Donkey Mountain stands majestically tall in the Wolgan Valley surrounded by the spectacular cliffs of the Greater Blue Mountains. It is one of the few mountains in the Greater Blue Mountains area that stands alone from a range and involves summiting from the base. Join Hikeandseek on a challenging day out hiking the majestic Donkey Mountain (recently reopened after the 2019/2020 Summer Fires) and see the majestic Wolgan Valley from a unique perspective.

The Donkey Mountain summit is on a kilometre long plateau and this overnight tour will give you the perfect chance to see a large portion of the mountain top. Only after attempting Donkey Mountain can one understand the amount of time required to traverse the top of the plateau. Overgrowth and walking conditions have grown more of a wilderness after two years of closure so participants are to expect a tough walk and scramble.

As with any Hikeandseek tour, I will strive to introduce more features of the area to you that will not otherwise be discoverable via mainstream methods or following the beaten path as well as prevalent on social media platforms.

Grade

• Moderate Fitness Level (3.5/5) (with overnight pack on)

• Moderate - Difficult Technical Difficulty (4/5)

• Must carry overnight pack at times self-sufficiently approx 17kgs(extra water) minimum

• There are no naturally occuring water sources atop of Donkey Mountain so extra water must be carried

• Not Appropriate for first time overnight hikers

A minimum of 6km is to be walked each day where at least half will be with overnight packs on and a transition into daypacks once base camp is set up for the day. The rather small distance travelled is not a fair indicator of output for this hike but rather the climbs and scrambles involved while carrying overnight packs are more accurate.

MEETING LOCATION AND TIME

We will leave Sydney approximately 6am to head to Donkey Mountain with a very brief stop by Lithgow for last minute supplies and a coffee/breakfast. Pickups will be arranged with tour participants and picked up from home where possible or a communal location organized en route to Lithgow. We will arrive back in Sydney approximately 7-8pm

BASIC ITINERARY

Day 1 - Hike up the Western end of Donkey Mountain. Briefly set down overnight packs for some adventuring around the Western spur. After a rest break and viewing the sights, we will don the overnight packs again and continue the journey into the North-Eastern end of the Mountain. Camp will be made in one the cave/canyons systems in this area and then daypacks will be taken to spend the rest of the day venturing with lighter packs. After viewing sunset, we will make our way back to the camp for dinner. Pending weather conditions - we will head to a nearby location for star gazing.

Day 2 - Wake early to view Sunrise from an appropriate lookout and afterwards have a relaxing morning. After breakfast and a little more venturing, pack up camp and head out of the area. The journey back to the car may take up to 3 hours due to the scrubby nature of the walk and sharp descent in places on the return journey.

Price: $370 pp ($150 deposit required)

Max 6 people

Included in Costs are

·         Transportation and fuel

·         National Park Entry Fees and licencing

·         Access to First aid and Beacon, Rope and other miscellaneous equipment

·         2 x overnight hiking meals and a choice of snacks – (freeze dried or other) 1 x lunch, 1 dinner and some snacks (All other meals self catered)

·         Hikeandseek Guiding Fee and Tour (includes navigation and basic orienteering introduction)

·         Full extensive Itinerary

·         Free advice and recommendations to equip for overnight hiking

·         Packing List + Check List for Participants

Some activities undertaken during the overnight hike pending conditions will include:

• Orienteering

• Watch Sunrise/Sunset

• Scrambling

• Making Campfire

• Flora and Fauna Identification

• Cooking in the wild

• Star Gazing

• Tips and Tricks to overnight hiking