Koki stilt village is located at the at the eastern end of Ela Beach and has somewhat of a mixed reputation, with some sources saying it is OK to go there after the general improvements in overall safety in the last few years.

Others will steer you away – so what to do?

Last year I spent a few days on business in Port Moresby and in my spare time tried to fill in some of the knowledge gaps I have of the city because, like most travelers, I have tended to try and transit through Port Moresby as quickly as I could.

Failing to hire a formal guide who could take me around, I resorted to the time-tested method of asking at guys at the concierge of the hotel I was staying – the Grand Papua. After negotiating a reasonable rate I secured the services of Lucas Killa, a young guy with the use of a car who wanted to earn some extra money, figuring that as he was picking me up from the hotel and everybody knew that, I would be pretty safe.

It turned out that he took excellent care of me and was literally watching my back everywhere we went, but when I asked him to take me to Koki he looked at me like I was crazy, making it very clear that the best case scenario would be the loss of my cameras – he did not elaborate on the worst case, so neither did I…

He suggested a compromise and took me up on to a road that overlooks the Koki stilt village and nearby market, which is the main fresh food and fish market in Port Moresby. Maybe he was being too careful, but I figured that I should take heed the first time around.

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