Trek Smarter with Getaway Trekking
Inclusive trek options
Our land component trek prices are fully inclusive – there are no hidden extras!
- We DO include pre and post trek accommodation, transport to and from the track and all meals on the track.
- We carry emergency communication equipment, and are fully licenced with the KTA and hold public liability insurance
- We can also provide Flight and Travel Insurance prices and information to ensure you know just how much your Kokoda Experience will cost you
- We are one of the few (if any) operators extending to the northern beaches, where we lost twice as many diggers
- We offer GPS tracking through Facebook and our website so your family and friends can keep track of your adventure
Fitness / Training
We are very committed to ensuring our clients are properly prepared in both a fitness and information sense. We have an enviable safety record, with minimal medical evacuations over our 14 years of operation, and believe this is in large part due to the training and briefing we undertake with our clients. In addition to minimising prospects of injury, appropriate preparation will maximise enjoyment of the trek – it is difficult to be happy and exhausted at the same time!
We offer a monthly training program in 4 areas: Melbourne, Adelaide, Cairns and Brisbane, and is available to you free of charge. We find that in addition to the fitness aspect, it’s a great way to mix with like minded people, benchmark your training and pick up snippets of information from people who have already been, training to go, or simply consideration their options! Please note you do not need to have made a booking to access this training – for some, it’s a great way to get to know us and how we operate which helps with their decision to book with us.
Equipment
We can provide hire packs consisting of the more expensive items (backpack, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, etc.) and can advise on purchase of other items.
Culture
The Papua New Guinean culture is rich and varied – there are several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people. There are 800 distinct languages, of which only 350-450 are related in any way. ‘Tok Pisin’ Melanesian Pidgin evolved as a common language which created trade opportunities, and is widely used. Though cultures vary widely, there are widely accepted similarities: a strong attachment to land, which is often held communally, an ongoing subsistence lifestyle and a commitment to community. In addition this culture is richly musical, and our tired legs are often lifted by our porters singing – there is no more profound acoustic environment than the dense Kokoda jungle. We have met and developed ongoing friendships with many wonderful men and women who have not yet learned to revere plasma TV over a village soccer game. We learn from this magnificent culture every day.
Relationships
We are very committed to our relationships with our team in Papua New Guinea and value our carriers as part of our groups. As descendants of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels who gave our soldiers such support during the Kokoda Campaign, these wonderful men and women continue the tradition in providing us with assistance across the track, with the same care and attention as their forefathers. Over the 14 years we have been working with our carriers who live predominantly in Buna and Sanananda on the northern beaches, they have evolved into a highly professional trekking team. Team selection is done by a committee of senior carriers with many years’ experience, and is based on a points system. Points are achieved with community service in the village, as well as performance on the track. Professional development opportunities are seized and new skills – e.g. first aid, cooking, etc – are brought back to the village for everyone to share. The team is continually looking for new ways to improve professionalism, and provide fantastic experiences for our clients.
We believe our carrier’s rural background, predominantly subsistence farming when not trekking, provides them with a gentleness of nature, and has protected them from the harshness of city life, This is very noticeable watching them taking care of our trekkers. We are truly blessed to have them.
History
All of our leaders are well versed in the history of the Kokoda Campaign and information is relayed all the way along the track. At key points on the track we hold services, commemorating the lives, the achievements and the sacrifices of our soldiers. You may be aware that 2012 is the 70th anniversary of the Kokoda Campaign. If ever there was an opportunity to honour our magnificent diggers – and their support, the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels – it is then. We are working with the 39th Battalion Association to provide an opportunity for trekkers to Walk in the Spirit of a Digger, and gain a deeper appreciation of the soldiers. – each person has the opportunity to be provided with the name and service number of a 39th soldier; we encourage you to research your soldier and learn as much as you can – not just about their achievements during the campaign, but about them as people. These men were not just soldiers, they were brothers, fathers and sons.
