Tasmania Unveiled: 7-Day Wild West & East Coast Odyssey

´And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone´ - I had to think a lot about this phrase from Edgar Allan Poe´s poem ´Alone´. Despite the fact I´ve been a tourleader in Latin America for quite some time – and I liked my job, really – I am definitely not a group person, that I discovered again during the days I did the Super Seven Tour. Being a tourleader is not the same as being a participant of a group tour, of course. This 7 day tour was the best solution, though, to see as much of Tasmania in a relatively short time (my husband didn’t want to drive in Australia because they drive on the left side of the road and me myself I have no driving license). I decided to be as low profile as possible during this tour. As I still work in tourism, now for almost 30 years and in the high end segment, I didn´t want to give any comments or observations during the tour. Every individual participant needed to enjoy it in the best possible way, that´s what I wanted. Of course this was not a high end trip, nor did I expect that. I think the formula of a hostal choice and a motel choice can be quite risky for a travel organization, as you may attract quite different groups of people within the same group. I guess it is the most cost effective for the organization, and it seems to work – if you see the good reviews on the Internet. You have a group of people within the group for whom privacy and a certain level of comfort is important. This is not the same people that want to visit pubs, drink a lot of beer, organize barbecues, doing some karaoke shows, and listen to music in the bus all the time. I think my expectations didn´t meet the reality here. I love to listen to music, from Bach to Bowie to some good techno, with everything in between, but not during a tour like this. I didn’t come to Tasmania for entertainment or ‘fun’. These days, it is very easy to listen to music privately, without bothering others. I came here to enjoy Tasmania and the beautiful landscapes. In the evening, I still had those supermarket tunes in my head (all hits, all mainstream music). After all, I perhaps should have booked one of the Comfort Tours, but I am not sure that the same thing would not have happened. I said once to the guide the music was quite in the foreground, not in the background. I have no problem with music in the background. It was then in the background for an hour or so, before the volume was changed into a higher level again. Tasmania is a nature destination! We were not in Las Vegas or Graceland or on Beverly Hills. When I was a guide, I asked who wanted to listen to music and who didn’t want to. Introverted people usually do not speak loudly. But everybody gave their opinion and together we looked for a balance. As said: everybody needs to enjoy the tour as much as possible. For many people, it will be the only opportunity to visit Tasmania. My suggestion would be to change the order of day 6 and 7. First Port Arthur (day 6), then the Tasmanian devils. Richmond and Mt Wellington. I guess much more people will book the 7 day tour then, which can be commercially interesting. What I liked: - The guides, Phil and Lena. Very knowledgeable, very friendly, really doing a good job. - The itinerary. It gives you a good overview of what the island has to offer. Personally, for me it was a bit of a rush, I became a slow traveler like 10 or 15 years ago or so, I do not need to see everything, not anymore, nor do I think it is possible. There are no ‘must sees’ for me. Less is more. But I understand this is the chosen itinerary and it is a good one. - The Gordon River Cruise. Just a few people did it, for me it was a real highlight. I read books about this wilderness, also brilliant novels as from Richard Flanagan, and the cruise completely met my expectations. My only point of critic regarding Phil: he said the other option (to the dunes and the waterfall) was ‘much more interesting’. But this completely depends on the person! I prebooked this tour months before, I was really looking forward to it and paid quite some extra money for the tour (which, after all, is not the most important argument). Also, both during chat conversations with your staff as on the Under Down Under website, the cruise was largely promoted like something very special. And so it was. I loved to see the pristine forest fromout the upper deck, it was a magical experience. And the food we got on board was the best I ever had on the island of Tasmania. The service was excellent. And I met like-minded people on board. - The accommodations were mostly OK. The motel in Launceston was a bit rundown, especially the pool area, but well, I could make coffee in my room and then I am happy. Beds were always good, as were the showers – everywhere, - The walks. Although I was not fit (I felt ill during 4 of the 7 days due to the constantly changing temperatures, I guess), I enjoyed the walks, especially those to Russell Falls, to the lichen rocks at St. Helens and to Crescent Bay. - The island of Tasmania itself. What an island! What a ‘sublime’ landscape the French poet Baudelaire would have said. It is really stunning. And you see the animals you’ve heard about before, but now you see them in real, quite an adventure. What I did not like (so much) : - The constant need of music and noise (see above), there were (almost) no John Muir type of travelers in the group. - Walking as a performance, not as a connection with nature. Why Mount Amos is ‘better’ than other walking options? Because it is more challenging? But that’s not how it is. Perhaps you see more if you slow down. I have climbed hundreds of mountains, including some of the highest ones in Spain, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Bolivia. But sometimes a walk through a valley can be much nicer and much more interesting. It’s not the performance that counts; let I put it like this: it’s something completely different. - The day we would hike to Cradle Mountain it was raining a lot and we didn’t see it. Nobody can help it, I was prepared the weather could be like this. Observing myself in a group and longing for the moment we would travel together again, my husband and I. I want my thoughts to flow freely. I need that space while being in nature. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (Robert Frost). Thanks Under Down Under for the organization of this trip. You certainly deserve all the very positive comments, this was just my personal review, for what it’s worth.

