Papua New Guinea: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Papua New Guinea feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 55 written places.
Clan and community come first; strangers are met with genuine curiosity and a soft handshake.
✓ Considered polite
- Accept a soft, lingering handshake - a crushing grip reads as aggressive
- Ask permission before photographing people or villages - some expect a small payment
- Dress modestly everywhere - knee-length or longer for women, shoulders covered for church
- Take time for small talk about family and home before getting to any business
✗ Better avoided
- Refuse shared food or betel nut outright - decline gently, with thanks
- Walk onto village land uninvited - nearly all land is customary and belongs to someone
- Show affection in public - even holding hands draws stares outside the cities
- Rush conversations - silence is comfortable here, not awkward
Worth knowing
- Cash kina rules outside the top hotels - ATMs are scarce beyond the main towns
- Sunday is church day and taken seriously - most shops and services stop
- Haggling is not the culture - you may ask once for a 'second price' at craft markets, but pushing past it is rude
- Red splashes on pavements are betel nut spit - chewing buai is a national habit
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.