First let's sort out the name. The Australian soldiers
who traversed this route during World War Two knew it as the Kokoda Track.
Over the years the name has been Americanised to Kokoda Trail. Both terms
are in use (a local motel has named itself the Kokoda Trail Motel) but
the official term used on Australian war memorials is Kokoda Track.
The Kokoda Track
is a difficult walk and involves 50 hours of hiking spread over 5 to 10
days. Magnificent mountain landscapes can be witnessed from vantage points
along the Track, and a wide variety of flora and fauna can be seen and
photographed (you'll need a waterproof camera). The walking distance is
about 90km and much of this is steep climbs and descents which are slippery
and exhausting in wet weather. There are also some tricky river crossings.
It is not a trek you would undertake unless you are physically fit and
enjoy challenging hiking or unless you have a personal reason for wanting
to do it. The best time of the year to walk the Kokoda Track is the dry
season, from May to October.
The track can be
traversed starting at Ower's Corner near the township of Sogeri at the
southern end, or starting at the township of Kokoda at the northern end.
The "historically
correct" way to walk the Kokoda Track is from north to south, ie
starting at Kokoda, as this is the way the advancing Japanese in World
War 2 forced allied soldiers to retreat to Port Moresby, carried in some
cases by local stretcher-bearers dubbed the "fuzzy wuzzy angels".
Ecotourism Melanesia,
in conjunction with the recently-opened Kokoda Mountain View Lodge, now
offers a range of Kokoda Track experiences including full treks, part
treks, short hikes, village cultural activities, local arts and crafts
and wildlife tours. Kokoda Mountain View Lodge provides accommodation,
meals, camping equipment, camping food supplies, guides/carriers and other
tour activities at the Kokoda end, and when trekkers arrive at Ower's
Corner they are met by Ecotourism Melanesia with a cold beer and a box
of Bandaids.
Our Kokoda Track
packages include at least one local guide per trekking party. We do not
make arrangements for walkers without a guide. This is partly for safety
reasons (there are too many things that can go wrong out in the bush),
partly to keep our insurance premium down, and partly to boost local employment
at Kokoda. Your guide will be worth his weight in gold to you if you slip
on a mossy rock and break your leg; you will have your own fuzzy wuzzy
angel to carry you to the nearest airstrip to be flown out. Kokoda Track
guides walk the track every week carrying 50kg packs and could just about
do it on one foot with their eyes closed, so don't be shy about letting
somebody else carry your stuff.
If you don't want
to walk the whole track, other walking options are:
1. walk half the
track (approx 4 days) from Kokoda to Kagi Village and fly out from Kagi
to Port Moresby
2. a one day climb from Kokoda to Isurava Village and descend back down
to Kokoda. This is a relatively easy climb (and there are no leeches along
this section of the Track!) but still requires a reasonable level of fitness.
It can be done as a 12 hour round trip including a picnic lunch, departing
at 5am and returning to Kokoda in time for dinner, or can be done at a
more leisurely pace with an overnight camp at Isurava. The Australian
Government erected a large war memorial at Isurava in 2002 and this has
become a major focal point for visitors, with good photo opportunities.
3. a three-hour hike from Kokoda to Hoi Village and return, which gives
a realistic taste of the Track
4. a half hour venture up the beginning of the Track for visitors who
cannot walk long distances
Other attractions
in the Kokoda area, apart from the Track itself, include:
- mountain scenery,
- village homestays,
- cultural performances: the Kokoda people are renowned for their colourful
costumes and dances
- rainforest nature tours and walks, with opportunities to photograph
the majestic Bird of Paradise and the Queen Alexandra Birdwing Butterfly
- local crafts especially traditional pottery and the making of painted
tapa cloth which many visitors like to purchase and frame under glass
to hang on the wall at home.
