For the first time YPT have crossed overland from West Papua to Papua New Guinea as part of our Papua Overland tour, and overall it went pretty swimmingly.
So, good in fact that we already have tours taking this route planned for next year. That though is not to say that it is the easiest border to go through either, with there certainly being some firm tips that you need to know before crossing from West Papua to Papua New Guinea.
The West Papua – Papua New Guinea border
The border between Indonesian West Papua and Papua New Guinea runs roughly along the central spine of the island of New Guinea. There are only a handful of official crossing points, the main one for foreigners being at Skouw on the Indonesian side and Wutung on the PNG side.
Other crossings exist but are restricted to local residents or used by small communities. Historically the border has been closed intermittently due to political unrest or security concerns. During the West Papua conflict it has occasionally been a transit point for weapons and supplies, and there have also been reports of drug smuggling along informal routes.
Foot traffic is dominated by locals commuting for work, trade, or family visits, but foreign travellers can now use Skouw-Wutung as the major overland entry. It is generally quiet, with only modest infrastructure, and requires some planning to navigate properly.
Skouw – Wutung Border (West Papua to Papua New Guinea)
The Skouw-Wutung border post is the primary official land crossing between Indonesia and PNG. It was reopened to foreign travellers in recent years after being closed for long periods due to security issues.
Traffic here is modest, mostly locals and a handful of tour groups, but it has become the standard point for overland crossings for foreigners. The facilities are basic but functional, with separate buildings for immigration and customs on each side. It can be confusing if you are not paying attention, but the staff are generally professional and friendly.
Getting to Skouw Border Crossing
Generally speaking to avail the Skouw border crossing into Papua New Guinea you will need to first go to Jayapura in West Papua. There are flights here from much of Indonesia, as well as PNG. It is also the focal point for West Papua tours. You can also get here from Ambon of South Maluku fame.
From Jayapura to the border itself is just a one hour or so drive, down from 4+ hours since they finally fixed the roads. You can do this by Grab, or by renting a driver. There is not much in the way of public transport in West Papua, nor Indonesia.
Crossing the border from West Papua To Papua New Guinea
So, you’re at Skouw border crossing! What next? Well, before you go through there are Indonesian soldiers that check your documents. These guys are actually really friendly. Once this is done you go into a standard Indonesian land border building. Here they will again check your Indonesian visa, your PNG visa, and run you through the computer. This all told took around 30 minutes. Unlike the Oecusse border no bribe was required.
The car then takes you to no man’s land! This is the area where you first get to step out of Indonesia and into PNG, namely Wutung. This part of the border is not just much smaller, but also pretty confusing. We almost just walked out into PNG. Immigration and customs here were a bit stricter until I was recognised from TikTok and we waltzed through.
All in all it took just 30 minutes, giving the whole West Papua to Papua New Guinea border crossing a total of about one hour. Why was it so quick? Partly luck, but also in large part because we did not go through during rush hour.
Wutung to Vanimo
And thus we hit the final part of the journey! Wutung is pretty much in the middle of nowhere which necessitates taking a 45 minute drive to Vanimo. This puts the whole journey of Jayapura to Vanimo at under three hours, really not all that bad when you consider everything.
And that is how you cross overland from West Papua to Papua New Guinea.
Click to check our tours to West Papua and Papua New Guinea.
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