Our 8-day Kokoda Pilgrimage treks are led by an expert Australian guide - unforgettable 8-day experience from $4,395.
We follow the footsteps of the brave as they fought one of the most desperate series of battles across the Owen Stanley Ranges from Kokoda to the doorstep of Port Moresby at Imita Ridge.
They are led by experienced Adventure Kokoda trek leaders with a detailed knowledge of the wartime history of the Kokoda campaign. They understand the Principles of War; the strategy of the Kokoda campaign; and the tactics of each battle which they will explain at each site.
The route follows the original 138 km wartime trail which is shorter than our 10-day Kokoda Premium Trek as it does not include the battle areas defended by the 53rd and 2/16th Australian Battalions on the eastern side of the Yodda Valley.
Our Kokoda History Treks cover the major battle sites at Imita Ridge, Ioribaiwa Ridge, Brigade Hill, Templeton's Crossing, Eora Creek, Isurava, Deniki and Kokoda where you will receive detailed historical presentations.
What's included
- Meals
- All transportation
- All accommodation
- All trek fees
- Mosquito-proof tents
Dates & Availability for Kokoda History Trek 8 days
FAQs about this trek
When planning a trek across the Kokoda Trail the most common questions we get relate to safety.
The Kokoda Trail is a rugged and remote 138 kilometre jungle path across some of the most hazardous terrain most people will ever traverse. The trail itself can be quite dangerous with steep jungle clad mountains and swift-flowing rivers/creeks strewn with large rocky boulders. Much of the area is inaccessible by helicopter. Rivers and creeks can rise rapidly after heavy rain in the catchment area and can be dangerous to cross.
In order to minimise risk it is therefore essential to trek with a reputable Kokoda tour company.
If an emergency occurs it is vital that your trek leader is experienced and capable of handling the situation. It is essential that they are equipped with a satellite phone and VHF radio with a reliable back-to-base line of communication that maintains a 24/7 listening watch in Port Moresby.
As a trekker you need to ensure you are protected with a personal Travel Insurance policy to cover your medical evacuation and treatment costs should you become sick or suffer a personal injury. It is your responsibility to ensure the insurer you select will approve immediate helicopter evacuation from the Kokoda Trail if the call is made by your trek leader.
You also need to ensure the operator you choose to trek with has suitable Public Liability Insurance protection. If they don't have it don't even think about trekking with them.
You should not confuse Personal Travel Insurance (your responsibility) with Public Liability Insurance (your tour company's responsibility).
Adventure Kokoda only use trek guides and personal carriers from the Koiari and Orokaiva people who live along the trail. These are descendents of the famous 'fuzzy-wuzzy angels' who look after our trekkers just as their fathers looked after our diggers.
Our trek leaders are trained emergency evacuation procedures and are qualified in remote area first aid. They also carry satellite phones and VHF radios with direct links to our operational HQ in Port Moresby which is monitored 24/7 during our treks.
Adventure Kokoda is one of the few trekking companies to complete a comprehensive risk assessment of the trek and has been able to secure public liability insurance protection for trekkers as a result. The policy has a limit of A$10 million per claim.
Our good relationship formed over the past 33 years with our guides, carriers and the people living along the trail ensures our trekkers have safe passage.
We contract PNGs premier air charter operator, TropicAir to fly our trekkers directly into and out of Kokoda.
We do not try and cut costs by using scheduled flights into the Oro Provincial capital at Popondetta, then subject trekkers to a bumpy 90 km ride in the back of a truck to get to Kokoda.
Scheduled flights into Popondetta are notoriously unreliable and often result in tour companies arriving into Kokoda after dark then having to reorganise themselves for a 3-hour night trek to their first campsite at Deniki.
If you trek from Owers Corner to Kokoda via the wartime trail you follow the footsteps of our young Diggers as they advanced across the Owen Stanley Ranges to meet the Japanese 144th South Sea Islands Regiment.
If you trek from Kokoda to Owers Corner via the wartime trail you follow the route of the Australian withdrawal in the face of overwhelming Japanese odds back to the last line of defence on Imita Ridge.
There is no 'best' way to trek Kokoda. The experience is just as powerful in either direction (that is the opinion of Charlie Lynn who has trekked 63 times from Kokoda to Owers Corner and 38 times from Owers Corner to Kokoda).
The difference is the experience and knowledge of your trek leader. If your trek leader has a detailed understanding of the history of the Kokoda campaign you will get maximum value from your trek. If they don't you will be disappointed and will soon realise the savings you made from going 'cheap' are a false economy in more ways than one.
