Guides taking the raft through wilder rapids | Glenn Walker

Rafter admiring the famous Rock Island Bend on the Franklin | Glenn Walker

Rafts and reflections on Tasmania's Franklin River | Glenn Walker

Guides rafting wilder waters on the Franklin River | Glenn Walker

Franklin River in the South West wilderness | Glenn Walker

Hikers on Frenchman's Cap | Sam Craddock

Rafters at Rock Island Bend | Glenn Walker

Expect delicious dinners on the Franklin with us | Glenn Walker

Rafter reading a book in the raft | Glenn Walker

Special Offer

Franklin River and Frenchmans Cap

Climb Frenchmans Cap & raft the mighty Franklin

Australia



79 reviews

10 Days from

$3670 USD

Trip Code: FRC

View dates to Book

Essential Information

Extra trip options & supplements

*Prices listed are per person

Duration

10 Days

Activities

8 days rafting
1 day walking
1 day sailing

Accommodation

10 nights camping

Meals

9 Dinners
10 Lunches
9 Breakfasts

Difficulty Grading

6 / 10

Moderate to Challenging

Carbon Footprint

19kg of CO₂-e PP per day

(172kg of CO₂-e PP entire trip)

Franklin River and Frenchmans Cap Trip highlights

Trek to the summit of tuynti/Frenchmans Cap for immense views over the South West World Heritage Area
Travel with the company that pioneered rafting on the Franklin River
Visit Rock Island Bend, and the Lost World
Stay at true wilderness campsites right next to the river
Sailboat cruise along the Gordon River to Strahan

Overview

For those seeking the most complete Tasmanian wilderness experience, this 11-day rafting expedition combines the world’s best river journey with a rare summit of the iconic quartzite dome of tuynti/Frenchmans Cap (1,443m). From the remote riverbank at Irenabyss, a dramatic side-trip leads through ancient rainforest to the peak, offering sweeping views across the vast and untamed south west—an unforgettable reward for those drawn to paths less travelled. Returning to the river, you’ll tackle legendary sections like the Great Ravine and Newlands Cascades, navigating ever-changing moods as the Franklin carves its way through wild gorges, tranquil pools and dense temperate forest.

Guided by the most experienced rafting team on the river—who pioneered commercial descents here in 1978—this trip delivers a rare kind of immersion: no phone signal, no crowds, just pure, unfiltered nature. The lower Franklin and Gordon Rivers are a testament to what was saved when the dam proposal was defeated in 1983, and paddling through these ancient landscapes is a powerful reminder of what wilderness truly means. Recognised by Outside magazine as the best river journey on earth, this is an expedition for those who want more than adventure—this is the wilderness at its finest.

Itinerary

Expand all | Collapse all

We pick you up early this morning in Launceston, from one of our two pick up locations. Our first pick up point is at 7:15am from the Grand Chancellor and our second pick up point is at 7:30am at the Penny Royal. We then drive to our put-in point at Collingwood Bridge. We aim to be there around 12:00 noon and here we will inflate and load our rafts. Before getting on the water the guides will provide a safety briefing and instruction in paddling the raft. Our destination this day is the junction of the Franklin and Collingwood rivers or downstream to the Aesthesia Ravine. *You will need to arrive in Launceston the day before your trip, ensuring that you arrive in time to attend the 1:00pm pre-trip briefing.

Meals: L,D

Today we will tackle the Log Jam, Nasty Notch, Descension Gorge and float calmly through the Irenabyss and camp just on the side of the river below the gorge. We spend the evening relaxing at our idyllic camp deep in the wilderness. While your guides prepare a hearty evening meal, why not take a cup of tea down to the river to look for the wildlife that comes out at dusk.

Meals: B,L,D

Weather permitting we climb to tuynti/Frenchmans Cap from our base camp at Irenabyss. Trekking to the peak is challenging and immensely rewarding; an absolute highlight of Tasmanian bushwalking. The walk is approximately 7km and will take between 8 to 10 hours. The trail is very steep, and is often muddy and slippery. The incomparable views from the top take in a vast expanse of the wild and rugged south-west World Heritage Area, making the effort well-worth it. Having two days set aside allows us some flexibility and gives us maximum chance of climbing tuynti/Frenchmans in fine weather.

Meals: B,L,D

Today is a long and beautiful day of rafting, with some interesting paddling and numerous campsites along the river banks. The mood of the river depends completely on how much rain has fallen recently. Keep your eye out for the red flowers of climbing heath cascading down the surrounding rock faces. Tonight we enjoy another feast prepared by your guides, then turn in for a night under the open sky.

Meals: B,L,D

We reach the Great Ravine today and the first major portage at the Churn. There are some challenging sections along the river prior to reaching the Churn. We pass Blushrock Falls, named for the red tinge in the rock. As we paddle look out for a view of Frenchman's Cap from the river. Your passionate guides will tell you about the Franklin’s famous history, and also intriguing lesser known tales that have come to them over their years of adventuring on this wild river. Tonight we camp at Coruscades Camp within the Great Ravine.

Meals: B,L,D

Today takes us to Deliverance Reach, the end of the Great Ravine, and on to Rafter's Basin. After breakfast we paddle and portage through Coruscades, Livingstone’s Cut, Thunderush, the Masterpiece and the Cauldron to the Mousehole – a narrow recess with a cat-like boulder overlooking the river. It is only a 2km paddle now from the Mousehole to Rafter’s Basin where we camp for the night by Interlude Creek. The terrain around our camp tonight is somewhat of a prelude of the forecoming Lower Franklin.

