Depart for home today, or for further exploration of PNG.
This brings this incredible experience to an end, but hopefully you head home with some friends and treasured memories! (B)
Anzac Day Dawn Service (Non-Trekking)
4 Days 2150 ex Port Moresby
Accommodation
3 Nights Hotel
Transportation
Some relaxed walking
Transfers to Bomana War Cemetery & locations around Port Moresby
Included Meals
3 Breakfasts
2 Lunches
3 Dinners
Trip Grade
Category 1
Joyful Jaunt
The weak flapping of an Australian flag. A quiet murmur of shuffling feet. An occasional cough, or the buzz of a fly.
These, the only sounds that break the pre-dawn silence within Bomana War Cemetery.
Suddenly, a bugle, like a shot from a rifle, breaks that silence!
Shivers go down your spine.
This is ANZAC Day. This is the dawn service. This is Kokoda.
Gone, but by no means forgotten, this is your chance to honour their memory and their sacrifice.
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
The Ode from For the Fallen, Laurence Binyon
2023 marks the 81st Anniversary of the Kokoda Track campaign, and whilst the number of surviving servicemen continues to dwindle with each passing year, the legend of their feats continues to grow.
It was in Papua New Guinea that the mighty empire of Japan suffered its first defeat, and their aura of invincibility finally shattered.
Discover Port Moresby, meet the local Papuans and see the sights (such as the incredible birdlife for which the country is famed at the Port Moresby Nature Park), learn to appreciate the sacrifices made by both sides in the conflict, the locals who supported them and be part of something very special indeed.
“The Kokoda Trail is as ingrained in Australia’s story as Gallipoli. From July 1942 to early 1943, Australian troops in the Owen Stanley Range and on the beaches of northern Papua saw some of the most desperate and vicious fighting encountered in the Second World War.”
Australian War Memorial
The Journey
Be met by our wonderful staff upon arrival and transferred to the Hilton Hotel. After checking in, enjoy the afternoon relaxing and the hotel amenities. (D)
Join your local guide for a day of cultural adventure and history.
Shortly after breakfast, depart for a full-day outing. Travelling along Hombrun Bluff in the Sogeri Ranges, we’ll stop at iconic sites such as Bomana War Cemetery (a wonderful opportunity to reflect before the crowds on ANZAC Day), McDonald’s Corner, before finally reaching Owers Corner.
Enjoy witnessing the triumph of those who have just walked the entire 96kms of the Kokoda Track as they complete their final ascent by passing through the iconic memorial arches.
Bring your camera, as there are plenty of magnificent photos to take of the scenery.
A relaxing lunch is sure to refuel you for the return journey back to Port Moresby. (B,L,D)
A very early day starts with us boarding the bus to Bomana War Cemetery in preparation for the Dawn Service.
Prepare to immerse yourself in the occasion and the moving memorial service that follows.
Standing on the grounds amongst so many laid to rest, experiencing the service as the sun rises with the chopper fly pass, gives you the opportunity to appreciate, reflect and remember.
Back to the hotel for breakfast and the chance to freshen up, before an afternoon visit to the Port Moresby Nature Park.
A guided tour through the park enhances our PNG experience, showcasing the native animals that adorn the country, including the famed Birds of Paradise.
Lunch in the shaded cafe is included before you head back to the hotel for a good rest.
You may have the opportunity to visit the Royal Papuan Yacht Club, where servicemen and women, and many expats often congregate for drinks and the chance to further commemorate the day. (B,L,D)
Journey Extensions
Check out our Journey Extensions for those that want to stay a little longer or try something different along the way.
Rabaul is an hour and a half flight away from Port Moresby and is a great town to explore and lots of activities.
You can go snorkelling, cruising, visit the Duke of York Islands or climb a volcano.
There are also bustling markets and great bird watching. A great additional trip for someone who wants to see other areas of Papua New Guinea, but wants to do more than just rest and relaxation.
Price per person is $600.
Nusa Island Retreat in Kavieng, on the island of New Ireland, is only an hours flight from Port Moresby, but feels a world away, with crystal clear waters, incredible scuba diving, snorkelling, fishing and surfing.
