How to visit every country in the Pacific

Oceania

The Pacific is known to be one of the most challenging regions of the world to travel in — not because of entry requirements, but because of the logistics. Flights may only go once per week, get cancelled often, might get bumped to the next flight (which may be the following week!) if overbooked, and is extremely expensive.

There are fourteen countries in the continent of Oceania, but in this blog we’ll be discussing the hard-to-reach Pacific Island nations; countries like Australia and New Zealand are probably the most accessible, so will not be discussed in-depth here.

How do you go about trying to figure out the best route for the Pacific?

The route you plan will vary depending on your needs and constantly changing flight schedules, but I’ll explain the process in which I mapped out the logistics to visit every country in the Pacific.

Since the Mt. Hagen Festival in Papua New Guinea was on specific dates, that was the starting point. From there, I analyzed the most remote countries and what airlines flew into each one; only Nauru Airlines and Fiji Airways flew into Kiribati, and Fiji Airways was the only airline that flew into Tuvalu, for example.

So I organized two loops:

The Nauru Airlines loop — Kiribati & Nauru

The Fiji Airways loop — Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji

This left the following countries: Solomon Islands & Vanuatu. There were direct flights to Solomon Islands from Papua New Guinea, which was my original plan before I had some unfortunate flight delays with Air Niugini and ended up missing the flight. Fortunately I was able to rearrange things to add Solomon Islands to the end of my trip with the Fiji Airways loop.

Vanuatu, on the other hand, is touristy enough where you can easily find a connection from most hubs. Therefore, it made the most sense to start and end the Nauru loops in Brisbane, Australia to connect the Solomon Islands, the Nauru loop, and Vanuatu.

Tips for planning a logistically challenging trip

The most important thing is to stay flexible. I left extra days at the end of the journey just in case something went wrong. This worked out great because of the hiccup with delayed flights in Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands. I rebooked a new flight for the end of the trip, but if everything had gone smoothly I would have just spent more time exploring Australia!

Rather than booking a bunch of one-way separate flights, I recommend doing the “multi-city” option with a single airline so if a flight gets delayed, the airline will automatically rebook you and your whole schedule doesn’t get messed up. Besides Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, all our flights were with Nauru Airlines or Fiji Airways.

How to visit the Mt. Hagen Festival in Papua New Guinea independently

Mt. Hagen Festival

The Mount Hagen Cultural Show, commonly known as the Mt. Hagen Festival, is a vibrant celebration of Papua New Guinea's rich cultural heritage. Held annually in the town of Mount Hagen, this festival showcases the diverse traditional practices, costumes, and performances of the various ethnic groups across the highlands.

Typically taking place in August, the festival attracts thousands of visitors from both local communities and abroad. Participants representing numerous tribes come together to perform traditional dances, share stories, and display their colorful attire, often embellished with feathers, shells, and body paint.

The event features a variety of performances, including traditional singing and dancing, which are integral to the cultural identities of the tribes involved. Audience members can witness the intricate storylines conveyed through these art forms—often depicting ancestral journeys, daily life, and spiritual beliefs.

Craft stalls and food vendors also play a significant role in the festival, offering a taste of local cuisine and handcrafted goods. This not only provides an authentic cultural experience but also supports local artisans and communities.

The Mt. Hagen Festival serves as a crucial platform for the preservation of cultural traditions amid modernization. It fosters a sense of unity among the tribes while inviting the world to appreciate the unique and rich cultural tapestry of Papua New Guinea.

HOW TO GET THERE

We flew into the capital of Port Moresby early in the morning, then caught a domestic flight via Air Niugini to Mt. Hagen. These flights are known to get super delayed; we were originally on the noon flight but it ended up being 3.5 hours late. After the festival the flight back to Port Moresby ended up getting cancelled due to technical issues so we had two extra days in Papua New Guinea. It’s important to stay flexible so I recommend planning spare days for cushion room or take a side tour up to see the tribes in Goroka.

Where to stay

We stayed at a place called Shalom Guest House, and the owner set everything up from transportation to the festival tickets. It was about 150 Kina per night when I stayed in August 2024. I get a lot of questions about safety, because usually that’s a deterrent for people to visit independently. The guesthouse was gated and felt completely safe, but we didn’t wander off outside of the festival grounds or the guesthouse area. As long as you follow the guidelines of the guesthouse owners, you will be fine.

SEARCH | Alternatively, check out Booking.com for more options in the area.

How to purchase mt. hagen festival tickets

Make sure you contact the guesthouse owners beforehand so they can arrange everything, but they can purchase the 2-day Mt. Hagen Festival tickets for you in advance for 300 Kina per person. The festival starts early in the morning and ends around 1 PM both Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t know the festival ended so early and would have tried flying out of Mt. Hagen on Sunday instead of Monday if I knew beforehand!

