My husband and I decided to take up the challenge of the Kokoda track after seeing it on TV. After many months of training in 2006 we headed off, unfortunately with my husband ill from a flu. He still felt he was well enough to do the track and there was no way he was missing this opportunity. Well the track beat him and after 3 arduous days, he…[Read more]

HiMy husband and I completed the trek Aug 07, he is 49 I'm 47 and like you had very little trekking experience. I was also very daunted at the prospect of Kokoda as it is considered one of the hardest treks in the world. The biggest challenge was definitely the mental challenge of attempting something as difficult as Kokoda. We trained regularly…[Read more]

Couldn't agree more!!! Get a porter, carrying a day pack up and down those mountains is not easy. You will enjoy the trek much more and surely the end result is that you've done it and enjoyed it. No one cares who did or didn't carry their own pack. Having a porter just takes the load off, not just with your pack, but also having someone to get…[Read more]

Good luck on your trek, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. Another gift for the kids which is light in weight is stickers. I bought a sheet of 200 for $2 and the kids will queue up for a sticker, generally they want it stuck on their forehead! The kids love having their photo taken and then being able to see themselves on the digital…[Read more]

This probably isn't the right thing to say but we didn't get a medical certificate before we left. We did see our doctor for a complete physical though, more for peace of mind for us, but never got anything in writing.Donna

On our trek all but one of the trekkers had a porter, one trek leader and I think we had about 3 or 4 food porters. They generally walk ahead of the group so when you get to your next stop the kettle is already boiled! So we had 8 trekkers and 12 porters all up – a good sized group.

Hi RhondaWe didn't use a backpack liner but had all our gear in either separate dry sacks or plastic bags. Made it much easier to pack everything in the backpack if its all in separate bags. We had rain for a lot of our trek so our backpacks had their covers on all the time but even so, would still use bags for everything inside. I tried to keep…[Read more]

HiOur days went like this:Up every morning by 5:45am, pack away all the gear, have breakfast and be ready to leave camp by 7am. Stop for morning tea (usually 30mins) at about 9:00. Lunch stop about 11:30-12 (about 45mins) then trek until about 2:30-3:30 which was the end of the day. We all had the attitude that we would complete each section non…[Read more]

My husband and I completed the trek August this year. We did not treat our clothes before going but took Rid and Bushmans repellant. I didn't use either at all but my husband did. We didn't see a lot of mosquitoes, certainly not swarms of them. My husband did get a couple of bites (even with the repellant), generally at sunset when there were more…[Read more]

We didn't actually hear from Gail prior to leaving, other than me emailing with general questions. Not sure what hotel you're staying at but I think Gail generally has a briefing at the Gateway (where we stayed) at 6pm the night before the trek starts. We probably left it a bit late, only phoning Gail once we were in Moresby to find out the…[Read more]

Actually I'm happy to say we were all up bright and early each morning with a spring in our step. We had generally starting walking by at least 7am some days earlier, meant we finished the day earlier which was great for recovery. Our trek leader had us tackle some of the big climbs early in the morning when it was cooler and we were fresher, and…[Read more]

We recently completed the trek and we also tried to find topographical maps before leaving. We could not obtain them, even going to a specialist shop and asking. They tried to get maps for us but were unsuccessful so not sure how much luck you will have.One of the best books around is 'Field Guide to the Kokoda Track' by Bill James. Its available…[Read more]

Hi JafaYes posted a new topic titled 'we're back and we made it'. Happy to answer any questions you have, didn't cover all the finer details of the trek just a general story. Donna

We completed the trek earlier this month and it rained for the first 3 days! We put the ponchos on but found we got too hot and ended up taking them off and just enjoying the cool rain on us. As long as you have covers for both your day pack and main pack, that will be enough to keep everything dry. I left my covers on the whole trek mainly to…[Read more]

We were in Port Moresby to do the track earlier this month – I am with Optus. I could get coverage in Port Moresby and was texting and phoning home regularly. I do have 'roaming' on my phone. Donna

My husband and I are from Perth in our late 40's and completed the track earlier this month. Along with doing hills we did a lot of training on Jacobs ladder. The last month we were there almost every week day, doing double steps non-stop for at least an hour. I don't know how many times we turned to each other on the track and said 'thank god…[Read more]

ONLY 5 SLEEPS FOR US!Just wanted to add some comments about vaccinations. We were told all you need is Hep A, typhoid and a tetanus booster. My husband also has problems with his knees and is finding the glucosamine is helping although I'm not sure anything will ease the pain while we're on the track…we have packed Voltaren Gel and lots of…[Read more]

HiIn regards to the training weight we carry, I normally carry about 7kgs and my husband 10kgs. Neither of us will be carrying our own packs and have hired porters. Last year both of us carried too much stuff. I thought I needed to have everything at my fingertips but the porters never leave your side so they can carry most of the gear and you…[Read more]

My husband and I trekked last year but only got half way. My husband became ill due to a virus and we thought it best to evacuate. We are trekking again in 3 weeks with Kokoda Trekking again. The one thing I could say as a female in training is to make sure you get your leg muscles strong. The trek is very steep and pulling your own body weight…[Read more]