Kokoda track trekking holiday in Papua New Guinea

Planet

The very ethos of our style of travel is responsible; small groups on fully escorted tours, experiencing the very best of a region, a culture and a landscape, with a friendly local hand guiding the way. Our itineraries are designed to give our travellers real life experiences without compromising the part of the world through which we are journeying, this is our commitment as a global tour operator.

The campsites and village huts we stay in along the track are all owned by the local villages. Although the facilities will be basic, travellers will be encouraged throughout the trek to maintain the trail as they find it, an example of this will be carrying rubbish out of the jungle rather than disposing of it en route. There will also be the opportunity to make purchases at various villages we pass through. The organically grown local fruits available in Efogi I are worth keeping some small change available for both for refreshment and to further support local economy.

Our goal when following the Kokoda Track is to experience one of the World’s classic overland walks whilst paying homage to tragic, yet fascinating history of the region and admiring the rugged beauty that pervades all else. We aim to leave nothing of ourselves behind to pollute the trail for those who come after us. This is one of the reasons which recommend travelling with refillable water bottles and using purification tablets en route. Your local guides will always direct you to the best fill up points and due to the humidity of the region you will get through a lot of water. Plastic bottles are no friend the environment and a water bottle or hydration pack is encouraged for all trekkers.

People

The 90 kilometre Kokoda Track is an arduous trek beginning in the village of Kokoda, crossing the Owen Stanley Range and working its way west to Ower’s Corner, perched high on the Sogeri Plateau. The remote trail snakes through ridges and deep gullies, passing through remote villages and visiting the battlefields of some of the bloodiest conflicts of the Second World War. We are the only operator who works alongside a local co-operative made up of 11 villages to ensure that the local communities along the track benefit directly from visitors walking the trail.

Your support crew of guides and personal porters and will be made up from members of these villages, direct descendants of those who helped the Australian diggers in whose footsteps you are following. This employment of locals, in an area where jobs and opportunities are scarce not only provides economic enhancement to the region, but also encourages the acquisition of new skills by those trained as guides.

As a company, our responsibilities don’t stop when our tours end. We run and support a variety of projects globally, from healthcare, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development and environmental and wildlife protection. Our own in house foundation has been in operation for over 11 years; a not-for-profit fund that has distributed over AU$3 million to more than 70 non-government organisations since 2002. Donations come from our travellers and are then matched by us dollar for dollar