About Us - River Deep Mountain High

Making Sense and the Right Choice. RDMH Philosophy
In order to help visitors and adventurers to truly experience our outdoor tours, we always endeavour to "make every sense count". By that, we mean:-
Sight - let our customers see the beautiful environment, scenery and wildlife and wildflowers.
Hearing - our clients hear the birds in the forest, the tumbling streams or waterfalls, or the complete absence of noise - the quiet places.
Smell - crush some leaves of the native Eucalypts, Leptospermums, breathe in the scent of the wildflowers.
Taste - sampling native bush seasonings, or anything we locate in the wild.
Touch - feel the spiky leaves of the Old Man Banksia, or the Hakea, the smooth texture of the Treefern, moss or Geebungs in the wild.
Experience - whether it be exhiliaration, awe, the joy of an achievement, or relaxation and peacefulness, we want our clients to depart with a positive feeling, having truly immersed themselves within the environment. Its something different and achievable, every day.

Staff Ability
Client testimonials all reveal just how much RDMH staff love their work. Clients are made to feel at ease under guidance and instruction from our capable and qualified staff, whose encouragement has assisted many a nervous client to overcome their fears, be it cliff edges and abseiling, deep water and swimming in the canyons or tackling the waterfall abseils, traversing narrow ledges on one of our wild walks, or the patience and understanding provided when a tired adventurer is struggling up the side of the mountain at the end of the journey. You wouldn't want to go on a trip with a guide who, bored with their work, dreads getting out of bed each morning, would you?

All RDMH staff have many years experience in the industry, and have attained nationally recognised skills and qualifications. What you think about the day and how you feel about your adventure is important to both you and us! Our continued operation is based on customer satisfaction and referrals.

Choice
RDMH offers an un-surpassed array and variety of adventures and activites. We are able to mix / change / adjust programs to suit clients abilities, weather restrictions, park and road closures, or any other unforseen event. No other operator here in the Blue Mountains is able to do what we do, changing and adjusting programs at short notice, often on the day of departure.

We also operate on private land for some of our abseiling, rock climbing, bushwalking, mountain biking and 4WD tours and safaris, so we are less affected by bushfire restrictions and National Park closures. We simply adjust the program, and deliver a memorable walk or tour or adventure for our clients!

About the Company
By the year 2000, we were among some 30 adventure tour operators servicing the market, most of whom left the market by 2001, unable to pay the higher insurance costs. Having started business in 1995, we placed the Adventure & Photographic Company over our group, combined our comprehensive adventure portfolio, and moved adventuring to new levels. River Deep, Mountain High (RDMH) is able to offer you both hard and soft adventure activities, and tailor programs for groups searching for something different. The ultimate benefit of this combination gives you “Better Adventures”, which is part of our branding. After 14 years (we started in December 1995), we still have a great mix of local and international customers, and enjoy referrals from both domestic and international agents.

Awards
RDMH won the Blue Mountains Tourism award for Adventure Tourism in 2008. Our business also achieved Finalist at the NSW Tourism Awards, in 2006, 2007 and 2008. We also were Highly Commended in the inaugural Blue Mountains Business Advantage Awards in August 2007. We welcome feedback from our clients to assist our staff to continually improve our products and services.

Location
Our office is conveniently located close to Katoomba Railway Station, just a 3-minute walk down Katoomba Street. It is away from the congestion at the top of the street, allowing for ease of parking for our clients. It is also close to cafes, great accommodation venues, and backpacker venues.

Environmental Commitment
As a business primarily engaged in the use of the outdoor environment, we are committed to assisting in the management of the natural resources used for our activities. Based upon a total approach, we actively pursue the following:-

Waste reduction
Staff are dedicated to a reduction in the use of plastic shopping bags. In fact on most visits to the supermarkets, we use backpacks to place our purchases in. We also try to minimise the number of plastic bags used in the fruit and vegetable department.

