would be a great upgrade!

Kofi by 77: See the breakfast section for more details on this gem of a café. Open since July 2022. A lovely ambience with good service and very cold AC – ladies, you may want to bring a sweater. They serve a fantastic beef burger here with caramelized onions (this might be the best burger in town) among other delicious options. If you’re craving a cool, refreshing beverage here, try the sparkling lychee drink.

The Dirty Kitchen: Some will tell you they serve the best burger in town. I’m not sure about that yet, but they are really good. Side options are: fries, or nothing. They also serve chicken burgers and wraps, prawn burgers, steak and chips, and tacos, but you won’t find any salad or veggie options here. Located in Ela Beach Tower across from the APEC building.

Fusion Bistro: great service and good Asian dishes, including creamy, satisfying laksa and delicious char away teow. (They have two locations; I’ve only been to the one in Konedobu.)

Above, left to right: beef burger at the Dirty Kitchen, laksa at Fusion, Airways Saturday curry buffet

Deli KC at Airways: (next to Vue restaurant) is a spacious cafe that serves some nice options, including good coffee and an excellent fresh tuna salad. On Saturdays, Vue restaurant at Airways has a phenomenal Indian curry buffet. Good luck not overeating here! The restaurant is beautiful too, on the second floor among the treetops with plenty of open air seating.

Spice Restaurant: If it’s a fancy ambience you want, this isn’t the place for you, but if you’re looking for authentic South Indian flavor, you’ll find it here! Open 7am - 7pm every day, serving dosas all day long with a coconut chutney that will transport your tastebuds straight to the beaches of Goa. They have a lunch buffet with many spicy options and Malaysian favorites like roti paratha. Located in Gordons near Brian Bell.

Savannah Bistro: okay … I reeeally don’t want to tell you about this one because I want to keep it a secret, but … we can’t leave it off a list of Port Moresby’s best. For now, it has the vibe of a secret hideaway. You’ll need google maps or someone who knows the place to get here. You won’t see any signage until you reach the front door. We love the outdoor balcony seating, the expansive views, the herbal water and the stir-fried squid with vegetables, broccoli and Chinese mushrooms. Inside, there’s a little boutique with some gorgeous kitchen and home décor items. They sell Christmas trees here too.

Speaking of secret hideaways, another one of those is Aria Training Restaurant, operated by the APTC (Australia Pacific Training Coalition) at the Port Moresby Technical College (known as POM Tech.) Each semester, bookings are available for select lunches and dinners, giving hospitality students a chance for real life training, and guests a chance to enjoy an excellent dining experience (at a very low price). You might also want to enjoy a very nice sauvignon blanc for 10k per glass with your meal. The schedule can be hard to find as it’s not always published on their Facebook page or website, so I’m sharing the current one here to save you the hunt. Call 7640 5600 for bookings and questions.

To find the restaurant, enter the main gate of POM Tech, follow the dirt road that goes straight through the campus, and keep your eyes peeled for a small sign that says Aria a few hundred meters down on your right. The restaurant is behind a blue gate.

Below: March-June 2023 schedule (click to enlarge); sign at the main entrance gate; delicious freshly made bread; chicken breast sous vide with carrot puree and an orange spinach galip nut salad.

If you’re a busy person and you’d prefer to have healthy, delicious, tasty meals delivered to your doorstep Monday through Friday, check out The Healthy Food Company! They offer a meal delivery service of fresh, balanced, low carb meals (choose from just lunch, or breakfast/lunch/dinner, or catered custom meals, for very reasonable prices. They’re easy to communicate with via phone or Whatsapp and they deliver every day between 9:30 and 11:30am. My tip: everything tends to be very lightly salted so you may want to have a salt and pepper shaker with you.

PGO! Delivery App: This is another great option if you’d rather not drive across town for lunch or dinner. They are prompt and professional with excellent customer service. I’ve only used them for lunch but you can also order groceries and many other items on here, from selected retailers. Download the app on the App Store or Google Play, or visit their website.

