Many people ask us do we think they need a porter. Its a difficult question to answer as it is a matter of personal choice. There are many reasons to avail of the services of a porter and we would not recommend carrying your pack unless you are a seasoned trekker and have undertaken treks of a similar duration and nature previously. If you are in doubt then it is probably best that you should get a porter.

The Pros of having a personal porter carry your pack include...

• Enjoyment: You have more time to concentrate on enjoying the experience of trekking through the jungle and it takes some of the pressure (and weight!) off you while doing the track.
• Safety: It decreases the chances of you injuring yourself as you have more time to concentrate on your footing and making sure you don't slip.
• Involvement: You will have the opportunity to interact with the local PNG people more as your personal porter will be there to carry your bag for you every day. This interaction between trekker and porter will give you the opportunity to learn more about their lives and how they have grown up in vastly different circumstances to how the average Australian has grown up.
• Employment: You are giving worthwhile employment to a person who does not have the same access to education or employment opportunities like most of us have had. Kokoda Historical are a socially responsible company that give fair wages and good working conditions to our staff. All the porters that we employ come from the same family and have trekked with us many times.

What does it cost?

The cost of a porter is $680 - this covers the wages for the porter, the cost of their flight to the start or end of the track (we do not believe in making our staff walk the track to get home after carrying a customers pack for 9 days!), their clothing, bedding, food and accommodation for the duration of the trip plus their food and accommodation for the time they spend in Port Moresby in preparation for the trip. We do not believe in making porters work without food or adequate clothing and bedding.

Kokoda Historical do not make any profit from the hiring of a porter - all the money goes to the porter themselves or into the costs associated with them coming on the trip.