Launceston: Cradle Mountain Adventure - Active Day Tour
Description
Cradle Mountain is a not to be missed highlight when visiting Launceston, Tasmania. Discover this amazing wilderness area as you enjoy 5-hours exploring the Cradle Mountain day walking area, with a variety of short and longer walking options. See beautiful Dove Lake, climb to a lofty peak for amazing views, discover the local wombats and the natural history of this World Heritage environment. Highlights • Explore Cradle Mountain National Park & World Heritage Area (4-5 hours) • Stand on the shore of the spectacular setting of Dove Lake • Enjoy some short introductory walks and interpretation to the area • Walk along the “Rainforest City” & “Pencil Pine Falls” tracks • Take on the Dove Lake circuit walk (easy grade 6km’s) • Or, take on the harder walk to the lofty views of Marion’s Lookout (medium grade 3 hours) • Explore the historic Weindorfers Chalet
Tour Options
Itinerary
We depart Launceston and head towards Sheffield, the town of murals and,enjoy a short stop here.
The Town of Murals. Sheffield is a small and quirky rural village, in the foothills of the mountains. Sheffield is Tasmania’s own outdoor art gallery, featuring over 100 paintings on the walls of buildings across the town. The artwork depicts the history of the Cradle Mountain region and is a great taster of what is to come, before we continue onwards into the mountains.
We arrive at Cradle Mountain National Park, an area of iconic scenery with a wide variety of walking trails to choose. Cradle Mountain is a stunning and World Heritage listed area. We leave our walking itinerary flexible to suit our guests and the weather conditions on the day. Arriving at the Cradle Mountain National Park, we prepare for the walking opportunities ahead of us. We aim for around 4 – 5 hours in the National Park, to really make the most of the trails. We begin with a series of short walks to Rainforest City and Pencil Pine Falls, 2 short and easy walks that introduce us to the area.
Our main hike for today's tour, begins from Dove Lake with 2 walking options available. Here you can choose your preferred main walk. There is the iconic Dove Lake Circuit, which is a 6 kilometre track, classified as easy and usually takes 2-3 hours. This is one of the premier walks in Tasmania, the track undulates around Dove Lake and traverses beneath Cradle Mountain. All the magnificent flora can be viewed on this walk, with buttongrass, myrtle, sassafras, fagus and King Billy Pine along the way, along with epic views of Cradle Mountain.
For the more active and avid hiker, we offer the chance to climb to the loftier heights of Marion’s Lookout. This is around 4 kilometers but is classified as a medium grade hike, with some steep sections. Marions Lookout sits at 1200m and provides breathtaking 360 degree views of the surrounding World Heritage wilderness area.
We stop along the way for a lunch break, enjoy a rest by a quiet stream, watch the famous and friendly Cradle wombats in their natural habitat, or take the time to photograph the landscapes. Learn some of the local history as we visit Weindorfer’s Chalet and see the ancient King Billy Pines on Weindorfer’s Forest Walk.
On our return to Launceston, we stop to refresh and refuel at the delicious Van Dieman's Land Ice Creamery and Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm. We return into Launceston around 6.00 – 6.30pm after a huge yet unforgettable Cradle Mountain day.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Minimum age to participate in tour is 8 years
- This is an active tour with walking involved; a suitable level of general health & fitness and physical abilities is essential
- We provide accurate interpretation, and keep wildlife disturbance to a minimum by viewing from appropriate distances and informing our guests how to view wildlife with patience and respect. Activities are always confined to tracks and boardwalks to minimize negative impacts.
- Hotel pickup time is between 7 AM and 7:30 AM depending on your location. Hotel pickup is available from central city Hotels and Hostels ( no AirBnB’s). Please arrange pickup from your hotel at least 48 hours prior to departure with the tour operator.
- We reserve the right to vary any trip in the event of bad weather or road closure and will incur no liability for any such alteration.
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
Reviews(91)
Jess is a great tour guide, with lots of passion and knowledge about Cradle Mountain and the animals in there. She is very helpful and funny. The weather was not good, it was raining and cold, but Jess still managed to offer us with hiking options and bought us to places to see wombats and other animals. She also gave us thick raincoat to keep us warm and dry. I wish to come back again to see the sunny side of Cradle Mountain!
Thanks so much for the lovely review! Thanks for joining Tours Tasmania for our Cradle Mountain tour. The wombats at Cradle Mountain are a great distraction when the rain rolls in. Hope to have you back for a sunny day soon!
Very intuitive and lots to see on the way. It was raining while we were there but still a great experience. We were lucky to have seen a wombat and wallaby and bird life when rain stopped.
Tour guide was fantastic, plenty of knowledge and expertise made it an unforgettable experience. Great amount of choice and difficulty with what hikes to go for, couldn’t recommend it enough.
