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Renowned for its relaxed atmosphere and proximity to Kimbe Bay, Walindi Plantation Resort offers visitors a warm welcome and world-class diving opportunities.

Located on the shores of Kimbe Bay, an hour’s drive from the airport, the resort features twelve self-contained traditional style, spacious bungalows set along the beachfront as well as eight plantation house rooms in two blocks of four. These are further back from the beach, surrounded by tropical gardens.

All accommodations have en-suite bathrooms, are fan cooled and guests can relax on the verandah at the end of a busy day. The owner-operated resort has been inviting guests to explore the reefs and surrounding rainforest for over 30 years. Personal attention and an informal atmosphere with friendly staff offering genuine hospitality are paramount here.

The central building is the social hub of the resort where facilities include a small swimming pool and sun deck, open-air Casuarina restaurant and Planter’s bar, air-conditioned lounge and library with TV, the Blue Taro boutique and reception area. Local produce is used where possible for the main meals which are served buffet style at set times. WiFi internet access is available in this area of the resort.

The resort features a full service dive centre and there are plenty of activities available including guided nature walks, Gabuna volcano hike, local village tour, snorkelling, visit to the wrecks of the abandoned Talasea WWll planes, night time firefly viewing and bird watching tours, which can be arranged for those who are interested in the phenomenal diversity and endemic species found here.

Adjacent to the resort is the Walindi Nature Centre home to Mahonia Na Dari, one of three non-profit NGOs all contributing to the conservation of natural resources in the Kimbe Bay area.

Walindi Dive

Walindi Dive is PADI affiliated and offers a range of courses as well as daily boat diving. The three purpose built boats accommodate a maximum of 12 divers on board and head out to the 25 regularly visited sites each morning for a two tank dive. On some days, this may include lunch and a third dive.  The majority of sites are reached within one hour from resort apart from the house reef sites which are only ten minutes ride and are especially great for night diving. Nitrox is available.

The coral reefs and marine life around Walindi are extraordinarily rich and Kimbe Bay is home to over half the coral species in the world. Vivid colours, vibrant, healthy and beautiful reefs make this an underwater photographer’s dream.

The pristine and colourful reefs are home to a diverse and abundant variety of fish, crustaceans and invertebrates. Larger pelagic species such as schooling barracuda, jacks and a range of shark species are regularly sighted. If you’re lucky you’ll be accompanied by spinner dolphins on the way to the dive site and there is a resident pod of orca in the bay.

There are so many to mention, but during your visit you should dive and log Susan’s Reef, famed for its dense strands of red sea whips, massive gorgonian fans and elephant ear sponges, Inglis Shoal, a seamount rising from the depths, which is rich in fish life and where scalloped hammerheads and grey reef sharks are often seen, and South Ema, reputed to simply ‘have it all’. Restorf Island offers a profusion of coral growth and sandy flats with garden eels; a great site for snorkellers too and there’s a resident turtle at Joelle’s Reef that enjoys having its photo taken. Wreckies will enjoy the site of the Zero, a fully intact Japanese WWll fighter plane lying on a sandy seabed at 17 metres. Diving here is relaxed, enjoyable and simply amazing.

Water temperature ranges from 28C in October to 31C in February. Visibility ranges from 15 metres in the wet season, when you can expect sunny mornings and rain in the afternoon/evening, to over 30 metres in the windy months of July and August, when it can get a bit rough on the outer sites. Walindi is home to the MV Febrina liveaboard, which operates throughout the year.

View suggested itineraries

Key info

  • Ideal for:
    • Groups
    • Honeymooners
    • Non-divers
  • Diving suitable for:
    • Intermediate
    • Advanced
  • Nitrox available
  • Dive boat: Speedboat

Dive trips

This accommodation is featured in the following itineraries:

Dive & Discover PNG

Uncover the magic of Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s last remaining frontiers, on this adventure to two exceptional diving areas - both renowned for macro life and pelagic encounters on vibrant coral reefs. Find Out More about Dive & Discover PNG

  • Duration inc. flights: 17 days
  • Price inc. flights: From £5,945 pp
  • Trip type: Tailor-made trip idea

Explore Tufi & Walindi

Dive two famous locations in Papua New Guinea. Both Tufi and Walindi offer pristine reefs, unique dive sites and untouched WWll wrecks. You’ll need a macro and wide angle lens here, the biodiversity is amazing. Find Out More about Explore Tufi & Walindi

  • Duration inc. flights: 20 days
  • Price inc. flights: From £5,695 pp
  • Trip type: Tailor-made trip idea
This accommodation is located in:

New Britain – Kimbe Bay

A chain of dormant volcanoes form the scenic boundaries of Kimbe Bay, on the north side of the island of New Britain. 70 percent of all coral species in the Indo-Pacific region are found in and around New Britain, and no other dive area in the world can boast such diversity. Find Out More about {acc:title}

  • Ideal for viewing: scalloped hammerhead shark, grey reef shark, white-tip reef shark, barracuda, common dolphin
  • Excellent for: Liveaboard diving, Resort based diving, Reef diving, Underwater photography