The Best Tour Ever!! - I started planning my retirement trip to Sydney two years before we left for Sydney. I think that if you're going to spend the money for a trip lke this, that it should be researched well. In looking at tours to the Blue Mountains from Sydney, they all looked the same. Stop at a petting zoo, go to an amusement park, and see a couple of highlights in the National Park. That just didn't seem very fun. Then I saw Beyond the Blacktop, and I was sold. i booked directly through Beyond the Blacktop so I established communication with the actual company. They responded to every email very fast, and I could tell they had my best interst at heart. We took the train from Sydney to Katoomba yesterday and met up with Paul who owns the company 15 minutes earlier than we were supposed to. The first thing Paul did was ask us what we wanted to see, how much hiking we wanted to do and what our expectations were for the day. From there, Paul was in charge and he made it a day that was better than anything I hoped for! We walked some pretty easy trails (as per our request) and saw waterfalls, cascades, lookout points in all the valleys, and all sorts of flora. We even got a geology lesson or two along the way. When it was time for lunch, we were in Blackheath, and Paul let us order any sandwich at the deli and we both got a drink and he took us to a spectacular lookout at the Megalong Valley. It was secluded and beautiful! Afet lunch, we went to look for Kanagaroos. It tool a while, but found them and it was so cool to see them in their natural homes. Then it was time for the grand finale...Paul took us to a lookout in the Grose Valley. What an incredible view it was! We ende up staying later than scheduled (Paul made sure we were OK with that) and got to see the sunset over the mountain range. It was a glorious day. Was this tour more expensive that a simple group tour from Sydney? Absolutely, but the term "You get what you pay for" comes to mind here. If you want to spend the best day in the Blue Mountains, I cannot urge you strongly enough to get the early train from Sydney to Katoomba (which in itself was a fun adventure) and meet up with Beyond the Blacktop Adventure Tours...You will not regret it.

Fantastic experience - My partner and I had the best time with Paul. He was very knowledgeable and generous. What an awesome tour!

Blue Mts. full-day tour with Beyond the Blacktop - On New Years Eve, 2025 we took a full-day guided tour of the Blue Mountains with Beyond the Blacktop Adventure Tours. Our guide, Russ, picked the two of us up at our lodgings in Katoomba around 8:30 am and dropped us off at the Leura railway station around 5:20 pm, just in time for the train back to Sydney. Russ asked right away about our interests, what we had seen and done in the Katoomba area the day before, and how much hiking we wanted to do. As we drove around, he shared a great deal of knowledge about the area, despite having lived there for only half a dozen years or so. We stopped for photos at several scenic viewpoints along the way, and at a tearoom for refreshments before heading down into the valley. After that we stopped off to order lunch, which was included, and took it along on a very scenic hike, stopping to eat on a rocky outcrop with awesome views. Finally we hiked back to the 4x4 vehicle and drove to the train station. It was a memorable day for both of us!

Not sure how I’m going to beat this hike/experience - I did a guided tour of the Grand Canyon with Paul for my first Blue Mountains hike. Paul was very friendly, easy to talk to and very patient with so much knowledge of the Blue Mountains. We even went off track and did some scrambling which was so much fun. I would highly recommend a guided tour with Paul/Beyond the Blacktop Adventure.

Blue diamond tours - A early start meeting in circular Quay ay 6 45am. Picked up by our guide Brian. A chirpy fella full of knowledge. Drove about 1 hour 45 to the blue mountains and what a view Cable car a photos of the 3 sisters and the lookout.... Also a walk on a bridge to where the mining was very popular.. Then we had a stop in a small village for a bite to eat which was a peri peri burger(amazing). Onto Sydney Zoo,a pretty small zoo with a wide range of animals,locally and African. Crocodiles,penguins,lions,tigers,giraffes,elephants,rhinos,alot of animals to name a few Tour finishes about 5 where you get dropped off and a ferry back to circular quay All in all a very good tour Well done Brian

Great day in the Blue Mountains - We had a really good day with Speros on our private tour of the Blue Mountains. As others have said the day is tailored to your individual interests - we chose waterfalls and wallabies and Speros ensured we saw lots of both as well as amazing viewpoints. He was very knowledgeable and great company. We enjoyed some good banter and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Highly recommended.

Paul and Lora went above... - Paul and Lora went above and beyond to provide us with an unforgettable day in the Blue Mountains. We visited many locations away from the crowds. The views were magnificent and the personal attention that we received was outstanding. They customized the tour for us and they didn’t disappoint. We hiked several locations that showed us the diversity of the region. Bonuses included a tasty lunch, photographing a python on the trail, spotting multiple kangaroos, and great conversations. Highly recommended!!

Great time! - This was a fantastic tour. Our guide, Russ, was awesome. He took us to places off the beaten path. We did some short hikes, saw some beautiful scenery, watched a mob of kangaroos up close, and even looked at emu track carvings from 2000 yrs ago! Russ was extremely knowledgable on geology, flora and fauna. Just a great way to avoid the crowds and learn alot about the area.

Amazing - Leon was an amazing guide for the day. He even took the time to drove to his house and provide a raincoat for me since I had forgotten mine. Leon took the time to get to know us and what our interests were and worked at our pace. He took us to see the wild kangaroos and to some of the different hikes and paths around the area. It was a long day but it was totally worth it. Would recommend this tour to anyone in the future and would love to do it again!

Fantastic Day! - Phenomenal day hiking the Grand Canyon with Paul, Lora and my husband! I'm from Arizona where the other Grand Canyon is located so trust me when I say this experience was unique! Our fantastic guides encouraged us to hike at our own pace and were so generous in sharing their knowledgeable. We walked through waterfalls and felt the experience of the rain forest. We appreciated the orientation to Katoomba and seeing the 3 sisters, after our hike. I hiked in my gym shoes but would have liked my hiking boots. It was not scary or treacherous but it was strenuous. We took the train from Sydney to and from Katoomba, and even saw a kangaroo out the window on our way back to Sydney! We highly recommend this trip!