Thank you so much! Cradle Mountain really does deliver on every level and having the time and flexibility to choose your own hike on the day makes it that little bit more special. We'll pass your kind words on to the guide. Hope to see you back in Tassie soon!
Cradle Mountain was beautiful and we had a lovely day for travel; however, I was not impressed with the tour overall. We have been on at least 10 other Viator tours (mainly Europe) that we have rated well. We chose Viator for their reputation and our past positive experiences with them. However, this day was not ideal. The tour bus was old, small, and not comfortable. The tour guide did not fully engage the tour participants and his driving was we thought, at times, a little risky. It was clear, though, that he did have quite a bit of local knowledge to share. So, some positives and some negatives hence my three-star rating.
This was Great tour. It was an easy way to experience Cradle mountain that leaves you wanting for more. Elaine, our tour guide was very helpful throughout the entire day and was patient with the group. We had 2 choices for the hike. Depending on fitness level, it is possible to do both but with very little stopping or resting. You might want to check with your guide first. Elaine helped us make the decision on what hikes to do. We even stopped to see some wombats. The tour promptly started at 7:30am and ended at 5:30pm. Everything was on schedule. The weather was also very good so that plays a factor in enjoying the views at the park. The experience was worth it.
Thank you for the lovely review. We’re so glad you enjoyed exploring Cradle Mountain and felt supported by Elaine throughout the day. Offering flexible hike options, keeping to schedule and spotting wildlife like wombats are all part of the experience we aim to deliver. We appreciate you choosing Tours Tasmania. The Tours Tasmania Team
This tour to Cradle mountain felt completely surreal from start to finish. The landscapes were breathtaking, with misty rain-washed scenery that made everything feel almost otherworldly. Walking among the huge, ancient trees was a highlight - the forest felt timeless and alive. The sound of mighty waterfalls added so much atmosphere and the steady rain just made it more powerful. Seeing the vast, quiet lake wrapped in clouds was just magical. Unfortunately due to the rain the visibility was limited but itinerary is flexible here so we went for alternative routes instead. This made the experience feel safe and well organised and I really appreciate the effort of making this trip a truly enjoyable and unique adventure. I definitely want to return to this place one day and explore more tracks and trails. Overall it's a must-have trip if you go to Tasmania. This Cradle Mountain tour was absolutely surreal, from beginning to end. The scenery was breathtaking: the foggy, rain-washed landscapes created a sense of something almost unreal and fabulous. Walking among the huge ancient trees was one of the most striking moments - the forest seemed eternal and alive. The powerful noise of the waterfalls filled everything with an atmosphere of force, and the incessant rain only reinforced that impression. The view of the vast, quiet lake shrouded in clouds was truly magical. Unfortunately, the rain reduced visibility, but the programme proved flexible and we followed alternative routes. This made the trip safe and well organized, and I truly appreciate the efforts of our guide, which made this tour a truly enjoyable and unique adventure. All in all it is a must-have trip if you go to Tasmania. I definitely want to come back here one more time to explore more trails and routes.
Thank you for joining our Cradle Mountain Adventure Active Day Tour. Your description captures the magic of the park so well. Even with the rain and mist, it is wonderful to hear the ancient forests, waterfalls and cloud wrapped lake made the day feel surreal. We are glad the flexible itinerary helped you enjoy the experience safely and comfortably. Cradle Mountain is a place that keeps calling people back and we hope you return to explore more of its beautiful trails. Hope you are taking home some wonderful Tasmanian memories. The Tours Tasmania Team.
The short walk were great to see wild life didn't do the 6 klm walk as it was to wet saw some wombat on the short walk
Hi Leanne, Thank you for joining our Cradle Mountain Adventure Active Day Tour. We are glad you enjoyed the shorter walk and the chance to see wildlife along the track. The longer walk can be tricky in wet weather, so it is great you still had a memorable time in the park. Warm regards from The Tours Tasmania Team.
Wonderful tour guide, who was easygoing and helpful . Immersed in nature with the snowcap mountains and glistening Lake
Thanks for joining our Cradle Mountain Adventure Active Day Tour. We are so glad you enjoyed the breathtaking scenery and time immersed in nature. Great to hear your guide made the experience easygoing and helpful. The snow capped mountains and the lake are always magical. Happy and safe travels – The Tours Tasmania Team.
We had a knowledgeable and professional guide who made it a fun day trip. He made sure everyone was back in the bus before moving on.
Wasn’t able to complete the whole tour itinerary due to weather conditions. Was still a good day out despite this. Must see destination.
Thanks for joining our Cradle Mountain Adventure Active Day Tour. Even with the weather changes we are glad you still enjoyed the day and found the destination memorable. Cradle Mountain is always beautiful in any conditions. Hope you are taking home some wonderful Tasmanian memories – The Tours Tasmania Team.
