Is Lae safe? Papua New Guinea travel risk
Is Lae safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Lae scores 58/100 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.
Lae scores 58/100 (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 Lae: 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 58 is higher than the scores of 83% 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
Geographically located in Morobe (6.7303° S, 147.0008° E), Lae sits 306.1 km S from Port Moresby at 44 m elevation.
Morobe
6.7303° S, 147.0008° E
44 m
Pacific/Port_Moresby
100,677
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 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — |
Most earthquake events within 100 km of Lae happened in September (4 of 16 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
16 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M7.6 on 10 Sep 2022 (73 km away) — USGS details
- Most recent: M6.4 on 20 Sep 2026 (136 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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