Are there ATms in Mt. hagen?

Unfortunately the ATMs usually don’t work, so you need to bring cash from Port Moresby. The guesthouse and shops don’t accept credit card, USD, or Euro (and there aren’t any exchange offices either), so make sure you plan out how much you need in advance.

How to get around mt. hagen

The guest house arranged all our transportation, from the airport pickup to shuttling us to and from the festival. Prices may vary depending on how many people are in your group. Since the guesthouse was completely full when we went, the owners hired a bus to take all of us around for the weekend and we also got to do some sightseeing besides the festival.

How to Budget for your trip to Mt. Hagen

Please keep in mind that prices may vary, but hopefully this gives you a rough idea for planning your trip and that it’s possible to visit the Mt. Hagen Festival independently and on a budget without spending $3800+ for a single tour!

• Shalom Guest House: 150 Kina / $38 USD per night

• Festival tickets: 300 Kina / $75 USD

• Transportation: 117 Kina / $30 USD

• Food: Prices may vary, but there is a communal kitchen at the guesthouse so we stopped by a grocery store and cooked all our meals during our stay. We didn’t really see too many options for restaurants in Mt. Hagen.

• TOTAL: $220 USD (minus food and round-trip flights)

How to use points to fly to Micronesia and the Marshall Islands

MICRONESIA | THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

We’ve all seen the travelers that fly on business class, get hotel room upgrades, and jet all over the world on points… but HOW? I still wouldn’t consider myself an expert in the credit card points and miles department, but I did want to share how I was able to fly from Los Angeles to Hawaii and take the United Airlines Pacific Hopper to both Micronesia and the Marshall Islands using points.

What is the United Airlines Pacific hopper?

The United Airlines Pacific Island Hopper runs between Hawaii and Guam, and makes stops along remote South Pacific islands along the way. These Pacific islands depend on this route for mail, supplies, and transport, and is the only air connection that many of these islands have. Therefore, using the United Airlines hopper is a great way to visit these countries.

What Islands does United Airlines visit on this route?

United Airlines makes up to five stops between Hawaii and Guam on a single trip, but in total it stops at Honolulu (USA), Majuro (Marshall Islands), Kwajalein (Marshall Islands), Kosrae (Micronesia), Pohnpei (Micronesia), Chuuk (Micronesia), and Guam (USA).

As a country counter, I’m constantly trying to group together countries in regions to visit at a time, which significantly reduces costs rather than going back and forth. It can be confusing to figure out which island belongs to which country, so I’ll break it down for you! The hopper specifically covers the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, which is perfect if you’re trying to use the United Airlines Excursionist Perk to visit two countries on a single trip.

What is the United Airlines Excursionist Perk?

United AIrlines’ Excursionist Perk allows MileagePlus members a free one-way award as part of a qualifying multi-city itinerary, which means you get to visit two destinations on a trip for the price of one. But! Not just any multi-city itinerary qualifies for the Excursionist Perk to get this free flight.

In order to qualify for the Excursionist Perk, you need to book at least three one-way awards together as part of a single itinerary, and the trip must end in the same region that the travel started. For instance, if you’re starting in the continental US, the itinerary must also end in the continental US to qualify for the free leg.

How to use the excursionist perk for the island hopper?

Now, you can use award miles to book from the continental US to the Pacific, but we’re all about maximizing our points, right? I highly recommend looking for a cheap flight to Honolulu, Hawaii and building your trip using the Excursionist Perk from there.

I used my points with Southwest Airlines from Los Angeles to Honolulu for a total of about 13,000 points each way (that’s around $130), but if you book early enough I’ve seen flights go for 6,000 points each way. Definitely worth it!

Awards from the continental US to the South Pacific cost 35,000 miles each way, while intra-island hopper flights cost 0 miles; therefore, it would cost 70,000 miles round-trip if you’re booking directly from the continental US to the South Pacific. But we found a cheap flight on Southwest Airlines so we’re booking the Excursionist Perk from Honolulu, so how much in miles does that look like? This cuts the price down to 27,500 miles each way or 55,000 miles round trip from Honolulu.

I also highly recommend this method if you’re visiting these countries because the United Airlines flights cost around $3000 round trip these days, which is crazy if you compare to points because it’s practically a steal!

How do you obtain points for airlines?

This is another question I often get — it sounds so easy to use points for these trips, but how does one “get” points? Applying for credit cards. Yes, you will need a decent credit score in order to apply for these credit cards.

For Southwest Airlines, here’s a link to sign up for their member credit card and you’re awarded between 30,000 - 60,000 miles. This will cover the cost of your flight from the continental US to Honolulu!

For United Airlines, this is the link you can use to sign up for their credit card rewards program, which is usually around 60,000 miles as well. Since you need 55,000 to cover the cost from Honolulu to the South Pacific, this covers the entire flight.