Tasmania - The Wilderness Isle

Tour Code: AUS03

A 15-day holiday focusing exclusively on the unique and special wildlife to be found in the rugged and spectacular wilderness regions of a very special island.

15 days from
£9,295 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£8,095
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

This wildlife holiday offers a comprehensive focus on the unique natural history of Tasmania, a rugged and spectacular island with some fabulous wilderness regions. On Mount Wellington we’ll look for endemic birds. On Bruny Island the endemic Forty-spotted Pardalote, Fairy Penguins and a boat trip for seabirds, whales and dolphins are amongst the highlights. Mount Field National Park offers us forest, bush and alpine flora, plus our first exciting land mammals. Then we move into Tasmania’s wilderness region and explore the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers and Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Parks, home of Wombats, wallabies, quolls, Echidnas and Tasmanian Devils. We conclude on the stunning Freycinet Peninsula, where azure seas and white sandy beaches lie beneath the pink granite outcrops of the Hazard Ranges.

  • Rugged & spectacular scenery in Tasmania’s wilderness areas
  • Pristine ancient temperate rainforests
  • Exciting & colourful birdlife including many Tasmanian endemics
  • One of the best places for Australian mammals, including: Kangaroos, Wallabies, Wombats, Echidnas, Quolls & Tasmanian Devil
  • Giant Swamp Gums in Mount Field National Park
  • Ancient Huon Pines (2,000 years old) in Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers
  • Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair & Freycinet National Parks
  • Stay in small, locally owned lodges
  • Expertly guided by our local, Australian naturalist tour leader

Grading

Wildlife walks, some moderate but optional, and cruises.

Tasmania, separated from the mainland of Australia since the last Ice Age, has developed a unique character of its own. A dramatic and spectacular island, strewn with rugged mountain ranges and wild forests, it supports a natural history that is rich and often bizarre. This comprehensive tour presents an opportunity to enjoy the very best of Tasmania’s wild landscapes and distinctive selection of birds, plants and mammals, including such appealing creatures as fairy wrens and Fairy Penguins, Echidnas, Wombats, Platypus, Pademelons and Tasmanian Devils!

We begin and end our holiday in Hobart, from where we are able to explore Mount Wellington in search of the many Tasmanian endemic bird species which occur here, amongst them Green Rosella, Dusky Robin, Scrubtit, Brown and Tasmanian Thornbills, Black Currawong and Black-headed, Yellow-throated and Strong-billed Honeyeaters as well as many other colourful and interesting species.

To the south, on Bruny Island, we next explore another stronghold of endemic birds and, as well as such species as Tasmanian Native-hen and Yellow Wattlebird, we will be looking for the island’s speciality, the Forty-spotted Pardalote, one of Australia’s most endangered species. As dusk draws in, we will settle into position for the spectacle of Little Blue (or Fairy) Penguins and Short-tailed Shearwaters that come in from the ocean to their burrows each evening. On another evening we will head out after dark to spotlight for quolls (native cats), possums and wallabies, following a daytime cruise from Bruny in search of seabirds. Being so far south, some of the Southern Ocean cormorants, albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and terns may be seen, as well as dolphins, seals and perhaps even a Southern Right Whale.

Next we will visit Mount Field, Tasmania's first national park which was established in 1917. It offers the wild, diverse and primeval beauty of the Tasmanian ‘bush’s, with forests of giant trees and huge tree ferns, plus, at higher levels, a unique alpine flora, particularly towards the summit of the mountain. Similarly, with such a wide range of altitudes and habitats within the park, a great diversity of both birds and mammals may be found, the latter including many that are either extinct or endangered on the mainland such as the Eastern Quoll and the Eastern Barred Bandicoot. Indeed, it was near here — in the Florentine Valley in 1933 — that the world’s last Tasmanian Tiger was trapped, to be displayed in Hobart Zoo for the rest of its sad days.

We now head into the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, a vast expanse of contingent national parks and conservation areas that protects one of the last great temperate wilderness regions in the world. It includes the Southwest, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers and Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Parks, and protects a stunning range of ancient landforms and forests, deep and wild rivers, narrow gorges, jagged mountain peaks and sub-alpine moorlands. Here we will make a spectacular journey on the West Coast Wilderness Railway, which largely follows the course of the King George River through this vast and virtually impenetrable wilderness, taking us from the old mining town of Queenstown to Strahan, on the west coast. Here we will cruise the waters of the vast and magnificent Macquarie Harbour, enclosed by a magical and pristine environment of wild rivers and forests of Huon Pine, an endemic tree species which can live to be over 2,000 years old, making it one of the longest living species on Earth!

