Is TreeClimb Kuitpo As Good As TreeClimb Adelaide? We tested it out as a family to find out

TreeClimb Adelaide has been open for many years now and is a popular spot for the adventurous and kids birthday parties. Now TreeClimb Kuitpo has opened in 2023. Is it as good or maybe even better than TreeClimb Adelaide? We took on the Kuitpo grand course with our kids to find out.

Now, I’ve never actually climbed the TreeClimb Adelaide course so I asked my 12 year old (who’s been on both the Adelaide grand and kids course and now also the Kuitpo grand course) which she liked better?

“I liked TreeClimb Kuitpo better because there are more ziplines and better landings.”

TreeClimb Ziplines & Landings

TreeClimb landings are the part of the course that you land on at the end of the zipline (see video of zipline below).

TreeClimb Adelaide landings are made of loose sawdust which is a great idea because it’s so soft, but it always used to get into the kids shorts and shoes which really annoyed them!

TreeClimb Kuitpo landings are made of a spongy green turf that has a lot of give in it. Our 7 year old landed her first zipline on her knees (instead of her feet). I cringed as I thought that that would be the end of the course for her as she’d have majorly sore carpet burn, but she jumped up and gave me the thumbs up! Phew!

Then I landed on it after coming down the zipline and was amazed at how spongy and airy the turf landing was.

TreeClimb Courses

There are more options for kids at Treeclimb Kuitpo and also a dedicated zipline loop (9 ziplines in one loop) in the grand course at Kuitpo.

However, the courses at Kuitpo are slightly more expensive, costing $3-$5 more than the Adelaide courses.

TreeClimb Course Comparison

Family Experience

Both TreeClimb Adelaide and Kuitpo have a kids course (min height: 100cm) and a grand course (min. height: 135cm). However, Kuitpo also allows kids from 125cm high to go on the grand course if they book a family experience (climb with a parent).

This is brilliant because it allowed my 7 year old (130cm) to climb with the rest of us, otherwise she would’ve had to do the kids course by herself (in which case we would’ve waited until she was older so we could do it all together).

Is the TreeClimb grand course/family experience ok for a 7 year old?

Our 7 year old is 130cm (min height is 125cm), so was therefore allowed on the Kuitpo grand course only if we booked the family experience. There is a short training course with a small zipline to practice on before you head up to the trees.

We had our 10 year old go first to show our 7 year old what to do and I was right behind her. She was hesitant on the first zipline, but gave it a go anyway after a little encouragement. She has done the kids Adelaide course before which I think helped. After the first zipline she did a really great job at keeping up with everyone else and was really enjoying the ziplines.

The other thing that was a little scary for our 7 year old is the gap between some of the planks of wood that you need to step on throughout the course. They are obviously designed for legs longer than a 7 year old’s. So that was challenging for her too. But once she learned to just step out and trust that she would make the next plank of wood (and that the harness would hold her) she did just fine.

A little boy (maybe around 7 too) and his mum were behind us and he looked quite distressed. I think they may have left the course early. So, it really depends on the temperament of your child and any fears they may have. You’ll be the best judge of your child, just trust your instincts. The kids course is definitely the best starting point if they’ve never done TreeClimb before.

The scariest part for me was the Tarzan swing because there is a brief second of free fall before the harness catches you (there is staff there to secure you in extra tight before you do the Tarzan swing and someone at the other end to help unclip you at the end). The hardest part of the Tarzan swing for all of us was using a lot of upper body muscle to climb the net at the end.

But the Tarzan swing didn’t seem to faze our 7 year old too much. She did it just fine.

The Tarzan swing was on the last loop we went on. I definintely wouldn’t start with the Tarzan swing.

Inclusive Nets Experience

The nets experience hasn’t opened yet at the time of writing this, but I’m planning on testing it out with my kids when it does (I’ll let you know).

It seems to be aimed at younger kids. Kids 6 years and younger need to have an adult on with them and kids older than 7 can go on by themselves.

The website makes it sound like you can only book the nets experience with a course ticket, but I have confirmed with them that you can book the nets experience on it’s own.

TreeClimb Locations – Getting There

TreeClimb Adelaide is set in the beautiful parklands surrounding the CBD.

TreeClimb Kuitpo is set in Kuitpo Forest. Very picturesque and relaxing. A 50 minute drive southeast from the heart of Adelaide.

If you’re driving through Meadows (6 min from Kuitpo Forest) to get to TreeClimb Kuitpo I highly recommend Pik A Pie bakery. Their food tastes amazing and they have some great meal deals. There’s a good playground just across the road too. Check them out here.

Parking at TreeClimb Kuitpo

When I first heard about TreeClimb Kuitpo opening I thought “Brilliant, the parking will surely be a lot easier and closer than TreeClimb Adelaide, there’s so much more room at Kuitpo!” But not so.

