Adventure Kokoda Blog
Protecting our heritage
Kokoda is much more than a trek. It is almost a spiritual journey for those who wish to connect to the historical significance of the Kokoda campaign. It is also an empathetic bridge for Australians and Papua New Guineans to better understand each other.
Our Charity
Our charitable work includes the provision of health support, school supplies, scholarships, and emergency medical assistance to villagers across the Kokoda Trail.
Our Media
National features stories of our treks on all major television networks, newspapers, and magazines.
Our Reviews
Trekker feedback, Trip Advisor reviews, and personal reflections.
Our Treks
Everything you need to know about our treks, our trekkers, training tips, gear selection, and some handy hints.
Our Viewpoint
Charlie has been the leading advocate for the protection of our Kokoda heritage, and the welfare of villagers across the Trail, for 30 years.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Interesting articles relating to our close association with PNG, and our shared wartime heritage.
Latest News
CHAPTER 21: Kokoda Trail Management – The Way Ahead
By 2015 the mismanagement of Kokoda tourism was patently obvious.
On the Trail itself illegal tour companies operated without fear of sanction; guides, porters and campsite owners continued to be exploited; villagers were mere spectators to a passing parade of trekkers because they had not been trained in providing goods and services to meet their needs; there were no management systems in place so the ‘law of the jungle’ prevailed along the Trail which led to disputes over campsites between trek groups; environmental degradation; and the desecration of heritage sites. And annua trekker numbers remained stuck 46 percent lower than when the DFAT Kokoda Initiative took control of the management from PNG in 2009.
Review of Kokoda Initiative Master Plan
'I've been trekking the Kokoda Trail for the past 25 years and have just completed my 80th pilgrimage. 'I can report that the standard of facilities for trekkers along the trail continues to decline and are now in their worst condition ever. Some toilets are so putrid...
Kokoda Historical Reviews
Jonathon C. TripAdvisor "I was on a tour of PNG with David Howell as the organzer.Unfortunately, the trip did not go well.The trip was very poorly planned and the itinerary changed on day one.When I voiced my concern to Mr. Howell, he became defensive and...
CHAPTER 20: Review of the 2014 Kokoda Initiative Mid Term Review of the 2nd Joint Understanding for Oxford Policy Management
It is difficult for the layman to stay abreast of reports and reviews commissioned by the DFAT Kokoda Initiative regarding the management of the Kokoda Trail.
In 2014 Oxford Policy Management, a London based international aid-constancy firm, contracted Cardno, a Brisbane based professional infrastructure and environmental services company, to conduct a ‘Kokoda Initiative Second Joint Understanding, Mid-term Review’.
The purpose of the Review was to ‘assess the success of the Kokoda Initiative/Joint Understanding 2 to date from both the PNG and Governments’ perspectives with sensitivity to the different cultural attitudes that define ‘success’ – whatever that means.
Response to Mid-Term Review of the Kokoda Initiative 2nd Joint Understanding
Download Kokoda Initiative Second Joint Understanding - Mid Term Review 30 June 2014 on this link. During the 2019 trekking season not a single bridge along the trail could be classified as ‘safe’ – some sections of the trail remained dangerously unsafe.The Kokoda...
2014 KTA Livelihoods Project: Scoping Study by Pacific Island Projects
The Livelihoods Project is administered by the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) on behalf of the Kokoda Initiative (KI). The Livelihoods Project aims to increase the capacity of Kokoda Track communities to generate income from tourism by adding value to the trekking...