Things to do in Kokopo & Rabaul
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kokopo & Rabaul
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season, the recommended window: calmer harbour, clearer diving, the megapode egg season and both festivals.
Shoulder into wet: humidity and rain build, crowds thin, boat and climb days need flexible dates.
Wet season: heavy rain, flooding possible, rough island crossings, mud in Rabaul and the most disrupted flight pattern.
What's on
- National Mask Festival mid July
Kokopo's mask festival since 1995, opening with the dawn Kinavai tubuan arrival and closing with the Baining Fire Dance.
- Frangipani Festival September
Rabaul's festival around the 1994 eruption anniversary and independence, with fire dance, singing and a parade.
Best things to do in Kokopo & Rabaul
Old Rabaul
The ash buried former capital on Simpson Harbour, its main street and buildings still layered in 1994 volcanic ash.
Rabaul Volcano Observatory
The monitoring station on Tovanumbatir with the definitive panorama over Simpson Harbour, Matupit and Tavurvur.
Matupit Island
A living village island beside Tavurvur, with hot springs on its beach and megapode egg fields in warm volcanic sand.
Japanese Barge Tunnels
Large wartime tunnels driven to the water to hide invasion barges, with rusting barges still inside.
Yamamoto Bunker
The underground Admiral's Bunker from which Japan's South Pacific base at Rabaul was commanded.
Bita Paka War Cemetery
An immaculate Commonwealth war cemetery near Kokopo holding Allied dead from both world wars in New Britain.
Kokopo War Museum
The East New Britain Historical and Cultural Centre, full of Japanese wartime vehicles, guns and aircraft wreckage.
New Guinea Club & Rabaul Museum
A prewar club turned museum of photographs and memorabilia from the Rabaul that the 1994 eruption ended.
Where to stay in Kokopo & Rabaul
Kokopo town and beach
every visitor, the airport, the market, all tours
Tokua Airport, Kokopo Market, the War Museum and every tour and dive departure are here, with the road north to Rabaul.
Think twice about
- Rabaul town centre
Ash buried, thinly serviced and inside the active caldera beside Tavurvur. Visit it guided by day from Kokopo, do not base there.
Best restaurants in Kokopo & Rabaul
Rabaul Yacht Club
The harbour club on Mango Avenue in Rabaul, the civilised cooked lunch inside an ash buried town day.
Kulau Lodge
A north coast beach lodge table at Kabakada Village, rated for its dining and its views on a driver day.
Kokopo Market
Kokopo's colourful town market for tropical fruit, cooked food and local snacks at the lowest prices in town.
Outdoor things to do in Kokopo & Rabaul
Mount Tavurvur
The active ash cone whose 1994 eruption buried Rabaul, climbed with local guides only when authorities allow it.
Niugini Dive and Tours
A Kokopo operator for Simpson Harbour wreck diving, snorkelling, dolphins and Duke of York island days.
Duke of York Islands
About 13 low coral islands 45 minutes from Kokopo, with white sand, reef snorkelling and dolphins on the crossing.
Little Pigeon Island
A reef island about 4 km off Kokopo with healthy coral and plenty of fish, the simple half day snorkel trip.
Mount Kabiu
The Mother, the big dormant volcano behind Rabaul, climbed as a guided forest trek for a stunning summit view.
Tavui Point
The former Japanese submarine base point in Simpson Harbour, snorkelled for its wartime remains.
Best hotels in Kokopo & Rabaul
Rapopo Plantation Resort
Kokopo's top end plantation resort, with sea view rooms, a pool with swim up bar, a spa and a restaurant.
Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort
Modern bungalows with balconies over Blanche Bay, a private beach, a pool and the friendliest staff reports in town.
Gazelle International Hotel
Kokopo's business hotel on Makau Esplanade, with air conditioned balcony rooms, a pool and airport transfers.
Taklam Lodge And Tours
The budget lodge in the middle of Kokopo town, with a bar, a restaurant and tours arranged in house.
Is Kokopo & Rabaul expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | PGK 450 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | PGK 850 a person |
| Splurge | PGK 1,600 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Old Rabaul: a few days ahead
- Rabaul Volcano Observatory: a few days ahead
- Matupit Island: a few days ahead
- Japanese Barge Tunnels: a few days ahead
- Yamamoto Bunker: a few days ahead
- New Guinea Club & Rabaul Museum: a few days ahead
- Baining Fire Dance: weeks ahead
- Mount Tavurvur: a few days ahead
- Book Tokua flights, Rapopo and Kokopo Beach Bungalow and any fire dance performance weeks ahead for June to September and July festival time.
- Confirm your dive operator is currently trading in writing close to your dates, because Kokopo operator listings conflict.
- Confirm the Tavurvur climb, observatory, bunker and yacht club stops through your guide the day before.
Is Kokopo & Rabaul safe?
- Malaria is present all year below 2,000 m with chloroquine resistance. Take prescription prophylaxis and treat any fever as urgent.
- Do not touch any wartime metal object on land or underwater. Unexploded ordnance remains in tunnels, ash and the harbour.
- Tavurvur has been surface quiet since 2014 but the caldera has shown uplift since 2021. Follow the observatory position on the day.
- Insure for medical evacuation. Serious care is a flight away in Port Moresby or Australia.
Kokopo & Rabaul travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Any operator who guarantees a Tavurvur summit regardless of volcanic conditions.
- Paying large sums far in advance to a dive operator whose listings show closed status elsewhere.
- Building a party, luxury or guide free trip here. None of those trips exists in Kokopo.
Getting around Kokopo & Rabaul: public transport and more
- Fly Port Moresby to Tokua Airport (RAB) with Air Niugini or PNG Air, then a hotel transfer of about 20 minutes to Kokopo.
- Rabaul is about 20 km north west of Kokopo and is done as a guided day, with the observatory, tunnels and Matupit on one circuit.
- Duke of York Islands are about 45 minutes by banana boat from Kokopo beach, weather dependent.
- Do not self drive after dark and do not wander at night. Move with a hotel, a guide or a known driver.
Who Kokopo & Rabaul suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | OK |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Kokopo & Rabaul your trip
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