Sail Destinations - PAPUA NEW GUINEA


Papua New Guinea has very basic infrastructure for tourists, so travelling throughout this region will leave you with some life-afﬁrming and authentic experiences.

Beyond the dizzying array of ethnic groups to discover, you can explore abandoned World War II aircraft wrecks in the jungles, or peek inside the sacred wooden haustambarans (spirit houses). Surrounded by coral reefs, this part of the Paciﬁc Ocean is teeming with marine life, especially around the Louisiade Archipelago and Milne Bay.

Sail Expeditions to PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Discover the Louisiade Archipelago

The Louisiade Archipelago is made up of ten large volcanic islands, and another 90 smaller coral reef islands, spread over an area of 26,000 square kilometres. Beautifully remote and free from any form of major tourism, sailing through the Louisiade Archipelago will make you feel like one of the world’s ﬁrst pioneering explorers!

The rain forests of this area form a distinct ecoregion, and are home to a number of endemic species, including several trees as well as ﬁve frog species. Amazing coral reefs hug the coastline of each island, making this a bucket list destination for snorkelling and scuba diving.

Sail the Solomon Seas. Located in what is known as the Solomon and Coral Seas, a passage of water just 510 nautical miles from the city of Cairns Australia, the Louisiade Archipelago’s largest islands sit waiting to be explored.

There are 24 mammal species found throughout the archipelago rain forests, most of which are bats. All of the major islands of the Louisiade Archipelago are volcanic, although there are numerous smaller islands that are intricate coral formations.

Exclusive Sailing Holiday Louisiade Archipelago
Luxury Scuba Dive Holiday Milne Bay

Discover a Milne Bay

With its diverse coral reef systems, spectacular marine life and ancient ship and plane wrecks littering the ocean bed, the diving in this section of the Paciﬁc is also hard to beat.

Milne Bay is a tranquil province on the far eastern end of Papua New Guinea, and is famous for its stunning scenery and spectacular diving, as well as its history. Milne Bay itself is more than 35km / 21miles long and over 15km / 9 miles wide, remaining largely untouched by mass tourism.

Over the centuries, Milne Bay has been frequented by all walks of life, including the likes of missionaries, miners, pearl traders, scientists, biologists, geologists, Japanese and American soldiers and warships and planes – making Milne Bay a fascinating area packed to the rafters with history.

Throughout Milne Bay, there are a total of 160 named islands, while 500 smaller cays and atolls are spread out over a vast area of ocean – making for a world-class diving and exceptional sailing experience with an almost unlimited choice of islands and surrounding coral reef to be explored. In many regions of Milne Bay these reefs are characterised by dramatic overhangs, clefts and steep drop-offs, allowing for a consistently exciting dive experience.

The D’Entrecasteaux Islands is made up of three main islands; Goodenough, Fergusson and Normanby – the largest of the three. There are also a variety of smaller islands and reefs worth visiting, including Sanaroa and Dobu. The island of Dobu has long been studied by anthropologists due to its interesting mix of local island folk and cultures, while the island of Fergusson is home to a large, active volcano, known as Mount Vineuo which comes with bubbling mud pools, hot springs and sprouting geysers. Samarai, a 59-acre island has seen much in its time, and as a major battle site during World War II, saw much destruction. This island has been declared a National Historical Heritage Island and is deﬁnitely worth exploring for its World War II wreckage sites and deep-seated history.

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