Where You Can Go for Less Than 60,000 Qantas Points
See some of the most spectacular scenes around the world. They might be situated in all corners of the world but these destinations have one key thing in common: staggering natural beauty. Tick awe-inspiring mountains, unique rock formations, snowy ski slopes and vast, untouched landscapes off your travel bucket list with a little help from your Qantas Points.
Milford Sound, New Zealand
Why you should go
The eighth wonder of the world, according to Rudyard Kipling, Milford Sound boasts an awe-inspiring landscape that makes it immediately obvious why it had an uncredited but starring role in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
This Ice Age fiord offers a dazzling montage of snow-capped peaks and waterfall-threaded cliffs rising vertiginously from glassy waters. Attracting nature-lovers across the globe, Milford Sound is crowned by the forbidding glory of Mitre Peak, rising a vertical mile (or 1694 metres) from the ocean, while at sea level seals, penguins, humpback whales and dolphins collude in David Attenborough-worthy moments.
How to get there
Milford Sound is a challenging four-hour drive from Queenstown so the best way to experience it is from the air and sea. Tour operators such as Milford Flights can whisk you from Queenstown on a scenic light-plane tour taking in the rugged terrain of Central Otago and Fiordland National Park.
Fly economy from Perth to Queenstown for 22,500 points plus $162.^
Zion National Park, United States
Why you should go
It’s America’s Wild West – a playground for hikers, climbers and whitewater enthusiasts, who raft along the Virgin River as it carves its way through southern Utah’s Zion Canyon.
Nosebleed-high sandstone cliffs – rising to more than 600 metres and glowing cream, pink and red in the sun – are the visual signature of one of the United States’ foremost national parks, and the serrated sandstone trio known as the Court of the Patriarchs presides over a starkly beautiful landscape. The colourful canyons, pine-clad peaks and striking desert cover almost 600 square kilometres and days can be spent exploring its reaches.
How to get there
After transferring from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, put yourself in the hands of a luxury operator such as Red Mountain Resort for a wellness escape with a difference. A high-end bolthole for adventure-seekers, the resort offers an unbeatable combination of guided hikes and other wilderness activities mixed in with massages, yoga and biking.
Fly economy from Brisbane to Los Angeles for 45,000 points plus $262.^
Connections are available daily to Salt Lake City on Compass Airlines operating as American Eagle.
Blue Mountains, Australia
Why you should go
The Three Sisters. Jenolan Caves. Wentworth Falls. They’re all part of the Blue Mountains, a spectacular natural area perfumed with the famous eucalypt haze that lends these mountains their name.
From a crisp-climate elevation of about 1300 metres, a sandstone plateau drops into a mesmerizing network of ravines and gullies carpeted thickly with blue-gum forest. Lookouts such as Hanging Rock and Echo Point offer a humbling sense of scale, while numerous bushwalks take hikers along dramatic cliff edges and wildflower-lined trails ending in rock pools you can swim in, ringed by mossy rocks and ferny fronds.
How to get there
This World Heritage wilderness is just 90 minutes’ drive from Sydney Airport, plus it features all the creature comforts the slickest city dweller could wish for, including high-end accommodation and award-winning restaurants.
Whether you hire a car, take a coach or travel by rail, it’s an easy daytrip – but the case for staying overnight is compelling when it comes to the ultra-boutique eco lodge Spicers Sangoma Retreat. It might prove hard to drag yourself away from the infinity pool with a view but it’s worth it to go fossicking for antiques in the picturesque towns of Leura and Katoomba.
Fly economy from Perth to Sydney for 14,400 points plus $34^
Nagano, Japan
Why you should go
It’s Japan’s white wonderland, home of the 1998 Winter Olympics and a global epicentre for snow sports. Located 240 kilometres north-west of Tokyo, the mountainous prefecture of Nagano is a drawcard for adventure-lovers, as well as aesthetes who delight in Nagano City’s origins as a temple town.
The grand complex of the seventh-century Zenkōji Temple remains a living attraction where priests are publicly ordained and ancient Buddhist rituals are a part of everyday life, while the surrounding streets are lined with quaint temple lodgings for pilgrims and tourists alike. This is also the land of the famous snow monkeys – Japanese macaques that laze about the hot springs, most famously at Jigokudani Yaen-koen.
But the area’s numerous onsens aren’t just for primates. Akakura Kanko Hotel, perched on the snowy slopes of Mount Myōkō in the heart of the Akakura ski village, has two of its own, where guests can enjoy a hot soak in natural spring waters while gazing at the slopes. In fact, some rooms have their own balcony onsens.
How to get there
It’s a three-hour drive from Tokyo but to take the stress out of the journey, opt for a bullet train to Nagano on the notoriously efficient Hokuriko Shinkansen rail line.
Fly economy from Brisbane to Narita International Airport for 56,000 points plus $349^
^ Classic Flight Reward seats are subject to capacity controls, availability is limited and some flights may not have any Classic Flight Rewards available. Qantas Points plus taxes, fees and carrier charges are accurate as at 1 February 2019, but may vary at the time of booking. Status Credits and Qantas Points will not be earned on Classic Flight Rewards. Some flights are operated by partner or subsidiary airlines. Visit Classic Flight Rewards for more information.
