Hinterland Magic & Glow-worm Experience

Get out, meet people and hear about the other side of Byron's story

Last minute decision to go on a tour of the Hinterlands before I left Byron - and something I'm glad I did. The waterfalls, the short hikes, the history and culture of the area, and meeting people I wouldn't otherwise have met from across the globe made the trip so worthwhile. Highlights for me were Protesters Falls (got some awesome pics) and the magical glow worms. Felt a bit sick in the back of the van on those pot holed roads on the return journey at night but tour buses aren't made for those roads. Great tour, if in doubt, book it!

Waterfalls and glow worm highlights

Enjoyable afternoon and evening with Cris and a small group of fellow travellers of mixed ages. He was knowable and looked after us very well. A super look out stop on the way and then to a small hidden way waterfall. A little difficult to get to but well worth it. I am 60 plus and quite fit so managed but the details perhaps could make it clearer. Then on to a lovely rainforest walk in Nightcap National Park up to the amazing Killen Falls. And finally on the way back in the dark with torches, so take care, to the highlight for me standing with glow worms all around. Great experience.

Perfect way to explore the hinterland beauty!

Definitely a very magical tour! Swimming in the waterfall was so refreshing and cleansing, the rainforest felt so alive and the glow worms put on an amazing show! Our guides were super friendly and knowledgeable. A perfect way to experience the beautiful hinterland.

Magical day/evening

Felt like a very personal trip with the group size being small , our guide Douglas was very knowledgeable and friendly and playing a little didgeridoo in the pitch black with just the light of the glow worms was truly magical, all the stops were special and you just felt like you were on an adventure from start to finish

Wonderful experience!

This was a fabulous experience. Cris helped us with our arrangements: We booked late and he ensured that there was still room for us on the trip. Douglas was our guide for the experience and he was eager to share with us as much as possible along the way and he was friendly, kind, and a fountain of knowledge. The highlights of the tour were the majestic waterfalls, a fun, adventurous swim, and the glow-worms. I had been in glow-worm caves in New Zealand just a few months earlier -- but this experience was totally different because the glow-worms were out in the open rainforest hanging from the tree branches. Just amazing.

Thank you

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and nothing prepared you for seeing the glow worms for the first time. Absolutely magical!

Amazing!

Great experience, kind and informative guides and a unique look at the glowworms! Food and water was well arranged as well.

No Doubt a 5 Star Experience!

A magical afternoon spent experiencing local treasures of Byron, and beyond. The glow worms were certainly the star of the show - they were unlike anything you have ever seen before. I really appreciate how this tour felt in tune with the local ecosystem, and placed great emphasis on caring for our Earth. It left me feeling very uplifted - thank you to the team at Rise Up for hosting such a beautiful trip.

10/10 unique experience

Chris is such a super nice and knowing tour guide with many inspiring thoughts. It was a truly unique experience that I can totally recommend!

Pleasant but over priced

A lovely tour guide and the rainforest was beautiful. It would have been useful beforehand to have more practical information, especially as travelling with children. I didn’t feel adequately prepared and the national park was closed, which meant a slightly longer walk and wet feet. It wasn’t unpleasant, I just found it particularly stressful with children. Overall, there were some nice parts, but I thought it was over priced

A magical experience

A magical experience 😍 This is a magical experience where one both get to swim in a beautiful waterfall, see wild nature, rainforest, glow worms but also enjoy a meditative relaxing moment and listen in when Cris tell about the history of Protestors Falls. The hikes are not hard and most are able to do it. It’s dark when walking in the rainforest to see the glow worms but because of red torches one can see enough to feel safe.

Wonderful and magical

A great experience we saw a fantastic lookout point, two waterfalls, glowing mushrooms and the glow worms. The food was very yummy and the guide was very knowledgeable about the area. Would highly recommend !

Amazing Experience with Rise Up

Chris was an amazing guide. We went to a look out point, waterfall, then did a hike in NightCap National Park rainforest. We had dinner in the park then went back in after sundown to see the glow worms. It was a spiritual, peaceful, and exciting experience. This was one of my favorite things I did in Byron and could not recommend it more!

Awesome tour!

It was surreal experience. The tour guide is awesome! Very friendly, accommodating, and informative. It must have experience in Byron Bay for sure.

Unique and fabulous

A unique and marvellous experience. Cristiano is truly dedicated to ensuring all his customers have a great time, and his passion for the natural environment and it’s importance for the health and well-being of humanity is very evident. I can highly commend this special and memorable tour

FANTASTIC GONDWANA FOREST & GLOW WORMS

Fantastic experience. Something I will savour all my life. View of the glow worms late in the evening was heavenly. Top it all the beautiful flute that was played by Cristiano made the tour magical.

