All wrapped up at Arkaba
Outback walking, wilderness & wine, the magic of Christmas lies in sharing experiences…
Raising glasses, sharing food, enjoy majestic views and capturing moments that become more precious over time; the gift of experience is the best gift of all, and we’ve got it all wrapped up for you in the South Australia’s outback.
And you can ‘have your cake and eat it too’ as Wild Bush Luxury will send a beautiful bottle of vintage Joseph Sparkling Red from the McLaren Vale wine country, down the road from the Arkaba Walk, to share with your loved ones on Christmas Day!
Grab your nearest and dearest and wander through Arkaba’s private wilderness in the Flinders Ranges on the Arkaba Walk. Join us on any available walk with departures every week March – October 2017.
Slow down over four glorious days and sleep in a swag under a star studded sky. Soak up the ancient mountain ranges, spot loads of wildlife and enjoy fine South Australian food and wine. Plus Wild Bush Luxury now takes care of your transfers from Adelaide to Arkaba – one way by air and the other by road, via the Clare Valley wine country. This is outback walking in style!
And what’s so good about this South Australian vintage Joseph Sparkling Red you ask? Well, we love it for its uniquely Australian wine style, it’s regarded by many as the perfect Christmas turkey wine match, it will cellar for a fair while and the label even looks Christmassy. Good enough to gift! And thanks to our friends at Daily Drop, it’s delivered free to your door with any Arkaba Walk gift voucher arranged by 4pm Wednesday 21 December 2016. One bottle per booking – representing a value of $90.
Give the gift of experience and spoil your friends and family with life long memories from the Arkaba Walk in South Australia, this Christmas.
Order your Arkaba Walk Gift Voucher & Wine Today and have Christmas all wrapped up!
Bonus Joseph Sparkling Red offer is valid from now until 21 December 2016.
Congratulations to Australian Walking Holidays (Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort), Tasmanian Walking Company (Bay of Fires Lodge Walk & Cradle Mountain Huts Walk) & The Maria Island Walk for being announced as winners in their 2016 state tourism awards.
The Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort, by Australian Walking Holidays has been awarded the winner of the Ecotourism product of the year at the 2016 BROLGA Northern Territory Tourism Awards. (Pictured Left)
The Eco Tourism award recognises ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that foster environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation.
At the heart of the Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort is a commitment to provide an outstanding experience for trekkers while minimising the impact on the environment. The trek’s three architecturally designed, semi-permanent campsite facilities incorporate sustainable technologies such as water-free composting toilets, solar lighting systems and a hybrid grey water disposal system designed for the arid environment.
As the winner of this award, the walk is now also a finalist in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in Darwin in February 2017 for the title of best Ecotourism product in Australia.
Fearless Campsite – Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort
Find out more about this trek
Tasmanian Walking Company, who operate The Bay of Fires Lodge Walk & Cradle Mountain Huts Walk, also received gold in the Ecotourism category of the 2016 Tasmanian Tourism Awards. (Team Pictured Top Center)
Like with many of the Great Walks of Australia, The Tasmanian Walking Company wholeheartedly embrace ecologically sustainable tourism practices.
In the construction of the Forester Beach Camp and the Bay of Fires Lodge on the Bay of Fires Lodge Walk, from the siting of the buildings and the form of their design, to the selection of building materials and the management of the construction process, the single focus has been protecting the landscape and connecting to it.
Each hut on the Cradle Mountain Huts Walk is architecturally designed to maximise cross-flow ventilation and operate with maximum efficiency with renewable energy.The remote location of the huts demands that they are autonomous in terms of servicing; rainwater is channeled off the roof into tanks, self-composting, water-free batching toilets are used and phosphorous-free soap is provided for guests, along with numerous other sustainable practices.
Bay of Fires Lodge – Bay of Fires Lodge Walk & Barn Bluff Hut – Cradle Mountain Huts Walk
Find out more about Bay of Fires Lodge Walk or Cradle Mountain Huts Walk
The Maria Island Walk has been awarded the winner of the Adventure Tourism category in the 2016 Tasmanian Tourism Awards (Team Pictured Top Right)
The Maria Island Walk was awarded for its uniquely Tasmanian experience. With four days rambling through a spectacular world heritage listed national park, full of remarkable history, pristine beaches, ancient forests and towering mountain peaks this walk is full of adventure. The national park is abundant with rare birds and animals, including recently introduced Tasmanian devils. With wilderness camps and the final night in a heritage house inside a world heritage listed convict settlement that pre-dates Port Arthur, the walk is a true adventure.
The Cradle Mountains Hut Walk also received silver in this category.
4 Mile Beach – The Maria Island Walk
Find out more about this walk
The Cradle Mountain Huts Walk, Bay of Fires Lodge Walk and Maria Island Walk will also be finalists in their respective categories for the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards next year.