DINNER:

The Port, Mojo and Tandoor on the Harbour are also great for dinner, as well as Asia Aromas. It’s worth noting that at Harbourside, you can sit at the gorgeous covered outdoor space in front of Alibi and order from Asia Aromas. Drinks in that area can only be ordered from Alibi though.

Mumu is the most beautiful restaurant in town, located at the Hilton, and the only restaurant I know of serving traditional Papua New Guinean cuisine. With plenty of well-lit trees and lush vegetation, fires flickering in rock fire pits, the outdoor ambience is dreamy. Lovely indoor seating available as well with outdoor views. They serve traditionally cooked mumu dishes (fish and meat) and an impressive selection of traditional veggie side dishes in very generous portions. I highly recommend the Feed Me Mumu – let the chef surprise you with an assortment of 4 or 8 dishes. They’re open from 5pm Tuesday - Saturday.

Mojo: You’ve probably heard about this one already, as it’s no hidden secret! Here you’ll find friendly servers, cold beers, Taco Tuesdays, decent pizza and a phenomenal pumpkin tortellini with feta and sage butter. The wine-by-the-glass options are sometimes disappointing (the same wines don’t always taste the same here) but they make great cocktails including an excellent watermelon margarita (the Standoff Margarita), a Negroni that hits the spot and a yummy though way-too-sweet lychee mocktail (ask for less sugar; then it’s perfect.)

NEW! To the joy of everyone in Port Moresby who loves Thai food (and who doesn’t love Thai food?), Lucky Lucky opened June 2023, right underneath Port Terrace Restaurant … and the dishes here are deeeelicious!! Besides genuine Thai flavor with plenty of kaffir lime and lemongrass and galangal, here you’ll find excellent service (with staff brought over from Edge and Mojo), Thai chefs, and balcony seating with beautiful harbor views. Crowd-pleasing favorites include betel leaves with tuna, kau kau pumpkin curry puffs, incredibly tender salt & pepper calamari, pad thai (of course), green curry and jungle fish curry. The only menu item that disappointed was the mango sticky rice, and maybe that will improve when mango season arrives. BUT, don’t miss the homemade coconut ice cream with palm sugar caramel—it’s out of this world. Trust me. I don’t use those words lightly.

Open from 5pm Tuesday - Sunday; closed Mondays.

Above: (Lucky Lucky) cocktails, betel leaves w/ tuna, melt-in-your-mouth calamari, kau kau curry puffs, jungle fish curry and and an excellent Angove organic rose by the glass

Feast: at the Hilton, 2nd floor. Service here was friendly but very slow; the food took a long time to arrive. The steak was excellent and the pizza was deeelicious.

Silver Leaf: on the 19th floor of the Stanley Hotel. If you’re looking for an upscale date night spot, or just in the mood for a night of fine dining with classy ambience and attentive service, come here. Everything we tried was delicious, starting with the heavenly garlic bread with carrot-cumin butter offered by the chef. I highly recommend the polenta gnocchi, the wagyu steaks, and the roasted potatoes. The selection of wines by the glass includes a wonderful Malbec. You’ll enjoy the atmosphere provided by the high ceilings and the sparkling lights of the city after dark. Open Tuesday - Saturday 6 - 10pm. To book your table, email reservations@thestanleypng.com.

Above: Silver Leaf

The Cellar at the Shady Rest hotel offers an Indian buffet Tuesday and Friday nights with some good options. The ambience isn’t fancy, but it has charm. The butter chicken was pretty good and the dhal and veggie options were excellent. So was the Jacob’s Creek shiraz.

Oktagon/KTV: scumptious Korean food downstairs (warning: it’s addictive), and upstairs you’ll find a fun bar with a dance floor and a karaoke room you can reserve in advance. In the karaoke room, you can order drinks from the bar and food from the Korean restaurant. Fits 12 comfortably or you could squeeze in 15.

