Safety & Security

The quick reality

Papua New Guinea has real security problems in some places, and almost none in others.

Most difficulties visitors run into come from being unplanned — arriving without a transfer, walking in unfamiliar urban areas, or moving around after dark.

PNG is not one uniform experience. Port Moresby, provincial towns, remote villages, island resorts and established tourism destinations can feel like different countries.

What you should know

Genuine risks

Opportunistic theft and street crime in parts of larger urban centres, particularly at night.
Local disputes that can close a road or an area with very little warning.
Being left without transport. In Port Moresby there are hotel shuttles, booked taxis and ride options, so a missed transfer is usually solvable with a phone call. Outside the main centres a missed transfer or cancelled flight is a far bigger problem, because there may be no taxis, few flights and limited accommodation.

Common misconceptions

That the whole country is dangerous. It is not — conditions vary enormously by province and by location within a province.
That tourists are specifically targeted. The usual issue is being in the wrong place, unaccompanied, without transport.
That resorts and established tourism destinations feel like the capital. They generally do not.

What organised travellers typically experience

Met on arrival, driven directly, hosted by people who know the area.
Days that run on local advice rather than improvisation.
Very warm, curious, hospitable people — this is what most visitors talk about afterwards.

What this means for a traveller

Independent, unplanned movement is the part of a PNG trip that goes wrong. Planned movement is usually uneventful.
You should know, before you land, who is meeting you, where you are sleeping and how you get to each place.
Your choice of destination matters more than any single precaution you take.

What I recommend

Do not walk around unfamiliar urban areas, and avoid moving around at night unless it is arranged transport.
Pre-arrange every airport transfer. Do not plan to sort transport out on arrival.
Keep valuables out of sight, carry little cash, and do not display phones or jewellery in public areas.
Take local advice seriously and change plans when a host tells you conditions have changed. That is not overcaution — it is how people travel here.
Read our province-by-province section before choosing where to go.

HausLink approach

We publish honest, location-specific realities rather than marketing copy, so you can decide with real information.
Our intention is to coordinate arrival, transfers and hosting through people who know the area. HausLink coordinates — we do not provide police, security or emergency services.

Verify before you travel

Local conditions change. Check current official government travel advice close to your departure date — our local guidance complements it, it does not replace it.

Check current official travel advice

HausLink's local guidance complements — and does not replace — official government travel advice. Conditions can change, so travellers should check current advisories before departure.

Last reviewed: September 2026