Is Buka safe? Papua New Guinea travel risk
Is Buka safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Buka scores 56/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Papua New Guinea Level 3 (Reconsider Travel, updated 29 Apr 2025); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country (updated 17 Aug 2026); Canada says: avoid non-essential travel. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Buka scores 56/100 (Elevated). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Papua New Guinea (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Buka: nearest emergency and transport facilities, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (60/100) and health and medical access (79/100).
A score of 56 is higher than the scores of 80% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Papua New Guinea travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Geographic & Regional Coordinates
Buka belongs to Bougainville (Papua New Guinea), centered at coordinates 5.4219° S, 154.6728° E (2 m above sea level). Distance to Port Moresby is 944.1 km towards the WSW.
Bougainville
5.4219° S, 154.6728° E
2 m
Pacific/Bougainville
Emergency & Aviation Access
Nearby Towns & Settlements in Papua New Guinea
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Volcanoes | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — |
Most earthquake events within 100 km of Buka happened in September and October (4 of 8 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
8 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.4 on 13 Oct 2022 (138 km away) — USGS details
- Most recent: M5.5 on 5 Sep 2026 (142 km away) — USGS details
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Papua New Guinea travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Papua New Guinea entry requirements.
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