NO!
PNG trek guides are masters of their environment however their knowledge of the Kokoda campaign and their presentation skills do not rate at this stage of their development.
Adventure Kokoda organises PNG led Kokoda treks for groups who are looking for a physical challenge in preference to learning about the wartime history of the Kokoda campaign.
Whilst our PNG leaders have been well trained in expedition leadership and are the best in the business they do not have the knowledge of the military history of the Kokoda campaign or the presentation skills to conduct battlesite briefings.
Trekkers meeting PNG support crew on arrival at Kokoda airfield
We provide a personal 2-man tent for each trekker.
Our tents are fully screened and provide protection from malarial mosquitos, leeches, cockroaches, mice and other creepy-crawlies who inhabit the night.
For personal protection, privacy, comfort and convenience our guides will set up your tent each night - pack it up the next morning - carry if to the next campsite and have it ready for you again.
Guesthouses in villages along the trail are built from local bush materials - they offer basic shelter from the elements but don't have any privacy or screened protection from malarial mosquitos, leeches, cockroaches, rats and mice, etc!
The increase in trekker numbers over recent years has led to an increase in infestation in villages guesthouses.
If you have to sleep in these because your trek operator does not provide mosquito proof tents make sure you sleep with your mouth closed and that you don't mind the pitter-patter of little mice running across your forehead - if you are a bit sensitive in this area the only guarantee you have against the local infestation is to sleep in an insect proof tent.
There is also no protection from the inevitable snorer in guesthouses where everybody is required to bunk together.
Meet the Trek Leaders
Major Charlie Lynn OAM OL - Director, Adventure Kokoda
In 2015 Charlie was inducted as an Officer of the Logohu by the Government of Papua New Guinea in their New Years Honours and Awards list 'for service to the bilateral relations between Papua New Guinea and Australia and especially in the development of the Kokoda Trail and its honoured place in the history of both nations' over the past 25 years.' More..
Tracie Watson - General Manager
Tracie is the General Manager and engine room of Adventure Kokoda - she is on-call 24/7 and will look after your every need and concern from the moment you book your trek until you arrive back in Australia. More..
Tau Maguli - Quartermaster
Tau Maguli is our PNG Quartermaster with an enormous task, he coordinates the allocation of 350 of our PNG guides and porters to ensure each trek has an equal number from each village across the Trail and each one gets at least six (6) treks a year. More..
Peter Morrison
Peter Morrison is an unassuming young Australian. He first trekked with Adventure Kokoda almost a decade ago and developed a strong desire to learn more about the campaign and the people he met along the trail. Peter is a professional boxer and former NSW Welterweight Champion. More..
Captain Reg Yates
Over the past 34 years Captain Reg Yates has explored most of the WW11 battlesites in PNG. He is fluent in Tok Pisin and is well respected by village elders along the Kokoda Trail. More..
Major Scott Babington
Scott joined the Australian Army as a 16 year old apprentice in 1985. He was promoted through the ranks and has spent over 34 years serving in the Australian Regular Army.
Scott has worked with the United Nations in Sudan as a Military Observer and as an Adviser in Afghanistan with the US 82nd Airborne and the 3rd Infantry Divisions. More..
Dave Sherry
Dave began exploring Australia as soon as he was old enough to escape Sydney. He was born in the city but his heart was in the bush and he now lives on a farm just outside the western country town of Horsham. There are few places in Australia that Dave hasn’t trekked on foot or explored in off-road vehicles. He even took to the sea as a crew member on the Tall Ship HMAS Bounty during the Bicentenary in 1988.
Dave first trekked Kokoda in 2006 and began leading expeditions across the trail in 2011. He has now led more than 35 groups across the trail. More..
Major Craig Moffat OAM
Craig joined the Australian Army in 1979 and was posted to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps where he has served for 40 years with over 20 years serving in Special Operations Command as a Commando.
Craig has seen regimental service as a soldier and officer rising through the ranks within The Royal Australian Regiment and Special Operations Command, his career culminated as soldier with two Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) appointments prior to commissioning to officer in 2005. More..
Peter Davis
Peter served in the Army Reserve for 7 years and has two grandfathers who served in both World Wars - one being a highly decorated soldier. Peter recently graduated with a MPhil in Military History with the Australian Defence Force Academy and is now studying for his PhD. More..