Cozy’s Diner: was previously included here, but as of March 2023, they’ve closed permanently.

Bacchus at Airways: I feel obligated to mention it here and to give my honest opinion. The ambience is lovely, with live piano music, and the wine selection is excellent. However, the level of the food falls far, far, far below what the prices lead you to expect. This statement is based on my personal experience - feel free to check it out for yourself and make your own judgment! Apparently it used to be very good and hopefully it will return to that level.

FOR A NIGHT OUT:

Summit Bar on the top floor of the Hilton is a great place for drinks. Normally you’ll find Elizabeth and Juliet behind the bar, brightening the ambience with their vibrant energy, dazzling smiles and efficient service. For drinks and dancing, Oktagon and Lamana are fun options – and there’s a really nice 6-lane bowling alley inside Lamana too!

Lamana bowling alley — Lamana bowling lanes

Where to Shop:

SUPERMARKETS:

You’ll find both imported and domestic products at all of these.

Waterfront Foodworld: a really nice local and imported produce section. You’ll also find things you might not expect, like tahini, coconut aminos, bone broth, paleo granola, etc. However, just because you find something here one day doesn’t mean it will be here next time.

Rangeview Plaza Grocer: not as good for fresh produce, but they have the best imported chocolate selection! As well as quinoa and gluten-free flours, among many other items.

RH Hypermarket at Vision City: it’s big. You’ll find a lot in there.

Boroko Foodworld at Gordons: Ditto. Also, outside along the street in front of the parking lot, vendors offer a wonderful selection of tropical flowers and houseplants.

Stop n Shop: A few locations around town. Not my personal favorite as the ambience is dark and a bit gloomy, but you can find some good things here. They have an excellent selection of fabric softener, for example.

And some specialty shops…

Meat & Co: for the best quality meat selection: you’ll find wagyu beef and high quality chicken here and lots of Asian goods.

Patrick’s Cellar: You’ll find plenty of wine and liquor shops around town, in and near the supermarkets, but if you prefer your wine to be delivered to your doorstop, Patrick’s Cellar is a great option. They’re friendly, professional and efficient, and you’ll find some bottles here that you won’t find elsewhere. 15% off if you order 3 bottles or more on Tuesday or Wednesday. You can also pick up in person at the store: the Cellar is a small, unmarked building inside the gated parking lot next to the big Patrick’s Wholesaler & Retailer Gabutu building.

LOCAL MARKETS:

One of the perks of shopping at the local markets is that your day will be brightened with many smiles from the friendly local vendors, and you might learn additional details about the produce for buying: for example, which varieties of mangos are the sweetest. (The hybrid ones, which are a long oval shape!) Added bonus: no weighing stations here, so you can avoid the stickers and plastic bags that those involve at the supermarkets.

(Pictured above: Boroko Market)

Boroko is my personal favorite during the dry season, with a nice open-air ambience. During the rainy season it gets quite muddy.

Gordons is the largest local market, inside a two-story building, open-air but covered. It’s laid out in a more organized fashion than Boroko.

Koki vegetable market — not the prettiest, but in my experience, the most generous. Every vendor here gave me extra of everything I bought, with wide, happy smiles.

Koki fish market — the place to come if you want whole fish straight out of the ocean! They will de-scale the fish for you, but you’ll need to skin and fillet the fish at home.

SATURDAY CRAFT MARKETS: these rotate on a regular schedule the first four Saturdays of each month, open 9am – 1pm. At the time of this post, the schedule is:

1st Saturday: Laguna Hotel

2nd Saturday: Waigani Arts Theatre

3rd Saturday: Holiday Inn Hotel

Last Saturday: Ela Beach Primary School

And if you’re looking for:

Bilums: You’ll find these at the above-mentioned Saturday markets, but the biggest selection can be found daily at the Boroko craft market. You can also find some beautiful ones (along with other assorted items like shoes, wigs, jewelry and Imbonggu baskets at Unity Mall.

