10 SUMMIT CHALLENGE

Kosciuszko National Park

Duration

3 Days on Expedition
(+2 Travel Days)

Distance

50km

Difficulty

Experienced

Group Size

8

Price

$1899

Overview

The 10 Summit Challenge is an iconic Australian trek perfect for hikers looking to test their backcountry skills and explore the best of Kosciuszko National Park. There will be challenging ascents, cliff edge traversing and rock scrambling, but with every summit you will be rewarded with the most stunning views imaginable.

For added comfort and convenience, this tour package includes a 2-night stay in an alpine lodge at Lake Crackenback Resort, allowing the perfect start and end to the expedition tour.

10 Highest Peaks in Australia

Mount Kosciuszko – 2,228m
Mount Townsend – 2,209m
Mount Twynam – 2,195
Rams Head Peak – 2,190m
Rams Head North – 2,177m
Alice Rawson Peak – 2,160m
Byatts Camp Peak – 2,159m
Abbott Peak – 2,145m
Carruthers Peak – 2,145m
Mount Northcote- 2131m

Whats Included

  • All Inclusive Adventure Holiday Package
  • 2 Nights Luxury Accommodation at Lake Crackenback Resort
  • Airport Transfers (Canberra Airport)
  • Gourmet Dining Experience (All Meals Provided)
  • Professional & Safety Focused Mountain Guides
  • Camping & National Parks Permit
  • All Expedition Equipment Provided

Itinerary

The perfect destination to start your adventure, take the day to explore one of Australia’s most stunning natural playgrounds. With a keen eye you may spot a curious platypus playing on the banks of the lake and it is common for wild brumbies to drink from the surrounding streams.

In the afternoon, meet your Mountain Guides as they conduct an equipment and safety briefing to ensure you are feeling prepared and excited. As the sunsets over the lake, enjoy a 3-course dinner with you fellow expedition team before a good nights rest.

Highlights 

  • Explore Lake Crackenback
  • Meet your Mountain Guide
  • Equipment & Safety Demonstration

With an early wake up call and a final gear check our adventure begins.

Starting at Charlotte Pass, we take our first steps onto the range and into the vast wilderness of Kosciuszko National Park. Covering 17kms of undulating terrain, today will be a hard hike with periods of steep climbs and river crossings. Rising up onto the main ridgeline, we will hit our first 3 summits. Standing tall at 2195m, Mount Twynam will require off track navigation skills to reach, however once on top you will have the best view looking down into Blue Lake, an ancient glacial remnant. Linking onto Carruthers Pass and ascending towards Carruthers Peak, at 2145m, you will be amazed by the uninterrupted views of the Great Dividing Range.

As we traverse back down a razor thin ridgeline towards Lake Albina, we will take the opportunity to turn off track and summit Mount Northcote, at 2131m. Our basecamp tonight will be at Wilkinsons Creek, where you’ll sleep underneath a blanket of stars and have a well deserved night’s rest.

Expedition Highlights

  • Summit 1- Mount Twynam 2195m
  • Summit 2- Carruthers Peak 2145m
  • Summit 3- Mount Northcote 2131m

Surrounding Wilkinsons Creek is a ring of 5 mountains which stands as a crown of rocky peaks, each higher than the next. Leaving our heavy packs at basecamp, we will navigate towards Abbott’s Saddle where we will rock climb Abbotts Peak, 2145m. Followed by a rock jump up to Byatts Camp Peak at 2159m. To ensure your safety, our experienced Mountain Guides will be with you the whole way up and crucially to guide you back down the steep cliff edges. Alice Rawson Peak is next at 2160m high, followed by Mount Townsend, the 2nd highest peak in Australia at 2209m. Taking in the most spectacular view of Lake Albina, we'll return to basecamp for lunch, a swim in the creek and a short rest before setting off in the late afternoon to summit Mt Kosciuszko, Australia's highest peak 2228m, and watch the sunset.

Expedition Highlights

  • Summit 4- Abbotts Peak 2145m
  • Summit 5- Byatts Camp Peak 2159m
  • Summit 6- Alice Rawson Peak 2160m
  • Summit 7- Mount Townsend 2209m
  • Summit 8- Mt Kosciuszko 2228m

Waking up to the smell of fresh coffee we will take our time to have a big breakfast and a morning stretching session.

At 2,190 and 2,177 metres, the rocky outcrops of Rams Head marks our final 2 summit of our challenge. Congratulations and well done. The view of the expansive landscape below is your reward and a sign of welcome relief as the trail home flows gently back down to Charlotte Pass. Returning to Lake Crackenback Resort for hot showers and if desired, a pampering massage at the Spa & Wellness Centre to relieve any aches and pains from your mountain adventure. Tonight we celebrate!

Expedition Highlights

  • Summit 9- Rams Head North 2,177m
  • Summit 10- Rams Head Peak 2,190m

After a long weekend of exploring Australia’s alpine region and Snowy Mountains, we reach our final morning together and the tour officially concludes allowing guests to follow their own schedule. We do recommend taking a few extra days out to further explore this stunning region.

If you are interested in adding on extra nights accommodation at Lake Crackenback resort, please enquire on booking.

FAQs

We’re very proud of the all-inclusive nature of our tours. All you really need is a decent pair of hiking shoes, some warm clothing and we will provide the rest. It's that easy.