There is only an extremely small dedicated car park for TreeClimb Kuitpo. The majority of parking is along the main dirt road. But I can totally understand that clearing trees in Kuitpo Forest for a car park isn’t a great option, so parking on the road is fine.

Just make sure you get there a little bit earlier to allow time to walk from your car to TreeClimb (5-10min).

Things to Know Before You Go to TreeClimb

Here are some questions I had before we went and the answer to the questions:

Can I take pictures while on the grand course?

My husband took his phone on the course to take photos because he had deep side pockets in his shorts, but my pockets were too small to safely carry my phone without worrying about it falling out. I wouldn’t advise carrying a phone in your back pocket because sometimes you land on your bum at the end of the zipline!

Is there storage available at TreeClimb Kuitpo?

Yes, there are storage lockers available in the cafe area (the lockers are big enough for a backpack). You just need to bring a $1 coin to operate them.

I didn’t know about the lockers before we left, but if I did it again I would definitely bring a backpack with snacks & water for after the climb.

What should I wear to TreeClimb?

Wear something comfortable for climbing. Keep in mind that you will have a harness on too. I wore denim shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt and was fine. My girls wore bike shorts and t-shirts.

Also, TreeClimb requires closed in shoes to be worn and long hair to be tied back.

Do I need a hat, sunscreen or sunglasses?

We didn’t wear hats, sunscreen or sunglasses on Kuitpo Forest TreeClimb and we went in January on a 20 degree day, finishing at 11.40am.

Mostly you will be in the shade of the forest trees while on the climb. But you will likely have to wait in certain spots while on the climb and there is occasion where you may find yourself in the sun and during Summer the sun can quickly get hot on your legs.

Depending on the weather on the day and time of day sunscreen might be a good idea. But I wouldn’t worry about sunglasses or a hat while climbing (you’ll have a helmet on anyway).

Will I get hot climbing?

I was fine in shorts and t-shirt on a 20 degree day. You will warm up on the climb but there will also most likely be times when you wait for a few minutes during the climb for people ahead on the course. We were in the shade nearly all of the time.

Will we get to finish all the loops in the grand course?

TreeClimb Kuitpo has 4 loops in the grand course. We only finished 3. Unfortunately we just missed going on the last loop.

We booked the 9.40 session which finished at 11.40 (2 hours), so only 3 out of 4 courses in 2 hours. Although 20 minutes of that was safety training and getting kitted up with the harness.

How many loops you complete depends a lot on how many people are on the course and how fast people are moving through the course as there will be holdups along the way.

The staff are extremely helpful and friendly and will help you decide which loop to start with etc.

Good to know: TreeClimb Kuitpo will be closed on total fire ban days

Kuitpo Forest is closed on all total fire ban days to reduce risk of fire. This includes TreeClimb Kuitpo because it is in Kuitpo Forest. See TreeClimb website.

How to Save Money at TreeClimb

If you’re booking a day out at TreeClimb for your family the costs can quickly add up. The cost for our family of 5 to do the grand course was $247!

But there are some ways you can reduce that cost:

• RAA members save 15% (book through the RAA website here)
• Buy a TreeClimb gift card when they have a sale on. Sign up to their newsletter. Occasionally they have 10% off gift cards. We bought a gift card in a sale leading up to Christmas.
• Reuse gloves from a previous TreeClimb session (search your kids room to see if they have any from previous parties there). Gloves are $5 per pair and are compulsory for the grand course (not the kids course). I wish I’d thought of this before I booked!
• Bring your own food and water. The kids will be very thirsty and hungry after TreeClimb. So pack some food and water to have when you get back to the car. Or even better, bring food and water with in a backpack and keep it in a locker to eat in the forest when you’ve finished your climb. You just need $1 to operate the lockers. Otherwise your kids will be begging you for food/icecream from the cafe (as you need to go into the cafe to drop off your climbing gear after your climb). Or maybe it’s just my kids…. Be prepared!! 😉

Which TreeClimb Should I Choose? Kuitpo or Adelaide?

Here’s a brief summary of the advantages of both TreeClimb locations so you can choose the one that suits you best.

Overall, I would highly recommend TreeClimb Kuitpo if you have young kids. Especially kids that are ready for the grand course but not quite tall enough to do it on their own (between 125 to 135cm)! However, both TreeClimb locations are fantastic and staff are so friendly and helpful!

It’s such a fun day out in nature, being active as a family. And doing something a little scary and different together kind of bonds you as a family and creates awesome memories!

More Nature Based Activities

If you’re looking for more nature based activities, we’ll soon be opening our farm near Myponga for farm tours. We’d love you to come and see the hens, cows and alpaca’s, and maybe even a few little fluffy chicks. Enter your details below and you’ll be the first to know when the farm is open for a tour.