Gao Outdoor Center family snow fun – Hoshino Resorts Tomamu

The Gao Outdoor Centre in Tomamu has everything you need for a fun family holiday in the snow, including snow mobiles, banana rides and much more!

Kids can learn how to drive a snow mobile at the Gao Outdoor Activities Centre

Hoshino Resorts Gao Outdoor Center offer a huge range of exciting snow-fun family activities to explore together during your family ski holiday in Tomamu. Here you get to choose your own adventure! With a tween and teen ready for excitement, we were given the opportunity to try out three family thrill-seeker experiences at the Gao. All of them were screamingly-good fun!

Drive your own snow mobile

Gao Outdoor Center snow mobiles are great fun

First-up, we went for a snow mobile tour. We were all supplied with safety helmets and snow goggles, and then it was time to climb aboard and learn the basics of how to drive a snow mobile. It’s very easy to get the hang of driving one. Simply key-start the engine and then depress one handle bar for acceleration or the other to brake. They are easy to steer and handle too – so you can relax and have fun on your tour.

Samantha rode on the back of my snow mobile

Following in our guide’s snow mobile tracks, Samantha, 11, sat behind me on my snow mobile whilst Brooke, 13, brought up the rear on hers. She had decided that she wanted to drive a snow mobile on her own. She absolutely loved the experience – it as a huge thrill for this teenager to drive her own motorised vehicle! You can even hire smaller-sized motorised snow mobiles for little kids at the Gao Outdoor Center.

We had such a great time riding snow mobiles along the snowy trail. It’s a whole lot of fun being a snow mobile rev-head!

Go on an inflatable banana boat ride

Jump on the banana and hold onto a rope handle!

Next-up – a banana boat ride! (Or alternatively, an inflatable raft ride) We were a bit puzzled at first – a banana boat ride at the snow? Then we realised it was an inflatable banana boat like the type you find at island resorts – this was going to be fun! The whole family climbed aboard the big banana, donned our supplied helmets and ski goggles once again and took a hold of the individual rope handles. Then off we went, towed along by a rope attached to a snow buggy.

Take a ride on an inflatable banana boat!

With a tight grip on our rope handles we “yeee-haw-ed!” our way through the course, flying along with breathless speed. We skidded out on the corners and spent the entire ride shouting and screaming with laughter. The banana boat was a super-fun ride we simply couldn’t get enough of!

Snow buggy back-country tour

A snow buggy tour takes you out into the forest

Then it was time for all of us to climb into a snow buggy and buckle our seatbelts for a back-country tour. We really enjoyed this off-road snow tour of the woods. Our driver pulled out an animal-spotting guide. Local animal tracks were explained to us, and we all enjoyed looking out for the wildlife that left the footprints behind. We were so excited to see a beautiful red fox nosing about in the snow – he didn’t even seem to mind us watching him at close-quarters.

Our snow buggy tour included spotting local wildlife

Then it was time to stop for a bit of fun along the way – knee-deep snow play! The girls leapt out of the snow buggy and laughed as they tried to walk through the deep powder snow. Then they lay down and made some very respectable snow angels. Our driver carved a giant heart straight out of the snow and gave it to Samantha! She played with it for a while, and then tossed it at her sister like a giant snow ball – and we all had a big snow fight! We were laughing so hard – where else could you play in such amazing snow?! 

We watched this red fox in the wild for about ten minutes

Finally it was time to head back to the Center, but not without one last thrill – a super-fast speeding session in the snow mobile! Around curves and over bumps we went. It was so much fun as our driver showed off his snow-driving skills! The snow mobile ride is a fantastic way to see more of the beautiful Tomamu countryside, and have a lot of fun while you’re doing it.

Having fun in a snow buggy together!

More family activities available at the Gao Outdoor Center

The Gao Outdoor Center

Snow Play Toys and Sleds

From buckets and spades to snow ball makers, to snow sled toboggans – if you have toddlers and little kids that just want to play in the snow, this is where you can load up with snow toys to do it – snow included! There’s even a special sled course. 

Snow Shoeing

Hire a set of snow shoes for a guided nature walk. This is the perfect way to enjoy the peace and serenity of a Japanese winter wonderland!

Baumkuchen Making

Get your cooking on with this fun activity – Baumkuchen (cake) making over a charcoal fires at the secret “Kota” base in the snowfields. Best of all, you get to eat what you make – yum!

Ice Curling

You know that fascinating Winter Olympics sport? Well here’s your chance to try it! You can play a game of ice curling and make your Olympic dreams come true – at least for a little while – awesome!

Snow Forest Adventure

Take a fun guided walking tour of the back country, including wildlife spotting.

Family Snow Picnic

Grab the family for a guided picnic trip! Includes fun snow activities and lunch in a snow hut.

Cross Country Ski Tour

Head off with a guide on a cross country skiing tour for something different, and get away from the ski-field crowds!

Eat at the Green Kitchen restaurant at the Gao Outdoor Center

The Green Kitchen is a lovely restaurant right next door to the Gao, and well worth a visit for a meal or snack whilst you take in the view. You can learn more about The Green Kitchen in our Best Family Restaurants in Tomamu blog here.

How to get to the Tomamu Gao Outdoor Center

The Gao Outdoor Centre is just three minutes walk from Hoshino Resorts The Tower, or a quick shuttle-bus ride away from Hoshino Resorts Risonare.

Making family holiday memories together

Fun family holiday memories are made at the Gao Outdoor Center

Don’t miss this super-fun outdoor centre. The Gao  is a wonderful place to make exciting family memories together to last a lifetime!

Plan your own Hoshino Resorts Gao Outdoor Center adventures – find out more at the official website here.

Which activity do you think your family would love most? Tell us in the comments below…

*All information and prices are correct as at March 2019 – please check the official website link above for relevant, up to date information.

Let’s go Mum were hosted guests of Hoshino Resorts Tomamu including the Gao Outdoor Centre, however all opinions remain firmly our own.