Congratulations to all our awarded partner walks and we wish them the best of luck for the next round of awards!
Award Presentation images feature the following team members from left to right:
Top Left Image: Australian Walking Holidays – Heidi Smith and Larissa Duncombe
Top Middle Image : Tasmanian Walking Company – Simon Willcox (Tasmanian PWS – Manager Visitor Strategy), Erin McGilvray (Bay of Fires, TWC Guide), Heath Garratt (GM), Ros Young (Sales & Marketing Manager), Dayna Trevaskis (TWC Guide), Daisy Lamont (Experience Manager – Bay of Fires Lodge Walk) and Ben Griggs (Experience Manager – Wineglass Bay Sail Walk).
Top Right: The Maria Island Walk – Ben Brown (Operations Manager), Heather Vail (Ben’s Partner), Daniel Fisher (Guide), Bronwyn Johnstone (Ian’s wife), Dayna Trevaskis (Guide), Jo Mack (Guide), Gemma McLoughlin (Guide), Sue Beaumont (Guide), Maddy Davies (Guide), Luke Brokensha (Guide), Ian Johnstone, Amira El kheir & Jane Richardson
If you’re thinking of getting completely outback and off the beaten track in 2017, why not choose one of the 2017 Lonely Planet best regions of the world to explore… South Australia.
The Arkaba Walk, one of the Great Walks of Australia, takes you over four glorious days from the vibrant city of Adelaide into the heart of the South Australian outback. You’ll explore the majesty of the Ikara-Flinders Ranges on foot, then roll back to Adelaide through one of South Australia’s famous wine regions, the adorable Clare Valley.
As South Australia came in at #5 on the best regions to explore for 2017, here are just five of many reasons why you’ll love the Arkaba Walk:
1. Walk with wildlife
You’ll wander through beautiful surrounds where the wildlife comes to you. There are more kangaroos, emus and bird life than you can poke a stick at, and you don’t follow a fixed trail so it’s more of a guided exploration in the wilderness than the patter and chatter of the person in front kind of walk. It’s a glorious wilderness walk of discovery through everchanging country 600 million years in the making. One of the property’s earliest guests was John McDougall Stuart on his epic first crossing of the continent.
2. Passion for the place
It’s fully guided and we literally walk you through the geological history of time. You’ll discover the Ediacaran fauna (named after the Ediacara Hills of South Australia), the earliest forms of multi-celled life on earth! You’ll learn about the Adnyamathanha people, the traditional custodians of the Ikara-Flinders Ranges country and hear the stories of the early European settlement, of early pioneers and of heroic bush survival. Our guides live and breathe this ancient place and can lead a slow amble or keep a cracking pace, according to needs of your small group (maximum ten walkers).
3. Conservation is our heart
Your outback adventure helps us conserve our region. Arkaba is a National Geographic Top 3 finalist in the 2016 World Legacy Awards for Conserving the Natural World. You’ll learn ways in which the Indigenous owners of the land protected this ancient country, how active conservation programs are restoring the land now and how you are playing a part in saving the wildlife of the Flinders Ranges just by being here.
4. Jaw-dropping landscape
These ranges in South Australia’s Ikara-Flinders Ranges are grand in scale and bring a whole new level to the luxury of wide open space. We don’t like bumping into people and there’s 60,000 acres of dramatically beautiful private conservancy to explore! You’ll traverse the country immortalised in Hans Heysen’s art by day. Think ancient seabeds and deep valleys covered with casuarinas and cypress pines which fall into creek beds lined with river red gums. Sleep under a canopy of stars at our signature swag camps by night. And the stars are ridiculous out here in the South Australian outback! Oh, and you can bring your slippers if you please as we have a support vehicle to take care of your gear without you having to lug it around the wilderness. No matter how pretty.
5. Seriously good South Australian food and wine
Savour a sundowner glass of top notch South Australian wine and bush canapés after your day of walking in the wilderness. Toast a marshmallow around the campfire and dine al fresco at the Arkaba Homestead, a Luxury Lodges of Australia property, on the third and final night. Our resident chef will make sure your tummy is as pleased as your body. And then there’s your gorgeous lunch in the Clare Valley wine country for good measure on the scenic road trip back to Adelaide from Arkaba.
Our Arkaba walking season kicks off 23 March and continues to 12 October 2017. Adelaide is Australia’s festival capital after all, and it also happens to be the gateway to our outback walk in style, the Arkaba Walk by Wild Bush Luxury.
Learn more here about The Arkaba Walk, call 1300 790 561 to speak to a Wild Bush Luxury specialist or email arkabawalk@wildbushluxury.com direct.