The story of a place
A demanding route through landscape and memory
The Kokoda Track crosses the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea and carries a profound association with the fighting of 1942. Its meaning comes from the relationship between terrain, wartime experience and the communities along the route.
This is a sustained trek, not a sequence of easy viewpoints. Mud, heat, climbs and long days shape the experience. Preparing carefully and choosing a responsible licensed operator are central to a meaningful visit that respects both the history and the people who live along the track.
The essential experience
Make time for this.
Undertake a properly prepared, authorised trek with historical interpretation and enough time to engage respectfully with the communities encountered.
Explore the highlights
Look a little closer.
The Kokoda route links steep forested terrain with the memory of wartime journeys.
Terrain
Notice how ridges and steep valleys affect movement.
Historical locations
Use reliable interpretation to connect places with the campaign.
Village life
Remember that the route passes through people’s home landscape.
For the curious reader
History, landscape
and context.
The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96 kilometres (60 mi) overland – 60 kilometres (37 mi) in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese and Allied – primarily Australian – forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua. The track was first used by European miners in the 1890s to access the Yodda Kokoda goldfields. Between July 1942 and November 1942, a series of battles, afterwards called the Kokoda Track campaign, was fought between the Japanese and Australian forces.
Background reading: an abridged extract from Kokoda Track, by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and shortened for this guide. Retrieved 22 September 2026. Source revision ↗.
Turn curiosity into a visit
Plan your visit.
- Physical demands
- A strenuous multiday trek requiring preparation and a realistic assessment of fitness.
- The practical detail
- Judge the itinerary by its support, realistic walking schedule and community relationships, not by the shortest advertised duration.
Before you set off.
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A place in the world
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- 1Kokoda TrackOpen directions ↗ · Location reference ↗
A sense of place
In pictures.
Keep looking.
10 photographs, with full-size views and individual credits.
Go a little further
