Kokoda Track

[cruze82]

I was just looking through some old pics on the computer and came across my trip to PNG

I walked the track in 2008 with my dad and uncle and his Vietnam group and must admit it was one of the best experiences iv ever had
apart from the constant rain, hills, heat, foot rot and loosing a toenail it was great

Has anyone else walked the track if so how did you find it ?
And the big question would you do it again?

[MeccaOz]

Would be great to do mate, any pics you can show us, love to see the trip

[Noisydad]

Haven't done it myself but my sister has done it twice (and is planning her third trip) and carried school supplies to a mountain village. She came back with lots of pics of LOTS of unexploded ordinance just laying about beside the track.

[Chronos]

I'd say it would be a good trip with the right group.

I lived in port moresby for 2 years and saw lots of groups arrive one week in good spirits and leave a week later battered and broken by the wet and hilly

I had a bit of a problem with the smount some operators charge and how little of that goes back into the community but you'll always get that.

Chronos

[Old Fart]

I've had this on the bucket list for more years than I care to admit.

Definitely something I'm keen on. Gotta get the ass into gear.

[Craimos]

Walked a bit of it in the 70's when we lived there. Was a kid so memories are fading. Amazing country though.

[Westy]

My grandfather got a all expenses trip to walk the Kadoka in the 1940's and from what he told us it's not high on my things to do list!!!!! Tell me are them Japs still there??? LMFAO

[cruze82]

All the japs are gone Westy sounds like your grandfather was polite enough to show them the way home

But they did leave some sh*t there

[Chronos]

All the japs are gone Westy sounds like your grandfather was polite enough to show them the way home

But they did leave some sh*t there

Don't you believe it mate, lots of them there, plus Chinese, Philippinos , Germans, Dutch and Malays. Not to mention the Aussies and kiwis

Great pics.

Chronos

[Jack V]

Make sure you take anti Malarial tablets before you leave Australia and continue for as long as the Doctors advise after you get home . A guy I know got malaria on the track and was very ill and will never be 100% well again , he never took his medication correctly .

[cruze82]

Make sure you take anti Malarial tablets before you leave Australia and continue for as long as the Doctors advise after you get home . A guy I know got malaria on the track and was very ill and will never be 100% well again , he never took his medication correctly .

The malaria medication made me really ill, the doctor advised to take it 3 days before we got there and I spent those 3 days heaving my guts up until I realized it HAD to be taken on a full stomach, something he forgot to tell me!

[cruze82]

half the trip was in soaking conditions the track turned into a river

[Jack V]

That's the jungle mate.

[Chronos]

Make sure you take anti Malarial tablets before you leave Australia and continue for as long as the Doctors advise after you get home . A guy I know got malaria on the track and was very ill and will never be 100% well again , he never took his medication correctly .

The malaria medication made me really ill, the doctor advised to take it 3 days before we got there and I spent those 3 days heaving my guts up until I realized it HAD to be taken on a full stomach, something he forgot to tell me!

Take malaria medication with a grain of salt, and I don't mean to stop you feeling sick. The best protection for malaria is to not get bit. Pretty easy in town, not so easy in the bush on the track. Sleeping in dark humid huts in villages on the track would be the highest risk, take and use a treated mosquito net.


I lived there for 2 years and never took medication. The traditional chineese malaria medicine is the best if you're unlucky enough to get it going by anecdotal evidence while living there.

Chronos

[Jack V]

Make sure you take anti Malarial tablets before you leave Australia and continue for as long as the Doctors advise after you get home . A guy I know got malaria on the track and was very ill and will never be 100% well again , he never took his medication correctly .

The malaria medication made me really ill, the doctor advised to take it 3 days before we got there and I spent those 3 days heaving my guts up until I realized it HAD to be taken on a full stomach, something he forgot to tell me!

Lucky you sorted it out and kept taking it . You don't want malaria it can stay in your system forever . I would rather go shooting pigs in QLD than go to NG but to each his own .

