The Bismarck Archipelago, also known as New Britain, is a group of islands in the western Pacific with around 500,000 inhabitants. The archipelago consists of over 200 islands and is politically part of Papua New Guinea.

The four most important and largest islands in Bismarck are East New Britain, West New Britain, Manus and New Ireland. They are located like a semicircle around 100 kilometers above Papua New Guinea.

The Bismarck Archipelago is partly of volcanic origin with mountains over 1,100 meters high. The official language is English and the Kina is used as a means of payment, with 1 euro corresponding to around 4 PGK.

The most important cities in the Bismarck island chain include Rabaul, Kavieng, Kimbe and Lorengau.

In January 2017 I visited the Bismarck Archipelago for the only time so far. There is a daily flight connection with Air Niugini from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.

As soon as you arrive in Rabaul, you immediately notice the countless huge palm trees that grow for kilometers on both sides of the road. At my hotel I was welcomed like I was in the South Seas, with music and a wreath of jasmine flowers.

The landscape on East New Britain is fantastic, with endless green meadows and palm trees everywhere as far as the eye can see. The many white sandy beaches are also unique and make your stay a real experience.

Unfortunately I had to leave the fantastic island again after three days; I would have liked to stay a few more days.