What can you expect from this walk?

Highlights:

• 5 or 7 day itinerary (includes 3 or 5 days of walking)
• Holiday in a prestigious World Heritage Area
• Hike down the Giant Stairway past the Three Sisters
• Retrace the route of early mountain explorers
• Recent discovery of the prehistoric Wollemi Pine
• Be pampered in historic guesthouses and B&Bs

Overview:

Auswalk’s Blue Mountains Traverse is a privately guided or self guided inn to inn accommodated walking holiday. You walk through the National Park from one delightful accommodation to the next. We move your luggage for you while you are out walking. Trips can start any day of the year for a minimum of two people booking together (or for solo travellers for an additional fee). On this holiday, both the self guided and guided itineraries cover a similar walking route, but of course you’ll have the benefit of an excellent Auswalk guide on the guided trip. Our guides are usually locals, and know the mountains like the back of their hand.

Clifftop Lookout

The Terrain

Some of your highlights will be a descent of the Giant Stairway and a close brush with one of the 3 sisters. Ruined Castle and Grand Canyon are much less busy walks, but even more likely to have you gasping with amazement.

Rainforest and water are common themes in Blue Mountains, and one of the most remarkable descents has three waterfalls all meeting close together on the walking track before shooting off to crash further down the mountain. Water in Bridal Veil Falls goes so far in a single drop, that it seems to disappear before the bottom. Creeping vines, green moss and big trees will be your constant companion, and there is a high chance of seeing a Lyrebird! With good reason, Blue Mountains is our longest running trip and is always popular.

Note that if this trip is available as a 5 or 7 day itinerary and as both a privately guided or self guided option (see the details below). If you have even less time our 3 day privately guided Blue Mountains Weekender trip is for you.

Location
The Blue Mountains is about 2 hours west of Sydney, easily accessible by local train or car. We can also arrange private transfers from Sydney airport or city hotels.

Accommodation
B&Bs and historic guesthouse – private rooms with ensuite bathrooms.

What’s included
7 day itinerary: One guide (for guided trips only), 6 nights accommodation, 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners, luggage transfers, vehicle transfers required for the itinerary, Scenicworld pass including Scenic Railway ride & Sceniscender gondola ride, National Park fees, insulated lunch bag, maps, map case & info pack.

5 day itinerary: One guide (for guided trips only), 4 nights accommodation, 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, luggage transfers, vehicle transfers required for the itinerary, world pass including Scenic Railway ride & Sceniscender gondola ride, National Park fees, insulated lunch bag, maps, map case & info pack.

The best time to go
Available all year except July. October-November is usually mild to warm. Temperatures warm up from December-February. March-April is usually cool to mild. Temperatures drop from May onwards and the days are cool to cold. July brings occasional snowfalls. Warmer, spring weather returns around September.

Regional food and wine
The Blue Mountains is noted for its international cuisine with restaurants attracting some of the best chefs in the country. Accompany with award winning wines from the nearby Hunter Valley winery district.

The Itinerary

Day 1: Starts at Mt Victoria for the 7 day itinerary or Blackheath for the 5 day, any time after 2pm. There is no walking scheduled for today but there are several galleries and coffee shops in the village to explore.

Accommodation: Mt Victoria or Blackheath

Day 2: Meet your guide after breakfast (for guided trips only). The walking begins with an easy climb to the highest point in the mountains, Mt Piddington, followed by a descent through remote forest into the heart of Cox’s Cave. Marvel at the tenacity of the early explorers who forged a route through this rugged terrain! There’s more remote bushwalking this afternoon as you explore the first pretty canyon, emerging into a huge natural rock amphitheatre. Finish the day with a stroll through magnificent rhododendron gardens nearby. (NOT PART OF THE 5 DAY ITINERARY)

Accommodation: Blackheath

Cascading Waterfall

Day 3: Skirt around sheer cliff tops to see Bridal Veil Falls plummet 180 metres in a single drop! Enjoy breathtaking views from Govetts Leap, at the same time discovering why the Blue Mountains appear “blue”. Then descend into the depths of the Grand Canyon where surreal forest giants tower overhead and the path allows glimpses into the deep, dark clefts of the canyon itself. (DAY 2 OF THE 5 DAY ITINERARY)

Accommodation: Blackheath

Breathtaking views in the Blue Mountains

Day 4: Take an exhilarating ride down the Scenic Railway into the depths of the rainforest then retrace the route used by coal miners over 100 years ago. Mining relics, tunnels and adits can be seen along the way and observant walkers are often rewarded with a glimpse of an elusive lyrebird. Lunch today will be shared with flocks of cheeky currawongs at an impressive rocky outcrop called Ruined Castle. Will you rise to the Furber Challenge? An alternative to riding up the Scenic Railway, this track climbs steeply through dense rainforest past delightful waterfalls and pretty grottoes. (DAY 3 OF THE 5 DAY ITINERARY)

Accommodation: Katoomba

The famous Three Sisters

Day 5: Learn the Aboriginal legend of how the famous 3 Sisters were formed as you descend the 862 steps of the Giant Stairway. Then it’s away from the throng of tourists and into the depths of Leura Forest. Delicate ferns and mosses hug the rainforest trees as filtered sunlight creates a magical scene. (DAY 4 OF THE 5 DAY ITINERARY)

Accommodation: Leura

Day 6: Your final bushwalk is into Waterfall Valley. The route winds its way past waterfalls, beneath overhanging cliffs and through magnificent grottoes. A real highlight today is the “mid-cliff” walk along a wide path that has been carved into the sheer cliff face! Handrails, ladders and airy lookouts provide a birds-eye view over hundreds of miles of forests. The spray from spectacular Wentworth Falls refreshes weary walkers before climbing to the cliff top. (NOT PART OF THE 5 DAY ITINERARY)

Accommodation: Leura

Blue Mountains waterfall

Day 7: Trip finishes after breakfast with a transfer to the local train station. (LAST DAY OF THE 5 DAY ITINERARY)

Contact our Travel Specialists for more details. They can be reached at 604-736-7447 or by sending us a message through our website via the 'contact us' button!