Kokoda Track 08

I am planning to walk the Kokoda Track next year. A few questions:
1. Best time of year to go? (I can only go April, or June/July or Sept/Oct - which is best?)
2. Best company to trek with (I am going solo so figure it is best to join a group)
3. Best way to book? (eg. travel agent etc)
4. Recommended level of fitness?
Many thanks in anticipation

1. Any of those times should be alright, though most people I know tend to go in June/July or Sept/Oct. Not as many during April -- but I've seen others on the forum going then because of ANZAC Day.
   
   2. It really depends on what type of trek you're after. There's about 4 major tour companies and many smaller ones. Each have tours catering to the type of trek their customers are seeking (ie, whether it's more leisurely or whether it's for a greater challenge). Some to check out would be Our Spirit and Kokoda Trekking.
   
   4. I'd recommend you start a regular exercise regime at least 3 months before your trek. Focus on aerobic exercises and other forms of exercise that build your endurance -- as you'll need plenty of it.

1. I went in April this year for ANZAC day but if you want do that next year you might want to hurry because places for anzac trips fill up in advance. I know it's generally wetter at that time of year but we didn't seem to have too many problems and if you want to gain more of an experience of what the diggers went through then you don't really want to have the ideal conditions, because they certaintly didn't.
   
   2. I went with Our Spirit and would highly recommend it. Obviously I cant really comment on any other companies though. I found that the knowledge and respect of the history, the track and the villages was outstanding. They also help with training programs before hand if yo want.
   
   3. Can't comment, I didnt do the organising, but probably do some research and ring around. it might be best to have all your connecting flights booked together, you don't want too much room for things to go wrong in PNG because it probably will. I think you'll find some of the guide companies will help you book connecting flights or whatever anyway.
   
   4. I just started walking. Walking, walking, walking. Taking the stairs every opportunity, walking for several hours on the weekend, trying to keep a good pace and always carrying at least something on my back and enjoying the wonderful scenery around Sydney. I think I mentioned in a previous post, a good test is maybe to do an overnight hike such as the blue mountains. (down evans lookout, up govett's leap, camp overnight at acacia flat). It's also a good opportunity to test equipment. And one very important thing when doing any walking for the trip, as much as possible, try to wear the boots you'll be taking with you. This will wear them in a bit and help minimise the risk of blisters and sore feet while you're over there.

One more thing..... If anyone is looking for some more help and advice on the kokoda track, I've recently found some groups on facebook.
So if you are on facebook already and haven't done so already, do a search for "kokoda" groups and you'll find plenty of people who have walked the track willing to help with questions, or someone who is wanting to walk it may have the same questions as you.
Worth a look and also great place to share photos.

Good luck with your trek.

I went with "No Roads" after much research and couldn't fault them at all. Where I thought they excelled over others was the food supplied and professionism. Check out their website. Very reasonable prices as well. They also do some training walks etc.
Pretty much all level of fitness will get you to the end but if you want to really enjoy it and savour the experience then do training. I run about 60km a week and didn't find it that hard. I went with my brother inlaw who did zero training and smokes 2 packets of styvos a day but a very strong mental will and he found it enjoyable. Some others on the trip that did lots of weights,aerobics etc but had never done anything like it before found it hard to keep up their enthusiasm.
I recommend a personal porter but thats individual.
take lots of stuff to give to the kids and villages, it willl be much appreciated.
dont forget malaria prophylaxis, 2 porters on our trip got malaria and were very sick.
hope this helps