Home goods: Brian Bell, BNBM Home Centre, the grocer at Rangeview Plaza, Waterfront Homewares, Decor Galore. You’ll find different items at each location, and their supply changes constantly. Happy hunting!

Clothing: you’ll find various clothing options inside Vision City, Rangeview Plaza, Waterfront. There’s also Jack’s of PNG next to the Waigani Stop n Shop. But, if you’re willing to hunt, your best option is POM’s treasure trove of second-hand shops where you can score some brilliant finds for around 2 kina and up (yep, 2 kina!) such as Mondo and Flex Clothing. There are lots of these shops in POM; my personal favorites (thus far) are the Mondo underneath Tribes Coffee next to Cozy’s Diner and Eda Dabua (it’s enormous!)

Gym clothes/shoes/sportswear: Brian Bell has a very nice selection. You’ll find other options at Rangeview Plaza, Vision City, Waterfront, and in the sports shop in the Stop n Shop plaza Konedobu.

For the cutest baby clothes in PNG, check out My Little Kaukau. You can order online and they often have pop-ups at Waterfront and other locations. Follow their Instagram @mylittlekaukau or Facebook for updates.

Electronics: you’ll find electronics shops everywhere in POM! CHM and Pacific Tech at Rangeview Plaza are good options.

Plants: PNG Gardener has the biggest selection, with lots of ceramic pots too. You’ll also find plants and flowers at Brian Bell Gordons, on the street outside Food World, at the Saturday craft markets, and popping up in other expected places.

For herbs, contact Kingsley at +675 7965 8528 (text or Whatsapp.) He has a beautiful selection, including basil (sweet, Italian, purple, and pepper basil), mint, rosemary, aloe vera and wild oregano. They can be collected at Pinnacle Apartments on Touaguba Hill by appointment.

Water filters/dispensers: PNG does not recycle plastic, so this is an important item! You can purchase dispensers at Brian Bell Boroko or directly at Pure Water PNG. Pure Water also delivers refills.

Jewelry/gifts: Bilum&Bilas designs and produces gorgeous (and pricy) PNG made jewelry, wall-hangings and leather-handled bilums. Their showroom is hidden away in the 6 Mile Bookmakers building, indicated by just one small sign on the gate. Hopefully someone will be around to show you which unmarked door to open; if not, just call or knock until you find the right one. You’ll be rewarded with a treasure trove of beauty and in the back of the shop, you can see the jewelry being made. Visit their website for the full story: www.bilumandbilas.com

N’Drup sells bilums, baskets, jewelry and wooden bowls meticulously hand-made in villages along the Sepik River, using traditional methods and updated modern designs. They’re gorgeous and reasonably priced. You can find them occasionally at pop-ups in Waterfront and follow their Instagram @n_drup or email ndrupbilums@gmail.com for more information.

You can find other nice jewelry and gifts (local and imported) at Gemini Jewellers inside Gordons Plaza (next to Brian Bell) and in the Stanley hotel.

Above: (left to right) Bilum & Bilas; N’Drup Pop-Up

Office supplies and furniture: Theodist has a huge selection, as well as other assorted items like wrapping paper, gift bags and backpacks, and the shop is so well merchandised it’s absolutely a pleasure to shop here. You may find it hard to walk out without a few extra notebooks, staplers, etc.

Tools/hardware/DIY: Badili Hardware (excellent for tools, among other items); Hardware Haus (great for tools, wood, and basic hardware items; staff is very helpful) and Leon Hardware Megastore Erima (the closest thing in POM to Home Depot or Leroy Merlin!)

Fabric: Tango has a fantastic selection! Along with assorted houseware items and inexpensive clothing. (I can only speak for the Boroko location, as I haven’t been to the others.)

Picture framing: Anitua Construction Services does very professional framing. Contact Tony Kawi at +675 7198-1995 or acpom.projects@anitua.com.pg.

