On the wild north coast of Oro Province, ancient eruptions carved valleys that the ocean later swallowed. Today the Tufi fjords are still paddled, fished and guarded by the people who live along their edges
The water is so still at first light that the cliffs appear twice: once rising out of the inlet, once hanging upside down beneath it. A dugout canoe slides across the surface with almost no sound. Its outrigger leaves a single seam in the reflection, and then the reflection closes again.
This is Tufi, a scatter of villages on Cape Nelson, the knuckle of land that juts from Papua New Guinea’s north-east coast into the Solomon Sea. Locals and visitors call these inlets fjords. Geologists would call them rias, river valleys drowned by a rising sea. Either way, there is nowhere else quite like them in the tropics.
Born of fire, drowned by the sea
The story of the Tufi fjords begins with volcanoes. Cape Nelson is built from them, among them Mount Trafalgar and Mount Victory, which loom over the headland. Over long ages their lava spilled toward the coast in ridges, and rivers cut steep valleys between them.
Then the sea rose. As the ice sheets of the last glacial period melted, the ocean crept inland and flooded those valleys. What remains is a coastline of more than 20 narrow inlets. Sheer walls of volcanic rock, cloaked in rainforest, drop into dark, deep water.
The effect is disorienting. Norway’s fjords were carved by ice. Here, the same dramatic shapes were made by fire and finished by the sea, a few degrees south of the equator.
Life along the inlets
The fjords are not a wilderness. They are home. Villages sit where the valleys meet the water, and the inlets serve as their roads, fishing grounds and gardens’ edge. Canoes carved from single logs remain the everyday way to move between them.
Oro Province is known across Papua New Guinea for tapa, cloth beaten from the inner bark of trees and painted with bold designs. In communities around Tufi, tapa still carries meaning at ceremonies and in trade. Visitors can often watch it being made, and buying a piece directly from its maker is one of the most direct ways a trip benefits the village.
The province holds another treasure. Queen Alexandra’s birdwing, the largest butterfly in the world, lives only in the forests of Oro Province. It is a reminder that the land behind these cliffs is as remarkable as the water in front of them.
Beneath the surface
Where the inlets open to the Solomon Sea, the dark water gives way to reef. Coral gardens grow in the calm, shallow bays, close enough to the surface to explore with just a mask and snorkel. Clownfish shelter in anemones, and reef sharks patrol the deeper channels.
For divers, the coral walls drop away along the headland. For everyone else, a guided snorkel from a village canoe may be the best way to see the place as its people do, from the water.
A wartime outpost
Tufi’s quiet hides a turbulent past. During the Second World War it was a station of the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit. In December 1942 the U.S. Navy began running a PT boat base from Tufi, supporting Allied forces in the Battle of Buna–Gona further up the coast.
In March 1943, two of those PT boats caught fire while refuelling at the Tufi wharf and sank, together with an Australian army vessel. The base moved on to Morobe the following month. The grass airstrip that now links Tufi to the capital came later, built by the Australian Army in the 1960s.
Travelling with respect
The inlets, reefs and forests around Tufi belong to the families who live there. Before entering a village or swimming off a beach, ask permission, or travel with a local guide who can ask for you. Dress modestly in villages, ask before photographing anyone, and pay fairly for canoe trips, guiding and crafts.
Plan your trip to the Tufi fjords
| Where | Cape Nelson, Oro Province, on Papua New Guinea’s north-east coast, about 130 km south-east of Popondetta |
| Getting there | Scheduled flights from Port Moresby take about an hour to the Tufi airstrip. Tropicair flies the route on set days each week. Check the current timetable before you book. |
| Where to stay | Tufi Dive Resort, on the clifftop above the fjords, or a locally run village guesthouse for a community stay |
| Best time to visit | May to October, when seas are usually calmer and the water clearer |
| What to do | Canoe and kayak the inlets, snorkel or dive the reefs, visit villages, watch tapa being made, hike to lookouts |
| Bring | Cash in kina for villages, reef-safe sunscreen, insect repellent, modest clothing, a dry bag |
Frequently asked questions
Where are the Tufi fjords? The Tufi fjords are on Cape Nelson in Oro Province, on the north-east coast of Papua New Guinea, facing the Solomon Sea.
Are the Tufi fjords real fjords? Not in the strict sense. True fjords are carved by glaciers. Tufi’s inlets are rias, volcanic river valleys flooded by the sea, though everyone calls them fjords.
How do I get to Tufi from Port Moresby? By air. Flights from Port Moresby to the Tufi airstrip take about one hour and run on set days each week.
When is the best time to visit Tufi? May to October usually brings calmer seas and the best visibility for snorkelling and diving.
Can you snorkel in Tufi without diving experience? Yes. Shallow coral gardens in the sheltered bays are easy to reach by canoe, and local guides can take you.
Can I visit the villages around Tufi? Yes, with permission. Go with a local guide or ask first, dress modestly, and ask before taking photos.
Related reading on Long Rot: Muck diving in Milne Bay · 48 hours in Port Moresby · Useful Tok Pisin for travellers
Sources: Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority: Tufi Fjords · Tufi Dive Resort: Flights · Wikipedia: Tufi · Wikipedia: Tufi Airport · Wikipedia: Mount Trafalgar