{"id":376,"date":"2015-02-27T05:22:10","date_gmt":"2015-02-27T05:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/the-best-of-the-blue-mountains\/"},"modified":"2022-04-21T00:55:49","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T00:55:49","slug":"the-best-of-the-blue-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/the-best-of-the-blue-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best of the Blue Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Blue Mountains<\/a>\u00a0has always been a popular weekend getaway for tourists and locals. Just a 90 minute drive from the Sydney CBD, and easily accessible by car and train, it\u2019s a perfect escape from the business of city life. But if you\u2019re a traveller that likes to explore the unknown and get off the beaten path, there\u2019s a way of discovering the majestic views of the Blue Mountains with a tour that is guaranteed to give you an experience and perspective of the region you\u2019ve never seen before. Expedia’s Kiwi travellers often just make the day trip north west of Sydney but consider spending the night so you have more time in this beautiful part of the world.<\/p>\n

To be completely honest with you, I\u2019ve never really been that much of a fan of guided tours in busses or 4WDs. They\u2019re often quite restrictive; you\u2019re ferried around with a large group of tourists, making it difficult to do your own thing. That\u2019s where Life\u2019s An Adventure\u2019s Best of the Blue Mountains 4WD Day\u00a0Tours<\/a>\u00a0are different. Waiting to get picked up from our Sydney city accommodation, I was surprised to see that our 4WD tour consisted of only four people. The small, intimate group all fitted comfortably in the vehicle. We weren\u2019t transported in a large bus or coach, and from the very beginning of the tour, we were asked about what areas we\u2019d prefer to see and spend more time in. The ability to customise the experience is the big benefit of a small tour.<\/p>\n

Our first stop is the popular lookout at Wentworth Falls. This beautiful setting is a perfect start for a Blue Mountains experience. The combination of incredible local flora and fauna as you hike down to a breathtaking lookout over the canyons sets the scene for an exciting day of adventuring. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, proviiding an interesting commentary on the various wildlife, plants, natural formations and history of the region.<\/p>\n

Wentworth Falls was the only time on the tour we ever saw another tourist. From there on, we hit the road, the gravel turned to dirt, and we ventured out to some of the lesser known areas of the Blue Mountains.<\/p>\n

If you suffer from motion sickness, I\u2019d really recommend taking some anti-nausea tablets before this part of the tour, because it does get a little bumpy. You really do go off road, around numerous twists and turns through the bush and cliff faces to get to some incredible locations. When the 4WD finally did stop, we hiked a short distance to one of the most phenomenal views of the Blue Mountains I\u2019ve ever seen. Standing on top of a cliff face, over a thousand metres above the canopy, it\u2019s nothing but a sea of eucalyptus trees and cliffs all around us. The mountains cast shadows over the field of greens and blues, and you\u2019re nothing but a tiny speck on a ginormous rock formation. It truly is a vastly remote location that makes you feel incredibly small.<\/p>\n

By the time we\u2019re headed for our lunch destination, we\u2019d all worked up quite an appetite, so were eager to get into some bush tucker. And this lunch destination was going to be one of the most unique sittings I\u2019ve ever had. After being led through to an incredible cliff face lookout point, we soaked up the scenery and took photos of yet another remarkable perspective of the Mountains while a seated lunch was being put together by the staff. It\u2019s an assortment of local foods \u2013 fresh salads, antipasto and cold meats \u2013 all from the local business in the region. The bread is freshly baked from a nearby bakery and the cheeses are from the local deli. It\u2019s a perfect feed for a more than perfect setting. Sitting back, sipping on a hot coffee, or a glass of champagne, it\u2019s an incredible end to what has been a visually overwhelming experience. When you think you\u2019ve seen the Blue Mountains, this truly is a way of going beyond the tourist attractions and becoming an adventurer in a beautiful part of the country, so close to Sydney.<\/p>\n

Expedia compensates authors for their writings appearing on this site, such compensation may include travel and other costs<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Blue Mountains\u00a0has always been a popular weekend getaway for tourists and locals. Just a 90 minute drive from the Sydney CBD, and easily accessible by car and train, it\u2019s a perfect escape from the business of city life. But if you\u2019re a traveller that likes to explore the unknown and get off the beaten path,… Continue reading The Best of the Blue Mountains<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,2,4,6],"tags":[201,9,10],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","category-destination","category-experiences","category-explore","category-oceania","tag-blue-mountains","tag-sydney","tag-tips","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Best of the Blue Mountains | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/the-best-of-the-blue-mountains\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best of the Blue Mountains | Expedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0Blue Mountains\u00a0has always been a popular weekend getaway for tourists and locals. 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