ADVENTURE KOKODA 8 Day Kokoda Trail Trek

You will be met at Jacksons International airport by Adventure Kokoda staff who will accompany you to the Sogeri Lodge and check you in. You will then receive your backpacks/daypacks. Your trek leader will assist with 'fitting' your backpack and gear for the trek.

Our PNG staff will then give you a brief lesson in Pidgin English to assist you with basic greetings and questions for villagers along the trail.

Today you have an early start as your group has to arrive at the departure terminal of our charter aircraft company to check your gear in and complete your loading manifests prior to your flight to Kokoda. Air charter companies are keen to depart Port Moresby by 8.00 AM as weather conditions are most favourable around this time.

The flight across the Owen Stanley Ranges is 96 km and takes about 25 minutes to complete.

Our PNG support crew will be waiting for you at the Kokoda airfield. You then get a chance to meet with them and marry up with your personal carrier if you have booked one.

After youe have sorted our gear we trek up to the Kokoda plateau and inspect the area where Bravo Company from the 39th Battalion was attacked on the night of 29 July 1942. The average age of one of the sections in Bravo Company was 18½ years.

You then follow the footsteps of the young diggers as they made their way through the misty surrounds of the rubber plantation as the Japanese swarmed over their position.

You will continue trekking through to Kovello village and onto your campsite at Hoi village where you will have plenty of time to make any adjustments to your backpacks, re-sort your gear if necessary and get acquainted with organising your individual tents which will already have been erected by your PNG campsite crew.

Your trek leader will wake you at 4.30 AM to allow you time to pack your gear before breakfast. Your PNG campsite support crew will then pack up your tents while you are having breakfast.

At 6.30 AM your trek leader will check your welfare then provide a detailed briefing on the day ahead. He will stress that it is important for you to trek at your own pace and not to try and keep up with those who like to be at the front. It is important that you take it easy whilst your body is acclimatising to the tropical conditions and you are adapting to the trek.

You will then commence your first climb up towards the abandoned village site of Deniki. The Australians launched a brazen attack from here to recapture Kokoda which they held for a short time before being forced back to Deniki. They then withdrew to Deniki which was the scene of another short battle before being forced to withdraw to Isurava.

The trek continues up the ridge towards Borogo Creek at XXXX m AMSL where you will have a break for lunch before continuing your climb to Isurava village at XXXX m AMSL. The village was relocated to this location after the war, You will then continue to your campsite at the Isurava Memorial which was the site of the first major battle of the Kokoda campaign from 26-30 August 1942.

The battlesite was rediscovered by Charlie Lynn in 1996 with the use of Australian Army Survey Corps maps and a modern GPS. The Australian Government later built a memorial which was opened by the former Prime Ministers, John Howard and the PNG Grand Chief, Sir Michael Somare on the 69th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign, 26 August 2002.

Your trek leader will wake you at 4.30 am to assemble the group at the Isurava Memorial before dawn. Here you will engage in some quiet contemplation before your PNG guides and carriers will sing some songs in their local language and finish with their National Anthem.

You will then move back up to the campsite for breakfast and prepare for the day ahead.

After your trek begins you will cross Ololi Creek and continue to the wartime village site of Alola at 1470 m AMSL. From here you have extensive views across the valley to the area defended by the 53rd and 2/16th Battalions at Abuari. You will cross Kaele-Dane Creek and enter the current village of Alola for morning tea.

You then trek down to La La Creek a 1260 m AMSL then climb to the Sabi Mail Exchange Point at 1,340m AMSL (Mail Exchange Points were used by carriers after the war to exchange mail bags being carried between Port Moresby and Kokoda and vice-versa). We continue to the crest of the ridge at 1,375m AMSL then up to Tumunava Ridge at 1,430m AMSL.

You then trek down the ridge to the junction of Eora and Agu Agu Creeks for lunch at 1,420m AMSL.

After lunch youmove up to the old Eora Creek village site (formerly known as Iuoro) at 1,440m AMSL - this was the scene of utter chaos during the withdrawal. Wounded Diggers were forced to crawl up the track while their mates desperately tried to buy them time against the advancing Japanese. Those who couldn’t were given morphine and a gun!