Amazing experience

Nice tour to relax and take in some fresh air. Such a peaceful place to explore. Will definitely come back and do it again.

Mother Nature at her best!

Our tour guide gave the tour a relaxed vibe. The tour was very informative and our overall experience was great. A swim at a lovely swimming hole was refreshing and the waterfall was amazing. The food was nice. Having a smaller group made the experience a bit more personal.

Memorable experience

My partner and I had an amazing time while Helder took us on our tour around the beautiful forests! His passion for the environment and climate change is inspiring; he’s extremely knowledgeable and we learnt so many things we now can research and be apart of! We had a home made meal for dinner a delicious salad before we went back into the rainforest to see the glow worms. An experience I will never forget, he was careful to give us the clearest way of seeing them, also providing tourches and raincoats for everyone in the group! Thank you so much again Helder! - Josh and Tekaya

Mother Nature at her best

Our tour guide Chris gave the tour a relaxed vibe. The tour was very informative and our overall experience was great. A swim at a lovely swimming hole was refreshing and the waterfall was amazing. The food was nice. Having a smaller group made the experience a bit more personal.

An unforgettable experience

Seeing the rainforest and having Chris’s experience, stories and explanations were absolutely fabulous. Seeing the waterfalls, hearing the noises in the rainforest the smells. Just everything. A lovely picnic with organic food. At the end seeing the glow worms is a never forgettable experience. Thank you Chris

Beautiful experience

Passionate tour guide and well planned itinerary. Some nice walks and glow worms to finish off a memorable experience.

Don't walk, run to this tour!

This was an absolutely amazing experience! Chris talked with such passion about the history of Byron. He provided a delicious meal and made sure we all had some good laughs. We were honored enough to hear him play the flute and be taken to beautiful water falls for a dip.

Would definitely recommend!!!!

This is such an amazing experience!! I can't recommend this enough!! The tour guide, Cris, was so knowledgeable, so welcoming. I would definitely recommend swimming under the waterfall if you get the chance, honestly such an amazing experience.

An Underwhelming Experience

This was a glorified nature walk. It was really pretty, but not for how long it took to get there by bus, it dampened the experience a little bit. On the positive side, they do take you out to the depths of nature, near a waterfall and a nice walk. The glow worms that are a bit underwhelming. The pictures are a bit misleading, you do get to see them, but they are only in small sections and not what I thought. I also wish I saw fireflies but I went at the wrong season. Overall it was fine, not worth the money for me, but may be for someone else!

Amazing :)

This was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Cris was an incredible guide and has probably impacted everyone who does this tour in ways beyond imagination. It's easy to see how passionate he is, and it's so inspiring. I will always remember all the meaningful things he told us and the magic of walking in the rainforest during the pouring rain and getting to see the glow worms at night. I can't recommend this tour enough!! Seriously life changing.

Awesome Tour!

This was an awesome tour! We got to swim under a waterfall, and see another beautiful one in the rainforest. Despite the weather, we were given ponchos and it was still pretty warm. The glowworms and the glowing mushrooms were also really cool!

A unique experience

An amazing experience and very different. Chris was a perfect guide, knowledgeable and his passion for the rain forest was inspiring. The transfer was comfortable, the food was delicious and would highly recommend the tour

Magic

Great evening tour of a magical part of the rainforests in northern NSW. A place that inspired collective movements to mobilise to protect this important environment. Chris provided an experience and education that was appreciated by the whole group!

Thank you Chris!

Chris is a very inspiring host, who brought me and the rest of the very fun group to 2 beautiful waterfalls and the beautiful national park, where we saw the amazing glow worms. Thank you Chris!

The wonder of the forests!

An informative and enjoyable tour of the rainforest, incorporating beautiful vistas, walking trails, swimming under waterfalls, the exhilarating spray from the big mama waterfall, a vegan dinner at nightfall and finally the luminous fungi and glow-worms.Thank you to Rise Up for educating us on the wonders of nature and the need to enjoy and protect it.

An experience to remember 💛

This was such a beautiful tour. From the views at the first stop to the waterfalls which were INCREDIBLE, to the dinner and the glow worms. I was a bit apprehensive about the tour partially being at night/in the dark however Cris makes you feel so at ease, his passion and love for nature flows through everyone and causes a real sense of community within the group. Thank you Cris, an experience I’ll always remember 😊

Special and amazing

The tour was amazing, very special i would say. The tour gide did his very best, i think that made it even better. The food was good too :)

Wonderful experience must try

Beautiful experience, Chris was an awesome guide and great guy we had a wonderful experience the waterfalls and glow worms were surreal. Highly recommended

A totally unforgettable experience

If you have the time book in, you won’t regret it. To give some info on what to expect it’s a mini bus trip up into the rainforest with a few short hikes to waterfalls, one of which you can swim at, an outdoor picnic while the sun sets then a hike out in the dark of the rainforest. We were lucky to see lots of glow worms and mushrooms because of the rain. It’s a rainforest so wear shoes you don’t mind messing up and expect to get wet. If you need one Cris has ponchos. A great way to meet other travellers and learn about this amazing environment. The enthusiasm and knowledge Cris has for this landscape is incredible, and you can’t help but be wowed. It is an experience we will never forget. A definite highlight of our trip to Aus.

