Kokoda Track Trek

This morning you fly across the Owen Stanley Range to Kokoda, the northern trailhead of the legendary track, and, after a moving ceremony at the Kokoda memorial arches, take your first steps on the trail. The trek begins, climbing gently at first through gardens and villages before entering the dense, dripping rainforest, and you feel the heat, humidity and challenge of the jungle immediately. Supported by your local porters and expert guide, you trek towards Deniki and the approach to the Isurava battlefield, taking in the pristine jungle, the villages, and the profound sense of following in the footsteps of the soldiers. Your guide shares the history and the stories of the campaign as you go. As the day ends, you make camp in a simple jungle camp or village, dining together and resting your tired legs, forging the camaraderie that will carry you through the days ahead. As the sounds of the jungle rise, you settle in, immersed in the wild beauty and profound history of the Kokoda Track.

Today you trek to the Isurava battlefield, the scene of one of the most significant and desperate actions of the campaign, and the site of a deeply moving memorial. The trekking is demanding, climbing steep, root-tangled ridges through dense rainforest, but the reward is profound. At the Isurava memorial, set on a ridge with sweeping jungle views, you pause to reflect on the fierce battle fought here, where a small Australian force held off a much larger Japanese advance in appalling conditions, and to honour the courage and sacrifice of those who fought, commemorated by the memorial's four pillars, courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice. Standing on this battlefield, deep in the jungle where so many fought and died, is a profound, humbling and deeply moving experience. Your guide shares the extraordinary stories of the battle. As the day ends, you make camp in the jungle, dining together and reflecting on the moving history, the camaraderie among trekkers and porters deepening, and rest ahead of more demanding trekking tomorrow.

Today you trek deeper into the Owen Stanley Range, through some of the most pristine and beautiful, and most demanding, jungle of the track, towards Eora Creek and the high country. The trekking is tough, steep ascents and descents, river crossings, and dense, dripping rainforest, but the wilderness is magnificent, moss-clad forest teeming with birds, butterflies, orchids and unique plants, rushing rivers and streams, and stunning scenery. You pass through remote villages, meeting the warm people of the range, and visit further sites and memorials of the campaign, learning the history as you go. The camaraderie among trekkers and porters, forged in the shared challenge, carries you through, and the beauty of the pristine wilderness rewards every step. Your guide shares the natural and historical riches of the track. As the day ends, you make camp in the jungle by a rushing creek, dining together and resting your tired legs, immersed in the wild beauty and profound history of the Kokoda Track, and rest ahead of more trekking tomorrow.

Today you trek through some of the most beautiful and remote country on the track, climbing through the eerie, moss-draped cloud forest towards Templeton's Crossing, high in the Owen Stanley Range. The forest here is magical and otherworldly, ancient trees hung with moss and ferns, mist drifting through the canopy, and the calls of unseen birds all around, a pristine wilderness that has changed little in millennia. The trekking is demanding, with long climbs, slippery descents and river crossings, but the beauty of the forest and the sense of remoteness are profound. Templeton's Crossing saw fierce fighting during the campaign, and your guide shares the moving history of the actions fought in this remote high country. As the day ends, you make camp in the cool mountain air, dining together and reflecting on the day's journey through this magnificent wilderness, the camaraderie of the group growing ever deeper, and rest ahead of tomorrow's trekking.

Today you trek through the beautiful high country of the track, crossing the highest points of the Owen Stanley Range and reaching the moving battlefield of Brigade Hill. The high country offers stunning scenery, cool mountain air, mossy forest, and sweeping vistas across the ranges, a magnificent wilderness. The trekking remains demanding, with steep climbs and descents, but the beauty and the sense of achievement are immense. At Brigade Hill, the scene of another desperate and costly action, you pause at the moving memorial, reflecting on the fierce battle fought here and honouring those who fell, deep in the jungle with sweeping views across the ranges they fought over. Standing on this battlefield is a profound and moving experience. Your guide shares the extraordinary history. As the day ends, you make camp in the jungle or a village, dining together and reflecting on the moving history and the beauty of the wilderness, the camaraderie among the group deep and strong, and rest ahead of the final days of trekking.

Today you trek onwards through the pristine jungle towards Ioribaiwa, passing through remote villages, crossing rivers, and taking in the wild beauty of the Owen Stanley Range, following the very path of the campaign. The trekking remains demanding, with steep ascents and descents through dense rainforest, but by now you are deep in the rhythm of the trek, and the camaraderie among trekkers and porters, and the profound sense of the journey, carry you through. You pass through villages whose warm people, the descendants of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, share their hospitality and their connection to the track's history, and visit further sites of the campaign, learning the extraordinary stories, the courage of the soldiers, the moving role of the carriers, and the ultimate significance of the fighting. The pristine jungle wilderness, teeming with birds and butterflies, rewards every step. As the day ends, you make camp in the jungle, dining together and reflecting on the moving journey, the end of the trek now in sight, and rest ahead of the final push tomorrow.

Today you complete the legendary Kokoda Track, trekking the final section to Owers' Corner, the southern trailhead, and the profound achievement of finishing one of the world's great treks. The final trekking, with its last steep climbs, tests your tired legs, but the sense of achievement, and the emotion of completing this demanding, moving pilgrimage, are immense. At Owers' Corner, marked by a memorial, you pause to reflect on the extraordinary journey you have made, the physical challenge, the moving history, the pristine wilderness, and the deep camaraderie forged with trekkers and porters, and to honour those who fought and died along the track. Completing the Kokoda Track is a profound personal achievement and an unforgettable experience. You then transfer by road back to Port Moresby, and this evening, a celebration dinner marks your achievement and the moving journey you have made, a fitting conclusion to a genuine pilgrimage through history and wild jungle. Rest well tonight, in a comfortable bed after the trek.

A well-earned rest day in Port Moresby to recover from the demanding trek and reflect on your profound achievement. You might rest and relax at your hotel, enjoying a comfortable bed and a hot shower after the days on the track, visit the moving Bomana War Cemetery to pay your respects to those who fell in the campaign you have just walked through, a poignant and fitting conclusion, or visit the National Museum to learn more about Papua New Guinea's history and culture. Equally, you might simply rest your tired legs and reflect on the extraordinary journey, the physical challenge, the moving history, the pristine wilderness, the warm people, and the deep camaraderie, that you have experienced. This evening, enjoy a relaxed dinner, savouring your achievement and the profound experience of completing the Kokoda Track. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying home one of the most meaningful and profound journeys of your life, a genuine pilgrimage through history and wild jungle that will stay with you forever.

After a final morning in Port Moresby, you are transferred to the airport for your onward international departure. You leave having completed one of the world's great treks and a profound historical pilgrimage, the legendary Kokoda Track, having trekked through pristine jungle wilderness, followed in the footsteps of the soldiers, stood on the moving battlefields, learned the extraordinary history and the story of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, and been supported by their warm descendants. The experience stays with you long after you land, the demanding jungle terrain, the moving memorials, the pristine wilderness, the warm villages, the deep camaraderie, and the profound sense of achievement. Completing the Kokoda Track is a genuine physical, historical and personal challenge, a moving pilgrimage that changes those who undertake it, and you depart with a profound sense of achievement and a deep respect for those who fought here, carrying home one of the most meaningful and unforgettable journeys of your life.