We continue our exploration of this magnificent wilderness by visiting Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, one of the most dramatic and spectacular landscapes of Australia and a great place in which to find some of Tasmania’s mammals. These include such species as Rufous-bellied Pademelon, Bennett’s Wallaby, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Wombat, Echidna, Tasmanian Devil and Spot-tailed Quoll. The park also offers great walking opportunities and an abundant birdlife.

A night in Launceston gives us time to visit the nearby Cataract Gorge before we travel to the beautiful Freycinet Peninsula with its stunning white sandy beaches and spectacular views towards the pink granite mountains of the Hazard Range. The park contains around 145 of Tasmania’s 230 bird species, due to the high diversity of habitats and associated plants found here, and we will devote a day to its exploration from our base in nearby Bicheno. We will also spend an evening watching Little Blue Penguins as they come ashore to their nesting burrows.

Back in Hobart for our final night in Tasmania, prior to our homeward flight, there will be a chance to re-visit Mount Wellington in search of any of the endemic birds that we may have missed during this comprehensive tour.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Depart London
Day 2
In flight
Day 3
Arrive Hobart
Day 4/5
Bruny Island
Day 6
Mount Field National Park
Day 7
Strahan
Day 8
Strahan to Cradle Mountain
Day 9
Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park
Day 10
Launceston
Day 11/12
Freycinet National Park
Day 13
Maria Island and Hobart
Day 14
Depart Hobart
Day 15
Arrive London
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation: A mixture of comfortable hotel, motel and chalet accommodation, most with private facilities.
  • Food:

    All meals are included in the cost of the holiday, with the exception of lunches on Days 3, 11 and 14 and dinners on Day 7 and Day 9. Drinks and additional snacks are generally not included.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Mon 17th Nov – Mon 1st Dec 2 £9,295
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£8,095
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£1,095

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Mon 16th Nov – Mon 30th Nov SPACES £9,595
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£8,595
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£1,095 
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Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists


The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.


Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours


We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.


The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.

Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:



Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection


Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.


 




Our specialist recommends...






"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."

Byron Palacios - Tour Leader




  


 


All Birdwatching Tours

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Mammal Watching Holidays


Many of the world’s mammals are instantly recognisable to us. Animals such as Lions, Tigers, elephants and bears capture our imaginations from an early age. At Naturetrek, we take great pleasure and pride in helping people to fulfil their lifelong dreams of seeing these iconic species in the wild. We also enjoy introducing our clients to some of the world’s more unusual mammals, many of which are just as fascinating.


Naturetrek Mammal Watching Tours


Many of our tours have a primary focus on mammals and we offer the widest choices of mammal-watching holidays across the globe, from the poles to the tropics. Our holidays are guided by at least one professional naturalist tour leader and usually benefit from additional guiding by expert local naturalist guides. We have holidays to see an incredible range of the world’s most sought-after mammals, such as orangutans, lemurs, bats, polar mammals, big cats, and mammals of the African savannah. A significant number of tours also targets some of the planet’s more unusual and elusive species, from pottos and pangolins to slender lorises and obscure cetaceans.


Here’s a selection of our mammal tours:



Bargain mammal selection


We offer a range of action-packed bargain holidays for the dedicated mammal enthusiast, which are exceptional value for money, from Belize to Zambia.




Our specialist recommends...







"Africa is perhaps the greatest continent for mammal-watching. I would recommend 'Botswana’s Desert & Delta (Mammals)' for combining stunning scenery and wildlife. We also offer a tour to Uganda which includes a chance to see Mountain Gorillas. And India, along with Tigers, has a superb variety of mammals. Closer to home, short breaks to Spain in search of Wolves and Iberian Lynx are hard to beat.”

Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager




  


All Mammal Watching Tours

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Tour Dates or Itinerary Don't Suit?

Allow our experts to create a private, customised itinerary with dates and prices to suit you.

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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

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Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!