Frequently Asked Questions

Our Original Tours (Famous 5, Tassie 5 Highlights, Explorer 6 and Super 7) offer motel and hostel accommodation options. Our Comfort Tours (Discovery 6 and Ultimate 10) use motels. Within these styles, we offer the following room types:

Motel Single, Double or Twin*: Private room with private ensuite bathroom.

Hostel Dormitory: Single gender rooms of between 4-8 beds with shared bathroom facilities. Double or Twin* or Single hostel rooms may also be booked – these are basic private rooms with shared bathroom facilities.

*Twin/Double – Please note that if solo travellers wish to book a private room, they will need to select a hostel or motel single room, as we do not pair solo travellers in our twin or double room options.

If you aren’t sure whether a hostel or a motel is best for you, reading this blog may help. If you’re still not sure, please email or call us so we may help you decide.

Yes, Wifi is available and bedding is included at all our accommodation options. You do not need to bring along any bedding.

Our Original Tours are self-catering; there are plenty of food-stops where you can purchase from restaurants, cafes, take-aways or even supermarkets should you be accommodated in a hostel and wish to use the hostel’s kitchen facilities. We ask guests to please bring their own reusable water bottles and keep-cups for coffees, and to recycle when services are available. We also encourage guests to try local seasonal produce while supporting local farmers and businesses.

Our guides can give you recommendations to help you enjoy Tasmanian food and produce.

Our Comfort Tours include several meals as part of the itinerary.

If you have dietary requirements such as vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free, please communicate these to us in advance so we can advise your guide and restaurants as appropriate.

The guests who join an Under Down Under small group tour include solo travellers, couples, friends, or family travelling together from around the world. We bring together travellers seeking a nature-based, fun, informative, and active tour of Tasmania. Our Original style tours (Famous 5, Tassie 5 Highlights, Explorer 6 and Super 7) include various short walks every day in our National Parks and key attractions. Guests aged 20 to 50 (roughly), plus more mature (and active) guests love these tours. Our Discovery 6 and Ultimate 10 comfort tours enjoy the company of Australians and international guests. While still active, these tours are designed to be easier in terms of the walks we do each day, with a more relaxed style, appealing to mature travellers.

We have a minimum age of 8 years old. There is no maximum age. What is important is that you have a good sense of adventure and a reasonable level of fitness to ensure all guests get the most from the tour and can enjoy the experiences included each day.

Our Original Tours have a maximum group size is 24 guests plus the tour guide. Our Comfort Tours have a maximium of 18 guests. These small group sizes allow you plenty of time to get to know your fellow travellers and guide.

Our tours have welcomed guests of various abilities over the years.

We invite anyone that isn’t sure if our tours are suitable for them to give us a call prior to booking so that we can discuss any requirements or expectations you might have. You can read a bit more on this topic as part of our accessibility statement.

If a full-fare paying guest wishes to travel with a person with a companion card, we can offer a 25% discount on the tour price to carers or companions for bookings that are made directly with us and not through a third-party website or agent. Please email a copy of the companion card to our office and we can arrange the discount directly.

As an Advanced eco-certified tour company with Ecotourism Australia, we make every effort to practice responsible tourism.

As a guest visiting Tassie and discovering our exquisite parks, wildlife and people, you have a role to play too. Please consider your impact as you travel. Here’s a few easy tips to make your experience a positive one for the environment and its people.

1. Leave No Trace as you explore– our guides will share our minimal impact bushwalking tips when you explore #wildplaces with us.
2. Buy local – support local businesses and sample Tasmania’s finest foods, produce and goods.
3. Bring a “keep-cup” (for coffees), refillable water-bottle and a reusable shopping bag, and you’ll save considerable waste from entering landfill.
4. Turn taps off when not in use, and please be especially mindful of places that rely on rain-water tanks – even in Tasmania water is a precious resource.
5. Turn off lights, heating or aircon when you’re not in your room. Everyone’s efforts make a difference.
6. Help us “Keep Wildlife Wild”. – our guides will explain more about how to do this while on tour.

No, you will need to arrive into your departure city at least the day before your tour is scheduled to depart, due to the early start to our day tours and multi-day tours you cannot arrive the same day your tour is set to depart.

HOBART AIRPORT INFORMATION

LOCATION – Hobart Airport is located 17 kilometres (roughly a 15-20 minute drive) from the city centre of Hobart. You can get to and from the airport via shuttle bus, Uber or taxis.

SKYBUS HOBART EXPRESS SHUTTLE SERVICE– Skybus operates a regular express bus service between Hobart Airport and select locations in Hobart’s city centre. The service costs $22 one way and $44 for the return and are available to be booked here. Check the timetable for departure times here. From the airport to Brooke st Pier it should take approximately 30 minutes.

TAXIS – Taxis are located directly out the front of the building and cost approximately $50 to $60 each way to/from Hobart’s city centre (depending on traffic). If you need a mini-van or special taxi ask one of the kerbside assistants who will radio one through for you. If there are no taxis available, phone numbers for the major taxi companies are listed inside the terminal near the baggage carousels.

UBER – Uber is available in Hobart and rides can be organised through their app. To get an Uber from Hobart Airport to your accommodation you will need to wait in a designated area; you can find out more information here: https://www.uber.com/en-AU/airports/hba/

All of our tours begin and end in Hobart. Our tours include pick up and drop off from selected locations in Hobart’s CBD. We do not pick up from the airport.