After finishing a Kokoda trek, Nusa Island Retreat is the perfect place to recover, and to see a whole new side of PNG.
We can help you with your domestic flights to Kavieng.
Premium Room
Single Room: $330 per person/per night
Double/Twin: $240 per person/per night
Includes all meals and airport transfers
Tufi Resort is an hours flight from Port Moresby and is situated in the world’s largest tropical loch system where palm trees flow all the way down to the water’s edge.
Tufi is a boutique resort, built to overlook the stunning landscape by which it is surrounded.
With access to some of the best SCUBA and snorkelling in PNG, waterfalls, local villages and secluded beaches, Tufi offers excellent accommodation and food for those that want to get away from it all.
After finishing a Kokoda trek or for those want to relax, dive or fish Tufi is a perfect oasis.
Tufi is serviced by flights every second day from Port Moresby.
Check out their website at www.tufidive.com
Accommodation
Deluxe Bungalows (1 queen and 1 single) Sea facing balconies
Single $330
Double $250
Child $140
Deluxe Rooms (Balcony facing resort)
Single $295
Double $210
Standard Rooms (no balcony or sea views)
Single $235
Double $160
Includes all meals, accommodation, return airport, tea, coffee and GST.
Diving
Outer Reef
2 tank outer reef dive $200
3 tank outer reef dive $250
6 tank outer reef dive $460
House Reef Wharf Diving
1 tank wharf dive FOC
2 tank wharf dive $100
3 tank wharf dive $120
Night Wharf Dive
1 night wharf dive $110
Speciality Wreck Dive
Black Jack B17 Bomber $3000 minimum 6 pax Nov-April only
PISTOFF B25 Mitchell Bomber $1800
Includes tanks, air, weight belts, fresh fruit, cold drinks, tea, coffee, cookies, hot showers, towels and GST per person per day.
Snorkelling
Snorkelling on outer reef (per person on Dive Boat) $95
Fishing
Masalai (Shark Cat) 4 hour trip $650 seats 1-6 people. All staff and equipment provided.
Talio Mono Hull 4 hour trip $450 seats 1-4 people. All staff and equipment provided.
Cultural Tours
There are plenty of other Experiences you can take part in at Tufi resort from Full Day Tours, Bird Watching and Lookouts. Chat to the No Roads team if you would like ideas for day tours from Tufi Resort
Less than one hour from Port Moresby is the paradise that is Loloata Island Resort. This beautiful and intimate island is just off the coast of Port Moresby and is home to some of the best island reefs in the world.
If you have friends or family who would like to meet you in PNG after your trek, this is the perfect holiday destination for them.
There are dozens of sunken ships and even an aircraft to explore for SCUBA divers. For snorkelers, there are the reefs of Lion Island.
Each room and suite has a guaranteed ocean view.
Take advantage of the spa facilities onsite, where you can book in your next massage or any other pamper treatment.
For those that don’t want to travel too far away but just far enough to relax after their expedition, Loloata is a perfect place to spend a few days.
Includes
- Three night’s accommodation in Port Moresby twin share (5 star Hilton Hotel)
- Three breakfasts, two lunches, and three dinners
- Guided tour of Port Moresby Nature Park
- All transfers as listed on the itinerary
- Local guide on Day 2
- Visit Bomana War Cemetery for Anzac Day Dawn Service
Excludes
- International Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Personal spending money
- Tips
- Any meals not listed as included
ANZAC Day
A solemn occasion to both celebrate the lives of the fallen, and also commemorate their deeds, the Dawn Service at the Bomana War Cemetery is always a moving affair.
Honoured by local and Commonwealth dignitaries, 2023, the 81st Anniversary promises something special again, with a chopper flyover (if the 75th anniversary is anything to go by) and a big crowd in attendance.
Accommodation
We’re all about comfort with this departure (leave the muddy track, and damp campsites to those trekking the track), with 5-star hotel accommodation.
Think city views, relaxing in a gorgeous swimming pool, fine dining and a bar on the top floor.
You are honouring their sacrifice, and ensuring that the soldier’s legacy lives on. You will truly understand the meaning of the words ‘courage’, ‘endurance’, ‘mateship’ and ‘sacrifice’
Andrew Flanagan,
Expedition Guide.
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