You don’t need to be an experienced trekker, but you do need a good level of fitness. We recommend training for before departure, with plenty of hills, stairs and longer walks to build your strength and endurance.
Owers’ Corner
to Kokoda
10 DAYS
9 NIGHTS
The Kokoda Track
10 Days / 9 Nights
The Kokoda Track is one of Papua New Guinea’s most famous journeys, crossing the rugged Owen Stanley Range between Owers’ Corner and Kokoda.
Long before World War II, these tracks connected local communities and were used for trade and cultural interaction. During the Kokoda Campaign, they became the setting for some of the most significant fighting between Australian and Japanese forces in Papua New Guinea.
Today, walking Kokoda is both a physical challenge and a journey through history. Along the way, you’ll pass important battle sites and memorials, remote villages, rivers and mountain landscapes. Local guides, historians and porters share their knowledge along the way, helping you better understand the history of the Track and the people and places that are part of its story.
Local Guides.
Our local team is a major part of the Kokoda experience. You’ll trek with local guides, a PNG historian and porters who know the Track, its communities and its history.
A personal porter is included for each trekker, helping with your main kit and providing support across some of the Track’s more challenging sections. The one-to-one porter arrangement gives trekkers the opportunity to form a genuine connection with the people they’re travelling alongside.
History Along the Track.
Kokoda is often described as a living museum. During the trek, you’ll visit important sites from the Kokoda Campaign and see remnants of the fighting that took place here more than 80 years ago.
From Imita and Ioribaiwa Ridges to Brigade Hill, Eora Creek and Isurava, your historian will share the stories behind the places you’re visiting. Trenches, weapon pits, tunnels, memorials and wartime relics can still be found along the Track, giving you a very real sense of the history of this landscape.
Kokoda Tour Dates 2027
For many, walking the Kokoda Track is about much more than completing a trek. It’s a chance to experience the history of Kokoda where it happened, challenge yourself across one of Papua New Guinea’s most remarkable landscapes and share the journey with the people who call this part of the country home.
South Sea Horizons has been leading groups along the Kokoda Track since 2008, with a 99% trek completion rate. Our experienced local guides, historians and personal porters are there throughout the journey, helping you arrive prepared, stay supported and get the most from every day on the Track.
Explore our 2027 Kokoda tour dates below.
Itinerary
Duration: 10 Days / 9 Nights
Port Moresby
Day 1
Arrive Port Moresby
Welcome to Papua New Guinea. On arrival in Port Moresby, transfer to your hotel and meet your guide for your pre-trek briefing.
This is where you’ll receive your packs, walking poles and sleeping mats, go through the final details of the trek and prepare for the journey ahead.
Accommodation:
Hilton Hotel, Port Moresby
Good Water
Day 2
Owers’ Corner to Good Water
After paying our respects to those who lost their lives during the Kokoda Campaign, we travel towards Owers’ Corner, taking in the landscapes of Port Moresby’s hinterland along the way.
At Owers’ Corner, you’ll meet the trekking team and begin your Kokoda journey. The Track descends towards the Goldie River before passing the site of the pre-war village of Uberi, which later became an Australian supply base and medical dressing station.
We continue to Good Water, where we camp at the base of Imita Ridge for the evening.
Accommodation:
Village Guesthouse
Included activities:
Owers’ Corner to Good Water trek, Goldie River crossing and Uberi historic site. Pasted text
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Nauro
Day 3
Good Water to Nauro
Today brings some serious climbing, beginning with Imita Ridge and the Golden Staircase.
From the top, you’ll see important Australian positions before continuing towards Ioribaiwa Ridge, where Japanese trenches and supply positions can still be seen.
The journey continues across steep terrain and through the Maguli Range before reaching Nauro Village for the night.
Accommodation:
Village Guesthouse
Included activities:
Imita Ridge and Golden Staircase climb, Ioribaiwa Ridge historic sites, Maguli Range trek and arrival at Nauro Village.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Manari
Day 4
Nauro to Manari
We descend towards the Brown River, crossing on foot before continuing across swampy ground and beginning the climb towards Manari Gap.
From the top, it’s a careful descent towards Manari Village, passing Japanese wartime trenches along the way.
Accommodation:
Village Guesthouse
Included activities:
Brown River crossing, trek through Avulogo, Manari Gap climb and descent to Manari Village.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Naduri
Day 5
Manari to Naduri
Today brings us to some of the key sites that shaped the Kokoda Campaign.
We climb towards Brigade Hill, visiting the memorial and original Australian war gravesite and learning about one of the campaign’s bloodiest battles from your South Sea Horizons historian.
