Adventure Tours Australia Tasmania covers a wide spread of trips, from a 45-minute whisky tasting to a five-day wilderness hike. Prices on this page start at $55 and run to $3275, so there is room for most budgets and most amounts of time.
Tasmania is an island state 240 kilometres south of the mainland, separated by Bass Strait. Below we go through the tours listed on this site, and what the places they visit are known for. Browse more options under Tasmania activities.
How the Adventure Tours Australia Tasmania trips are spread
The listed tours fall into a few groups: multi-day trips, full-day outings from Hobart, and short experiences of an hour or two. Two of the longer trips run two days, one runs five days, and the rest finish within a day.
| Tour | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Alpaca Farm Tours with Toffeemont | 1h 30m | from $55 |
| LARK Distillery Tour | 45 min | from $69 |
| Evening Dinner Cruise | 6 hours | from $155 |
| Cruise Ship Port Arthur Shore Excursion | 6h 30m | from $239 |
| 2 Day Tasmanian Highlights Tour | 2 days | from $305 |
| 2 Day Cradle Mountain Tour | 2 days | from $445 |
| Peaks, Falls & Furry Locals | 8 to 9 hours | from $1040 |
| takayna / Tarkine Hiking Tour | 5 days | from $3275 |
Mt Field and the Derwent
The Peaks, Falls & Furry Locals day tour spends a full day in Mt Field National Park, described as Tasmania's most visited wilderness area. You walk through cool temperate rainforest, with prehistoric ferns and eucalypts, to reach Russel Falls. A visit to a wildlife sanctuary follows, to look for native mammals and birds.
Your guide handles transport, morning tea and lunch. Lunch is either packed or at the on-site Agrarian Kitchen restaurant, which is weekends only. The day runs eight to nine hours and is listed from $1040.
Cradle Mountain from Hobart
The 2 Day Cradle Mountain Tour heads into the rugged backcountry with hikes through temperate rainforest, past waterfalls and into alpine terrain. Groups are small, with a maximum of 13. You stay at a lakeside lodge and are back in Hobart by day three. It is listed from $445.
The scenery owes a lot to geology. Cradle Mountain is a dolerite peak that was once a nunatak, and much of Australia's glaciated landscape lies on the Central Plateau and in the southwest. We reckon that for a first look at the island's wild side, a two-day format is a sensible length.
Hobart, Bruny Island and Port Arthur
Two days of highlights
The 2 Day Tasmanian Highlights Tour starts in Hobart with Salamanca Market (Saturdays), the views from Mt Wellington and the colonial village of Richmond. It then moves to Bruny Island for wildlife and local producers. At Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary you can meet kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, wombats and koalas. It is listed from $305.
Mt Wellington above Hobart is a good example of dolerite, with distinct columns known as the Organ Pipes. Bruny Island's Adventure Bay was named by Tobias Furneaux after his ship HMS Adventure in 1773, and Captain James Cook landed there in 1777.
Port Arthur for cruise passengers
The Port Arthur shore excursion collects passengers from Macquarie Wharf in Hobart and drives 90 minutes to Port Arthur Historic Site. You get up to two and a half hours with a guide on Tasmania's convict past. Weather and timing permitting, the return stops at a working lavender farm and an artisan chocolate foundry, with passengers back at the ship by mid-afternoon. It is listed from $239.
The history is substantial. Europeans settled Tasmania in 1803 as a penal colony, and about 80,000 convicts were sent to Van Diemen's Land before transportation ended in 1853.
The Tarkine and the west
The takayna / Tarkine Wilderness Highlights Hiking Tour is the serious one. Over five days, small groups led by accredited local guides trained in wilderness first aid trek through forests, alpine plateaus and coastal landscapes. You start from Launceston and stay in basic bush camps. The operator holds eco-tourism certification, and transport, meals and park fees are covered. It is listed from $3275.
The west has its own character. Mineral-rich volcanic rock shows at Mount Read near Rosebery and Mount Lyell near Queenstown, and the Evening Dinner Cruise takes in the Gordon River and Macquarie Harbour aboard Spirit of the Wild, a hybrid-powered vessel. Over six hours you have a chef-prepared dinner from local produce, with onboard interpreters explaining the natural and cultural story. It is listed from $155. For other boat options see Gordon River cruises.
Shorter experiences and planning
Two short outings suit a spare hour or two. The LARK Distillery Tour runs 45 minutes through heritage buildings and an active whisky production site, with three expressions to taste, from $69.
The Toffeemont alpaca farm visit is 90 minutes at a working farm near Orielton on the east coast. You feed and meet the herd, have homemade refreshments and can browse locally made alpaca products. Sessions run at 10am, 1pm or 3pm daily, from $55.
When choosing, think about how much time you have and what kind of accommodation suits you, from a lakeside lodge to basic bush camps. Protected land is a big part of the appeal: about 42% of Tasmania is in some form of reserve. For wider trip ideas, see Discover Tasmania, and for background on the island read Wikipedia: Tasmania. Comparable operators are covered on our AAT Kings Tasmania page.
Frequently asked questions
Which tour is the longest?
The takayna / Tarkine hiking tour, at five days, starting from Launceston with bush camp accommodation.
Is there a tour with accommodation included?
Yes. The 2 Day Cradle Mountain Tour includes a stay at a lakeside lodge, with a return to Hobart by day three.
What is the cheapest option?
The Toffeemont alpaca farm visit, listed from $55 for 90 minutes.
