Traveling from the United States a friend and I signed up for a beginner canyoning trip in Fortress Creek Canyon. I've done a number of canyons (mostly unguided) in Utah/California. However, my friend on the trip was a newbie. We had a small group of five people (two were locals and three of us were international travelers) and a fantastic guide. The trip was all day long. Gear, lunch and tea/coffee were provided. They provided a list beforehand of what to bring and what they'd provide. The hike was mostly pretty laid back with a bit of an uphill scramble at the first portion of the canyon exit. The canyon itself was beautiful with a couple narrows, pools to jump in, a number of required swims and one short abseil (rappel to me). Our guide Stu (sp?) was extremely knowledgeable and talked about the area geology, and pointed out plants and animals. He wasn't pushy on time and allowed us to move along at our own pace. Excellent sense of humor and seemed to genuinely enjoy talking everyone. Lunch was provided (lots of options, selected beforehand) as was hot tea or coffee and Fortress has an incredible lunch spot. Top of a waterfall overlooking Grose Valley below. Just breathtaking. Highly recommend to those wishing to get into the bush, off the beaten path and not afraid to get a few scratches or bumps along the way! read more

Blue Mountains Climbing School - Fortress Creek Canyon - Hiking Near Me - Blackheath, NSW

My 16 year old son and I did the abseiling and canyoning excursion. It was one of the most fun and adventurous things I've ever done. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. The guides were very knowledgeable and encouraging. Overall an excellent experience and great value. read more

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I'm from England and on the 10th of August 2014 I went out with this company on a abseiling trip. I have travelled Australia, America and a lot of Europe and yet this was one of the greatest activities that I have done so far in my life. I believed that this was going to be a pre-built course. However, this was an extremely independent claiming, abseiling experience and was lead by an experienced guide. I would absolutely recommend this company and would head back there again. read more

I've been going to BMAC and the Blue Mountains Climbing School over the last 3 years both on my own and with friends and they are always fantastic. I've done group sessions in canyons and one-on-one Climbing tuition with Marty, Erik, Cillian, Cyro, and Natasha and every time they have delivered a great adventure or went above and beyond in what I wanted to learn. I know there are many adventure companies based in Katoomba but I have never been tempted to try them as these guys and gals are awesome. Further more for climbers wanting a good base in going from indoor to outdoor climbing and want to know the best practices in setting up climbs/leading and rescue techniques if things go bad I found Marty Doolan was great at this showing these methods. Definitely be back soon Harry read more

I chose this company based on someone's recommendation. I selected the Empress Falls package. The weather was great. It was a combination of beginner 101 abseiling and canyoning. The tour guides were very laid-back and friendly. Their names were Dan and Callin (sp?). My group was a good group of people from different countries. I was the only solo traveler. Lunch was provided (a sandwich) as part of the package. There are several options. Make sure to bring your own water bottle. They provided wetsuits, waterproof bag, the necessary abseiling equipment, and more. So if you arrive unprepared like I did, they'll take good care of you. I forgot the appropriate shoes, but found a spare pair in my size. I didn't have socks and they gave me a pair. They also gave each of us a long sleeve to keep us warm after the last activity. If you have a Iphone or Samsung, they sell waterproof cases for it. I bought one for 30 AUD. Served its purpose. They provide lockers to lock up any valuables before heading out. The first half of the day will involve practicing how to abseil. We practiced on 3 different height levels. After lunch, you'll head over to the canyons and do a couple of quick jumps into a pool of water. Walk through water here and there and perform the ultimate test....Abseiling through a beautiful waterfall! As a side note, there was 1 or 2 other tour operators doing a similar abseiling/canyoning package we did. They interfered with our ultimate abseil of the day. I was definitely the only one who faced the most challenge (yea I'm always the quirky one). It was fun and scary. Still worth it nonetheless! I was never a great swimmer and I have not swam in the water in probably 7 years. I thought I would need a life jacket but it was not needed at all. There is plenty of floatation with the yellow bag they give you plus the guide(s) will help you move out of the water. I did struggle a few times in the water and with walking upwards to the carpark. I am not certain what caused the constant-out-of-breath-unable-to-walk-continuously by walking up many steep stairs but I did not drink much water (left my bottle behind by accident). Felt better immediately after hydrating myself though. Blue Mountains is gorgeous though. I do wish I spent another day or two to see other scenic views. As for getting to BMAC, I arrived at Katoomba via bus and train. I was based in Rosebery so I used the bus to get to the Central Station train station and from there, took the line to Katoomba. Total time was 2.5 hours. From the Katoomba train stop, the office is across the street. A two minute walk. You'll see a sign with their name. I would also like to note that BMAC is very good at responding to emails. I asked a ton of questions prior to booking. I highly recommend them! You will not regret it. read more

Since this was our first time to the blue mountains, we decided to take a tour. I checked several i there companies and these guys seemed to have what I wanted. After a bit if difficulty finding here we were supposed to meet (I forgot the instructions in the hotel) we met up with our guide. Carl walk us through the paperwork then asked us what we wanted to see. We had originally signed up for a particular hike but after discussing what we wanted to see We altered that. Overall it was a great day doing two different hikes with two outstanding guides. The i only thing I think needs improvement is signage outside the office and the ability to get hold of someone by 8am on the mornings when you will be hiking because someone like me will forget the instructions in the hotel. 5 stars if these things are done. read more