AusLeisure

Best known its specialist tours in Asia, Grasshopper Adventures has launched a new program of biking, hiking and kayak multi active tours in Tasmania and Queensland

Having started operations 15 years ago with bicycle tours in Laos and Cambodia on bicycles, the current disruption in international tourism has been the impetus for the Coolum-based business to release its a range of tours in Tasmania and Queensland – with other domestic destinations soon to be announced.

Explaining that the new tours all feature a mix of activities that include peaceful biking, beautiful hikes and days spent kayaking on stunning waterways, Grasshopper owner and head, Adam Platt-Hepworth explains “to really experience the natural environment in a meaningful way, we had to go beyond biking.

“We also regard it as crucial to avoid lots of vehicle time and packing/unpacking. The tours are designed so that you spend maximum time outdoors, in nature and with like-minded people.”

Among the tours’ many highlights of the tours, Platt-Hepworth lists:

1. Riding through the rustic landscape of the Brisbane Valley and hanging out in a tiny country pub for an evening
2. Hiking the trails of the Bunya Mountains and learning about the major aboriginal corroborees that took place there, oriented around the sacred tree of the same name
3. Kayaking the Noosa Everglades 
4. Biking the subtly beautiful northeast Tasmanian countryside then hiking the coast at Freycinet
5. Kayaking the dramatic coast of the Tasman Peninsula in the sheltered waters of Fortescue Bay

Designed with a view to maximising community involvement, the tours feature visits to wineries, artisan’s studios and local farms with accommodations that include small-scale, family owned properties.

Platt-Hepworth added “we learned this from our work in Asia (as) you need to ensure that the conduct of tours benefits and works in harmony with local communities in order to earn the legitimacy and authenticity that travellers expect”.

Grasshopper Adventures’ Australia collection goes on sale today with scheduled dates from the Australian Spring and well into 2021 and beyond.

Grasshopper Adventures has also run tours in the United States, Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, China and Uzbekistan.

Tours range from five to 14 days.

For more information go to www.grasshopperadventures.com

Images: Grasshopper Adventures kayaking in Tasmania's Fortescue Bay (top) and walking in Queensland's Bunya Mountains (below).

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