Trek the Kokoda Trail Travel Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Kokoda Trail Tours’

It’s always difficult for those at home wondering how their friends, partnets, family members are going on the Track.
Team 3 arrived at Naduri Village yesterday the 26th. Naduri is half way along the Kokoda Track and is the village where most of our support crew live. It is always good fun to arrive at Naduri as the crew get to spend a night at home and we the trekkers get to meet some of our crew’s family.
All Team memebrs are doing well. Visit again soon for an update.

An enormous effort has been made around the Kokoda airstrip in March.  The entire airstrip has been slashed and mown, the new terminal area has been surveyed and cleared, 60 safety cones and 2 windsocks installed, and a signal circle cleared and painted.

The airstrip has now been cleared to the northern end of the market road. Part 2 of the safety package will see  the airstrip extended further, a new terminal building and apron and navigation and weather equipment installed later this year.

A team of Doctors, in conjunction with the Kokoda Track Authority, have recently returned from the Kokoda Track with a wealth of research information.

Over 185 trekkers on Anzac Day treks  volunteered to give a blood sample to the research teams who were strategically placed  at Iorobaiwa and Isurava .

The study data is yet to be statistically analysed, but the general message to come from the study is in keeping with similar research in competitive endurance events. Put simply to drink when you feel thirsty. The Kokoda Track places the body under significant physiological stress and a consistent, sensible fluid intake is required. Trekkers need to avoid dehydration but must resist the temptation to force themselves to drink too much fluid while on the Track.

We are often asked how fit you have to be to trek the Kokoda Trck. The answer – the fitter you are the more you will enjoy the Kokoda Track. Trekking the Kokoda Track is tough and physically and mentally challenging. Your personal training programme starts as soon as you book your trek and you need to make fitness preparation part of your lifestyle.

The Kokoda Track is tough – You will need this ingredient more than any other for the trek. In your preparation, be tough on yourself. Set your training goals and stick to them. If it means getting up earlier to train, then do it. If it means dieting, cutting back on alcohol, coffee etc, then do it. If it means forfeiting social engagements, then do it. Don’t compromise with yourself under any circumstances. Every additional step you take and every sacrifice you make will pay incredible dividends for you somewhere on the Track.

Trekking the Kokoda Track requires mental preparation – Travelling in a remote, underdeveloped country like Papua New Guinea requires patience, flexibility and a positive attitude. The local people have a more relaxed, easy-going attitude to life than most Westerners. You may have to wait longer for service in a shop, hotel or restaurant than you would expect to back home. We don’t look upon these things as problems, merely facts of life in PNG. If you are open-minded, relaxed and strive to be happy, your travels will be rewarding and unforgettable.

We have created a few videos with tips for getting fit for trekking the Kokoda Track. Have a look at our Fitness on the Kokdoa Track page or visit our You Tube channel: youtube.com/trekkokoda

We have long held the belief that trekking the Kokoda  Track should be an adventure holiday, a cultural and historical insight, as well as a physical and mental challenge.

We believe that a sensible approach to trekking allows for time to stop and enjoy the villages and the culture as well as gain a good understanding of the war campaign – and that is what we have created with our Back Track Kokoda Trail Tours.

We acknowledge that for most trekkers, completing the KokodaTrack will be a tough physical and mental challenge. However, we also note that it should be a fun and rewarding holiday experience as well. We have created a sensible itinerary that provides enough time to explore the overwhelming majority of battle sites and lesser significant historical war locations. There are half days as well ensuring a proper mix of effort and recovery and this recovery, or relaxation time, allows for an opportunity to meet and mix with the local people.

Our Kokoda Trek Leaders love their job. They love sharing their passion with you for trekking the Track, while explaining the war history, providing an understanding of the culture and sharing the beauty of the jungle environment and the trekking challenge.

Most importantly, they will ensure that you finish the Track safely and with a lasting understanding of what the Kokoda Campaign was all about. The fascinating war stories, relived as you trek, of the soldiers who fought and died along every foot of the Track will never be forgotten.

Our ultimate aim for all our Kokoda trekkers is that we all, in some small way, gain an understanding of the challenges our soldiers faced and overcame, their courage, mateship, endurance and sacrifices.

Your trek over the wartime Kokoda Track with Back Track Adventures will be a safe, fun and a personally rewarding experience.