Eastern Highlands Province

Goroka’s colourful mix of culture, coffee plantations and craft in cool high altitudes means you’ll never want to leave.

Goroka’s attractive, well-organised town is the provincial capital of the Eastern Highlands. It comes alive in September each year to host upwards of 40,000 painted warriors celebrating Papua New Guinea’s Independence Day. Anytime of year is a pleasure to visit. Discover the excellent displays of artefacts, pottery, weapons, war memorabilia and a collection of first contact photos from 1939 at the JK McCarthy Museum.

MUST SEE

Take a guided tour of a coffee plantation and meet the friendly locals in some of the outlying villages.
Encounter the eerie Asaro Mudmen up close who once used sinister mud masks to scare their enemies.
Discover the interesting cave paintings at Lufa where you can also climb Mount Micheal with a guide.
HOW TO GET THERE

Domestic flights arrive from Port Moresby directly into the Goroka airport in the centre of town. Third level airlines provide connections to Goroka from various other centres. Goroka is connected to Lae and Mt Hagen by the Okuk (Highlands) Highway.