At the time of booking you can select from a list of pick-up points around the city. If unsure at the time of booking your tour, please advise us of your pick up location no later than 72 hours prior to your tour’s departure.

You can view a list of our pick-up locations and times here.

Yes, we can arrange an airport drop off on the final day of your tour, however we recommend booking a flight for 7.30pm or later. If you wish to be dropped at the airport on any of these please discuss with your guide and ensure you have all possessions with you on the final morning of your tour as you will be dropped at the airport on the way back into Hobart.

For all other guests you will be dropped into the city centre.

In general, bring clothing that suits the season, including warm clothes (it can get cold in the mountains), comfortable closed-toe walking shoes, toiletries, a towel, hat, sunscreen, waterproof jacket, swimsuit, and 1-2 litre refillable water bottle. Earphones are useful if visiting Port Arthur (free podcast). To minimise waste, please bring a keep-cup (for coffees) and a reusable shopping bag. Check out this blog which covers this topic in more detail.

You may bring a backpack or suitcase up to 20kg that will be stored securely in our luggage trailer during the day and unloaded each evening on the days we change accommodations. We recommend bring a smaller day pack to store your daily essentials such as drinks, jackets and sunscreen while on tour.

Original Tours (Famous 5, Tassie Highlights 5, Explorer 6, and Super 7) are nature-based and active. They offer both hostel and motel accommodation options, however no meals are included allowing flexibility and personal choice each day. Each tour accommodates up to 24 guests and attracts a wide range of ages (minimum age is 8)

Comfort Tours (Discovery 6 and Ultimate 10) provide motel accommodations. These tours have a smaller group size, with a maximum of 18 guests. Many meals and several exceptional experiences are included in the tour price. While these tours are also active, they also cater to more mature travellers, offering a more relaxed pace with easier-graded walks.

Still Unsure? If you’re still unsure which tour is best for you, feel free to call or email us for more information.

You can make bookings using the following methods:

Online (Recommended) – You can see our departure dates, live availability and purchase tours directly through our website by hitting the “Book Now” button on any of our individual Tour pages.

Phone – You may call and speak to our reservations team by calling 03 6232 4800 during our office hours Monday to Friday 9am-5pm AEST. Email – you can also email us at [email protected] 

Free cancellation and flexible date changes up to 14 days prior to travel are just some of the great reasons to book directly with us. We also don’t charge credit card or booking fees. When you have a question, you can go straight to the source for the best local info. Booking direct is the best way to support local operators.

Credit Card: When you book online via our website or over the phone, you can pay via credit card. We accept VISA and Mastercard, and do not pass along any credit card fees or charge a booking fee. We do not store credit card details and use secure payment gateways.

Direct Deposit: We are happy to make a booking for you via email or phone if you prefer to pay us via direct deposit. Contact our office and we can help arrange this with you.

For certain tours and departure dates, we sometimes offer deals. Please check-out our deals-page. We do not offer concessions apart from a person who is travelling with a carer-companion (contact us for details).

The walking in Tasmania is world-class, and we’ve selected beautiful walking experiences for our guests that range in difficulty and duration depending on the tour and the location. There are often easier and more challenging options to choose from at each location. All walks are optional and can take from 20 minutes to up to 3-4 hours.

As a rule, our Original Tours are the most active. These tours offer walks ranging in difficuly from Easy (for example, Cape Tourville) to Challenging (like Mount Amos).

Alternatively, our Comfort Tours offer much easier walks each day (such as Russell Falls) with a few moderate graded walks as options in certain areas like Cradle Mountain (like the Dove Lake Circuit).

Track conditions vary considerably, and may include: boardwalks, steps, rocks, mud, sand, gravel or paved paths. Some walks are guided, while others are unguided (free-walking). Your guides will provide you with information on the walks in advance.

Most importantly, choose a walk suitable for your fitness level and physical capacity, the weather, and your experience, ensuring that you have the appropriate attire such as sturdy walking footwear, rain gear and warm clothing. Safety is our primary concern at all times.

We visit some incredible places throughout Tasmania, and wherever possible get out of the bus to explore. Our tours are active-style and a moderate level of fitness will enable you to get the most out of these tours. Wherever possible, our guides will always endeavour to give a moderate walking option as well as a more difficult one.

Our tours are conducted in modern, comfortable air-conditioned buses. Guests’ luggage is carried in a trailer. While our fleet contains a range of vehicles of different sizes, typically we use Toyota Coasters, Mitsubishi Fuso Rosas, and Renault Masters.

Each tour has different inclusions and price depending on accommodation style, and these are detailed in each tour itinerary.

Accommodation, National Park entry fees, guide, transport, Hobart pick up and drop offs (in the CBD area) are standard inclusions in each tour.

It is important to read each tour itinerary to see which tours include a visit with entry fee to key attractions (like Port Arthur Historic Site) and a wildlife sanctuary to see Tasmanian devils.

Some tours have optional activities available for you to join which can be booked prior to departure if you book through our website.

Almost all activities on our tours are included within the price; however on selected tours we also offer a few attractions or activities that you can join at your own expense such as:

The Gordon River Cruise: This iconic cruise through Tasmania’s World Heritage Area is available as an optional extra on our Famous 5, Explorer 6 and Super 7 tours. (The cruise is included on our Ultimate 10 and Discovery 6 tours).

Being optional, the decision to join is completely up to you. You may book the activity at the same as booking your tour (if booking direct through our website). You may also inform your guide once your tour has commenced and we can arrange it for you, subject to availability.