Things to Do in Port Moresby in May

Varirata sits on a plateau roughly 42 km (26 miles) east of Port Moresby. It sits at about 800 m (2,625 ft) elevation. May is arguably the best month to visit. The trails have dried enough to be walkable without sinking ankle-deep in mud. The forest is still lush from the wet season. It is thick with epiphytes and moss-covered trunks that smell of damp earth and decomposing leaf litter. The temperature at elevation drops to around 24°C (75°F) even at midday. That is noticeably cooler than the city below. Raggiana birds-of-paradise gather at traditional display trees through May. They fan their rust-orange plumes in a courtship ritual. It sounds like a rusty hinge being worked back and forth. Get to the park by 6 AM. By mid-morning the birds go quiet. The heat builds even at altitude. The lookout point over the Coral Sea and the city far below is worth the walk alone. The real draw is the forest interior. There you might also spot Papuan hornbills and crowned pigeons the size of chickens moving through the understorey.

The Kokoda Track stretches roughly 96 km (60 miles) through the Owen Stanley Range. It is the reason many travelers come to Papua New Guinea at all. May sits right at the opening of the prime trekking window. The wet season has ended. River crossings are dropping to manageable levels. The notoriously slippery clay sections along the ridge trails begin to firm. You will still encounter mud. This is true in the gullies below Brigade Hill. You will not face the waist-deep bog of February. The track rises to around 2,190 m (7,185 ft) at Mount Bellamy. Night temperatures there can fall below 10°C (50°F) even when Port Moresby swelters at sea level. This is a serious undertaking. It takes eight to eleven days through mountainous jungle with no vehicle access. You sleep in village guesthouses along the route. The emotional weight of the wartime history shapes the experience. So does the physical demand of the terrain. So does the hospitality of the Koiari and Orokaiva villagers who maintain the track. This is something that stays with people for years. May treks tend to have smaller group sizes than the June through September peak.

Bootless Bay, about 20 km (12.4 miles) southeast of central Port Moresby, holds some of the most accessible coral reef in the region. May's calmer seas and improved water clarity make it the first reliably good month for getting in the water after the wet season churn. The reef systems here sit in relatively shallow water. Hard coral gardens start at around 3 m (10 ft) depth and drop off into deeper walls. The water temperature hovers around 28°C (82°F). Warm enough that a rash guard is all you need. What strikes most visitors is the sheer density of life on these reefs: anemonefish, parrotfish grinding audibly at the coral, and occasionally a reef shark cruising the drop-off edge. The visibility in May typically reaches 15 to 20 m (50 to 65 ft) on calm days. A significant improvement over the murky 5 m (16 ft) of the wet months. The bay also holds submerged WWII wreckage, including a B-17 bomber in diveable depth. You need a certified dive operator to access it safely.

The Nature Park, set within a patch of monsoon rainforest in Waigani, is the single easiest way to see Papua New Guinea's extraordinary wildlife without a multi-day expedition. The boardwalk loop winds through canopy that smells of damp bark and orchid roots. It passes enclosures holding tree kangaroos, cassowaries, and crocodiles. An open aviary lets Pesquet's parrots and eclectus parrots fly overhead close enough that you feel the downdraft from their wings. May's drier conditions mean the boardwalks are less slippery. The animals tend to be more visible, basking in patches of filtered sunlight rather than sheltering from rain. The cassowary enclosure alone is worth the visit. Standing two metres from a bird that weighs as much as you do, with a helmet-like casque and a gaze that communicates ancient indifference, recalibrates your sense of what wildlife encounters can be. The park also operates a rehabilitation programme. The staff are knowledgeable enough to turn a casual visit into an education. Budget two to three hours.

Port Moresby is not a city that reveals itself to people who stay inside hotel compounds. A guided city tour with a knowledgeable local is the safest and most rewarding way to understand the place. A good half-day circuit covers the National Museum and Art Gallery in Waigani. The collection of Sepik River carvings and Highland ceremonial masks is displayed with enough context to make sense of Papua New Guinea's staggering cultural variety: over 800 language groups across a landmass smaller than Spain. From there, the route typically passes through the parliament district with its facade inspired by a Sepik haus tambaran spirit house. It continues down to Ela Beach where the fishing boats line up on the sand in the afternoon. The tour goes out to Bomana War Cemetery, where more than 3,800 Commonwealth graves stretch in immaculate rows beneath frangipani trees whose scent thickens in the still May heat. The emotional register shifts sharply between sites. It moves from the wild creativity of the museum carvings to the solemn geometry of the war graves. May's reliable weather means outdoor stops are not cut short by downpours.