Author Archives: Admin1

It’s Easy Being Green – 5 Tips for an Eco-friendly Holiday in Byron Bay

So you recycle all your waste, separate bottles, cans and plastic and turn off the lights when you leave the room. When it’s time to shop it’s got to be rainforest alliance coffee, organic produce all the way and you say no to plastic bags. Well done you! You even tick the box and pay the fee to make your holiday flights carbon emission neutral. You’re actively doing your part to help our planet survive into the next millennia. You care and that’s awesome. So now its holiday time and you’re heading to the bohemian alternative mecca of Byron Bay. As Byron’s leading eco certified tour operator, it’s our passion and our responsibility to help you carry on this sentiment and keep that eco passion alive. Because every little action, every thought, every care does make a difference.

1. Get a Reusable Water Bottle (or Coffee Cup)

Thankfully here in Byron Bay and Australia in general, we are lucky to have safe drinking water on tap all year round, unlike many world travel destinations where buying bottled water is necessary for your health. Save the planet and your pocket by getting hold of a safe reusable drink bottle. This is a huge but simple step to reduce the millions of plastic bottles thrown away every year, many of which end up in our waterways and the ocean. Did you also know that a number of cafes and restaurants in Byron Bay also sell re-useable coffee cups and the Byron Beach Cafe, The Balcony and Harvest Cafe filter and bottle their own carbonated water with 10% of all proceeds donated to the WHOLE WORLD Water fund to help raise money for clean drinking water projects around the world.

2. Food for Thought

Sampling the abundance of locally grown delights is not only a pleasure for your taste buds, but also a big winner on the eco front. Experience the Byron Bay Farmers’ Markets, garden-fresh produce from a road side stall or make an effort to eat at cafes and restaurants that support the regions local growers and food producers. A great website to visit is Northern Rivers Food, with serves to promote businesses that grow and serve food from the Northern Rivers region. It doesn’t get fresher, healthier or more delicious than choosing to eat local products and you’ve just helped reduce packaging, saved on fossil fuels to transport it and supported the local economy. P.S take a reusable shopping bag with you to the Farmers’ Market and our planet will thank you even more.

3. Take Pictures, Leave Footprints

No doubt you’ve heard this one before, but it’s for a very good reason. Whether you’re in Byron Bay or the Amazon, picking plants and flowers, pocketing small stones and shells or carving your initials into a tree trunk may all seem harmless but when it’s multiplied by thousands of visitors who come to Byron Bay every year, then it quickly becomes a very big deal. Many places you visit in Byron Bay are part of National Parks, Reserves or even World Heritage areas and they are protected by law. The rare beauty and environmental balance is very vulnerable to even tiny changes. So please tread lightly and stay on the tracks, try not to disrupt the natural environment and pay respect to the wonders you have come to enjoy.

4. Chose Eco-Minded Tour Guides

Your choice of tour operator can make a huge difference on the impact your presence can have on Byron Bay and the hinterland’s precious and awe-inspiring natural wonders. Here at Byron Bay Adventure Tours, we pride ourselves on making some of the most picturesque locations and adrenalin packed experiences accessible to you with the smallest amount of impact. Small tour groups, years of experience and our eco certification are all testament to the fact that we hold the environment at the top of our list of priorities.

5. On Ya Bike

Take a stroll through Byron Bay and you’ll see so many locals and visitors alike, on bike. Operating on “Byron time” is perfect for cruising around town on a bike enjoying the breeze in your face, the sunshine and atmosphere (riding naked and painted in rainbows is optional). It also means you don’t have to bother trying to find a parking space. For the most part everything you need is within a few minutes ride and it’s great for mother-nature. There are plenty of bike hire places in town to match you up with your perfect ride and over 15 km’s of purpose-built bike paths. But if you like it a little rough, then perhaps we could suggest another eco-friendly activity on 2 wheels. Mountain biking through the forest is just about as eco centric as you can get. Check out our Bike n’ Hike Adventure Tour and you’ll get the perfect blend of thrills and nature.

