Buka is the main town in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and the point of arrival for most visitors, with a functioning airport and regular flights from Port Moresby via Air Niugini. The town of about 11,000 people sits on the southern coast of Buka Island, separated from the main Bougainville island by the Buka Passage — a narrow channel so tight that the tidal current can run strongly through it.
The town has basic accommodation, a market, and the Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, which remained a place of community during the worst years of the civil war. From Buka, transport south is by road (rough and sometimes impassable in the wet season) or by small boat along the coast.
Most things worth seeing on Bougainville require travel from Buka. Organise boat transport, accommodation, and a local guide before departing — the infrastructure outside Buka remains very limited.