10-day Premium Kokoda Pilgrimage
Over the past 32 years Major Charlie Lynn has developed the ultimate trek itinerary to allow trekkers to maximise the value of their pilgrimage.
The 10-day Premium Kokoda Trek offers the ultimate Kokoda experience - includes visits to all battlefields, fire support bases, logistic areas and evacuation centres along the original Kokoda Trail.
In addition to this we take a day to explore the mystical, historical Myola lakes which were considered to be tabu by the local Koiari tribes from the beginning of time until 1942.
We also trek across to the eastern side of the range that was defended by the 53rd and 2/16th Battalions.
We provide superior battlefield presentations regarding the strategy of the Kokoda campaign; the phases of war; the principles applicable to each phase; our battlefield tactics; and soldiers recollections.
We follow the original wartime trail mapped by the Royal Australian Army Survey Corps in 1981 and rediscovered through numerous mapping expeditions led by Major Charlie Lynn over a three year period from 2010 - 2013.
What's included
- Meals
- All transportation
- All accommodation
- All trek fees
- Mosquito-proof tents
Trek Itinerary
- Flight to Port Moresby
- Owers Corner to Imita Base
- Imita Base to Ofi Creek
- Ofi Creek to Agulogo Creek
- Agulogo Creek to Efogi Village
- Efogi to Bomber's Campsite
- Explore Lake Myola from Bomber's Campsite
- Bomber's Campsite to Templeton's Crossing
- Templeton's Crossing to Isurava Memorial
- Isurava Memorial to Hoi Village
- Hoi - Kokoda - Port Moresby
- Depart Port Moresby
Dates & Availability for Premium Kokoda Campaign Trek
Photos from the Premium Kokoda Campaign Trek
FAQs about this trek
According to reports we receive we are the only Kokoda tour company operator to provide nutritious fresh meals during our treks.
Over the years we have trained our PNG support crews to prepare, cook and serve meals and this has proved to be a most attractive option to trekkers. Life is too short for ration packs!
Our menu includes breakfast cereals, tropical fruits, biscuits, jam-vegemite-nutella-peanut butter-cheese, pasta, noodles, rice, meat and vegetables with potato, tea/coffee/hot chocolate etc as standard fare.
We are also able to provide for special diets as required.
Most of the emergency evacuations from the Kokoda Trail are caused by gastro problems which cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea leading to dehydration - the most likely source of this condition is contaminated food cooked and served by villagers. This is why we carry ALL of our food with our trek groups.
The difference is the dialogue we have within the group during and after our presentations.
We have a combined total of 160 years professional military experience - our trek leaders have served in Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. They are able to relate discuss the ground and conditions to the strategic situation of the time and the various principles that apply to the different phases of war.
They have also experienced the emotional aspects of perhaps never seeing their families again - and they understand mateship because they have experienced it under combat condtions.
As a result they are able to provide informed debate surrounding some of the decisions made by commanders in the heat of the campaign and relate many of the personal stories of veterans they have previously served with.
This is not stuff you can learn from a book - it comes from personal experience in the army and makes for interesting and lively dialogue.
According to Major General Gordon Maitland, a distinguished military historian there are three types of military historians:
- Journalist historians, who show little respect for the facts in order to tell a good story
- Academic historians, who have the time and facilities to unearth new and valuable information, but mainly at the political and strategic levels
- Soldier historians, who are the only ones one can trust at the tactical level, for they have been taught to understand the key factor – ground'.
Adventure Kokoda engages 'soldier historians'! who meet Major General Maitland's criteria of understanding key tactical factors and are able to incorporate them into interesting and entertaining battlefield presentations.
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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.
The most comfortable time to trek Kokoda is during the 'dry' season from April through to October each year.
Trekkers can still trek comfortably during the monsoonal periods between December and March provided they are equipped with proper gear.
The temperature on the Kokoda Trail is a constant 29 - 30 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
Humidity is high however trekkers are protected from direct sunlight most of the time because they are under the jungle canopy.
Over the higher part of the Owen Stanley's the temperature can drop to 1 - 2 degrees Celsius during the night.
It can rain in the 'dry' season and be quite dry in the 'wet' season - so it's best to be always prepared for rain!
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
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..
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..
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..
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..
Peta Bull
Peta is an extremely passionate and natural trek leader who takes pride in educating trekkers about the Kokoda Campaign. Her passion was ignited when she first trekked Kokoda with her Uncle and Father. Peta was quick to develope a good relationship with the villagers along the Trail and our Guides and Carriers have the utmost respect for her. 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.
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. 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..
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..
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..
Tim Bull
Tim is from East Gippsland in Victoria where a number of both the 39th and 2/14 Battalion members hailed from. Has a strong interest in Australian war history and has visited a number of battle sites around the world. Tim first trekked the Trail with Adventure Kokoda in 2015, then became a 2IC and for the past few years has been a trek leader. He now each year oversees scholarships that bring a number of students across the trail, educating them on the sacrifices made and building resilience.
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..
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..
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..
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..
John Nalder
Prior to John joining Adventure Kokoda he used to wrestle crocodiles with Steve Irwin. John is a qualified para-medic and expert bushman. He has a deep emotional commitment to Kokoda and the veterans he has met over the years. He is a keen student of the Kokoda campaign. 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 34 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.