Rabaul・Kokopo is a popular tourist destination in PNG located in East New Britain.
There are beautiful natural surroundings and Rabaul is considered an important historical destination due to its pivotal role during WWII.
Kokopo is located next to Rabaul.
Tokua Airport is located in Kokopo, about 40 minutes drive from the old town of Rabaul.
How to get to Rabaul & Kokopo?
Domestic Airport is just next to Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby.
If you are planning to take domestic flight you can go to there from International flight for transit. No transportation is necessary between the airport terminals as you can just walk for 2 minutes.
The flight time from Port Moresby to Rabaul is 1 hour 20 minutes by direct flight.
However, depending on the flight, it may be via 1 stopover in Kimbe or 2 stopovers in Lae & Kimbe
Airfares are about K1000 to K1200 (about $300-350 USD) return. PNG does not have any LCC carriers so domestic travel may be more expensive than you imagine such a shorthaul domestic flight to cost.
While you might think that getting to the airport 1 hour before your domestic flight is OK, we highly recommend arriving and checking in for your flight at the domestic airport at least 3 hours before the flight is scheduled for departure as overbooking is common on domestic sectors within PNG.
International flights in PNG are generally okay to get there 2 hours before the flight departs.
Rabaul & Kokopo Activities
If you stay at Rapopo Plantation Resort you will find the RABAUL-KOKOPO DIVE centre at the hotel.
All activities and dive excursions can be booked at the Dive Centre’s counter desk.
You can choose from diving, snorkelling, or swimming with dolphins. Half day and full day tours are organised from the Rapopo reception desk and include volcano trekking, visiting wartime heritage sites, a visit to Rabaul Open Air Market etc.
It is not necessary to have a car if you join one of the tours offered by the resort.
Diving & Snorkelling
Rapopo Plantation resort has a beautiful private beach.
You can dive & snorkel straight from the beach, or you can choose to go further out to sea by boat for deeper dives.
Duke of York Island and Little Pidgin Island are both highly recommended for diving and snorkelling.
Dolphin Tour
The Swimming with Dolphins tour is sure to be a major highlight for your stay at Rapopo Plantation Resort!
The Swimming with Dolphins tour starts early in the morning from 6am. You will travel by boat for about 10 minutes to the deep water bay where you will be shocked to see a large pod dolphins swimming and jumping out of the water!
Not only can you watch the Dolphins swimming, feeding and playing from the boat, but you can also swim with the dolphins by holding onto the side of the boat as it slowly circles the bay!
Once you’re in the water, you will be able to experience the magical dolphin life under the sea and hear the beautiful singing sound of hundreds of dolphins using their sonar echo to feed!
Kokopo Market
There are two major markets to experience, Kokopo Market and Rabaul Market.
Rapopo plantation resort offers a free bus-ride a few times a day. If you are interested in exploring an extremely well organised marketplace we recommend booking a spot on the bus at the hotel reception.
Kokopo Market is considered the cleanest fresh produce market in PNG.
They are selling the bounties of the land and sea; fresh fruits, fresh veggies, fresh fish, bilums, meri dresses and much much more!
Everyone is also so nice and friendly!
War Heritage Tour
When you come to Rabaul don’t miss the WWII Heritage sites.
Papua New Guinea, especially Rabaul was a fierce battlefield and there are still a lot of heritage sites remaining in the city and jungle .
If you are eager to take a full day tour to visit war heritage sites it is very easy to join a tour and explore the sites we guarantee you will be transported back to the 1950s!
Trekking through the thick jungle and exploring the secret tunnels will open your eyes to how challenging life was during the war!
Your tour guide will be sure to give you detailed information about the places you visit and are happy to answer any questions!
Hiking on Rabaul Volcano and natural hot springs
Rabaul has a large active volcano, which last exploded in 2014. The devastating eruption of 1994 caused massive widespread damage to the lively port city of Rabaul.
Please check the volcanic activity and make sure of your safety when you join the tour.
If it is considered dangerous to climb the volcano, then daily tours will be cancelled.
You will be amazed by scalding steam vents, live magma and hot bubbling water along the red sandy beach.
KOKOPO RABAUL MAP
Here is an extremely useful RABAUL/KOKOPO Bus route map & some tourism information which was made by one of the JICA Rabaul/Kokopo volunteers in 2019.
You might also be able to find this map at Rabaul Airport or some hotels but we have provided it for download as a PDF from here!
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