[Westy]

they tell me you don't walk the original track all the way as it way to dangerous??? Littered with un exploded munitions. Just what I've heard!!!!! thanks for the Pics

[Chronos]

they tell me you don't walk the original track all the way as it way to dangerous??? Littered with un exploded munitions. Just what I've heard!!!!! thanks for the Pics

correct, but part of the reason for the "detours" is to do with land owners and ongoing conflicts over paying your way to use tracks. truth is there's probably always been multiple tracks.

We used to drive up to Owens corner and stop a crystal rapids for a picnic, beautiful country. A stop at Bomana war cemetary would always bring you back to earth. ANZAC day is always a special day up there to the Aussie and NZ expats.

I's a shame ongoing violence and crime (and the media coverage of such events) stops a lot tourists going up there, the islands are just stunning and the people and culture are amazing as long as you stay away from the settlement areas like POM and Lae and some of the highlands

for those who think the track is challenge enough we used to follow the radio coverage on the guides challenge. every year the national guides would have a race over the track, i think they did a 90km section of track.......in under 24hrs, hard to fathom when you see photos of some of the terrain

chronos

[Lorgar]

My father did it with a few of his mates who had family there, knew people, that kind of thing.

Pretty gut wreching, they came back in a bit of a state after the day.

[wild goose]

Hi cruze82.

Late reply here(only just joined to site). I walked the track 3 years ago with my wife (I know I know!). Was one of the best experiences of my life. The longer it is after you return home, the greater the pull back to PNG. So much so that I would love to plan another trip there, with a larger group this time. When we went there was myself, wifey and one other trekker in our group. The three of us had the benefit of 4 of 'the boys' which was cool as we were able to get heaps of time chatting to them and meeting their family once in Kokoda where we finished the trek. Saying that, I would like to have a bigger group of mates all go together.

If anyone else in this group is thinking about doing it, then I would totally recommend It and say jump right in, you won't regret it!

[greenonion]

Can you just go and do the track yourself whenever you feel like it?

Fly there, turn up and start walking? Or is it all only tours and guides because of dangers?

If anyone knows?

[Chronos]

Can you just go and do the track yourself whenever you feel like it?

Fly there, turn up and start walking? Or is it all only tours and guides because of dangers?

If anyone knows?

the first thing that will happen is you'll get some nationals offer to help you, then they'll ask for some Kina, (currency) then they'll steal some of your stuff, then more will turn up, then they'll start fighting over who's going to get paid and who's gonna steal your stuff.

then someone will get punched, stabbed or worse and we hope it's not you

sorry if i sound negative but be warned, PNG is a third world country. you wouldn't walk through parts of Africa or eastern Europe for that matter with out some local knowledge and protection

Chronos

[wild goose]

Greenonion,

You can do the walk self guided however would recommend against it. When you have a guide they are doing so much more then just guiding. They are negotiating with village elders to pay so we can walk through their village, know where dangerous areas are (unexplored munitions, not so friendly locals etc). There is also a very real chance of getting lost as the place is massive without much signposting.

Saying that, when I went I did see two kiwi guys travelling on their own. They were both military and had good gear with them including well mapped gps and they seemed to be going ok when we met them around the halfway mark.

You would want to be very experienced in trekking in SE Asia sea and probably know some of the local lingo (pigeon).

Would be am awesome experience to do on your own. Half of the fun though is getting to know your guides and learn about them.

[greenonion]

I didn't realise it was still that rough.

I actually thought there was an annual 'race' where lots of people did the track as fast as possible?

I can't remember where I read it but it was made out to be more fun than potentially dangerous.

[wild goose]

I didn't realise it was still that rough.

I actually thought there was an annual 'race' where lots of people did the track as fast as possible?

I can't remember where I read it but it was made out to be more fun than potentially dangerous.

The annual race is mostly ran by local guides and a couple of foreigners however they guide anyway so know the area. They finish it in about 20 hours anyway.