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Best Luxury Hikes in Australia and New Zealand
Here at Walk into Luxury, we love the idea of combining the best of nature with gourmet food and wine and luxury accommodation on a multi-day walk. What better way is there to truly experience the best of a destination.
By Nikki King
Australia and New Zealand are leading the way with this type of experience-based, eco-tourism holiday. Here are our picks of the best luxury walks in Australia and New Zealand.
Great Walks of Australia
There are currently 12 Great Walks of Australia which represent the best multi-day guided walking tours in Australia combined with the highest quality food and wine and luxury touches. Here are some of our favourites:
Great Walks in Tasmania - There are several Great Walks in Tasmania, think the Bay of Fires Walk and Cradle Mountain, but one of our favourites is the Maria Island Walk which features exclusive eco hut and lodge accommodation with the opportunity to dine under the stars and spot wildlife like the friendly wombats and wallabies that are abundant on this green oasis of the Tassie coastline.
The Larapinta Trek in Comfort in the Northern Territory is a 5 night journey from Alice Springs taking in outback highlights like Simpsons Gap, the MacDonnell Ranges, Mt Sonder and Ormiston Gorge.
Arkaba Walk in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia features a combination of sleeping in swags under the stars and a final night at Arkaba Homestead. Our favourite way to experience this walk is to opt for the Luxury Lodge upgrade with all 4 nights spent in the Homestead – there’s nothing like having a pool and a bath to soak in each night after a day on the trail.
Scenic Rim Walk by Spicers in Queensland – this five days guided hike includes accommodation at its exclusive eco cabins complete with private ensuites and fireplaces nestled within the mountains and rainforest of Main Range National Park.
Walk into Luxury's Signature Cape to Cape Walk in Margaret River is WA’s only Great Walk, and features four days on the Cape to Cape Track combined with luxury pool villa accommodation overlooking the Indian Ocean and award-winning Margaret River food and wine experiences.
New Zealand Luxury Walks
Ultimate Hikes offers guided walking tours on the Milford Track and Routeburn Track, two of the Great Walks of New Zealand (which get their own mention below). Combining spectacular alpine hiking with hot showers, comfortable accommodation and light day packs, these luxury walks are a great way to experience this stunning part of New Zealand.
Great Walks of New Zealand
The Great Walks or New Zealand are a selection of trails designated by the Dept of Conservation (DOC). What they lack in the 5-star wow factor, these walks more than make up with well-maintained tracks and infrastructure and picture-perfect scenery. A comfortable DOC hut is ready to accommodate you after a day-long walk.
If you are looking for something slightly more indulgent, we recommend hiking the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough region of the South Island and staying in a mix of lodges dotted along the track. Bay of Many Coves Resort - a Luxury Lodge of New Zealand - is our pick, or try Furneaux Lodge if you are hiking with kids.
So there you have it, our list of luxury hikes that are sure to bring you round to our way of walking. Happy trails!
