Australia – The best guided wilderness walks
Long-distance walks don’t have to come with sore shoulders and freeze-dried dinners. Tasmania has Australia’s biggest and best suite of hut-based guided walks, bringing comfortable beds, quality food and a restorative wine or two to each walking day. Lighten the load on one of these luxury guided walks.
Cradle Mountain Huts Walk
The Overland Track is a six-day, 65km hike through one of Australia’s most spectacular mountain regions. Some of Tasmania’s highest peaks rise from the track’s edges, and while it means hauling a full, loaded pack for an independent hike, the weight is lifted with Cradle Mountain Huts Walk. Guests carry only their personal gear (typically about 9kg), and nights are spent in exclusive private huts dotted along the track. Meals are based around fine Tasmanian produce and wine, there’s freshly baked bread, and the chance to freshen each day with a shower.
Maria Island Walk
Tasmania’s island national park is a place of wildlife, natural wonders and a World Heritage-listed convict settlement, all strung together along the Maria Island Walk. Walking from the island’s tip to toe, the four-day trip takes in a multitude of natural sights – the Painted Cliffs, Fossil Cliffs, Mount Maria, the dolerite peaks of Bishop and Clerk, and the isthmus that holds Maria Island together. It also delves into island history in Darlington, a convict settlement that pre-dated Port Arthur. Nights are spent in private glamping sites and in historic Bernacchi House in Darlington, with candlelit dinners and the best of Tasmanian food and wine. There’s even a pack-free option.
Three Capes Lodge Walk
As you push through the wind atop the highest sea cliffs in Australia, with the ocean slapping ashore far below, your mind can turn to a night of trail comfort. In this walk’s two private lodges along the four-day Three Capes Track, there are mattresses, warm showers, and lounge areas that look over the bush and sea. Grab a book and a glass of wine and head through the sliding doors to the outdoor deck, or settle into the ultimate hiking luxury: a spa treatment to prepare your body for another day of walking.
Wukalina Walk
Follow ancient footsteps along larapuna, an area that spans the Bay of Fires, on this four-day guided walk led and owned by the Tasmania’s Aboriginal community. The walk climbs low wukalina / Mount William and journeys along some of Australia’s most beautiful beaches, with guides sharing creation stories and culture, as well as bush tucker and traditional foods for dinner. Each night, guests cosy up fireside before retreating to architecturally designed huts inspired by early palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) shelters. The final night is spent in a lighthouse keeper’s cottage.
Freycinet Experience Walk
Tasmania’s original private guided walk continues to inspire hikers on Freycinet Peninsula. From a base at the exclusive, sustainably designed Friendly Beaches Lodge, with its private rooms, deep baths and secluded bush-side balconies, guests cover the entire length of the peninsula as well as heading to little-visited Schouten Island off its tip. There’s a climb to Mount Graham at the peninsula’s heart, a stroll along Wineglass Bay, and the chance to wander the length of the Friendly Beaches. Evenings involve wine and fine Tasmanian produce amid artworks from some of the island’s best-known artists. All in perfect isolation.
Tarkine Trails
Feel the canopy close over and the outside world fade to black on a guided Tarkine Trails walk in takayna / Tarkine. Trips range from rainforest walks to coastal expeditions along one of the state’s wildest stretches of coast. Nights on the coastal walks are spent camping, while forest walks stay at Tiger Ridge Camp, in Australia’s largest cool-temperate rainforest, with tents featuring comfortable beds and dinners on the camp’s deck among the ferns.
Bruny Island Long Weekend
Take a series of day walks on Bruny Island, with nights bedded down in a luxe camp on the slopes of Bruny’s highest mountain. The walks on this three-day guided trip explore spectacular beaches, capes and mountains. The camp features glamping tents peering into the tall forest, with a homely dining room and deck for post-walk drinks as guides prepare dinner with ingredients sourced on the island.
Bay of Fires Lodge Walk
Hike the Bay of Fires coastline in ultimate comfort, stepping from beach to beach and spending nights in a camp among the dunes and then at an exclusive lodge set 40m above the sea. Wash the day away with a hot shower, enjoy fresh Tasmanian food and indulge in a treatment at the lodge spa. The walk also includes a day of kayaking on Ansons River.
