Ten Thrilling Travel Experiences to Gift That Person Who Loves Big Adventures

Exploring the spectacular Tasmanian coastline is an unforgettable way to spend the holiday season and the Three Capes Track offers one of the best vantage points. The multi-day hike departs from the World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic Site, leading visitors on a rewarding 48-kilometre journey through eucalypt forests, raw coastal landscapes and mountain peaks.

The Three Capes Track Voucher is an amazing all-in-one gift for an intrepid nature lover. It includes bus transfers, an eco-cruise, and three nights’ accommodation in eco-friendly cabins positioned along the track.

Image: Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service

South Australia’s Kangaroo Island is a stone’s throw from Adelaide and home to an abundance of native wildlife and jaw-dropping scenery. Treat someone to experience a particularly appealing pocket of the island with a guided quad bike tour through dense bushland, across the cliffs of stunning Vivonne Bay.

Kangaroo Island Outdoor Action has four different tours to choose from to suit ATV riders of any experience level. However, the Edge of the Earth Adventure is tough to top with sweeping views across the Southern Ocean from a striking clifftop vantage point.

Image: Adam Bruzzone, South Australia Tourism Commission

The best way to explore Jervis Bay, located along NSW’s south coast, is by the impossibly clear turquoise waters off the beach. Treat your loved one to a half-day or full-day tour with Sea Kayak Jervis Bay. Between leisurely paddling sessions led by a guide, they’ll stop for coffee, cake and a dip at a stunning beach.

The more intrepid kayakers can venture from the shoreline to Bowen Island where kayakers can spot fairy penguins (around 5000 breeding pairs live there). And for those who don’t need a guide, kayak hire for the day without the tour will set you back $60 for solo or $85 for a double kayak.

Stockton Beach’s impressive surroundings look even better from the deck of a sandboard as you whiz down the largest moving coastal dunes in the Southern Hemisphere. If this sounds like the perfect day out for your mates or family, book them a spot with Sand Dune Safaris.

The family owned business doesn’t accept large inbound tour groups so the team can offer a more intimate experience. After a 4WD delivers guests to the dunes, there are no limits to how they reach the bottom. Sit and slide or, if they’re game for a challenge, stand and surf the giant waves of sand.

Image: Destination NSW

Spend a day snorkelling with turtles, manta rays and tropical fish at Lady Musgrave Island, located on the Southern Great Barrier Reef off the Bundaberg coastline. Book your loved one a day trip with Lady Musgrave Experience for a two-hour journey cruising on a 35-metre luxury catamaran to an island lagoon.

Upon arrival, guests take a guided tour around the island and ride on a glass-bottom boat, before hitting the pristine waters to swim with green turtles and hawksbill turtles. Know a nature lover? Sign ’em up.

Trekking is fun. Lugging heavy gear is not. Enter llamas. If you know someone who loves getting a big dose of nature — and can’t get enough of animals — get them an adventure in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges with Hanging Rock Llama Treks.

The eco tours range from five to 12 kilometres in length and your mate will have their very own four-legged friend along the way. Before the trek begins, they’ll be taken through all things llama, from how to care for them to what order they should walk in (to respect dominance in the herd). And they might even get to meet some crias (baby llamas).

If you’re looking for a hands-on gift that’s truly educational, Saltwater Cultural Tours in the Northern Territory is an immersion into our nation’s cultural history. Led by guide Trent Lee of the Larrakia/Wardaman/Karajarri people, the Out On Country one-day tour package includes a raft of activities to connect guests with land and country.

After being transported from Darwin to a remote area, groups of up to ten people will observe a Welcome to Country ceremony and receive an introduction to the local language. Then they’ll check out cultural artefacts, take part in spearfishing lessons and learn traditional fire-making techniques.

Image: Tourism Australia

Situated along a stretch of the Great Ocean Road, Wildlife Wonders was launched as a special conservation area for field research and environmental tours. Led by Brian Massey, an art director for The Hobbit movies, this serene 50-acre haven presents a stark contrast to the wastelands of Mordor.

This sunny holiday season, present your closest pals with a Wildlife Wonders gift card. They’ll enjoy a tour led by an experienced conservationist where they’ll gain insight into the Otways’ stunning biosphere.

Image: Visit Victoria

Your loved ones might consider themselves veteran adventure travellers, but their hearts will pump a little harder when they get up close with a massive saltwater croc. Sign them up for a Jumping Crocodile Cruise along the Adelaide River and see just how cool a customer they are.

Located less than an hour from Darwin, this part of the country is renowned for its First Nations history. As the tour group climbs aboard the boat and glides through the floodplains in anticipation of a croc feeding, guests will learn about the region’s astonishing biodiversity and history.

Sending your nearest and dearest swimming with the sharks might seem like a cold-blooded gift. But experiencing these big fish up close at World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is bucket list material.

The reef boasts exotic fish, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, migrating humpback whales and, of course, whale sharks, all on show in the impossibly clear water.

One of the best ways to see the beauty of Ningaloo is on a Ningaloo Whale Shark Swim Tour. A day-long itinerary includes multiple snorkelling sessions, tasty meals and panoramic views of Cape Range National Park from the ocean. And, of course, a swim with the gentle giants of the shark family.

Image: Tourism Australia