Excellent company with well-organized tour. I booked 7 super tour (7 days) and it was really super! I enjoyed every day. The route was built very clever from easy to difficult and vice versa. It crosses all Tasmania,so you can get to know it (or at least to taste) in a short time.7 days are the ultimate choice The pick up from the pick-up point was on time, the minibus was comfortable, the program was interesting and well-built every day, there was always something to do and see, super professional, courteous and very nice guides, with a great knowledge that answered all the questions.Our first guide,Brendon,thought about every detail,even the playlists during the driving.Our second guide Lynna was also excellent,very attentive and helpful.I would change two places where we have stayed during the tour. First place in Strahan,we stayed there for 2 nights.Even that I had a room by myself, it was far from the shower and toilets.It was raining and cold all the time,so it was inconvenient to get there.Moreover,it was far from places to buy food/restaurants/pubs. Second place was in Bicheno. I barely had light in the room, not to mention the one next to the bed, there was very weak water stream in the shower and there was no wi-fi in the place, an important thing for a tourist far from home.But putting all that aside,I simply fell in love with Tasmania thanks to this wonderful company, so I definitely recommend traveling with them.

This tour made me fall in love with Tasmania. It stopped at all the highlights with everything perfectly planned to get the best out of the time we had. It was all thanks to our tour guide Brendan who brought the group together, made sure everyone was having fun, was very knowledgable and went above and beyond. Honestly couldn’t have asked for a better 7 days and I have created memories and friendships that will last a lifetime!

Fantastic tour! A great way to see Tasmania. We were very lucky with the weather, but it would still have been a great trip even if we weren't. Justin was an excellent tour guide - very knowledgeable and entertaining; well organised; kept us well informed; and always had options for people of different fitness levels. He was the catalyst for a great cameraderie amongst the clients (at the start - friends at the end!). A good holiday is one that you don't want to end - this fell into that category. I can't recommend this enough.

Tour was amazing. Didn’t realise how cold it was going to be, but didn’t dampen the mood. Evan was amazing. Looked after us all very well

The Tour was a great way to see Tasmania , loved the Gordon river cruises and hikes through wine glass bay and hazards beach , lots of activities that suit everyone’s level of fitness , Evan was funny and looked after everyone , keeping us all hydrated And finding the squeeze the lemon stops . Great fun tour ,

I can't recommend this tour enough. You will be able to see lots of highlights that Tasmania has to offer; you can go on lots of beautiful, steep, and flatter hikes, and the tour guide will teach you all about what you are seeing. Our tour guide really went above and beyond for his 5-star rating.

We have the best time in Tasmania and look forward to returning in 2025/2026. So fortunate to get Tim as our tour guide as he makes our Tassie experience just that much more memorable. Not only is he knowledgeable and professional, but he's also very approachable and helpful. We recommend this tour(especially if you have Tim as the tour director), for a first-time visit to Tassie.

The 7 day tour was absolutely jam packed with various activities and excursions and I’m so glad I chose to do it. I was travelling with a friend and we wanted to book something that would give us a proper taste of Tasmania and this was the one! We worked out how expensive it would have been for us if we had just decided to hire a car and do this by ourselves so really great value for money. Evan had thought of absolutely everything making our trip so memorable and fun. It was a big group of 24 but Evan took the time to remember everyone’s names on day 1 which was very thoughtful. Cradle mountain, Russell falls, Sarah Island, Bay of fires, Freycinet National park were a few amongst the several places we visited and the sites were absolutely breathtaking. The whole trip was just seamless and I haven’t stopped talking about it to anyone who will listen! Can’t wait to come back and visit the rest of Tasmania ☺️

What a trip! We had an absolutely brilliant time, and we couldn’t have wished for anything else. Thank you! It was fantastic to tick off such beautiful spots in Tasmania, from the more famous places of Cradle Mountain to hidden gems like Honeymoon Bay, and the unexpected - the longest running play in Australia! This was all thanks to our amazing guide Brendon - his kindness, knowledge, humour, and logistical skills brought us all together, leaving us with the new found connections and memories to treasure! Thanks so much Brendon - appreciate all you did to make the trip what it was!