There are toilets available at Charlotte Pass, Seamans Hut & Rawson pass. However, outside of these locations we follow a strict 'leave-no-trace' policy, meaning all solid waste needs to be packed out.

We have a bit of a saying here; "there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!".

If it's forecast to rain on the day of your hike, then there is no need to worry. The mountains are especially beautiful in the rain, and you'll stay super warm and dry under our hiking raincoats.

To fuel our expedition we'll cook up a storm right on the trail using fresh and local ingredients.

Our Sample Menu
Breakfast - Warm porridge, fresh fruit, granola clusters and hot coffee
Lunch - Handmade tortellini pasta with shaved parmesan and crushed pistachios
Dinner - Coconut penang curry with fresh asparagus, squash, snowpeas and tofu, served with hot roti bread

We're more than happy to cater for any and all dietary requirements, just simply let us know in your information card after booking.

Your safety is our first priority while out on an expedition adventure. We use a 3-point safety framework to ensure all measures are taken to maximise your safety.

1. Tour planning and preparation
- To ensure your safety this tour is conditions dependant and will not proceed if a severe weather warning has been issued.
- Furthermore in the case of unforeseen conditions, tour sites have been strategically planned to be within reach of emergency shelter sites.

2. Highly experienced and qualified Mountain Guides
- All Mountain Guides are trained in Remote First Aid, Emergency Management and have a minimum requirement of 1000 hours of alpine experience.

3. Personal safety
- All participants will undertake a pre-tour safety briefing where they will learn remote navigation and trekking skills, learn to operation a personal location beacon (PLB) and familiarise themselves with the essential expedition equipment.

Tour's Location

Kosciuszko National Park

Australian Summit Tours
5.0
Based on 10 reviews
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Berto Gomez
Berto Gomez
09:58 11 Apr 21
Josh was such an amazing guide, everything was very well organised. The hiking equipment was top-notch and the provided... food delicious! Highly recommended!read more
Sharron Flannery
Sharron Flannery
00:19 16 Mar 21
Adventure and little luxury. This is truly an all inclusive tour, everything was taken care of from time we were... collect from Canberra Airport until our return. Adventure = 3 days out in the wilderness hiking with the latest high quality light weight camping equipment adventuring to parts of Mt Kosciuszko national park we wouldn't have trekked on our own. Enjoying the beautiful views and rock scrambling on Mt Townsend especially. Little Luxury = 1 night either side in a lovely chalet with cheese boards lovely dinners and relaxing. This was one of the best tours I have had the pleasure of completing. I cant wait to see Josh and team again. If you like adventure hiking without the hassle or if you would like to try it for the first time - this is for you.read more
Fanny GAUTHIER
Fanny GAUTHIER
23:23 07 Mar 21
Hiking with Summit Tour was a genuine adventure that I would definitely recommend and would love to do again! Josh is... very attentive to details and wants to offer more than just a hiking by providing a full experience, safe and very pleasant at the same time, with the latest equipments, a real meal plan (and I mean gourmet meals, not ready-to-eat noodles) from day 1 to the last day, and by being very present all along this journey. You can tell he is really passionate about nature, being outdoor and confronted to elements, and even more to share his passion with others. It lasted only 4 days but it felt like a week or more of holidays. I have been able to completely decompress from my everyday life and to connect with the group. It's amazing how people who were complete strangers start to interact and feel excited being part of the same trip!read more
Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo da Silva
03:13 08 Feb 21
I hiked with Australian Summit Tours to Mount Kosciuszko in January 2021.Josh was very passionate, knowledgeable and... organised. I thoroughly enjoyed the hike and might join Josh again on another tour.read more
Rebecca Brady
Rebecca Brady
11:22 01 Feb 21
The Mt Kosciuszko Summit tour with Australian Summit Tours was fantastic - knowledgeable guides, great scenery, A++... gear and restaurant quality food on the trail.What made this tour extra special was that our guides Josh and Sara showed us how to do things for ourselves such as setting up sleeping mats, how to use the camp stoves, gear advise etc. This taught us valuable skills in hiking self-sufficiency.Finally, as someone who's terrified of heights and had never walked on snow before, Josh deserves extra kudos and high-fives for the pep talks, singing distractions, laughs and literal hand holding along the way.We had an amazing time and will be back!Bec & Lukeread more
Jabeen Waheed
Jabeen Waheed
13:48 22 Jan 21
I had the most wonderful long weekend on their Mt Kosciusko Summit Tour. Everything was professional, warm and... accommodating from the get-go. Small group size meant that the guides Josh and Sara were able to tailor the experience for each person. They were highly trained, knowledgeable and passionate about the tour which gave me a truly personal feel and ensured excellent value for money as it felt the furthest thing away from those touristy, money-making tours. As for the tour itself, trekking across stunning alpine scenery, cooking incredible food around the campfire, camping under the stars and summiting Mt Kozi made for my favourite memories in Australia. I cannot recommend Australian Summit Tours enough!read more
Hannah Lawrence
Hannah Lawrence
09:12 21 Jan 21
Josh and Australian Summit tours were fantastic. Excellent accommodation and friendly staff. Delicious food and... hiking/camping equipment was of highest standard. Suitable for all hiking abilities.read more
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We are happy to include additional dates for private or large group bookings if the above dates do not suit. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss alternative departures.