The southern franchise will also play a New Zealand side in Invercargill, the first time for seven years, and has a bye about midway through the competition.
In a draft draw seen by the Otago Daily Times, the competition is kicking off at Waitangi Day weekend, with the Highlanders playing the Western Force in Perth, probably on February 7.
The draw has changed after the decision to extend the play-offs, with six teams now involved, differing from the previous straight semifinals format.
To make room for the extended play-offs, the last round has simply been shifted to the first round, and the competition starts a week earlier.
Originally, the Highlanders were going to be playing the Force in the final round, on the way home from two games in South Africa.
That has changed, and the team will have to endure the long flight to Perth, then fly back to Dunedin to prepare to take on the Brumbies at Carisbrook the following week.
Traditionally, New Zealand teams play in Perth on the way to or coming back from South Africa.
Highlanders chief executive Richard Reid said a draw was simply that - the team had to play every other side at some time.
Every team wanted to get off to a good start and then kick on from there, he said.
The Highlanders will make a return to Invercargill, playing the Chiefs on the weekend of March 13-15.
The franchise last played there in 2007, beating the Cheetahs 21-17 in a dreary encounter.
The Highlanders have played a New Zealand side in Invercargill only twice, both times losing to the Chiefs.
Reid said it had not been decided whether a second match would be played in Invercargill.
He said the issue of getting good crowds to two games in Invercargill had to be considered.
No game is to be played in Queenstown after matches in the resort for the past two years.
The match against the Reds on Easter Saturday was pencilled in for Queenstown but the New Zealand Rugby Union and Sky wanted the match played at night, and the Queenstown ground has no lights.
Reid said as the draw sat at the moment, the last home game was in late April, which would enable the Otago Rugby Football Union and southern rugby public to build momentum for the test match against France on June 13.
The Highlanders could have done worse with this draw, but the way players are leaving and swapping franchises it is difficult to judge which teams will be strong, even though the first match is less than three months away.
If the Highlanders can beat the Force, which it did in 2007, and then get a win off the Brumbies, who traditionally start slowly, they may sit in a positive position going into two tough matches away against the Hurricanes and the Waratahs.
They then play the Crusaders at home, the first of five games at Carisbrook, with a bye also worked into the equation, after the eighth round.
If they can win three of the five home games, they may still be in the running for the play-offs when they travel to Eden Park to take on the Blues.
The Highlanders finish the season with matches in South Africa against the Sharks and the Lions.
The draft draw could be challenged next week at a Sanzar committee meeting in Sydney.
The Blues want to play the Crusaders later in the season, to get a bigger gate.
The Waratahs have also got the rough end of the draw.
Beaten finalists this year, they will fly to South Africa to play the Lions in Johannesburg in the first round, and will then have to return to South Africa to play the Cheetahs and the Sharks in the final two rounds.
The structure of the play-offs has yet to be finalised, and it should be discussed in Sydney next week, along with which rules the competition will be played under.
The British and Irish Lions are touring South Africa next year, and Super teams from the Republic are keen to play under northern hemisphere rules, which will be used in the Lions series.
