Is Popondetta safe? Papua New Guinea travel risk
Is Popondetta safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Popondetta scores 53/100 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.
Popondetta scores 53/100 (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 Popondetta: nearest emergency and transport facilities.
Driven by: security (60/100) and health and medical access (79/100).
A score of 53 is higher than the scores of 72% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Papua New Guinea travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Local Geographic Profile
Found at 8.7656° S, 148.2347° E within Northern, Popondetta is situated 143.1 km SW of Port Moresby at an altitude of 106 m.
Northern
8.7656° S, 148.2347° E
106 m
Pacific/Port_Moresby
65,000
Emergency & Transport Infrastructure
Surrounding Localities 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Most earthquake events within 100 km of Popondetta happened in November (1 of 1 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
1 major seismic event recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M5.5 on 21 Nov 2023 (102 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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