From here, we continue through Mission Ridge and Efogi, where wartime trenches, tunnels and other relics can still be seen throughout the landscape.
Accommodation:
Village Guesthouse
Included activities:
Manari Lookout, Brigade Hill Memorial and historic battle sites, Mission Ridge, Efogi and Kavae River crossing.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Templeton’s Crossing II
Day 6
Naduri to Templeton’s Crossing II
Today we head higher into the Owen Stanley Range, climbing through cooler mountain country towards Mt Bellamy and the Kokoda Gap.
Along the way, we pass Australian wartime positions and trek through moss forest, thick jungle and rugged mountain terrain.
We then descend through muddy and often slippery sections towards Templeton’s Crossing II, where we stay overnight at the community guesthouse.
Accommodation:
Village Guesthouse
Included activities:
Diggers Camp, Mt Bellamy and Kokoda Gap, Templeton’s Crossing No. 1 and No. 2, wartime relics and memorial sites.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Isurava Memorial
Day 7
Templeton’s Crossing II to Isurava Memorial
An early start takes us through steep, swampy terrain towards Eora Creek, an important Australian field hospital and supply base during the campaign.
We continue through Alola Village, where we’ll stop for lunch, before making our way towards Isurava, passing Con’s Rock along the way. Here, the landscape opens to incredible views across Kokoda and the surrounding mountains.
Tonight we camp near the Isurava Memorial, one of the most significant sites on the Track.
Accommodation:
Village Guesthouse/Campsite
Included activities:
Eora Creek historic sites, Alola Village, Con’s Rock and Isurava Battlefield and Memorial.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Kokoda
Day 8
Isurava Memorial to Kokoda
The morning begins with a dawn service at the Isurava Memorial before we make our final journey towards Kokoda. We descend through steep mountain terrain, passing Deniki, Hoi and Kovelo villages before reaching the flatter plantation country surrounding Kokoda Station.
Arriving at Kokoda marks the completion of the Track and the end of an extraordinary journey across the Owen Stanley Range. Tonight we’ll celebrate our achievement and spend our final night on the Track in Kokoda.
Accommodation:
Village Guesthouse/Campsite
Included activities:
Isurava Memorial dawn service, trek through Deniki, Hoi and Kovelo villages, arrival at Kokoda Station.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Port Moresby
Day 9
Kokoda to Port Morseby
After breakfast, we leave Kokoda and begin our journey back to Port Moresby.
Depending on the group size and travel arrangements, we’ll either fly directly from Kokoda or travel by private vehicle to Popondetta for our flight to Port Moresby. On arrival, we’ll transfer to the Hilton Hotel, where there’s time to unpack, freshen up and relax after eight days on the Kokoda Track.
Later, we’ll come together for a special presentation with our guides and porters, recognising the journey we’ve shared and the people who helped us along the way.
Flights:
Commercial flight Kokoda to Port Moresby, including Executive Club
Accommodation:
Hilton Hotel, Port Moresby
Included activities:
Group presentation with guides and porters
Meals:
Breakfast and Lunch
Departure Day
Day 10
Depart Port Moresby
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before checking out. Airport transfers can be arranged to suit your onward flight. Hotel checkout 11am.
Meals:
Breakfast
Explore
Ower’s Corner to Kokoda
Explore Kokoda.
Essential Information.
The Kokoda Track is challenging and remote, so good preparation is essential. You’ll be walking for up to eight hours a day across steep, muddy and uneven terrain, with conditions ranging from hot and humid valleys to cool mountain areas above 2,000 metres.
Our local guides, historian and porters will support you throughout the journey, but arriving physically prepared will help you get more from the experience.
How fit do I need to be?
Is a personal porter included?
Yes. A personal porter is included for each trekker and will carry your main kit. There is a 12 kg limit for personal belongings carried by your porter, while you’ll carry your own daypack with water, your daily food pack and personal items
What are the conditions like?
Expect a little bit of everything. The Track passes through hot and humid lowlands as well as cooler mountain areas, with rain, mud, steep climbs, river crossings and slippery sections all part of the experience.
Do I need travel insurance?
Comprehensive travel insurance is required when travelling with South Sea Horizons, including (but not limited to) cover for medical treatment and evacuation, cancellations, delays and lost or damaged baggage.
What is included?
Your package includes your Kokoda Track experience, two nights of accommodation in Port Moresby, your flight from Port Moresby to Kokoda, a personal porter, hire of your backpack, daypack, sleeping mat and walking poles, a local PNG historian and guide, food porters, trek permit, transfers and a Kokoda certificate.
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