Goroka

Goroka is a city in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Famous for the yearly Goroka Show, it is also one of the closest major towns to Mt. Wilhelm, the highest summit in the country.

Understand
With around 20,000 people, Goroka is the capital of the Eastern Highlands province of PNG. It is above sea level and blessed with a very pleasant, spring-like climate all year round.

A university town and a base for several NGOs and institutes like the partially internationally funded Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka is somewhat less off the beaten path than rural PNG in general. For tourists, the town is best known for the Goroka Show cultural event, which draws visitors from near and far every September, though it does have natural and cultural attractions that can be enjoyed around the year.

Get in
Goroka's is in the centre of town and you can check in and then walk back downtown for a drink while waiting for your plane. Car rental is available at the airport. PNG Air both have twice daily flights from the nation's capital, Port Moresby. Port Moresby, in turn, has flights from Australia, East and Southeast Asia and a few other Oceanian countries.

By road, Goroka is on the "Highlands Highway", about west of Lae,  west of Kainantu and some  east of Mount Hagen. While this is the main road of the Highlands, frequent landslides, potholes and armed bandits make road travel a risky enterprise.

Get around
The centre of town near the airport, market, shops and Bird of Paradise Hotel is easy to walk around and fairly safe, although it can feel otherwise as it is crowded with people. There are some reliable taxi drivers around and the hotels and resorts will be able to provide drivers.

Other




Buy


There are several supermarkets in town, including Bintangor opposite the Bird of Paradise (open every day to 18:30 except 18:00 on Sunday) and Papindo at the back of the same block. Brian Bell (closes M-F at 5PM, Saturday at noon), on the west side of the airport, is best for homewares and there are many smaller Chinese-run stores with various goods.

Most large stores accept credit cards (but be aware of occasional fraud) and there are ATMs at the major banks, including Westpac and ANZ. There is an ATM inside the Bird of Paradise that does not charge fees, although it is intended for guests only.

Eat
Most restaurants are located in hotels.



Connect
As of late 2017, both mobile phone operators Bmobile and Digicel report having coverage in and around Goroka, the latter 3G coverage. As a rule, hotels offer Internet access.

Go next

 * Mt Wilhelm — Goroka is a convenient starting point for an ascent of PNG's highest mountain, Mt Wilhelm. The base camp for the mountain is at Keglsugl. This is about five hours by road from Goroka and there is a guest house, Betty's Lodge, with 37 beds (, fax: ). For the affluent, charter flights to Keglsugl airstrip, at, may be possible. The mountain is at and the climb and descent involves an overnight stay on the mountain. You may be close to the Equator, but temperatures can drop way below freezing at the summit. Taking a local guide is essential. Organized treks are available, for example from this company.
 * Kainantu is on the "Highlands Highway" approximately by road from Goroka. It is home to the Eastern Highlands Cultural Centre and Museum and is well known for its pottery. Kainantu is  from the nearby missionary station of Ukarumpa. This houses the Summer Institute of Linguistics, which aims to translate the Bible into all of Papua New Guinea's numerous languages. Accommodation is available at the 22-room Kainantu Lodge (, fax: ).
 * Kundiawa is the capital of Chimbu Province. It is on the Highlands Highway approximately halfway between Goroka and Mt. Hagen, the capital of Western Highlands province.