We booked in for the Ridge Top Tour run by the team at Arkaroola. This trip is highly recommended by many people in reviews so it would be a shame to miss out. We weren’t really sure what to expect, although the video’s online give you a bit of an idea.
The trip is held in a specialised Toyota Land Cruiser ute, with seating for 10 on the back, and one in the cabin next to the driver. There was 8 in our group and 2 others making the back of the Toyota quite ‘cozy’. We departed the village at 1pm and headed towards the gate which is locked to ensure there is only one group on the road at a time.
It is abundantly clear why this is a necessity as the track is very skinny, pretty much the whole way, with almost no overtaking opportunities. There are 3 lookouts designated on the track each more impressive than the last, culminating in the final stop, which is also the afternoon tea break, at an altitude of 668 meters above sea level, that overlooks most of the Arkaroola Sanctuary.
You can see by the contours on the map above the type of terrain we were driving through. We were all pretty impressed with the performance of the Land Cruiser as it slowly but surely crawled up and down the countless hills with such easy. Most of which would have a lot to do with our skilled driver, Rick, who does this drive twice a day.
Rick was also a wealth of knowledge on all things geology, mining and fauna. As much as the views are amazing and the experience is one of a kind, having the information passed along during the drive made for a brilliant day out. If you ever come to Akaroola, you have to do this trip.
Cheers,
Kent.
Sounds great. Beautiful country
We did this track as a self drive in March 2017 in our Discovery 4. Amazing scenery and an amazing track to keep you on your toes!
I didn’t realise you could self drive this track now. Thanks for the info Kon!