After some quiet contemplation you then climb towards the crest of Vabula Ridge where you will inspect a fire support position with live mortars and grenades - then a delaying defensive position at 1,525m AMSL occupied by the 2/14th and 2/16th battalions on the night of 1-2 September 1942.

Youthen continue your climb to the top of Vabula Ridge at 1,905m AMSL then trek down to Vagebau Creel at 1,895m, AMSL for afternoon tea before trekking down towards your campsite at Templeton’s Crossing at 1,760m AMSL via the Sako Creek tributaries.

After Reveille, breakfast and pack-up your trek leader will check your welfare then give you a detailed briefing of the day ahead where you will cross the highest point of the Kokoda Trail on the Owen Stanley Range.

You will then trek up towards the Boili Mail Exchange Point at 2005m AMSL (this is where mail carriers from Port Moresby and Popondetta exchanged their mail bags) then down to down to Crossing 1 at the junction of Eora and Wase Creeks at 1940m AMSL for morning tea.

This was the start of the Templeton’s Crossing campaign – an area that will take you around four hours to trek took our troops 13 days to fight their way through – and a further four days to capture Eora Creek.

You then trek up towards the Kokoda Gap at 2109m AMSL. Here you enter the moss forest area – this is nature’s wonderland – birds of paradise, giant pandanus trees, numerous varieties of palms, fern colonies, fungi – it is difficult to imagine that this was the scene of such a desperate battle in 1942.

YOu will continue trekking up towards the highest point of the trail to the east of Mt Bellamy at 2320m AMSL. Approximately 35 minutes from the Kokoda Gap is a junction with the Bert Kienzle track at 2245m AMSL which leads to the edge of Lake Myola at 2145m AMSL for lunch. This is a prairie like landscape which is an extinct volcanic crater discovered by Captain Bert Kienzle who was in search of a resupply base. He named it after his commander’s wife, ‘Myola’ – an aboriginal name meaning ‘break of day’.

From here you will trek upwards through the Moss Forest to Tovovo Ridge at 2025m AMSL then down to the Kagi Gap lookout at 1835m AMSL. The Japanese soldiers were able to see the searchlights around their objective Port Moresby from this point.

You then continue down the ridge to your campsite in Kagi Village at 1405m AMSL. Kagi has a population of approximately 120 people with an airfield, a VHF Base Radio, elementary school and health centre.

After Reveille, breakfast and pack-up your trek leader will check your welfare then give you a detailed briefing of the day ahead where we cross Brigade Hill – the site of the biggest battle of the Kokoda campaign.

From Kagi the track plunges down towards a steep valley to Efoge Creek at 1040m AMSL then climbs to Laununumu Village (also known as Efogi 2) at 1385m AMSL. You will inspect the Japanese monument erected by Corporal Nishimura when he returned to PNG 45 years after the war to honour a pledge he made to his comrades to locate their bodies and release their spirits.

You will then trek down to Kavai Creek at 1200m AMSL and onto Efogi Village at 1205m AMSL for lunch. Efogi is the largest village along the trail with a population of around 350. It has an airfield, a VHF Base Station, an elementary and primary school and a health centre.

You will trek through the main village and down to Efoge Creek at 1105m AMSL then climb towards the junction with Mission Ridge at 1395m AMSL which was defended by the 2/27th Battalion on 7 September 1942. Troops who fought in the campaign referred to it as ‘Butcher’s Ridge’ because of the carnage they inflicted on the Japanese attackers during the battle.

You continue trekking past the positions occupied by the 2/14th and 2/16th Battalions to the crest of a knoll which was the forward edge of the Brigade Headquarters at 1435m AMSL for afternoon tea.

From here you follow the trail down the ridge to the Nauro Lookout at 1395m AMSL; the first Envilogo track junction at 1355m AMSL; the second junction at 1160m AMSL; and the lookout at the abandoned village site of Mandalogo which has extensive view down over Menari Village.

