Milne Bay and Tufi are around one hour’s flight from the capital Port Moresby, and offer incredible biodiversity both on land and underwater.
Both areas have a wide range of diverse habitats that include coastal beachfront, mangroves, lowland rainforest, hill rainforest, littoral forest, coconut grove, plantation and grassland. Each has its own unique flora and fauna, but the birds, butterflies and orchids are of particular importance.
Tufi, on the mainland, is home to the world’s largest butterfly, the Queen Alexandra birdwing. The blue Ulysses butterfly and bright green Priam’s birdwing are also commonly seen, attracted by the variety of nectar-bearing colourful plants. The world’s largest grasshopper, longest stick insect and longest beetle also live here. While the mammal fauna of Papua New Guinea can be somewhat secretive, there may be an opportunity to spot marsupial cuscuses, wallabies, echidnas and tree kangaroos.
Tufi offers two distinct types of diving: the outer reef system and the sheltered fjords are ideal for ’muck diving’. The outer reef experience is unsurpassed, with dozens of world-class dive sites and untouched World War II wrecks, including an intact B17 bomber, and abundant, spectacular marine life, while the tropical rainforest-lined fjord offers a unique macro world.
Milne Bay, which takes in the land at the extreme eastern end of Papua New Guinea together with seven groups of islands, lies between the Solomon and Coral Sea. The two seas surge back and forth, flushing plankton-rich lagoon waters with crystal blue water from the depths, causing a frantic profusion of marine growth. A scene of heavy fighting in World War II, the entire region is littered with wrecks - both topside and underwater.
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