Rugged adventure meets 5-star style on this island at the end of the Earth

For diehard hikers there is nowhere quite like Tasmania.

Split between east and west by an anomaly called Tyler’s Corridor, the Aussie island is famed for the distinctive climates, geology and vegetation found on either side.

To the west, the rainforests and mountain ranges can receive up to 141 inches of rainfall per year (New York City, for instance, gets about 50 inches), while the woodlands of the east may only see 19 inches, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The animals of Tasmania are also unique from the Australian mainland. Platypuses are bigger. Wombats are fluffier. Rare albino wallabies thrive. 

The best way to see it all is to simply walk.

Great Walks of Australia organizes luxurious and adventurous excursions operated by Tas Walking Company through Tasmania’s iconic landscapes, including Cradle Mountain to the west, the Bay of Fires to the northeast and the iconic Three Capes — Pillar, Hauy and Raoul — to the southeast.

The company’s latest walk is a brisker, more aggressive approach to the Three Capes, a vista-after-vista coastal amble around the dolomite cliffs of Tasman National Park.

Dubbed the Three Capes Adventure Walk, the 28-mile, three-day journey starts in Hobart, where you’ll meet your group of no more than 14 (including two guides) and board a bus into the bush.

Each day you will burn shoe rubber through documentary-quality forests, mountains and beaches (including Cape Raoul, Mount Brown, Mount Fortescue and Fortescue Bay), before settling into an eco-camp at night for sparkling wine and chef-cooked meals.

Don’t be scared off by the word “camp,” either — these come in the form of luxury glamping tents or mini-lodges with bedrooms and living rooms overlooking the land you just conquered.

A highlight of the journey is a lunch break on Safety Cove, a deep beach surrounded by lush forest and a ring of mountains in the distance. From here you’ll board a private eco-cruise that carries you across Port Arthur.

This walk was launched last October in response to the year-long-plus waiting list for the company’s premiere four-day approach to the Three Capes. But doing four days of hiking a full day faster also means that you should probably be in moderately good shape before walking this uphill marathon. Moreover, in this version of the journey, you will have to carry your pack — normally whisked ahead to your camp each night — for roughly half of it.

That makes, say, a 1,585-foot climb up Mount Fortescue significantly more challenging. So leave the laptop at home and pack your insoles. It’s an experience with that “once in a lifetime” feeling. If you are very lucky the Aurora Australis (the Southern Lights), will be shining. 

Three Capes Adventure Walk starts from $1,326 per person