Is Rabaul safe? Papua New Guinea travel risk
Is Rabaul safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Rabaul 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. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake was recorded about 143 km away on 13 Oct (USGS). No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Rabaul 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 Rabaul: 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.
Location & Spatial Data
Situated in East New Britain at 4.1981° S, 152.1681° E (elevation 12 m), Rabaul lies 807.2 km SW of Port Moresby. Time zone: Pacific/Port_Moresby.
East New Britain
4.1981° S, 152.1681° E
12 m
Pacific/Port_Moresby
7,024
Transit Links & Medical Facilities
Proximate Regional Communities (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfires | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
Most earthquake events within 100 km of Rabaul happened in November (10 of 25 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
24 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.6 on 15 Nov 2024 (139 km away) — USGS details
- Most recent: M6.0 on 13 Oct 2026 (143 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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