No Roads Expeditions Philosophy

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While No Roads Expeditions is a "for profit" organisation, we believe we are a "profit for purpose" enterprise. What this means, is that we believe that some of our profit should be returned to the communities we work with to enhance their existence and the environment they live in. This is what is known as "Sustainable Tourism".

Since the year 2005 No Roads Expeditions has helped transform one small village in the Owen Stanley Ranges. Before our arrival, Kagi was a forgotten village, with few trekkers passing through it and even fewer staying the night. While Kagi was an important vantage point for Australian soldiers during the Kokoda campaign, trekking groups simply diverted past it at Naduri and Efogi.

Now, Kagi is a thriving village. The village has effectively adopted No Roads Expeditions and as such we call it our home village. Many of our contracted porters are from there and all our PNG management staff are from there.
Just a few examples of NRE giving back to the communities along the track:
  • In 2012, the Kokoda Track Foundation is Lighting Up The Track by distributing 3,500 solar lights to communities along and around the Track. 
  • No Roads Expeditions is proud to be funding the distribution of 250 solar lights to the Kagi community. The majority of our wonderful No Roads porters live in Kagi with their families who will directly benefit from these solar powered lights. 
  • In 2009 (and subsequent years) we supplied over $250,000 in wages to men from Kagi. We established bank accounts for many of them so they didn't blow their wages on alcohol in Port Moresby. We installed the first ever eco-toilet on the Kokoda Track at Kagi and provided land owners with thousands of dollars in camp fees. Generous trekkers have supplied hundreds of books and thousands of dollars of sports equipment to local schools.
  • In October 2008, No Roads Expeditions brought 10 of our team from PNG to Melbourne for two weeks. Our Australian guides looked after them, took them horse back riding, bowling, to the movies and to the zoo - all things they had previously only dreamed of doing.
  • Two of our porters, Javith and Gibson, were entered in the Mark Webber Challenge. The Challenge is a multidisciplinary event involving running (which they excelled in), bike riding, kayaking, abseiling and more. The involvement of these two was a highlight for many competitors and they did PNG proud.
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Eco Toilet
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Kagi boys in Australia
When you walk with No Roads Expeditions, you can be assured that we adhere to the Kokoda Track Operators Guidelines, The Kokoda Track Authority's Guidelines and the International Porters Protection Group Guidelines. We believe that the environment should be protected for generations to come and we support local communities wherever we work.

No Roads Expeditions endeavours to make a profit for its staff and owners, but it uses some of this to help those that work with us in PNG and those that live along the Kokoda Track. It is a force for change in the adventure travel industry.

There are a number of myths about Kokoda - read about them here. 

The Environment

Many of the places you will visit are pristine. As travellers we should try to have as little impact on these natural environments as possible. We recommend the following:
  1. No Roads discourage the use of soaps when washing both body and clothes. Vigorous scrubbing is usually sufficient. Even biodegradable soap is not good for water courses;  it is harmful to the eco-system.
  2. Please do not dispose of plastic bags and wrappers in either pits or in fires. These take years to degrade or let off toxic fumes when burned. Simply put them in your pack until you return home (they can be discarded in waste bins before going through customs and immigration).
  3. Please do not dispose of batteries in country. They are extremely harmful to the environment and usually local governments do not have any means to dispose of them correctly. Return old batteries to your home country for disposal there.
  4. At campsites, use toilet facilities that are provided. If you are in a remote area, walk off the track and dig a small hole approximately 15cm deep and at least 100m from any water course. If safe to do so, burn used toilet paper in the hole (toilet paper takes a long time to degrade). Once the fire is out, cover the site with soil. Tampons and sanitary pads should be placed in a plastic bag and placed in the rubbish bin back at camp.
By abiding by these simple guidelines, you will be protecting the local environment for the people who live there and for your children’s children.