Jake Leske
Australia’s Honey Bee. Former Navy sailor, Jake Leske, is more than an outstanding Kokoda trek leader, he is Australia’s original ‘Honey Bee’ and a remarkable endurance athlete. Jake first trekked with Adventure Kokoda to learn more about the Kokoda campaign. He returned as a volunteer 2IC and later led his first trek. More..
Warrant Officer James 'Max' Walker
James ‘Max’ Walker (first trek with Adventure Kokoda Aug 2018 – 2IC Apr 2024).
Max Walker is a former career soldier who first joined the Australian Regular Army as a young apprentice.
During his service, Max was posted to the United Nations in Cambodia and deployed to the Republic of Narau prior to the establishment of the Australian offshore immigration detention facility. More..
Jesse White
Jesse has recently joined our Adventure Kokoda leadership team and comes with outstanding credentials. After visiting PNG over 10 years ago he formed a strong connection with the people, culture and history.
He served as a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, completing multiple specialist courses and multinational exercises, including a deployment to Timor-Leste as part of the International Stabilisation Force. More..
Gerhard Hattingh
Gerhard grew up on cattle stations in the Gulf country and is a natural bushman. He joined the Army in 2000 where he served for 21 years.
He was a specialist Sergeant Gunnery Instructor in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps where he taught soldiers to employ and fight armoured vehicles.
He later transferred to the Australian Army Aviation Corps where he was engaged as an aircrewman and loadmaster in Taipan helicopters. He completed jungle survival courses as part of his qualification for this role. More..
Kerry Symes
Kerry brings a wealth of knowledge to our leadership team due to his success in senior management in PNG over a 10 year period. He has a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Leadership and was previously employed as the Operations Manager of PNGs major fuel distributor which took him around the country. More..
Angelo Tsirekas
Angelo first trekked Kokoda in 2010 and has since trekked it another 10 times with groups he has recruited from the Canada Bay Area. He has been 2IC to Charlie Lynn on his recent treks and has now stepped up to be a trek leader.
He is a former Board Member of the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Concord and was instrumental in establishing the 'Rusty Priest Kokoda Scholarship Program' with students from Rosebank College.
Fiona Foster
Fiona has a strong passion for Kokoda, PNG and its people which was sparked as a young girl knowing her grandfather fought on Kokoda.
As a school teacher Fiona has extensive experience in developing leadership in young Australians and has been involved in the development of a leadership program within the school environment. This saw her bring two passions together; teaching our future generations and Kokoda, whilst getting them outside of their comfort zones, and allowing them to learn about themselves. More..
Bernie Rowell
Bernie is a Kokoda tragic. He first trekked with Kokoda to honour his father who served in New Guinea during the war. He has since trekked it 55 times. Bernie has transposed his success in business to his passion for leading treks across the Kokoda Trail. More..
Major Chad Sherrin MM
Chad is a decorated Vietnam veteran - he was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in action. Chad first joined the 8th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (8 RAR) as a tracking dog handler. He was promoted through the ranks to Sergeant while serving with 8 RAR and served with the Battalion in Malaysia and South Vietnam. More..
Lieutenant Colonel Rowan Tracey LLB BA
Rowan is a pioneer of the Kokoda Trail. He first trekked it 30 years ago when he served with the PNG Defence Force. He is fluent in the local language 'Tok Pisin'. Rowan is a military historian and is acknowledged as the most eminent authority on the strategy and tactics of the Kokoda campaign. More..
Commodore Simon Hart CSC MSc MA
Simon joined the Australian Navy a Cadet Midshipmen in 1973 and carved out an outstanding career spanning 33 years. He specialised in maritime surface ship operations and spent the majority of his career at sea. More..
Joe Uwea - Chief Guide
'Big Joe' as he is fondly known is the Chief PNG guide for Adventure Kokoda.
'Big Joe' has been trekking across the Kokoda Trail for almost 20 years and is fast approaching his 100th crossing.
He has earned the respect of his Koiari and Orokaiva counterparts during this period. He is a man of few words but there is no doubt about his authority along the trail. He is well-known and highly respected by all village elders and community leaders. More..
Why Trek with Adventure Kokoda
Our primary goal is to lead you safely across the Kokoda Trail and ensure you have an unforgettable wartime historical and cultural experience.
Charlie has led 101 expeditions across the Kokoda Trail over the past 32 years.
He previously served in the Australian Army for 21 years. During this time he saw active service in Vietnam; was assigned to the joint Australian, New Zealand and British (ANZUK) Force in Singapore/ Malaysia from 1970-72, and as an exchange instructor in Airborne Logistics with the United States Army from 1977-78. He is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College.