FAQs

A trekker should also be well aware of food preparation. This mainly applies on the track where trekker’s food is usually cooked by porters, but can also be relevant when in Port Moresby before starting across the Owen Stanley Ranges.

1. The cooking rule means that the heat will have killed off any of the bugs and bacteria that might have been lurking in things like meat, vegetables and in the water.
2. A hiker who opens a food item himself can have some confidence the food is free from bugs. These are items like tinned food, packets of biscuits, cans of drink and fruit.
3. Buying fruit from the villages along the track is one of the simple pleasures of a trek along the Kokoda Trail. And if a trekker opens the fruit, such as a banana, themselves there is the check of contamination.
4. A trekker also needs to be aware of dragging the mouthpiece of their hydration bladder in the dirt when taking the backpack on and off. The dirt can contain bad organisms and these can easily be ingested when taking the next sip from the hydration bladder mouthpiece.
5. Do not share food, eating utensils or drink out of other trekker’s water bottles or camel packs. Make sure when you are eating that you sit your eating utensils on top of your plates or bowls. Do not sit them down on campsite table or ground.

Please contact us if you have special dietary requirements we can cater for most food allergies and food issues that trekkers may have.

Personal hygiene is one area that a trekker needs to be extra vigilant while on the Kokoda Track. The entire trip can quickly turn into a disaster if a stomach bug is picked up. All the training in the world, the best equipment, boots and trekking with the best tour company can quickly be negated if drinking contaminated water or food.

1. Therefore, the first requirement is to treat all water. Chemical or other treatment, such as a Steripen should be used or purification tablets. A trekker must not rely on boiling water, as a fire won’t always be available.
2. Hands should be washed regularly; especially after ablutions and just prior to eating. Like normal hygiene measures in the city to avoid catching bacteria and viruses, a trekker should avoid putting dirty hands in their mouth, nose and eyes as this is a common way for nasties to enter the body.
3. The alcohol based hand wash gels are perfect for trekking. Just a small amount is required to effectively sterilise the hands, so only a small bottle needs to be carried.

1. All toilets along the track are pit latrines (long drops). A hint is to roll off the amount of paper you need to take to the toilet. Preventing the chance you may drop your roll down the toilet.
2. Most important-remember to use your hand gel afterwards.
3. We encourage our trekkers to use showers in the villages where available. If in a camp site please use environmentally soaps and shampoos.

PNG Trekking Adventures supplies 2 person tents for all our trekkers. We find that a 1 person tent is just that only enough room for 1 body not much else. With a 2 person tent you will be able to get your gear in it with you. They all have a fly with vestibules so trekkers can leave their large pack and boots, poles in this area and will stay dry. The tents are all mosquito and bug proof.

We also stay in guest houses in villages which we have helped furnish with foam mattresses and pillows. If you choose to sleep in a guest house you must put up your mosquito net. They are traditionally built, wooden floors, bamboo walls, and thatched roofs. One door and windows with no glass.

Our village families will prepare special treats for our trekkers and boys. Pumpkin tips, tapioca, fried sweet potato and greens to compliment our evening meals.

Trekkers please make sure that you bring in all your clothes, boots etc each evening. Do not leave it hanging out side. The track is still used by local people to commute between Popendetta and Port Moresby. If they see a pair a boots laying in the middle of a camp site it may be just too tempting for them to pass by without taking them. Our boys will try and ensure that all gear is put away at night but there is always the possibility they may miss something. Also in saying this, we have never had anything stolen from any of our camp sites.

Please remember to never leave any food outside your tent or lying around the campsite. There are often dogs roaming around which are used for hunting by the villagers, they will be off with it in an instant. Always have food inside your zipped up tent.

Our boys have their own accommodation in villages and campsite. You will hear them at night softly telling stories around their campfire and singing songs.

Please keep your daypack as light as possible. Your personal porter will never be far away, if you need anything out of your large pack during the day this will not be a problem.

http://www.cessna.com

Proper hydration is one of the essential requirements when trekking under the conditions you will experience in Papua New Guinea.