You will continue your trek down to Vabuyavi River at 695m AMSL followed by a short climb to your campsite at Menari Village at 845m AMSL. This is the site where Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner addressed his young bravehearts after the battle of Isurava – the parade was captured by wartime photographer, Damien Parer.

After Reveille, breakfast and pack-up your trek leader will check your welfare then give you a detailed briefing of the day ahead where we cross the Brown River and the Maguli Range.

You trek down to Emune River at 825m AMSL then begin a steep climb up to the Menari Gap in the Ladavi Saddle at 1105m AMSL. You then follow the trail down to the Nauro Lookout at 1035m AMSL then continue down to Hehomuri Creek (known as 5 Creeks?) at the base of the Ladavi Saddle at 760m AMSL.

From here you will enter the Nauro swamp area (also known as the Brown River Catchment Area because it is the source of water for the Port Moresby area at the bottom of the range). You continue trekking to Agulogo Creek at 730m AMSL for morning tea.

You then trek to the Brown River at 700m AMSL then continue through the Nauro swamp area via Hamuduri Creek to the base of the Maguli Range. From here we commence a steep climb to Nauro Village (formerly known as Wamal) at 1000m AMSL for lunch.

After lunch you will continue your climb over a number of ‘false’ crests to the top of the Maguli Range (known as Mogolonumu) at 1335m AMSL. After a short break you trek down over numerous false crests on Engineers Ridge (named after the sappers who cut 3,400 steps up the mountain) to a Japanese defensive position at 915m AMSL for a briefing.

After the briefing you continue trekking down to your campsite at Ofi Creek which is 600m AMSL.

After Reveille, breakfast and pack-up your trek leader will check your welfare then give you a detailed briefing of the day ahead where we cross Iorbaiwa Ridge which is the furthest point the Japanese reached in the advance towards Port Moresby.

You start the day with a sharp climb to the crest of Ioribaiwa Ridge at 830m AMSL – this is as far as the Japanese reached in their advance towards Port Moresby. They received direct orders from Tokyo to withdraw from here and could see the searchlights at Port Moresby from this position.

You then trek down to Ioribaiwa Village at 675m AMSL for lunch. The village was relocated to this site in 2003. We continue down to the junction of Manama and Mokure Creeks at the base of Ioribaiwa Ridge at 360m AMSL.

From here you will criss-cross along Manama Creek to Va Ule Creek at 320m AMSL for lunch. This is a spectacular section of the trail as you follow Manama and Emoo Creeks in the valley between two high jungle clad ridges.

After lunch you cross a small ridge and criss-cross along Emoo Creek to the base of Imita Ridge at Imita Creek at 515m AMSL.

You then continue to trek upwards towards Dagiri Creek at 715m AMSL then begin a steep climb up to Monogoro Ridge and then to the crest of Imita Ridge at 860m AMSL. The Australians were ordered to hold at all costs and fight to the death if necessary as it was the final obstacle between the advancing Japanese and their objective at Port Moresby.

You then trek down to your last campsite at Imita Base.

After Reveille, breakfast and pack-up your trek leader will check your welfare then give you a detailed briefing of the day ahead where you cross the Goldie River and meet your bus at Owers Corner.

You trek down to the abandoned village site of Uberi then down to the Goldie River at 340m AMSL which you will cross before climbing to the finish at Ower’s Corner at 640m AMSL. A 25-pound Artillery gun has been relocated to this site. They were used to fire over the Australian position on Imita Ridge onto the Japanese position on Iorabaiwa.

You will then board our bus for a visit to McDonald’s Corner which was the start of the trail in July 1942. You will get to inspect the monument erected by the owner of Ilolo Plantation, Captain P.J. McDonald – a Gallipoli veteran who provided support to all troops passing his plantation.

You will then check into Sogeri Lodge for a clean-up and pizza before boarding the bus to Bomana War Cemetery.

After your visit to Bomana you will return to Sogeri Lodge for dinner and presentations.

After breakfast you will board the bus for a visit to the Orchid Gardens where you can view birds of paradise. You will then drive via the Port Moresby harbour and CBD to give you a picture of the area before you go to the airport for check-in prior to your departure.