Blessed with unmatchable natural beauty from the beaches and the coast to rainforests and volcanic mountain ranges, incredible wildlife and pure clean safe water, we are lucky to live in an area that many would call paradise. We strive every day to protect these areas while helping to showcase them to travellers from around the world. We truly love Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers region and together with your help we can protect it for all to enjoy.

Weekend Adventure in Byron Bay

It’s “The weekend” Heya!!! – two days more precious than gold, the shining light at the end of the work week. But does your two day holiday just seem to disappear without you having done much at all? For those of you who yearn for an action-filled weekend, we’re about to give you 3 incredible ways to break free and get two big days of adventure, adrenalin and fun! You’re going to get the best of the beach AND the Byron hinterland including overnight accommodation, meals and a once in a lifetime experience for less than an average Saturday night out.

Waterfall Dreaming & The Village of Rainbows – The Overnight Escape Adventure Tour

Top weekend for: Mixing rainforests, 4WDing and rock pool swims with some café cool and market delights. Feel free to bring a guitar for the camp fire and be ready to laugh, chat and eat. This weekend escape is chilled out with loads of local culture and village life, finished off with the best of Byron’s beaches and hinterland. You’ll go home having seen loads, but feeling relaxed and refreshed. Check out the detailed itinerary here.

Rock & Roll Action – Bike n’ Hike Adventure Tour

Top weekend for: Unleashing your inner action hero, because this isn’t an average weekend – it’s a nature and adrenalin lovers double-shot. Get the freedom of the forest and the natural highs of rugged mountain biking fun at Minyon Falls followed by a Mount Warning sunrise climb. Break up all the action with hearty BBQ’s and fresh water rock pool swims. Your starry evening is spent listening to the forest sounds and relaxing before your pre-dawn hike up Mount Warning to bask in the first sunrays to hit Australia. These 2 days will work your body, refresh your mind and completely wash away your every day stress. Check it out further here.

Deep Blue Meets Lush Green – Ocean to Summit Adventure Tour

Top weekend for: Replacing the sounds of traffic and hustling crowds with lapping water and the rainforest. This tour begins with an ocean kayak on arguably the most beautiful bay in the world, Byron Bay. Be totally swept away by your encounters with dolphins, turtles and migrating whales (during the winter months), before heading to the base of Mount Warning where we set-up camp for the night. Unwind and relax around the campfire while you enjoy a delicious BBQ dinner and toast marshmallows. The next morning, take to the walking track for a two hour (4.5km) climb up Mount Warning reaching the summit as the sun starts to rise over the easternmost point of Australia. Two worlds, two days, one amazing weekend. Want more information? See here.

Don’t let another weekend go past in a blur. The memories and friends you’ll collect on a weekend Byron Bay Adventure Tour will remain with your for a long time to come. Getting here is pretty easy too, with affordable flights available to Ballina/Byron Gateway Airport from Sydney and Melbourne and buses from the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Of course a long weekend will buy you enough time to road trip it in, which will only add to the adventure! Our expert crew will take care of all the gear, overnight accommodation and transport during your tour, so you only need pack light. But don’t forget to bring your sense of adventure, spirit and willingness to have fun!

Booking a Tour vs. Going it Alone: Why it Pays to Book a Tour

If you’ve decided to read this article then you’re probably in one of two mindsets – firstly you’re considering the option of booking a tour on your next Byron Bay getaway or you’ve already booked yourself into what sounds like an amazing tour but you’re still a little unsure. Either way, we understand and we’re here to help.

We know that tours can be thought of as “not for real travellers”, for people who enjoy buses or worse still only for twenty-something party goers (think Euro party tours…eeeek). The reality is that a GREAT guided tour (and we place a lot of emphasis on the word GREAT because quality really does make a difference) will add so much to experiencing your chosen destination and often leave you with a deeper appreciation of a place than if you had explored it on your own.

