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WALKING THE TRACK WITH US
Walking The Kokoda Track
in Papua New Guinea’s Owen Stanley Range is one
of our most challenging treks both mentally and
physically.
Safety in remote
locations is important and we carry the latest
UHF radios and back up state of the art
satellite phone communications on all treks.
These are linked back to Australia and to our
base in Port Moresby, which is manned 24 hours a
day. In all our years of operation on the
Track, Backtrack have never had to arrange
an emergency evacuation of any of clients.
This alone says a lot about the calibre of the
Professional Leaders, pre trip preparation
of clients and attention to detail in trip
management. We provide a well tested and proven
trekking format. You are accompanied from
Australia by a B.T.A leader
who will ensure the
smooth progress of your trek, provide an
informed and accurate account of the battle
history as you visit each of the major sites,
and most importantly our leaders are the type of
people who are fun to be with.
We guarantee
not to traverse the Track like an army route
march and all wearing matching coloured
T-Shirts and name tags. Guaranteed maximum group
size 15, including the Leader.
Trekking the Kokoda Track with us is
simply a world class Guided Adventure Holiday,
providing a lot of fun with plenty of challenges
and rewards and a never to be forgotten insight
into an aspect of Australia's History that will
make you even prouder to be Australian.
COST BREAKDOWN FOR 2008
COSTS: 2008
$3,950. per person
using twin share rooms in Port Moresby. Single
room available in Port Moresby at additional
cost. Every effort will be made to twin share
single bookings to avoid any single room costs.
Personal Porter
Cost:
For an additional cost of $580,
you can hire the services of a porter who
will carry all your gear on the Track in a pack
provided. We strongly recommend this service
if you are unsure of your ability to carry a
very heavy 18-20KG pack over steep and
treacherous terrain, in uncertain weather
conditions. Remember, this is a holiday as well
as a personal physical and mental challenge.
Putting too much pressure on yourself by
attempting to carry a heavy pack without the
prerequisite fitness or experience will
seriously detract from your enjoyment.
Hire Gear: A sleeping bag and a self
inflating sleeping mat can be hired for
collection in Port Moresby. These items are
suitable for trekkers with a personal porter but
may not be suitable for trekkers electing to
carry all their gear due to weight and size of
these items.
Included in cost: return economy class
airfare with Air Niugini from Brisbane, PNG internal
flights, 3 nights twin share accommodation and
airport transfers in Port Moresby at the very
comfortable Holiday Inn, transport from Ower’s
Corner to Port Moresby, trail, camp and village
fees on The Track, guest house accommodation and
tents when necessary, trek permit, Trek Leader,
regular Track briefings by your leader on the
war history, all pre trip activities, pre
departure information pack.
Not included:
visa cost ($35+postage or courier), any
necessary personal gear and equipment, including
a lightweight trekkers stove and food ration
packs (allow up to $160), travel insurance
(approx $80), meals in Port Moresby( 3 dinners,
2 breakfasts) and personal porter if required.
Back Track reserves the right to increase prices
should costs increase. Also, flight schedules
may change and if so, it may be necessary to
increase the holiday by a day, or change the
departure date slightly.
Meals: Your Confirmation Pack (sent to
you on booking) contains simple to follow
directions on how to prepare your personal daily
ration packs. Preparing your own ration packs is
quick and simple and ensures that you eat what
appeals to you. Three different menus are
provided as examples and you can add or change
according to your own tastes. All food items
suggested are readily available at any
Supermarket and the occasional specialist food
item eg dehydrated dinners are readily available
at an outdoor gear and equipment shop. Back
Track trekkers receive discounts for purchases
made at recommended outdoor shops in Brisbane,
Sydney and Melbourne. Boiling water is supplied
by your crew to assist your meal preparation at
breakfast, lunch and dinner. Boiling water is
used for hot drinks and reconstituting
backpackers dehydrated meals at dinner and meals
such as noodles for lunch. In addition, in 2008
Back Track will provide each trekker with a
compact, lightweight, trekkers stove complete
with lightweight pot and pan and a 1 litre
bottle of fuel for the duration of the trek.
Having a lightweight stove allows you additional
meal flexibility eg you can prepare an
occasional hot meal that is not dehydrated and
you can make coffee or tea whenever you wish. A
stove is especially handy on half days or on
days when we reach camp very early or very late.