• Water is plentiful on most parts of the track.
• Treatment of your drinking water is required at all times.
• Most tablets generally require half an hour to treat the water before it is drinkable. Please check the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Water treatment tablets are available at chemists and camping stores.
• You will need to purchase these in Australia prior to departure and bring enough to treat up to 3-4 litres of water per day for two weeks.
• Bottled water is not available on the track.
• Nikki or Chris will advise you on where to fill your drink bottles and camel back.
• Not all of the streams and rivers are advisable to use for drinking water. Always ensure that you have a bottle of treated water available while you are waiting for your replenished water supply to undergo treatment.
• It is of great importance that you monitor your water intake.
• You will be losing fluids from your body at a much greater rate than what you are accustomed to.
• A person exercising in the heat can readily lose one litre of water per hour.
• Drinking small volumes of water regularly will maintain hydration and will reduce the risks of nausea or stomach upsets.

• Groups normally get into campsites between 2:30-5:30pm.
• Make sure your friends/family have arrived .
• Help your porter erect your tent and set up your gear in the tent
• Go and fill your camel pack and water bottle and purify
• Take your boots off, put on camp shoes and go and have a cuppa and a snack
• Or go and have a swim or shower first.
• Relax, drink lots of tea. Walk around the camp site/village or have a nana nap in your tent before dinner. Have a sing along with the boys around the camp fire before retiring.

On day 1 the group will be transferred to Tropic Air terminal to connect with our private charter to Kokoda settlement. Our boys will be at the airstrip (grass) to meet us and will carry all our gear up to the museum. It takes 15 minutes to walk up to the plateau where the musuem is. Once there your guide will show you around the memorials and you can visit the museum. Our boys will in the mean time be sorting out the packs and your personal porter will be putting their gear into your pack. After everyone has had a good look around, we will then introduce everyone to our team and your personal porter. Then off we go.

Wake up call is 5am every morning. Walking by 6:30am. No exceptions. Two reasons for this. We want to start walking before the heat of the day sets in and also want to be in camp at a reasonable hour so trekkers have time to have a swim/wash set up their tents, rest up for the next day and have an early dinner before retiring around 7:30-8pm most nights.

1. Wake up call 5am
2. Tend to your feet, strapping, vaseline etc, and put dry socks on.
3. Pack up your gear. Sleeping bag, thermarest etc.
4. Fill up camel pack and water bottle – Must be purified
5. Have breakfast (most important-your body needs fuel to trek all day)
6. Make sure you have some sweets or snacks in your pocket.
7. Help your porter take down your tent
8. Your guide will brief the group of what is going to happen today. E.g WW11 sites we will be visiting. Water availability along the track. How many ups and downs today etc.
9. Have a good slug of water before setting out.

Sodium plays a key role in your body. It helps maintain normal blood pressure, supports the work of your nerves and muscles, and regulates your body’s fluid balance.

When the sodium level in your blood becomes too low, extra water enters your cells and causes them to swell. Swelling in your brain is especially dangerous because the brain is confined by your skull and unable to expand without causing symptoms.

Drinking too much water during exercise (exertional hyponatremia).Because you lose sodium through sweat, drinking too much water during endurance activities, such as marathons and triathlons, can dilute the sodium content of your blood.

Signs and Symptoms

1. Nausea and vomiting
2. Headache
3. Confusion
4. Loss of energy
5. Fatigue
6. Restlessness and irritability
7. Muscle weakness, spasms or cramps
8. Seizures
9. Unconsciousness
10. Coma

Prevention

1. Take precautions during high-intensity activities. Athletes should drink only as much fluid as they lose due to sweating during high intensity exercise — usually no more than about 1 liter of water an hour during extended exercise.
2. Consider drinking sports beverages during demanding activities. Ask your doctor about replacing water with sports beverages that contain electrolytes when participating in endurance events such as marathons, triathlons and other demanding activities.
3. Drink water in moderation. Drinking water is vital for your health, so make sure you drink enough fluids. But don’t overdo it. Thirst and the color of your urine are usually the best indications of how much water you need. If you’re not thirsty and your urine is pale yellow, you are likely getting enough water