At the office, all cardboard and waste paper is recycled, as are plastic drink bottles. We now encourage our customers to bring their own water bottles, as this saves eventual wastage. We have invested in plates, cups, bowls and proper cutlery, so we do not generally have to use paper plates or plastic disposable utensils. The Company uses digital cameras to capture images for the internet, rather than film, thus another waste saver.

Office Paperwork
Through extensive use of the internet, most information transfers between ourselves and customers and suppliers is via electronic medium. And, with the websites being equivalent to living ads, a wealth of information can be stored or made available electronically. We've also made our website comprehensive, easy to navigate, so you are not wasting time and electrical energy endlessly searching on the internet for tour programs, costs and information!!

Transportation
We own 3 vehicles. Our 2007 Landrover Discovery 3 Turbo diesel is the most efficient tour vehicle in the Blue Mountains. Our 2004 Nissan Patrol Turbo diesel is a close 2nd in fuel efficiency, and both are perfect for small group touring and travel.

We also have an older bus that is generally only used for large groups. Annually, it only travels about 5000km, as we maximise use of the fuel-efficient 4WDs for small groups.

Comfort and Safety
The Company has the only full day abseiling site in Katoomba, which means you spend more time abseiling and less time travelling (up to half an hour for other locations). The site is adjacent to modern parking and toilet facilities, so you can be assured that you will not be using the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains as a toilet. No other abseiling site in the Blue Mountains offers this.

Our private abseiling site faces east, and is sheltered from the savage westerly winds that often prevail in the upper Blue Mountains, allowing you to enjoy your experience in almost any weather. Best of all, it is the only place in the world where you can learn to abseil in full view of the famous Three Sisters.

All anchor bolts on our exclusive site have been load tested and comply with AS 1891, which is the Australian Standard for Industrial Rope Access, thus ensuring your safety. No other location has bolts that comply with AS1891, or are tested annually.

Our site offers the best views for international tourists, and has a resident female Lyrebird that is often seen, along with many colourful Australian parrots. Why go anywhere else?

As one of only two local adventure businesses still in the hands of the original owners, the RDMH safety record is ours alone, and not handed to us by any predecessor. Grouped together are the talents and experience of several senior staff, all of whom have previously owned or worked for other adventure operators. For your added peace of mind, we carry $10million Public Liability.

Two Instructors!
We endeavour to use two instructors as the minimum on all our group adventure activities. This means increased safety for you and your friends and a much more personalised service, to meet your needs. Our senior staff all have nationally recognised qualifications in abseiling, bushwalking, canyoning and rockclimbing.

Fees & Charges
We endeavour to provide an all-inclusive price with no additional fees and charges. Our prices are in Australian Dollars and include (unless otherwise indicated), transport, technical equipment and a full wholesome picnic lunch. Vegetarians are also catered for.

Licences
The Company is licenced by NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service to operate in the National Parks and all Wilderness Areas that make up the majority of the World Heritage listed Greater Blue Mountains region. The Company is further licenced by Blue Mountains City Council to operate Nature Based Recreation activities on Council managed lands. We are also currently the longest continuosly licenced operator, providing supported and guided walks on the famous Six Foot Track, from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. We are also licensed to provide transport. We hold 4WD and Coach Accreditation with NSW Ministry of Transport. We are currently the only Katoomba-based adventure operator with transport accreditation. If you travel with us, you are insured. (Please note that any operator who charges a fee for transport must be licensed by NSW Ministry of Transport to do so). Of course, you would not get into a vehicle that was not licenced, and nor would you allow an un-licenced driver to transport you around. Please be careful!

Food
Together with our wholesome fresh lunches, we now endeavour to include native Australian condiments, seasonings and tasters on our full-day tours. Come out with us and taste the difference!!!

Money Back Guarantee
Because of our dedication to customer service, we offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee if you don't enjoy your day, where you have made an incorrect adventure selection. Alternately, you may select an alternate activity if you feel you booked an activity that was not suited to your abilities.