Walker on the Grand Canyon track near Blackheath
Hiker on a Blue Mountains cliff-top lookout
Hiker at sunset in the Blue Mountains
Tree fern in the Jamison Valley rainforest
Superb lyrebird in the Blue Mountains
Waratah in flower
Sunrise over the Blue Mountains
Waterfall over layered sandstone
Cliffs above the Megalong Valley
Twilight over the Grose Valley
Autumn trees above a Blue Mountains valley
Autumn in Blackheath
Main street in Katoomba
Katoomba railway station
Furber Steps track below the cliffs
Prince Henry Cliff Walk near Katoomba
Scones with jam and cream
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The Ultimate Blue Mountains Hiking Tour

5 days / 4 nights

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Australia

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Five days on the Blue Mountains cliff edge from two villages on the Sydney train line, every main walk starting at the door or a station.

Starting Point

Blackheath

Finish Point

Katoomba

Fitness Level

3/5

Technical Level

3/5

Season

From March to February

Accommodation Level

Comfort

Tour Type

Center-Based

Daily Distance

7 – 11 mi

Daily Elevation

984 – 2297 ft

Highlights

  • Drop into the Grand Canyon, a fern gully cut by Greaves Creek
  • Stand at Govetts Leap above the Grose Valley
  • Climb down the Golden Stairs into the rainforest of the Jamison Valley
  • Scramble onto Ruined Castle for a view of Mount Solitary
  • Follow the Grand Cliff Top Walk past Wentworth Falls, Gordon Falls and Leura Cascades
  • Go down the Giant Stairway beside the Three Sisters

What’s included in the price?

Self-guided

Are you looking for a good adventure and limitless flexibility? Then you should try out a self-guided tour, perfect for independent explorers who want to set their own pace. Without the need to stick to a group schedule, you’re free to linger at scenic viewpoints while the logistics are taken care of in advance.

INCLUDED

2 nights in a guesthouse in Blackheath and 2 nights in a heritage hotel in Katoomba, rooms with their own bathroom
Breakfast every day
Scenic World day pass on day 3
Digital guidebook with itinerary, route instructions and practical information
GPS navigation with an easy-to-use app
Tour design and organisation, and support during your walk

NOT INCLUDED

Trains, buses and the optional taxi on day 1
Lunches and dinners
Luggage transfer

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

Airport transfer
on request
Extra nights
on request
Hotel upgrades
on request
Single supplement
+500 €/person
Accommodation levelComfort

Carefully selected 3- and 4-star hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs, all with private en-suite rooms and breakfast included. Expect comfortable, well-appointed rooms with attentive hospitality, typically in convenient and scenic locations — some properties also offer on-site dining.

These are examples of the type and standard you can expect. Actual properties may vary depending on availability.

What to bring to the tour

  • Hiking shoes/boots
  • 25 to 45-liter backpack
  • Base layer
  • Sports T-shirts
  • Hiking shorts
  • Hiking water-repellent pants
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Midlayer
  • Sports socks and underwear
  • Leisurewear for evenings
  • Down jacket
  • Gloves
  • Shade hat/cap
  • Warm headwear
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses
  • Headlamp
  • Hiking poles
  • ID card or passport
  • Snacks
  • Cash
  • Water bottles or hydration pack
  • Sleeping liner
  • Toiletries
  • Toilet paper
  • Small first aid kit

The Blue Mountains rise straight out of Sydney's western suburbs, and the train runs right through them. This walk is built on that: two mountain villages two hours from Central, a guesthouse in Blackheath and a heritage hotel in Katoomba, and every walk except the optional first one starts at the door or a station. You never need a car.

Blackheath stands at the edge of the Grose Valley, the wilder side of the park. Govetts Leap and Pulpit Rock look straight down its cliffs, and the Grand Canyon track drops into a gully of tree ferns that walkers have followed since 1907.

Katoomba looks south over the Jamison Valley, and the days there go down as well as along: the Golden Stairs to the valley floor, Federal Pass to Ruined Castle, and the Giant Stairway beside the Three Sisters. In between, the Grand Cliff Top Walk links Wentworth Falls, Leura and Katoomba along the escarpment, past waterfalls, fern grottoes and a lookout every few hundred metres.

Expect steps, and a lot of them. The paths are well built and signposted, but every main day goes down into a valley or a canyon and comes back up, 11 to 17 km and four to seven hours. Tracks can close after heavy rain or a rockfall: your guidebook gives a second route for every day, and NSW National Parks keeps the current closures online.

It is a walk for any month. May to August is cool and often clear, with frosty mornings and short days; spring brings wildflowers; January and February are the wettest months. Distances on this page are approximate.

We book the rooms and your day at Scenic World and send the routes to your phone. Bring a day pack, good grip on your shoes and a contactless card for the Sydney trains.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you walk four to seven hours comfortably, it is fine. Fitness 3 of 5, technical 3 of 5: the paths are good, but there are long stone stairways every day, down and up. Every day also has a shorter option.

No. You arrive and leave by train, and every walk except the optional first one starts at the hotel or a station.

Take the airport train to Central and change to the Blue Mountains line; Blackheath is a little over two hours from Central. Pay by tapping a contactless card at the gates; the airport stations add a fee of about AUD 19. If you prefer, we can arrange a private car on request.

No. You walk with a day pack. Your bags move once, on day 3, on a 12-minute train from Blackheath to Katoomba, and the Katoomba hotel is a short walk from the station.

Yes, and many people prefer it. Winter days are cool, around 10 °C, and often clear, with few rain days. Mornings can be frosty, so bring warm layers and shoes with good grip for icy steps. Snow is rare.

It happens in the Blue Mountains after heavy rain or a rockfall, and closures can come at short notice. Your guidebook gives a second route for every day, and we tell you before you travel if anything on your plan has closed.

Yes, on request, instead of day 3: the first section from Katoomba down Nellies Glen into the Megalong Valley, about 8 km, with a taxi back to your hotel. The full track to Jenolan Caves is closed and needs camping, so we do not sell it.

Breakfast is included every day. Lunch and dinner are not: Blackheath, Katoomba and Leura all have cafés, bakeries and restaurants, and there are cafés at the Conservation Hut, Scenic World and Echo Point along the way.

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from 1.145 € /person