Because we are expert on the military history of the Kokoda campaign – and because we engage professional expedition leaders for our treks.
This is why we have been rated No.1 on Trip Advisor for the past nine years – as you can see from this link.
Papua New Guinea has been described as a ‘Land of the Unexpected‘ – a ‘Parliament of a Thousand Tribes‘ – ‘the last unknown‘!
‘Kokoda’ has emerged as the complete adventure pilgrimage – the wartime history evokes strong emotions – it requires physical stamina and mental tenacity – the environment is rugged, remote and pristine – the care and support of Koiari and Orokaiva guides and villagers is humbling
Your clock is ticking . . .
We have led more than 650 expeditions with 7,500+ trekkers safely across the trail over the past 32 years – more than any other Kokoda trekking company!
Our trek leaders are the most experienced on the Trail – they are trained in remote area First Aid with expert knowledge of the military history of the Kokoda campaign.
We carry satphones and VHF radios in each of our groups with a 24/7 link to our rear operational headquarters in Port Moresby.
We follow the entire 138 km of the original wartime trail which has been mapped by Major Charlie Lynn – we explore the extinct volcanic plateaus at Myola and visit historic wartime sites in the area; we conduct a solemn Dawn Service at the Isurava War Memorial; and we present detailed historic presentations at each significant site.
You can check out some national media coverage we have received on this link.
We provide more chariable support to village communities across the Kokoda Trail than all other trekking companies combined through our Network Kokoda charity.
And we are the largest employer of subsistence villagers across the Kokoda Trail.
All-Inclusive Prices – No hidden Extras
A recent audit revealed Adventure Kokoda is the only Australian tour company to operate legally across the Kokoda Trail due to our long-term compliance with the PNG Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) Act.
We are one of the few tour companies to have a valid Public Liability Insurance policy.
We have invested in an operational headquarters in Port Moresby to provide 24/7 emergency backup while our groups are on the Trail and to co-ordinate our in-country personnel and logistic support.
We have also invested in a logistic support base at Nine-Mile to provide accommodation for our guides and porters, secure parking for our vehicles, and storage for our camping gear.
We employ a PNG Logistics Manager and his wife along with a Customer Services Manager to coordinate your personal requirements from the time you arrive in Port Moresby until you depart.
We use TropicAir, a dedicated charter airline, to fly our trekkers directly on the 25-minute flight between Port Moresby and Kokoda.
We engage a dedicated campsite support crew to carry your tents forward each day and set up camp while our catering crew prepares, cooks and serves your meals.
We engage 150 casual guides and carriers from across the Trail. We strive to employ an equal number from each village on each trek, and to give each one six treks per year, which is their only source of income. We have been advised that we are the only trekking company to have such a policy however it pays dividends in enhancing the cultural experience for our trekkers.
What we don’t do!
We don’t use cheaper scheduled flights to Popondetta then load trekkers onto the back of trucks for a rough 3 – 4 hour ride along the 90 km pot-holed road to Kokoda – delays on both modes of transport are inevitable and often result in after-dark arrivals in Kokoda.
We don’t use imported ration packs or require our trekkers to carry extra food into PNG to keep the costs down – trekkers required to act as mules by cheaper operators are often unknowingly stung with excess weight charges and risk additional import charges. We purchase all food for our treks from supermarkets in Port Moresby.
We don’t cheat our trekkers by requiring them to pay for their own hotel meals at the start and finish of their treks.
We don’t engage in cringeworthy ‘bogan chants‘ and other cult-like rituals during our treks.
We don’t allow guitars to be carried by our PNG support crews – one can only tolerate the three chords of ‘Take me Home Country Road’ so many times during a trek!
We don’t use pre-recorded presentations on electronic devices as a substitute for personal historical presentations by trek leaders.
We don’t overload our PNG porters – we limit their backpack weights to 18 kg which was the maximum amount allowed by regimental doctors during the Kokoda campaign. This means we have to employ more of them to get our groups safely across the Trail unlike the shameful exploitation condoned by the Australian Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA) which have been exposed on this link.
We don’t hand satphones to trekkers requiring emergency evacuation so they can arrange for their own prepayment to relevant helicopter companies and absolve their tour company from any responsibility.
Port Moresby based helicopter companies will not start their engines until they have received payment in advance from the trekker or authorization from their travel insurance provider. Some travel insurance providers have outsourced their business to international call centres since Covid so it is difficult to get timely decisions from them in emergency situations.
Our Adventure Kokoda Customer Relations Manager is responsible for meeting all emergency evacuations on arrival back in Port Moresby and processing the necessary documentation to meet the requirements of travel insurance companies. She alaso visits them on a daily basis in the hospital, provides updates on their condition, and liaises with the Australian High Commission if necessary.
Our Training and Preparation Videos
Put yourself in the picture . . . your clock is ticking . . .
Air Niugini Boeing aircraft with our Adventure Kokoda Badge and Map arriving in Port Moresby
WELCOME TO PORT MORESBY . . .
Staff always proud and overjoyed to see us . . . our trek leaders waiting for trekkers as they exit customs . . .
OUR ACCOMMODATION . . .
Check-in at our boutique hotel located in the diplomatic quarter at Waigani . . .
A comprehensive pre-trek briefing at our hotel after trekkers have settled into their rooms . . . lot’s of questions answered . . .
Group dinner and getting-to-know you session after the briefing . . .
Stop-off at McDonald’s Corner enroute to the start of the Trail at Owers Corner . . .
