Kokoda Track Treks

About PNG

Papua New Guinea awaits the wild spirit adventurer. It is truly a diverse country. Rugged mountain ranges consist of high peaks which disappear into cloud and raging rivers plunge into deep narrow gorges. Pristine jungle covers much of the spectacular mountain scenery and small traditional villages are perched high up along ridgelines. People, shy at first, welcome you into their villages with open arms. Unspoilt beaches, superb diving and snorkelling and some of the best trekking opportunities in the world’s last frontier make this the wild spirit adventurer’s playground.

There are over 700 distinct languages, 9,000 species of plants including over 3,000 species of orchids. PNG is renowned for its birdlife and the keen observer will catch a glimpse of Hornbill, Cassowary or even a Bird of Paradise. Tok Pisin ( Pidgin English) is the language people use to communicate and it is reasonably easy to pick up simple terms and phrases.

About Wild Spirit Adventure Tours

We offer several tours for the Wild Spirit Adventurer to discover PNG. Whether it is a spectacular diving experience in the fjord lands at Tufi, or a trek over the Kokoda track, we guarantee you will fall in love with the culture and the people of PNG.

Our Kokoda Track package is for those adventurers who want that little bit extra. It’s a no fuss, fully optioned tour. We do everything for you. Our “premium package” is for those people with little time to shop for equipment. We even train you, either remotely or in person.

The Kokoda Track

One of many trekking opportunities, the Kokoda is famous for being challenging both physically and mentally. The “track” is a narrow winding footpad that has served as a trade route for the many small villages that nestle away in the mountains and valleys between the north and south of PNG. It crosses the Owen Stanley and Maguli Ranges, and originally linked coastal towns like Buna and Gona in the North, to the southern provinces where Port Moresby now stands, a distance of approx 160 kms.

In the days of colonial rule it became a mail route to the village of Kokoda, where letters and supplies were carried by the villagers. The small outpost of Kokoda provided an airstrip that serviced the many plantations and missionaries who lived in the area and was considered an ideal outpost for an occupying force that could protect a proposed airbase at Dobodura. Kokoda became the focus for much of the Allied planning and hence became known as the “Kokoda track”. This is the section that modern day trekkers complete, a distance of approx 95 kms.

The war in the Pacific reached the north coast of Papua New Guinea in July 1942 and for the next six months Australian and Japanese troops were locked in a fierce struggle in one of the most inhospitable theatres of war on Earth. The Japanese intended to send their forces by foot across the track to capture Port Moresby, giving them a strategic point from which to launch their attack on Australia.

A company of young, inexperienced Australian soldiers of the 39th, Chocos as they were called, were sent to reinforce Kokoda and ran into 2000 crack Japanese making their way to Port Moresby. This was the beginning of what has become Australian Military folk law as months of bitter fighting ensued.

Wild Spirit historical guides will lead you along the track and present to you a harrowing description of the events that took place during the Australians fighting withdrawal and subsequent advance. Explanations of battle tactics, troop movements and visits to sites few others see, make this a journey of a lifetime!