The Kokoda Track

Overview

Fast facts

The Kokoda Track (also called the Kokoda Trail) links the northern and southern coasts of Papua New Guinea through the Owen Stanley Range. Walking it is a physical challenge, a history lesson and a cultural encounter in one.

~96 kmKokoda to Owers' Corner along the Track (about 60 km as the crow flies)

6,000 m+Total climbing, with a similar amount of descent

2,190 mHighest point, on the side of Mt Bellamy

13 rangesThe Track snakes over a dozen ridgelines and crosses countless creeks

625Australian soldiers killed in the 1942 campaign

25,000+Steps recorded by one trekker's pedometer in a single day

"Kokoda" is an Orokaiva word meaning "place of skulls". The Koiari and Orokaiva people live in the villages along the Track, and more than 800 languages are spoken across PNG, with Pidgin and Motu the most common.

Where it is

North of Australia, inland from Port Moresby

The Kokoda Track sits in the Owen Stanley Range of Papua New Guinea, which lies north of Australia and east of Indonesia. It runs between Owers' Corner, a few hours' drive from Port Moresby, and Kokoda Station on the northern side of the range. Treks can be walked in either direction.

On satellite maps the Track appears as a thin path and only shows when zoomed right in; it is a footpath, not a road. The white patches in the satellite photos are cloud.

Trek direction and duration vary between expeditions. See the trip details on the No Roads Expeditions website for the exact itinerary of each departure.

Map of Papua New Guinea with the Kokoda Track marked

Conditions & weather

Rough, narrow and humid

The Track is a single-file tropical jungle path connecting villages over the Owen Stanley Range. The vegetation changes along the way and so does the surface, but it is always narrow and always demands concentration to avoid slips, trips and falls.

Expect heat and high humidity (typically 80-95%), with day temperatures of about 24-32°C and cooler nights up high. PNG's rainfall is heavy and monsoonal, so plan for rain and mud at any time of year. Tropical downpours are part of the adventure: you just keep walking.

A trekker walking in rain on the Kokoda Track

What you will be walking on

Long, steep ascents and descents
Switchback trails with sharp turns
Creeks, streams and rivers to cross
Narrow trails with steep drops
Tree roots and fallen logs to climb over or under
Slippery two-foot-wide dirt paths, especially when wet
Mud slopes stepped like stairs
Rock-hopping through creeks
Plantations, high grass and thick jungle
Everything from wet mud to baked, cracked clay

No Roads Expeditions has traditionally trekked from March to December and avoids the heaviest wet season, from late December to March, when rivers swell and conditions become extremely difficult.

Key sites

What you will see along the way

Your guides point out significant locations and explain what happened there in 1942. Read up on the history beforehand and each site carries far more weight. Occasionally a site can't be visited because of local conditions, which is rare given our relationships with the communities along the Track.

Northern end

Kokoda Station & Plateau

Memorials, the war museum and the cigar-shaped battlefield where the Australians defended Kokoda.

Day 1-2

Deniki

A wartime village overlooking the valley, reached by a steep final 45 minutes.

Isurava

Isurava Memorial

Opened in August 2002 to mark 60 years since the ferocious four-day battle fought here.

Eora Creek

Trekkers cross the creek many times where bloody battles were fought, and visit a Japanese position with commanding views.

Mt Bellamy

Templeton's Crossing

Named for Captain Sam Templeton. Above it, Mt Bellamy is the Track's highest point and home of the moss forest.

Myola

Myola Lakes

Old volcanic craters that were the only open space suitable for wartime air supply drops.

Halfway

Kagi Village

A large village high on a spur, home to many of our guides and the home village for No Roads Expeditions.

Efogi

Efogi 1 & 2

Two villages separated by Elome Creek, with an airstrip at Efogi 1 and the wartime site nearby.

Brigade Hill

A small cleared hilltop with a memorial and 360-degree views. 62 Australians lost their lives here.

Menari

A beautiful village on the Emuni River with a large airstrip and gardens, where Lt Col Ralph Honner addressed the 39th Battalion.

Southern end

Ioribaiwa Ridge

Around 5,000 Japanese soldiers are estimated to have reached this ridge, and little further. Tough going at 850 m.

Imita Ridge

A significant ridge for the soldiers and one of the steepest climbs for trekkers.

Goldie River

The last significant crossing: a raging torrent or knee-deep. Most trekkers stop for a swim.

Southern end

Owers' Corner

The start or end of your trek, with a fitting memorial. The final hill is something you will remember.

Port Moresby

Bomana War Cemetery

The resting place of many soldiers in a beautiful setting. Trekkers usually spend time quietly reflecting.

People & culture

You are walking through someone's backyard

The Koiari and Orokaiva people who live in the remote villages along the Track are predominantly subsistence farmers who practise the Seventh Day Adventist faith. Women tend the food gardens, raise children and attend church; men are often engaged in portering and guiding. Children play footy on the weekends with more enthusiasm than the most avid State of Origin fan.

Everything along the Track is owned by a family, tribe or community. Respecting that is part of walking it.Based on a description by Dr Genevieve Nelson, CEO of the Kokoda Track Foundation

Respect on the Track

Prayer is observed daily between 5 and 6 pm, and the Sabbath runs from 5 pm Friday to 6 pm Saturday.
Villages do not raise pigs, chew betel nut or smoke tobacco, so please don't either in the community.
Men and women bathe in different places, usually the women downstream. Ask first.
Ask your guide before taking photos or if unsure whether something might offend.

A little Pidgin and Motu

Over 800 languages are spoken in PNG. Pidgin and Motu are the most common, and most of our local team also speak good English, usually as a second or third language. A few words go a long way.

MoninGood morning

ApinunGood afternoon

Gut naitGood night

Tenku / Tenku truThank you / thanks very much

Poroman / PoromeriMy friend (male / female)

WontokFriend from the same village

Inap mi kisim piksa?May I take a photo?

Oro oroWelcome

Yes / NogatYes / No

Haus sikHospital

Say it right

Owers' CornerOh-wers

Ua-Ule CreekWhy-oo-la

IoribaiwaYou-ra-bye-wah

NauroNow-row

KagiKay-gee

IsuravaIss-oo-rava

DenikiDen-e-key

SogeriSo-gear-ey

Trekking fees are collected by the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA), a body of the Kokoda and Koiari local-level governments set up in 2002. The fees fund projects that improve the lives of communities along the Track and facilities for trekkers, and the KTA manages the trekking industry on the Track.

Plants & animals

A cornucopia of ecology

Australia and New Guinea were once joined in the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, and PNG shares many plants, animals and insects with Australia. It ranks among the five most biodiverse countries on Earth, with an estimated 21,000 higher plants, 242 mammal species and 762 bird species. Of the 43 known species of Bird of Paradise, 38 live in PNG.

On the Track you may see wild bees, huge spider webs, wild pigs, snakes (PNG has about 100 species, only 53 venomous) and many insects. Leeches are rarely a problem. Always wear footwear, check the ground before sitting, and bring your pack inside at night: village dogs have been known to steal boots, and bush rats will find unattended snacks. In a few spots stinging plants grow beside the Track; your guides will point them out.