Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509080124
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: F-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The only entry requirement for U.S. citizens is a passport, which must be valid for at least six months, even if you're visiting only for a few weeks. Malaria medication is essential.
July to November is the dry season in the Sepik River region, but the climate of the country is generally hot and dry year-round, with December to March being the rainy months.
A good time to visit is June to September, when hundreds of tribal groups in elaborate regalia gather for festivals called ``sing sings,'' colorful displays of dancing and singing that are held in some of the major towns.
Qantas Airways and Continental Airlines fly from Los Angeles to Australia and Australia to Port Moresby, PNG's capital city. Connections can be made from Port Moresby with Air Niugini, the national carrier, and other domestic airlines and charters for ground tours.
A visa is required to enter Australia and can be obtained free of charge at the Australian Consulate, 630 Fifth Ave., New York.
Tour agents offering packaged PBG holidays include:
Air Niugini, 5,000 Birch St., Suite 3,000 West Tower, Newport Beach, Calif. 92660; (714) 752-5440.
Melanesian Tourist Services, P.O. Box 707, Madang, Papa New Guinea.
More information may be obtained from the Embassy of Papua New Guinea, 1140 19th St., NW, 6th floor, Washington, D.C. 20036, and ``Papua New Guinea,'' a guidebook in the Lonely Planet series.
- NEWSDAY
by CNB