Kokoda Track hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Kokoda Track is a 96 km jungle trek across the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea, from Owers Corner near Port Moresby to Kokoda station on the northern plains. It follows the route of the 1942 Kokoda campaign, when Australian and Papuan troops held back the Japanese advance on Port Moresby. Most trekkers take 8 to 10 days with a licensed operator, local guides and porters, and sleep in village guesthouses and campsites. It is hot, wet, steep and muddy.

The route

From the memorial at Owers Corner the track drops steeply to the Goldie River and climbs Imita Ridge by the "Golden Staircase", the last Australian defence line in 1942. It crosses Ua-Ule Creek many times, climbs to Ioribaiwa, where the Japanese advance stopped, and goes over the Maguli Range to Nauro. After the Brown River and Menari it climbs to Brigade Hill, the site of one of the hardest battles, and reaches Efogi, the largest village on the track. The highest and wettest section follows: moss forest past Kagi and the Mount Bellamy area at about 2,200 m, then down to Templeton's Crossing and along Eora Creek to Alola and the Isurava memorial. The last day descends through Deniki and Hoi to the memorial arch at Kokoda.

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 8 stages of about 10.7 km each, the classic 8-day itinerary from Owers Corner to Kokoda. Distances on the map are shorter than the 96 km official figure, and much shorter than the 120 to 140 km that GPS watches record, because the path winds and doubles back under the forest canopy. Plan by hours, not kilometres: most days are 6 to 8 hours of walking, and the stage from Efogi to Templeton's Crossing can take 10 hours or more. Many operators walk it from Kokoda instead, and overnight stops vary by company.

Highlights

• Imita Ridge and Ioribaiwa: the turning point of the campaign, a few hours from the start
• Brigade Hill: battlefield memorial on an open ridge with views over the Owen Stanley Range
• Efogi and Menari: busy villages where you meet the Koiari people and buy fresh fruit
• The moss forest near Mount Bellamy: cold, misty cloud forest at the highest point of the track
• Isurava memorial: four granite pillars, Courage, Endurance, Mateship and Sacrifice, where many groups hold a dawn service
• Kokoda arch and plateau: the end of the track, with a small museum and memorial park

When to trek the Kokoda Track

The main trekking season is the drier months, from about April to October. April (around Anzac Day on 25 April) and July to September are the busiest times. The wet season runs from December to March, but rain, mud and swollen rivers are possible in any month, and humidity is usually 80 to 95%. Days in the valleys are about 25 to 32°C; nights at Templeton's Crossing and on the high ridges can fall close to freezing.

Permits and operators

Every trekker needs a Kokoda Track Trek Permit from the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA): K350 for international trekkers and K175 for PNG residents. The KTA says treks must be arranged with a licensed tour operator, and unlicensed groups can be stopped on the track. The operator includes the permit, campsite and guesthouse fees, guides, food and porters in its price, and must have a satellite phone and an emergency plan. Check that your operator's licence is current.

The track crosses customary land, and landowners have closed it several times over unpaid compensation. The last long closure was from September to December 2024. Ask your operator for the current status before you fly.

Getting there and away

Fly to Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby. You need a PNG visa before you travel, and since August 2026 the free PNG Digital Arrival Card must be completed online before the airline issues your boarding pass. Owers Corner is about 50 km from Port Moresby by road through Sogeri (1.5 to 2 hours). At the Kokoda end, operators fly charter planes between Kokoda airstrip and Port Moresby, or use the Air Niugini flight to Girua Airport near Popondetta and then about 4 hours by road.

Where you sleep

There are no hotels on the track. Groups sleep in village guesthouses, simple huts with sleeping platforms, and in campsites run by the landowners, with drop toilets and creek water. Huts cannot be booked and are shared first come, first served, so operators carry tents or hammocks. Bring a mosquito net. Before and after the trek you sleep in Port Moresby, Sogeri or at a guesthouse in Kokoda.

Money and phone signal

The currency is the kina (PGK). Take small notes (K5 and K10) for fruit, drinks and tips, because there are no ATMs or card payments on the track; use ATMs in hotels in Port Moresby. Mobile signal is patchy at best and missing in most valleys. Your operator's satellite phone is the only reliable link. A personal locator beacon or satellite messenger is a good backup.

Difficulty

The Kokoda Track is hard. There are about 6,000 m of ascent on the map and much more in reality, on steep, slippery clay, roots and log bridges, with many river crossings and constant heat and humidity. Train for at least three months with long, steep walks carrying a pack. Most trekkers hire a personal porter to carry their main pack (usually up to about 10 kg) and carry a day pack with water and rain gear.

What to pack

Broken-in boots with good grip, trekking poles, quick-dry clothes, a warm layer for the high camps, a rain jacket, a sleeping bag rated to about 5°C, a mosquito net, 2 to 3 litres of water capacity and purification, a head torch, a power bank, camp sandals and a first aid kit with blister care and oral rehydration salts.

Health and safety

Malaria and dengue are common all year: take antimalarials prescribed before you leave, cover up and use repellent. Drink to thirst and take salts: several trekkers have died of hyponatremia from drinking too much plain water. Treat all creek water. Health care on the track is very basic: Efogi has a health centre and Kokoda a small hospital, and serious cases are flown to Port Moresby or Australia, so insurance with helicopter evacuation is essential. Serious crime is common in Port Moresby: stay with your operator in town. Emergency numbers are 111 (ambulance), 112 (police) and 110 (fire), but they work mainly in Port Moresby; on the track your guide calls for help by satellite phone.

History

Between July and November 1942 Japanese forces landed on the north coast and pushed over the mountains towards Port Moresby. Young militia soldiers of the 39th Battalion, later joined by Australian Imperial Force battalions and the Papuan Infantry Battalion, fought a long retreat from Kokoda to Imita Ridge before the Japanese were pushed back. Papuan carriers, remembered as the "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels", brought supplies and carried the wounded. The Owen Stanley Ranges and the Kokoda Track have been on Papua New Guinea's World Heritage tentative list since 2006.