A multi-day walk through stunning landscapes are a brilliant option to really see the beauty of a place. Getting into nature and off the beaten track shows travellers so much more than what can be viewed from a car window.
But it usually also means months of planning, the purchase of expensive equipment, a heavy backpack full of food, cooking appliances and tent, and nagging worries about getting lost, getting wet and getting hurt.
A guided walking holiday is the best way to get all the benefits, minus the hoo-ha and anxiety.
Over the past 30 years Intrepid has established itself as one of the largest small group adventure travel providers in the world, with a focus on sustainability and providing unique experiences.
Those central tenets are encapsulated in Intrepid’s range of Australian walking tours & holidays.
Each trip has a maximum of 10-15 guests (depending on the trip) accompanied by a knowledgeable and experienced local guide.
Transfers are included and on camping-based trips, guests need only carry their own clothes and personal items — tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food and head torches are all provided along with a backpack.
In short, it’s a walking holiday without the hassle.
One of the more unique Tasmanian walking adventures is Intrepid’s four-day Hike Tasmania’s Maria Island. Day one begins with a scenic road trip from Hobart to Triabunna, followed by a ferry ride to the former penal colony.
Then there’s the option to do the 8km Bishop and Clerk hike, or the more leisurely guided walk around the northern end of the island before bedding down in the old Penitentiary at the World Heritage-listed former convict site.
Day two involves 14km of walking to Intrepid’s safari-style campsite at the end of Bloodstone Beach with its pristine white sand and clear aqua water.
On day three you’ll cross an isthmus and head for Haunted Bay along kilometres of beautiful, deserted beaches, before returning to Bloodstone Beach for the night.
Day four sees guests return to the ferry point via a track through the centre of the island, passing by a convict-build oast house as the undulating track traces the foothills of Mt Maria and skirts Four Mile Creek.
The trip ends that evening, back in Hobart.
For something a little hotter and more arid, Intrepid takes guests along what is regarded as one of the world’s greatest multi-day walks, the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory.
The five-day Trek the Larapinta Trail starts and ends in Alice Springs, taking in majestic red cliffs, serene waterholes and some of the best bird-watching Australia has to offer along the 70km route, with guests requiring a level of fitness that allows them to walk up to 20km per day over mountains and ridges in often hot weather.
Accommodation is a mixture of permanent tented campsites and swags under the stars.
If it’s walking minus the camping that takes your fancy, Intrepid’s five-day Walk Queensland’s Scenic Rim or its four-day Walk the Blue Mountains trips might be more your speed.
With accommodation in a mix of motels and a charming eco-friendly historic homestead, the Scenic Rim trip sees guests explore magnificent national parks, soaring peaks, tranquil rock pools and even a cheeky vineyard.
Starting and ending on the Gold Coast, the trip includes a First Nations smoking ceremony and cultural walk and the World Heritage-listed splendour of Lamington National Park with its waterfalls and wildlife.
The Blue Mountains walking holiday gives guests a perfect sample of why this spectacular region is Australia’s answer to the Grand Canyon.
Accommodation is in a Katoomba motel, with the days spent hiking and visiting the likes of the famous Three Sisters, Sublime Point Lookout, the 1930s Everglades House and Gardens with its roses and European-style terraces, and a local microbrewery.
Under Intrepid’s current promotion, $1 deposit secures your spot on a trip, with the remaining payment required 56 days prior to departure.
Intrepid’s $1 deposit is on now and ends 1st May, 2023 – so go on, book it in for a buck!