Don’t get us wrong, finding things for yourself is a fun and an exciting part of travel, but a guide who has all the inside information can save you hours of research time, hidden expenses and the hassle of packing mountains of camping gear and equipment. It’s also the snippets of local-only knowledge that will have you looking at your destination through a whole new set of eyes.

Here are our top 5 reasons why it pays to book a tour (especially with Byron Bay Adventure Tours!) instead of flying solo:

1. YOUR TIME IS PRECIOUS

Getting a little help to get the most out of your precious holiday in Byron Bay is the same as using your dishwasher at home. You could do it all yourself but WHY?? An expert, experienced guide will have done their job thousands of times over and know what combination of activities and landmarks work well together. They know the quickest roads and short cuts to get you there, and often have special access levels to cut through queues and other time wasting obstacles. Here at Byron Bay Adventure Tours we have spent many years perfecting our tours creating combinations of activities to suit all tastes and abilities. We want you to get most out of every minute and leave Byron Bay knowing you’ve haven’t wasted a second.

2. LIGHTEN THE LOAD

Tents, mountain bikes, kayaks, life jackets, head lights, safety gear, sleeping bags and food. Whew! Try bringing all that on a plane. Booking a Byron Bay Adventure Tour means you can have the use of top quality gear without having to bring it with you, hire it or carry it. Sound good? – It is. If you’re backpacking, camper vanning or only taking a short break, the burden of loads of equipment or purchasing gear you may only use once is something you just don’t need. So leave that concern for your friendly and helpful tour operator who should gladly (like we do) provide you with everything you’ll need to be paddling, riding or camping out and then say goodbye to it when you’re done. It’s so much easier and leaves space in your pack for the souvenirs and special finds you’ll pick up on your adventures!

3. SAFETY FIRST

You may not want to think about it, but when you’re travelling there are plenty of things that can and do go wrong. It’s an unfortunate fact that every year thousands of travellers get themselves into trouble, get injured or take unnecessary risks by simply misjudging their timing or experience (especially when venturing into nature). When you choose an accredited tour company, like we are, you’re not only getting a great experience but you’re also getting the reassurance and peace of mind that your safety and well-being is at the top of the priority list.

4. BUILD FRIENDSHIPS

Regardless of whether you’re travelling with a group or on your own, meeting people is part of what makes travel such an alluring pursuit. When you have the freedom of not having to worry about the details, a tour can be a fantastic way to get to know other travellers and also meet the locals. Sharing the sheer adrenalin of mountain biking in the rainforests of Minyon Falls, flying over the most easterly point of Australia in a Gyrocopter or making it to the summit of Mt Warning at dawn, you can’t help but form friendships with those you are with. It’s part of being human and brings people together.

5. R.E.S.P.E.C.T

It’s a beautiful thing to get close to nature. Exploring a regions natural wonders with an accredited eco-tourism operator is an ethical way of doing so. As a fully eco-certified tour operator, we know what it means to tread lightly and leave as little impact on our World Heritage Areas, National Parks and Marine Reserves – which are home to some of the rarest plants and creatures on earth. If you believe in protecting our planet for future generations to enjoy, make travel choices that reflect this and go home with a clean and green conscience.

There’s one thing that we will always come back to when talking about adventure tours, and that’s finding the good ones. Experience, friendliness and local knowledge are all essential but you’ll be able to tell the best from the rest by what fellow travellers have had to say. As tour guides we not only love our beautiful Byron Bay home, but also love what we do and we put our hearts and souls into making each and every trip full of incredible and unforgettable moments. Every person who comes with us, from team building day trips to world travellers to families to couples, are given our best EVERY TIME.

Like to see what your fellow traveller thinks about Byron Bay Adventure Tours? Click here to read our TripAdvisor reviews.

To book your Byron Bay Adventure Tour today, click here.