For our 2008 Kokoda trekking season, you will be
able to order personalised daily ration Packs
direct from a specialist food supplier via the
net and have them delivered to your door
anywhere in Australia. Fresh fruit and some
vegetables are usually available daily in the
villages that we pass through or stay in. When
preparing for your trek, you should never rely
on this food source being readily available.
Spending money in PNG: If you
do not intend to purchase souvenirs, a minimum
of AUD$200 will be sufficient. A Credit card is
advisable as a back up. On the Track, some
fruit, food, soft drinks and occasionally beer
can be purchased. Carrying AUD$100 converted to
small denomination local currency is advisable
though it will be nearly impossible to spend
that amount. PNG currency can be obtained in
Australia before departure or at the Port
Moresby airport or our Hotel on arrival.
WALKING THE TRACK IN 2007 & 2008
Back Track
walks the Track commencing in the village of Kokoda and finishing at Ower's Corner near Port
Moresby. The Track can also be walked in the
reverse direction commencing at Ower's Corner
and finishing in Kokoda. Back Track will run one
only trek in 2007 and 2008 commencing in Ower's
Corner. (Trek 2).
ANZAC DAY 2007 & 2008: Teams 1 & 2 will
depart from opposite ends of the Track and meet
at Brigade Hill on Anzac Day the 25th April for
a Special Anzac Day Ceremony. The Tracks’
importance to Australian history cannot be
denied. It was the scene of bitter, desperate
fighting between Australian and Japanese forces
in 1942. The Track passes through an area of
incredible beauty featuring jungle clad
mountains, steep sided valleys and crystal clear
mountain streams.
At
Back Track we
trek mainly in the cooler and
dryer winter months mid year. This adventure
begins in Port Moresby, the capital of PNG and
on our arrival we will be met and transferred to
our comfortable accommodation at the Holiday
Inn. After completing the trek, we will have a
full day tour of Port Moresby including a visit
to Bomana War Cemetery, the final resting place
of Australians killed in the PNG campaign. The
trek commences with a short flight to Kokoda
village where we visit the war memorials and
museum. Over the next 9 days we trek south
following the battle sights of 1942. At night we
stay in village guest houses or camp in the
jungle. In the middle section of the trek we
have 3 short days allowing much needed rest and
an opportunity to interact with the incredibly
hospitable villagers.
After 9 days of exhilarating
adventure we arrive at Ower's Corner and proudly
walk beneath the arch. The trek now over, you’ll
have a deep sense of achievement and
satisfaction having walked “The Track”. A 30km
drive brings us back to our hotel in Port
Moresby for a well deserved hot shower and a
restaurant meal. At 9AM the next morning we set
off to see the sights of Port Moresby and
include a stop at a wholesale handicraft
warehouse for those compulsory souvenirs. We'll
be back to our hotel in time to have a swim and
prepare for our Farewell Dinner at the Royal
Papuan Yacht Club. Next morning we leave early
for our flight home.
BUNA & GONA - (3 day post trek
option)
Buna, Sanananda and Gona was the
scene of heavy fighting in WW2. A small force of
Australians, - Maroubra Force – arrived at Buna
in July 1942 as the first Japanese force of 1500
men landed at Gona a short distance up the
coast. The intense fighting that followed will
forever go down as one of the most heroic
actions in the annals of military history. The
massively outnumbered Australian force
tactically withdrew back to Kokoda and then
fought an heroic delaying action along the
Kokoda Track against an enemy force that now
numbered nearly 10,000. Eventually the tide of
battle went the Australian way and the Japanese
retreated back over the Track and eventually
were defeated back on the heavily fortified
beachheads at Buna and Gona. This final
beachhead campaign saw the near complete
destruction of the entire Japanese forces.
This option is suitable for
anyone wishing to gain an understanding of the
entire campaign. This section will not be
escorted by a Back Track leader, however, a
local guide will meet you at the airport on
arrival at Popandetta and accompany you
throughout. Your stay at the beach at Buna will
be in comfortable long house accommodation built
on an old Japanese air strip. A thick foam
mattress and mosquito netting is provided and
hot showers, clean toilets and plenty of good
food ensure a pleasant relaxing experience. Look
forward to guided historic walks, great
swimming, visits to villages, and a fascinating
small boat journey from Gona to Buna. Your hosts
at Buna are incredibly friendly and will make
your stay memorable. |