ON THE TRAIL . . .
A pilgrimage you will never forget . . .
Bridge crossing with your ‘fuzzy-wuzzy angel’ ever present . . .
River crossings . . .
Climb towards the wartime village of Alola . . .
Traditional cane bridges built by local villagers . . .
Climbing out of the Eora Creek valley towards Alola village . . .
Crossing the ‘dry’ Myola lakebeds formed from extinct volcanic plateaus . . .
Crossing the wild waters ofd Vabuyavi River deep in the jungle between Menari and Loni villages . . .
OUR TREKKERS . . .
at Eora Creek . . .
at Bomber’s Campsite halfway across the Trail . . .
French photographer – Tom Claverotte . . .
Dr Charlie Teo with daughters Sophie and Katie resting near the wild waters of Eora Creek . . .
Mother Natures bathing pools along the Trail . . .
‘Charlie’s Angels’ at Bomber’s . . .
OUR PNG LEADERSHIP TEAM . . .
Our PNG leadersship team’s are simply the best!
Noxy’s son is always happy to see his dad when he passes through Efogi during his treks . . .
OUR MEALS . . .
Fresh meals prepared, cooked and servied by our Adventure Kokoda catering crew . . .
An abundance of healthy, fresh food catered by the women at Abuari village . . . always a welcome treat after a strenuous morning . . .
OUR CAMPSITES . . .
Campsite at Hoi village . . .
Efogi community campsite . . .
Trekkers campsite at Templeton’s Crossing . . .
Ofi Creek campsite . . .
Night campsite under the wild skies at Agulogo Creek . . .
WARTIME RELICS . . .
Remnants of the war – Japanese helmet at Eora Creek . . .
Rusted Australian 303 rifle near Ioribaiwa Ridge . . .
Remnants of an Australian Mortar position near Lake Myola . . .
‘FUZZY-WUZZY ANGELS‘ . . .
The late Ovoru Indiki, original ‘fuzzy wuzzy angel’ and ‘luluai’ (village constable) at Naduri village . . .
VILLAGES WE PASS THROUGH . . .
Traditional Koiari ‘Tree Haus’
Colonel Mike Beckingham passing though Nauro village on the northern side of the Maguli Range . . .
VILLAGERS WE MEET . . .
Village woman delivering firewood to trekkers campsite . . .
Proud elder at Abuari village . . .
Inquisitive baby watching trekkers pass on the Trail . . .
ISURAVA MEMORIAL . . .
Official opening of the Isurava Memorial on the 60th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign, 26 August 2002 . . .
Four granite pillars (Courage-Endurance-Mateship-Sacrifice) lit up for an Adventure Kokoda Dawn Service . . .
Major Chad Sherrin MM at the conclusion of his Adventure Kokoda Dawn Serice at the Isurava Memorial . . .
TRADITIONAL OROKAIVA WELCOMES . . .
Traditional Orokaiva welcome for Adventure Kokoda trekkers . . .
Adventure Kokoda guides with their Orokaiva clan members . . .
Orokaiva cultural group leader welcoming Adventure Kokoda trekkers at Kokoda . . .
Chartered TropicAir aircraft arrives at Kokoda to fly Adventure Kokoda trekkers back to Port Moresby . . .
ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICE – BOMANA WAR CEMETERY
Blackhawk helicopters swooping over Bomana War Cemetary during the Anzac Dawn Service . . .
Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, Sir Bob Dadae, delivers the Anzac Day address . . .
The Cross of Sacrifice in the pre-dawn light of Anzac Day . . .
‘Their Name Shall Liveth for Evermore‘ – Rudyard Kipling’s quote engraved on the Stone of Remembrance at Bomana War Cemetery . .
First glint of light on the marble headstones at Bomane War Cemetery ot the Anzac Dawn Service . . .
Adventure Kokoda trekkers at the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Bomana War Cemetery . . .
ANZAC officers salute during the Last Post at the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Bomana War Cemetery . . .
Local primary school children sing the PNG National Anthem at the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Bomana War Cemetery , . . .
Major Charlie Lynn and Councillor Angela Tsirekas lay a wreath at the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Bomana War Cemetery . . .
ADVENTURE KOKODA WEBSITE – CLICK HERE: KOKODATREKS.COM
What a fantastic set of photos of the Kokoda Trail, Isurava Memorial and Bomana War Memorial. It was so interesting in seeing how the present day trekkers eat and sleep in tents. Back in 1960 when I hiked the trail we sleep in guest houses on the rough timber floors and carried and cooked our meals on a small stove and ate our meals in the small army rectangular tin with the fold over handles. We only had one porter to carry the radio. We were all senior scouts with some scouters like myself. My memory of the venture is still very clear in my mind with the help of over 100 slides and my very detailed diary which I put together when I arrived home from my very detailed notepad which recorded things as they happened. My diary is one of my proudest achievements.
The Trail itself hasn’t changed since you trekked it Bruce – not much has changed with the villages – but the campsites have certainly improved.
The other major improvement is the engagement of our PNG support crews for trek groups – they have really taken ownership of the pilgrimage so we have cooks, medics (incl bush medicine), campsite crews, etc. As know they are masters of their environment and also handle river crossings, landslides, fallen trees etc.
It’s still evolving as a pilgrimage however the villagers, campsite owners, guides and porters are a very important part of the industry – the Trail itself has now emerged as PNGs most popular tourism destination – a far cry from your experience in 1960.