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Hi everyone, our Anzac treks for 2008 went quite well so we are happy to promote the same kind of format for 2009.
We at Kokoda Trekking wish to keep our treks relatively small by comparison to a lot of other trekking companies. As a result of this, we have created several different options for you to choose from.
The different options are as follows:
ANZAC at KOKODA:
Option 1: Trek 492 – designed so that you commence your walk at Owers' Corner on the 17th April and arrive at Kokoda on the 24th April where you will overnight. The following day you can attend the dawn service in Kokoda and fly back into Port Moresby later that day.
Option 2: Trek 489 – designed so that you commence your walk by flying into Kokoda on the 24th April where you will overnight. The following morning you will attend the dawn service in Kokoda and then the same day you will pack up and commence your walk towards Owers' Corner.
Option 3: Trek 491 – designed for non trekkers so that you fly in on the 24th April and overnight. The following day attend the dawn service and then fly out the same day 25th April back to Port Moresby with an option available to extend another day should you wish to fly back on the 26th April.
Option 4: Trek 500 – Komplete Kokoda Historical Trek – walk with Soc Kienzle our Historian. Trekkers will fly into Kokoda on the 24th April and will overnight as our guests in Kokoda. On the afternoon of the 24th April you will be welcomed by a traditional sing sing and for those wanting a little more adventure, you can float down the river on a tyre tube as Soc used to do when he lived at Mamba on his fathers' plantation. The following morning you will attend the Anzac Day service put on by Soc Kienzle at the Kokoda Station. Later in the day you will commence you walk on the Kokoda Trail.
Photographs: Anzac Day at Kokoda 2008 – Soc Kienzle is in the middle of this photograph
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IMG_0710__Small_.JPGThe next lot of treks are designed so that you can attend the dawn service at Isurava Monument area on the 25th April 2009.
ANZAC at ISURAVA:
Option 1: Trek 493 – Owers' Corner to Kokoda. This trek commences by us picking you up at your hotel and driving you out to Owers' Corner. You will then walk to Isurava arriving on the 24th where you will camp overnight in your tents. The following morning you will attend the dawn service and then walk down into Kokoda the same day to overnight as our guests.
The following day you will be flown back into Port Moresby.
Option 2: Trek 491 – Kokoda to Owers' Corner. This trek commences by us flying you into Kokoda on the 23rd April where you will overnight as our guests. The following day you will commence your walk up to the Isurava Monument Area where you will camp for the night. The following day you will attend the dawn service at Isurava and then later in the morning continue trekking towards Owers' Corner where we will pick you up in our vehicles on the 1st May.
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IMG_0922__Small_.JPGThe third lot of treks on offer are ones whereby you attend the Bomana War Cemetery dawn service on the outskirts of Port Moresby. Various options are available as follows:
BOMANA WAR CEMETERY:
Option 1: Trek 498 – ANZAC at BOMANA – on the morning of the 15th April we will pick you up from your respective hotels and drive you out to Owers' Corner where you will commence your trek. On the 22nd April you walk out into Kokoda where you will overnight as our guests. The following day you will be flown back to Port Moresby. On the morning of the 25th April you will be driven out to Bomana War Cemetery for the Anzac Day service. This trek is designed so that you have a rest day on the 24th to avoid all the other trekking companies competing for aircraft and guest houses on the track as you will arrive a day earlier than most.
Option 2: Trek 495 – ANZAC at BOMANA – on the morning of the 16th April we will pick you up from your respective hotels and drive you out to Owers' Corner where you will commence your trek. On the 23rd April you walk out into Kokoda where you will overnight as our guests. The following day you will be flown back to Port Moresby. On the morning of the 25th April you will be driven out to Bomana War Cemetery for the Anzac Day service. This is the busiest time as lots of trekking companies will be doing the same thing on the 24th April, ie picking up out of Kokoda. If you wish to avoid the large groups, choose trek 498.
The following treks are designed to commence your walk AFTER Anzac day at Bomana War Cemetery:
Option 1: Trek 496 – On the morning of the 25th April you will be driven out to Bomana War Cemetery for the dawn service. Later in the day you will be driven out to Owers' Corner for the commencement of your trek. On the 2nd May you will arrive in Kokoda where you will overnight as our guests. On the 3rd May you will be flown back to Port Moresby and driven back to your respective hotels.