Incredible, beautiful and thought provoking tour. A must do.

An amazing afternoon and evening spent with a very wise man Chris. He took us to special places which were magnificent but elevated the whole experience with his knowledge about the rain forest. A truly mesmerizing and memorable evening. I cannot recommend this tour to everyone enough. It may well change your life a little or a lot.

Absolutely magnificent!

The tour was beautifully planned, a truly once in a lifetime experience. The glow worms are mystical, enhanced by the beautiful flute played live by our host, and a spectacular end to an adventure that includes incredible rainforest, swimming in a glorious waterfall and a vegan feast. You also learn a lot about the hinterland and the important role environmental activism has played in preserving this wilderness. Amazing!

Amazing

Was an amazing experience, couldn't recommend it more. Chris was a very passionate and engaged guide

Highly recommended

The rainforest and waterfalls were fantastic!!! The vegan dinner was very tasty! Our guide Cris was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful!!! The highlight was the glow worms and mushrooms, magical!!!

Amazing Rainforest tour

This tour was a truly magical experience for myself and my family. Cris our guide was so sweet and knowledgeable about the rainforest area. He shared interesting facts about the history and diversity of the rainforest and wildlife. The waterfalls were breathtaking and refreshing to swim in. The forest was alive with glow worms and glowing mushrooms, my 10 year old was in awe. Included was a sumptuous vegan meal. This is an experience we will never forget and we will definitely return and do it again. Thanks Cris Nicole, Trev and Amelia Newcastle

Exceeding expectations

An incredible experience hosted by a superb guide. Chris was incredibly friendly, knowledgable and helpful. I would recommend this tour to anyone - even the vegan food was delicious!

Well worth it

Amazing hike through the rainforest and saw an incredible waterfall. The guides were very informative and helpful. Highly recommended.

Great tour!

My boyfriend and I had a great time on this tour while visiting Australia. We loved our tour guide, Alex, he was very knowledgeable and friendly! The hikes were not super long or strenuous and the views were absolutely worth it! There was an opportunity for swimming and we were served a delicious, healthy dinner from a local spot in Byron. Would definitely recommend if you have the time!

Un incredible tour, but take care!

The waterfalls are incredible, the vegetarian dinner is delicious, the guide is great, the glow-worms are fascinating. The experience is worth it. However, you need to know - and it should be warned in advance - that there are leeches in the place. Many of us were bitten. I still have a wound on my leg. If you are going on the trip, wear repellent, and wear long gym pants, with socks over your pants. These recommendations should necessarily be on the list of recommendations.

Magical

Cris is a brilliant guide! Thank you so much for sharing the knowledge, your expertise are really commendeble. Thank you for spreading the awareness of the history of the beautiful national park. It was a magical night in Nightcap National Park! It exceeded my expectations. Loved the 10 minutes of meditation in the middle of national park with the inner peace sound you played using the instrument. Enjoyed watching glowworms and glowing mushrooms. The waterfall was beautiful.

Hinterland Magic tour was much, much more than glowworms

New were in absolute awe of the surrounds & tour of Nightcap National Park & Terania Creek. Our tour guide Alex was welcoming, informative & absolute A-Grade all the way.

Disappointed!

Actually I paid for 4 of us (family) but Alex our guide told us only 1 person was registered - so I have to drive myself with my wide to and fro. It was a 1.5 hours drive X 2. How can this happen?? I paid for 4 of us ! But Alex was a gentleman and at least for the food which was catered for only 10, he arranged for the 4 of us somehow...

Awesome trip

Brilliant and so informative. We learnt loads, met some lovely people hugged a few trees and were totally in awe with everything we saw. Well worth every dollar

Great Night Out

Alex was a great guide who informed my group about the rich ecological and spiritual history of the Hinterlands, he also showed us some cool swimming spots and waterfalls. Highly recommended!

Magical experience and amazing guide!

The forest looks stunning during the day, and magical at night! It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. The glowworms and glowing mushrooms looked unreal. The waterfall was pretty too. Chris was an amazing guide! Thank you so much for sharing the knowledge about these glowworms and how the nature works. The work you do and the awareness you spread is so important in these times. We'll see you again when we visit Byron Bay next time :)