Meals: B,L,D

Depending on the weather today our destination is The Black Forest or Newlands Cascades. Life on the river is extremely dominated by the weather and your guides are adaptable, with a great plan B no matter what mother nature throws down at them... it's all part of the adventure! Today we paddle through Prospsting Gorge and some of the Franklin's best rapids. After lunch we navigate the longest rapid on the river: Newlands Cascades. At the bottom of these rapids there is a long, large overhang which makes a cosy place to spend the night.

Meals: B,L,D

Greet the morning with a hot drink in hand, watching the sun creep down the sides of the valley towards our camp. Huon Pines and Leatherwood trees drapes themselves elegantly along the banks of the river. Listen and look for the birds that flit amongst their branches. The paddling today is relatively straightforward, to Blackman’s Bend through the deep temperate rainforest of the lower river that was protected by the environmental protests of the early 1980s. We will continues past Double Fall, Big Fall, and Galleon Bluff, which is said to look similar to the sterns of several ships jutting out into the dark water. Shortly after we float under the impressive overhang of Verandah Cliffs. Our camp tonight is at Sir John Falls on the Gordon River, about 5km downstream of the junction of the Gordon and Franklin. The small wharf in front of our campsite is the perfect place from which to have a swim in the Gordon River, and to look out for white bellied sea eagles, as your guides prepare our final evening meal.

Meals: B,L,D

This morning you are collected by Stormbreaker yacht and cruise down the length of the river before reaching paralungatik/Macquarie Harbour. Take the chance to kick back on the deck and enjoy the views over the broad expanse of the Gordon River. In Strahan we are met by our bus, which will transfer us back to Launceston (driving time is approximately 4.5 hours). Arrival in Launceston may vary from late afternoon to late evening though usually around 5pm. Our two drop-off points in Launceston are the Grand Chancellor and the Penny Royal. We usually celebrate with a group farewell dinner this evening (own expense).

Meals: B,L

Map

Elevation

The map and elevation chart are for illustrative purposes only and meant to provide general guidelines.

Ready to start your adventure?

View dates to Book

What's included?

Included

2 professional rafting guides
9 nights camping
9 breakfasts, 10 lunches & 9 dinners
Transport by private minibus
Sailboat from lower Gordon River to Strahan
All rafting and safety equipment
Wetsuit, paddling jacket and helmet
80L waterproof gear bag
Group camping equipment including all cooking & eating equipment
Emergency communications & group first aid kit

Not included

Travel to and from Launceston before and after the trip
Accommodation before or after the trip
Items of a personal nature such as alcoholic beverages, car parking in Launceston etc
Travel insurance
Face masks and hand sanitiser

Adventure Highlighted Video - Franklin River and Frenchmans Cap

Why Raft Tasmania's Franklin River?

Rafting the Franklin River

Reviews (79)



Responsible travel

Extra trip info

Show All|Hide All

We suggest asking your pre/post tour accommodation about car parking or there are secure carparks in Launceston where you can pre-book a spot.

This trek commences with a COMPULSORY pre-departure briefing at 1pm on the day before departure. It is ESSENTIAL that you make your travel arrangements to enable you to attend this briefing and that you bring along all of the gear/clothing required for your expedition with you.

We will raft up to grade 4 and see / walk around grade 5-6+

This trip includes one day of walking as we summit Frenchman's Cap. The trek is challenging but immensely rewarding. Some sections are steep, there will be sections you need to scramble over, and mud is common in the area. You will need an excellent level of fitness for this day. Previous walking experience is essential.

It is a condition of booking a tour with us, and your responsibility to ensure that you are adequately insured for the full duration of the tour in respect of illness, injury, pre-existing medical conditions, death, loss of baggage and personal items and cancellation and curtailment. You must provide evidence to TEX that you have obtained personal travel insurance. You must ensure that your personal travel insurance covers all of the activities you expect to participate in.

As the Franklin River is renowned as being a true wilderness area, you cannot expect phone reception while on the trip. For certain mobile carriers, there is sometimes sporadic phone reception. However, this cannot be relied upon. Our guides carry emergency satellite phones which allow them to communicate with our base in Launceston if any emergencies arise. Rest assured you are not completely alone in the wilderness.

Unfortunately there are no charging facilities on this trip. We recommend bringing extra batteries or solar chargers for your phones. To conserve battery power on your mobile devices, turn your phones into flight mode.

You can either leave your excess luggage at the hotel that you stay at the night prior to the trip beginning, or alternatively, we can store it for you at our office in Launceston.

You will be returned to your accommodation at approximately 5pm on the final day of the trip.

Unfortunately there are no shower facilities on the trip. For those who are concerned about washing, you can have a quick refreshing dip in the Franklin River when we stop in the afternoons. However, for a real cleanse we recommend you bring baby wipes (remember to take them out with you as well!).

You’d be surprised how much food you’ll eat after a day’s rafting. Our guides are experienced when it comes to preparing meals in wilderness locations. Lunches usually consist of vegetable wraps with hams, chicken or salami, while evening meals can vary from curries, stroganoff and pastas. Deserts include improvised apple pie, and even a chocolate mousse if you’re lucky! Start your day with a hearty porridge or muesli, with snacks throughout the day including fruit and nuts, muesli bars and some fruit. All types of dietary requirements are catered for, including vegetarian, gluten free, lactose free, nut free etc.

Guaranteeing A Great Australia Trip

Pioneering World Firsts

Quality equipment

Quality accommodations

Innovative itineraries

Custom built, reliable transport

Our all inclusive approach

Paddling down the Franklin River | Glenn Walker

Traveller stories: What to expect when rafting Tasmania's Franklin River

Read a past rafter's account paddling the rapids of Australia's famous Franklin River. His five-star review will inspire you to enter the truly wild ...