And if what you’re looking for isn’t at any of those locations, you can also try asking on the PNG Expats Facebook group page. You are likely to get a quick, helpful answer!

Places to Visit

PNG National Museum and Art Gallery: Definitely a must see. A visually impressive museum showcasing Papua New Guinean culture, art and traditions. Usually not crowded; visiting is a pleasant and tranquil experience.

Port Moresby Nature Park: Another must-see where you’ll discover some of PNG’s incredibly diverse native wildlife: tree kangaroos, wallabies, snakes, and birds galore including cassowaries, birds of paradise, parrots and my personal favorite, the Southern Crowned Pigeon. The green leafy grounds are well-manicured and there are lots of picnic tables here too available for use.

Port Moresby Adventure Park: A nice place to spend an afternoon with or without kids. There’s a Ferris wheel, water slides for the kids, a gorgeous orchid garden and a collection of wildlife worth admiring, including birds of paradise, crowned pigeons and saltwater crocodiles, amidst picturesque grounds. Entrance is free; except for rides.

Sports / Fitness / Recreation

Port Moresby Racquets Club: This is another place I’d like to keep secret but … I’m letting you in on it! Great ambience with tennis and squash courts. They serve food and beer also. They don’t have a website; their Facebook page is Port Moresby Racquets Club.

Aviat Club: has tennis courts, squash courts and a pool.

At the Royal Papua Yacht Club, you’ll find a great gym; yoga, crossfit and boxing classes; and an outdoor path that’s popular for walking or running in the mornings and evenings. Must be a member to access the facilities; there’s a restaurant, bar and kids aquatic playground here too. Website: www.rpyc.com.pg

Taurama Aquatic & Indoor Center: has a pristine, world class Olympic-sized pool, along with a separate huge pool for kids and indoor basketball/volleyball facilities (6 courts; 2 currently used to house a Covid lab which was setup but never used.) Drop-in use of the pool is 15 Kina for adults; 10 for students; 7 for kids. They’re open from 8am or 6am for pool use. Monthly membership is 150 Kina.

Taurama also houses a large but rather sparsely furnished gym. They hold functional fitness classes in the evenings. Drop-in classes are 15 kina.

Water sports — POM offers no shortage of these! For scuba diving, check out Pro-Dive or POMSAC.

For snorkeling: POMSAC.

Sailing: the Yacht Club offers sailing lessons at various times throughout the year. You can also join the 3K Rowing Club, or rent kayaks or a paddleboard which is missing the steering fin on the bottom.

Pentagon Entertainment Kid Zone (inside Laguna Hotel): an aquatic paradise for kids! If I was still a kid I would be over the moon about this place. Here you’ll find a large pool with water fountains and an entire playground inside it, and a play area outside the pool with a trampoline, sandbox and more. Next to the Kid Zone is the adult zone: a sports bar with plenty of flat screens, friendly, fast, professional service, misting fans for a nice breeze, and occasional live music with an excellent sound system. It’s a great spot to be at sunset; it’s all sheltered but open air, with a giant tree growing inside the sports bar.

Besides all this, there’s a Dessert Cafe upstairs (which actually doesn’t have that many desserts; more main dishes like chicken strips and Filipino noodles), a pokies lounge, and a club.

Pentagon Entertainment

Salon / Spa / Massage

Bliss Spa at Airways Hotel: ahhhh …. it lives up to its name! A beautiful spa with professionally trained massage therapists and reasonable prices. Book in advance for weekends! www.airways.com.pg/facilities/bliss-the-spa

Thai Therapy: located next to Savannah Bistro. If excruciatingly painful Thai massages are your thing, you’ll find those here! The therapist will reduce the pressure upon request.

Elisse Luxury Wellness Spa at Pentagon Entertainment/Laguna Hotel: excellent full body massages here; Emma and Julie have magic hands. However the reflexology experience is sub-par: mildly uncomfortable chairs; the sounds of Bon Jovi and Purple Rain from the sports bar next door mix with the spa music, and in our case although we booked at the front desk based on a printed menu that listed the price at 50PGK for 30 minutes, we were charged 80PGK because they changed the price but haven’t gotten around to updating the listed prices - a detail the receptionist also forgot to mention when we booked. (Maybe “false advertising” could be a topic for future team training.)

