Grand Clifftop Walking Weekend

Walks will be approximately 12 km per day which involve walking up and down steps at times. Maximum group size is 10. Prices are $700 per person twin share (1 or 2 beds sharing a room with a friend or partner) or $990 for your own room by yourself. Please note evening meals are not included in this weekend, but there are many options for dining close to the hotel and many people enjoy having this free time to themselves. 

Itinerary

Friday

2.00 to 5.00 pm: Arrive at The Carrington Hotel, 15-47 Katoomba Street, Katoomba, any time after 2 pm. Parking is free and on site. It is about a 5-minute walk from Katoomba station, if you come by train. You can arrive earlier than 2 pm, however your room might not be ready until 2 pm.

Katoomba is an eclectic town with a mix of people from interesting
backgrounds! There are a few unusual and alternative shops; our favourites,
just for the sheer amount of stuff to be found there, are Mr Pickwicks Rare Old
Books and Antiques or Katoomba Vintage Emporium. But there is nothing nicer
than sitting on the front verandah of the Carrington Hotel and having snacks
and drinks brought out to you while you soak up the atmosphere of this
beautiful hotel!

5.00 pm (6.00 pm for November departure): Meet at Champagne Charlie’s bar, just
beyond Reception. Meet the others in your group, as well as your walking guide.
We will have a lovely welcome cocktail or mocktail and discuss the weekend
ahead.  We will then head out on the 3-
or 4-minute drive to a beautiful night-lit walk. This walk provides a unique
perspective on some of the Blue Mountains’ most famous landmarks. This walk is
only about 1.4 km long and you will be back in town early enough to go for
dinner in one of the many restaurants to choose from.

Saturday

7.30 to 9.00 am: Breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast is continental style.

9.00 am: We start the Grand Clifftop Walk! We will begin with a quick 5 minute lift to the start of the walk, so we can save our legs for the proper walk! Estimated length of walk is 4 hours. Grade is Moderate (some steps down and back up again).

The Grand Clifftop Walk is exactly as it sounds – grand vistas along the
clifftops! We will mainly hug the edges of the beautiful Jamison Valley,
visiting many lookouts along the way. Once we’ve left the busy lookouts, we usually
find we have the paths to ourselves. About halfway along, we reach a branch off
the main path that leads us to a beautiful, almost hidden break in the cliff
line. This path will take us past a wonderful natural ampitheatre, beautiful
Bridal Veil Falls, and then along the Leura Cascades. Wandering up through the
pretty streets of Leura, we will finish today’s walk with lunch and Devonshire
Tea at a unique teahouse! You will have time to look through the pretty village
of Leura before we give you a lift back to your hotel for a rest. We can
provide lots of suggestions for great places to eat for dinner.

Sunday

7.30 to 9.00 am: Breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast is continental style.

9.00 am: Your guide will meet you at the hotel and we’ll
head off for the second half of the Grand Clifftop Walk! Estimated length of
walk is 4 to 5 hours. Grade is Moderate (some steps).

Today’s walk starts by dropping down to a gorgeous lookout near Gordon
Falls – the only place that the falls can be viewed. We then continue past the
serene Pool of Siloam and on through exposed heathlands, briefly onto the
streets of Leura, and then the path plunges down into the sublimely beautiful
Valley of the Waters. This is a short (but steep) diversion off the main Grand
Clifftop Walk, but not to be missed! After this, we continue under and over
cliffs to our big finale at one of the most spectacular locations in the whole
of the Blue Mountains – the iconic Wentworth Falls, which we will view from
multiple vantage points. We will have a picnic lunch along the way.

2.00 pm (approx.): We will be collected from the end of the track and driven back to the hotel.

Included in the weekend:

2 nights ensuite accommodation at the
Carrington Hotel, Katoomba

2 breakfasts (Continental style)

2 lunches

Guided walks for 2 days

Guided night lit walk

Welcome cocktail or mocktail

Transport to and from the walks during the
weekend

Goodie bag with hiking snacks

Not included:

Arrival or departure transport to or from the accommodation at the start/end of the weekend

Evening meals

Drinks other than welcome cocktail/mocktail

Please note: The program may require slight changes on the weekend but will always
have the same value of inclusions. Sometimes track closures or weather
conditions require a slight change to the walks described in the program.

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Gundungurra and Dharug peoples on whose land we walk and stay this weekend.