Option 2: Trek 499 – On the morning of the 25th April you will be driven out to Bomana War Cemetery for the dawn service. After the service you will be driven back to your hotels and later picked up and taken to the airport terminal for a chartered flight into Kokoda. On the night of the 25th you will overnight as our guests in Kokoda. The following day you will commence your trek to Owers'Corner arriving there on the 2nd May where our vehicles will arrange for you all to be picked up and driven back to Port Moresby.
Option 3: Trek 497 – On the morning of the 25th April you will be driven out to Bomana War Cemetery for the dawn service. After the service you can spend your day at the Royal Papua Yacht Club enjoying a beer or two or a game of two up or catch up on some sleep due to the early start. The following day on the 26th April you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the airport for your flight into Kokoda where you will overnight as our guests. The next day 27th April you will commence your walk towards Owers' Corner where our vehicles will pick you up and drive you back in to Port Moresby to your hotel.
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DSCN0870__Small_.JPGEmail from trekker – Anzac at Isurava 2008:
Hi Everyone, Bec and I made it back, minor boo-boo's only, I discovered that the PNG plants stung, Bec discovered that the bee's hurt more! I can't express in words what an experience I got out of walking the Track, but the four words you can see on the marble pillars at Isurava – Courage; Endurance; Mateship and Sacrifice have an even deeper meaning to anyone who walked in the Diggers and Papuan's footsteps.
The Anzac Dawn Service was beautiful, it was hard to believe that so many men lost there lives in a place that is now so peaceful. If anyone is thinking about trekking, all I can say is you will never be prepared, the hills are mountains, the rivers are raging torrents and the (rare) flat areas are muddy swamps, but if you can, do it! The Papuan Highlanders are the most beautiful people you will ever encounter, it's not hard to see how their grandparents were our 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels'.
Alison – Trek 408
18th April to 26th April 2008Photographs:
Pic 1: Alison hanging out of our troopcarrier enjoying the moment
Pic 2: Rebecca Trethowan, Alison Wright and Robyn Coffey shortly before they began their Kokoda trek
Pic 3: Their very own 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels', our KTL boys
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DSCN0725__Small_.JPGCongratulations Gail to you, Russell and KTL for being in a position to offer so many wonderful options to experience Australia's Special Day – ANZAC Day in locations that are so very important to Australia and are part of our history. History that allows us to be who we are, where we are and what we are today.
I still have vivid and emotional memories of our participation in our 'ANZAC at Isurava' Trek in 2005 and ANZAC Day at Isurava, (the first held there I believe?) thanks to you and your team.
I also have memories (although they are somewhat dim memories now) of attending ANZAC Day at Bomana with my Dad in 1953 and marching with the Junior Red Cross.
What you have now done, in offering all these options is to give the opportunity for many people, not just Australians, to be able to participate and experience what our Australian and Papuan Fathers and Grand-Fathers did for us 66 years ago.
As written by Alison & Bec after their recent Trek, "I can't express in words what an experience I got out of walking the Track!", I can only endorse wholeheartedly their comments and they, no doubt, have in their hearts a little place of memories of the Kokoda Track.
Fond wishes to you Gail and I really hope I can come back one day and walk with you again with your wonderful KTL Company.
And to anyonewho is not sure who to select when considering walking the Track, from my experiences I can only recommend KTL. I witnessed other companys and their purely commercial application to the Trek and again reiterate what I have said before, "If you wish to experience a life changing event in your lives and you wish to do so in a friendly, caring, safe, professional group, then the choice is simple, KTL.
Bahmahuta Papua
Warren (Waza (Trek 83)
Thanks Waza for your kind words. The main reason for splitting up the groups and having so many treks is to enable us to keep the numbers no more than 20 in each group. We tried it out this year and it worked out just great. Besides it gives our trekkers a choice of being at:
- Kokoda
- Isurava
- Bomana
to join in the Anzac Day services and to be able to choose which direction to walk. As the first major treks of the year it also gives a lot of our guides the chance to walk to kick off the season. On top of that less impact on the track rather than huge numbers of 50+ trekkers heading out in one day in one group which is common in April with some trekking companies. The majority of trekkers do not even realise this until they arrive here in PNG and suddenly find themselves in a huge group!
Photograph: Some of our KTL boys at Bomana War Cemetery on Anzac Day. We feel its important for them to attend so even though we have lots of trekkers to move to Bomana we also cater for them to be able to attend as well. In 12 + years of walking, Russell said he was never taken to Bomana for Anzac Day which is another reason we make transport available for them so they can attend along with their trekkers.
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