Hemisphere Hair Studio at the Aviat Club comes highly recommended for all your hairdressing needs. Amanda is very good with color, including blond highlights. You can make an appointment via their Facebook page or by phone at 7051 5404.

Glow Hair Boutique at the Shady Rest Hotel is great for men’s haircuts.

Beauté Republic recently opened on the first floor of the Holiday Inn. It looks good and they offer an extensive menu of services including eyebrow threading, laser hair removal, reflexology and much more. For bookings: +675 7932 9328; Facebook page Spa Pua.

You’ll find other spas in the main hotels and advertised around town. As I haven’t yet tried them personally, I’ll leave those for you to discover!

Medical clinics: this is not a complete list, just those I can recommend personally. 2K Medical Centre (open 24 hours) and the International SOS Clinic at Airways are both excellent. Aspen Medical at the Hubert Murray Stadium was reported to be good as well but appears to have closed (though you wouldn’t know this from its website.)

Dental: (Also not a complete list.) Your teeth will be in good hands at Mills Dental Care - and with this view, you may want to get your teeth cleaned more often!

Map:

Trip map created with Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

Day Trips from Port Moresby:

There are so many options just a short drive or boat ride away!

Fisherman Island: You can organize boat day trips to this stunning island through the Yacht Club or PNG Sport Fishing. You’ll find pristine white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise water. It’s a 20 minute ride each way (although that may be longer depending on which boat and route you take.) PNG Sport Fishing offers the option of tents, table and chairs, with or without food and beverages. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can arrange for one of fishermen at Koki Fish Market to take you in their smaller boats.

On the island you’ll find the lovely Godie and her family who sell beautiful handmade seashell wind chimes. No two are exactly alike.

Above: Fisherman Island and Varirata forest.

Varirata National Park — you’ll find lots of hiking paths in the densely forested hills about 45 minutes from PNG. Crystal Rapids is a popular spot for picnicking and swimming inside Varirata. If you go, you might want to stop along the way for lunch or coffee at the recently opened J’S Cafe: reportedly, the food, location, ambience and service is excellent.

Iarokrai is a very enjoyable lesser known spot for picnicking, barbecuing and swimming a little ways past Varirata with multiple huts, pretty manicured grounds and a super cool treehouse and tire swing. It’s owned by a kind man named Barry; to book a hut for the day, you can reach him by phone at 719 90 675. The location is on Googlemaps.

Loloata Island Resort: A beautiful upscale resort with overwater villas 20 minutes from POM via the Loloata ferry. You can visit for the day, but unless you’re looking for family entertainment, staying overnight is the way to go. There is no beach on the island, except a small man-made sand area. The pool is gorgeous, but during the day it’s usually filled with happy splashing, bouncing kids. After 5pm when all the daytime guests are gone, the resort becomes much more quiet and peaceful. Sunsets are often stunning and the food and drinks are good. Just before sunset is a perfect time to hike around the island and enjoy the incredible views. Service may be hit or miss and delays may happen. The spa here is reportedly very good and many diving options are available.

If you want to contact them, phone is the best option; in my experience, they don’t respond to emails.

Above left to right: Loloata; overwater villa balcony; pool at night

And there you have it! I reiterate that this is by no means a complete list. If you have any favorite spots not included here, feel free to comment below.

Guide to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Where to Eat & Drink

Where to Shop

Places to Visit

Sports / Fitness / Recreation

Salon / Spa / Massage

Map

Day Trips from Port Moresby

Where to Eat & Drink

Where to Shop:

Places to Visit

Sports / Fitness / Recreation

Salon / Spa / Massage

Map:

Day Trips from Port Moresby: