First Choice

Outback Adventure

15 Day Guided Vacation | Adelaide to Darwin

How do you condense South Australia and the Northern Territory into two weeks? With the kind of skill that comes from operating in Australia for more than a century. This epic exploration traverses record-breaking canyons and gorges, national parks and World Heritage Sites. It’s nature writ large – small wonder TV and movie directors find inspiration here, as you will, too. And then there are the cities, from multicultural Adelaide and the wine country it covets, to steamy Darwin, where sunsets are as brash as the characters that call it home.  

 

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Prices From Code: NAAD

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$5432

Adult Twin i A person 16 years and over (note a person 16–17 years must be accompanied by a person 18 years and over). All prices are per person, land only unless otherwise indicated.
Above lowest price is based on 2023-06-20 departure

$7427

Single i A person, who must be 18 years and over, travelling alone, must pay the single room price. All prices are per person, land only unless otherwise indicated.
Above lowest price is based on 2023-06-20 departure
Prices above are per person in USD
Child prices are available on request

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Trip Details

trip-details-whats-includedWhat's included

  • • 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park & Kakadu National Park
  • • Centrally located premium hotels
  • • Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park & Kakadu National Park entrance fees

trip-details-diningDining

  • • 14 Full Breakfasts
  • • 8 Dinners with Wine
  • • 1 Farewell Dinner
  • • 1 Be My Guest Dinner

trip-details-flight-infoFlight Information

  • • Day 1: Flights to arrive by 12:30pm into Adelaide Airport
  • • Day 15: Flights to depart any time from Darwin Airport
  • • Airline schedules may change at short notice. Please consider possible flight disruption when booking your flights.

trip-details-what-to-bringWhat to Bring

  • • Water bottle
  • • Warm layers in cooler months
  • • Camera
  • • Comfortable walking shoes
  • • Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat

trip-details-fitness-level-requirementsFitness Requirements

  • • Kakadu – Nadab Lookout - Medium Level of Fitness Required
    The climb to the top of Nadab Lookout at Ubirr in Kakadu National Park will not be suitable for all guests. To get to the lookout guests are required to scale up uneven rocky paths and steps to get to the lookout. There is an alternate route on a fairly flat gravel path for those unable climb to the top so they will not miss out on Rock Art.
  • • Kings Canyon Rim Walk - High level of fitness required
    This 6km hike will not be suitable for all guests. The first 30-minute incline is considered “Difficult”. The Tour Director will offer guest an easier alternative along the creek walk for those that are unable.

Itinerary

image map

At once sophisticated and cultured, yet cool and casual, Adelaide attracts foodies, historians, art aficionados and sports fanatics in equal measure. Multicultural restaurants abound, as do pretty sandstone churches. Explore them at your leisure, before meeting a local gourmand to tour the city’s legendary Central Market. This place has been selling cheese, green ant gin, flowers and artisan bread for 140-plus years. It’s tempting to overindulge – save space for your Welcome Reception & Dinner.

  Hotel: Crowne Plaza Adelaide

  Included Meals: Dinner with Wine

One of Australia’s oldest wine regions, the Clare Valley is all wide, open skies, rounded hills, rippling grape vines and native forest. It’s a postcard-perfect setting for historic Knappstein Enterprise Winery, producing sweet-scented rieslings and mineral-rich reds. The route north lands you at Hawker – it may be the gateway to the Flinders Ranges, but there are plenty of reasons to linger, including well-preserved heritage buildings and the Jeff Morgan Gallery. Jeff’s enormous panoramas capture the SA outback in a frame; he also collects rocks, model cars and random memorabilia. The best is still to come, as you arrive at Wilpena Pound Resort in the shadows of a staggering natural amphitheatre.

  Hotel: Wilpena Pound Resort

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

The soaring river red gums that envelop the restored Hills Homestead will leave you lost for words; equally mesmerising is the display inside the property, revealing the hardships of early settlers in this part of the state. You get here on a leisurely walk along Wilpena Creek and continue to Wangarra Hill Lookout for seemingly endless views over the pound’s rippling peaks and sweeping curves. The drama is echoed as you climb to Pichi Richi Pass – spare a thought for the workers who built the train line here in the 1870s, through deep rock that provides a snapshot of Flinders Ranges geology. Ease into Port Augusta, where more stories of yesteryear await at Wadlata Outback Centre.

  Hotel: Majestic Oasis Apartments

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

With Port Augusta in the rear-view mirror, your journey continues into space. Well, sort of. The main attraction in Woomera is a former rocket-testing site, today stocked with rockets and missiles tested over the past 60 years. Speaking of space, you may will think you’ve landed on the moon as you travel through sun-baked country to isolated Coober Pedy, known as ‘the opal capital of the world’. Things get deep as you travel underground with a local to see how these gleaming gems are mined, and visit the town’s head-scratching subterranean facilities, from churches to schools and hotels.

  Hotel: Desert Cave Hotel

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

After a hearty breakfast, prepare to stay goodbye to South Australia as you cross the border into the Northern Territory and arrive at Australia’s spiritual heart, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – it has World Heritage status for a reason. Under the gaze of the world’s mightiest monolith, toast the end of the day with a glass of bubbles and a camera full of sunset photos, the countryside transforming from ochre and orange to bruised purples and maroon with every ‘click’ of your camera.

  Hotel: Desert Gardens Hotel, 2 Nights

  Included Meals: Breakfast

Pre-dawn wake-up calls are worth it when you get to see an equally dazzling Red Centre colour transformation at sunrise. Marvel at the majesty of ‘the Rock’ as you circumnavigate its 11-kilometre base or join a guided walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole. This living cultural landscape takes you back to the beginning of time. Small wonder it’s a sacred place for eons of Anangu people. Over the millennia, they left behind rock art and snacked on native plants, with bush plums, tomatoes and figs, all still in abundance. More soul-salving landscapes spread before you at Kata Tjuta, cool relief found as you walk amid its domes to Walpa Gorge. If your SD card isn’t full of sunset photos yet, it will be after tonight’s dazzling display.

  Included Meals: Breakfast

Another Uluru sunrise excursion awaits (should you wish), with this morning’s optional tour taking you to artist Bruce Munro’s Uluru Field of Light – a blanket of 50,000 glowing bulbs. What a way to start the day. There are so many record-breaking rock attractions in this part of the country that you may not have heard of Attila (Mt. Conner) before – but once you’ve glimpsed the table-like formation, you certainly won’t forget it. Stretch your legs again at Kings Creek Station, the largest exporter of wild camels in Australia. All your senses will be activated on the Kings Canyon rim walk, 440-million years in the making and forged through layers of sandstone and hard shale creating soaring domes and plateaus that plummet to an oasis of natural rock pools. It’s hard to gauge the immensity when you’re wandering, until you reach a lookout that is… 

  Hotel: Kings Canyon Resort

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Things are bigger in the NT outback, from the cattle stations the size of a small country to the MacDonnell Ranges, which stretch like a dinosaur spine toward the character-filled town of Alice Springs. Aside from its plethora of Aboriginal galleries and art stores, Alice makes Australian history for her 1872 Telegraph Station, one of 12 along the Overland Telegraph Line that traverses a whopping 3,200 kilometres between Adelaide and Darwin. Glimpse it up close, then from afar as you ascend Anzac Hill for panoramic views that inspired many of those paintings in Alice’s galleries.

  Hotel: Doubletree by Hilton Alice Springs, 2 Nights

  Included Meals: Breakfast

Aboriginal culture is strong in Alice Springs, as you’ll fast find on a tour revealing the history of the Arrernte people. The other thing that’s strong is community spirit – it has to be when there are so few people scattered over such a vast area of land. Enter the Royal Flying Doctor Service, its base a museum of sorts that goes behind the scenes of the life-saving health services it delivers to people living in remote realms. One of the benefits of being this far-flung is the lack of light pollution. And at Earth Sanctuary World Nature Centre, this equates to epic stargazing. Your BBQ dinner here with the Falzon family is enlightening and uplifting – think stories of self-sufficient living, astronomy and even a tune or two on the didgeridoo. 

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Be My Guest Dinner

1.3 million square kilometres – that’s the eye-watering distance the School of Air’s lessons are broadcast across daily. Watch a live session with kids who would otherwise have no access to public education. It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable you are, you might just believe in aliens when you pass Wycliffe Well, the self-proclaimed ‘UFO capital’ of Australia. But it’s the devil that awaits (well, his marbles) at Karlu Karlu, where precariously balanced boulders appear to have been superglued together. The most prized rock found in this part of the world is, however, gold, which is why your base for the night, Tennant Creek, exists.

  Hotel: Bluestone Motor Inn

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Since the 1930s, the time-tested Daly Waters Historic Pub has been dishing up schnitzel's, barramundi burgers and hearty steaks. The walls here are lined with treasures that passers-by leave behind, from bras to boots. What can you contribute over lunch? ‘Land of the Never Never’ awaits at Mataranka. Yes, you can visit a replica of the Elsey Homestead, used in the filming of 1982 Aussie drama We of the Never Never, an autobiographical flick about life in the outback. Or wander palm-lined walkways to take a dip in the region’s steamy thermal springs – the ultimate antidote to weary limbs before arriving in Katherine.             

 

  Hotel: Contour Hotel Katherine

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

The Jawoyn have called Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge home for millennia. You can feel their presence while cruising this mighty waterway that’s home to more than a few resident crocs. This is not the last time these scaly creatures will be in your company – they’ll make another appearance on your Kakadu tour, when you jump in yet another boat for a Yellow Water Billabong cruise. You don’t need binoculars to spot the sea eagles, brolgas and kingfishers that colour this part of the Top End; they’re everywhere you look.             

  Hotel: Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Decisions, decisions: optional morning flight over Kakadu and Arnhem Land, or a sleep in. We vote for the former, to get some perspective before you venture toward Ubirr and its astounding ancient Aboriginal rock art. Scamper to the top of the rocky outcrop for seemingly endless views over floodplains backdropped by sheer escarpments. If it looks familiar, that’s because it played a starring role in 1986 Aussie film, Crocodile Dundee. The night is yours in steamy Darwin, where the characters are as large as the shadows cast at sunset. First stop: the Mindil Beach Sunset Market for dinner with your feet in the sand.

  Hotel: Garden Inn Darwin, 2 Nights

  Included Meals: Breakfast

Nature rules today, your explorations into Litchfield National Park revealing magnetic termite mounds standing up to two metres tall. And then there are the waterfalls: Florence Falls, for its dreamy cascades among monsoon forest; and Wangi Falls, where you can cool off in the crystal-clear waterhole before heading back to Darwin. See the NT capital in a new light when you venture out on a Darwin Harbour Cruise, your sparkling wine glass full to toast your last evening on this epic adventure.  

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

Time to bid adieu and head home to sort through all those photos. Perhaps even better – and longer lasting – are the memories; two weeks of wild outback adventures.

  Included Meals: Breakfast

Please note: This itinerary may be subject to change.


Outback Adventure

First Choice

15 Day Guided Vacation

Adelaide to Darwin

How do you condense South Australia and the Northern Territory into two weeks? With the kind of skill that comes from operating in Australia for more than a century. This epic exploration traverses record-breaking canyons and gorges, national parks and World Heritage Sites. It’s nature writ large – small wonder TV and movie directors find inspiration here, as you will, too. And then there are the cities, from multicultural Adelaide and the wine country it covets, to steamy Darwin, where sunsets are as brash as the characters that call it home.  

 

Highlights

Insider Knowledge

At Earth Sanctuary, the Falzon family inspire sustainable travel through off-the-grid operations. Learn how you can follow suit over a Be My Guest dinner.

Local Connection

Gain new appreciation for the vastness of the Australian outback with those-in-the-know at the Royal Flying Doctor Service and School of the Air.

Cultural Immersion

From Uluru to Kakadu, nothing puts life in perspective quite like glimpsing 40,000-year-old rock art with an Aboriginal guide.

Sustainable Footprints

Sleep soundly at Wilpena Pound Resort knowing your stay contributes directly to the local Adnyamathanha people and regional conservation projects.

Wildlife and Nature

Ancient red rock cliffs encircle desert palms at Kings Canyon, the spectacular heart of Australia and a place that will make your pulse race.

Accommodation

Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort.
The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes:

 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Enjoy a culturally-rich and inspiring escape at Crowne Plaza Adelaide with stunning views from the city’s tallest building in design-led rooms. Stay in the East End— Adelaide’s sweet spot— close to Lot Fourteen and Adelaide Botanic Garden with easy access to the casino, Adelaide Convention Centre and Adelaide Oval.

    Features

  • Complimentary WiFi
  • Porter / Bellman
  • Same-Day Dry Cleaning
  • Heated Outdoor Infinity Pool
  • State-of-the-art Fitness Centre
  • Level 10 Bar
  • Restaurant and In Room Dining
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Wilpena Pound Resort is spectacularly located within the Flinders Ranges National Park, South Australia. Enjoy a haven of outback hospitality, stop and stay awhile as you soak up the incredible beauty of one of the earth’s oldest landscapes.

    Features

  • Ensuite
  • Shower and toilet facilities
  • Tea & Coffee Facilities
  • Refrigerator
  • TV
  • Iron / Ironing Board
  • Hairdryer
  • Air-conditioning
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Majestic Oasis Apartments is perfectly positioned overlooking the waters of the Upper Spencer Gulf in sunny Port Augusta, only 3 hours drive North of Adelaide in South Australia. The property comprises 75 self-contained serviced apartments.

    Features

  • Air-conditioning
  • LCD TV
  • Austar
  • Wi-Fi
  • Guest Laundry
  • Iron / Ironing Board
  • In-room safe
  • Electric blankets
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Built into a hillside, the Desert Cave Hotel is perfectly located right in the centre of town close to shops and restaurants. Experience subterranean life as you explore the hotels underground shops, bar and opal display. Some rooms are also situated underground however staying in this room type is not guaranteed.

    Features

  • Colour TV
  • In-house movies
  • Wi-Fi
  • Wireless Internet access
  • IDD Phones
  • Hairdryer
  • Iron
  • Mini-bar (surcharge)
  • Refrigerator
  • Tea & Coffee Facilities
  • Room service
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Voyages Desert Gardens Hotel is centrally located to all resort and touring facilities and offers a range of accommodation, from shaded poolside rooms to deluxe rooms overlooking the desert.

    Features

  • Air Conditioning
  • Radio
  • Iron / Ironing Board
  • Private veranda or courtyard
  • Heater
  • ISD/STD phone
  • Mini Bar
  • In-room safe
  • In-house movies
  • Coffee/tea making facilities
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Retreat to the luxury of Kings Canyon Resort after an active day of hiking through the rugged terrain of Watarrka National Park. The sensitively designed property is located in Watarrka National Park, just nine kilometres from Kings Canyon. Naturally, the Kings Canyon Resort has been built to blend in harmoniously with the surround.

    Features

  • Ensuite
  • Shower
  • Air-conditioning
  • Wi-Fi
  • Direct Dial Telephone
  • Insect screens
  • Hairdryer
  • Tea & Coffee Facilities
  • Blankets
  • Refrigerator
  • Iron / Ironing Board
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Experience eco-friendly luxury and enjoy stunning views of the majestic MacDonnell Mountain Ranges when you stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Alice Springs. Conveniently located just off of Stuart Highway, the hotel is only 15 minutes’ drive from Alice Springs Airport and within walking distance of downtown. Enjoy easy access to many businesses, government offices and attractions such as Simpsons Gap, Desert Park and Anzac Hill. Ideal for both corporate and leisure guests, this Alice Springs hotel offers fantastic business and recreational facilities and friendly service from our dedicated staff.

 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

The Bluestone Motor Inn is the perfect base from which to explore the diverse nature and culture of the Australian outback. Bluestone is the perfect place to stay at the halfway mark along the track from Alice Springs to Darwin and back, or coming west from Mt. Isa.

    Features

  • Air-conditioning
  • Ensuite
  • Colour TV
  • Internet Access
  • Iron
  • Tea & Coffee Facilities
  • Swimming Pool
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Contour Hotel Katherine is situated near Katharine town centre, and offers affordable, comfortable accommodation for intrepid travellers.

    Features

  • Air Conditioning
  • Satellite/cable colour TV
  • Swimming Pool
  • Barbecue facilities
  • Wi-Fi (additional cost)
  • Gym facilities
  • Coffee/tea making facilities
  • Iron / Ironing Board
  • Hair Dryer
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

The indigenous owned luxury accommodation is uniquely shaped to represent Kakadu's most famous inhabitant, the saltwater crocodile. Relax in the recently refurbished rooms, unwind in your private courtyard, by the shaded outdoor pool or take in the landscaped interior garden view from the balcony.

    Features

  • Bathtub and shower
  • Satellite/cable colour TV
  • Broadband Internet access
  • Hair Dryer
  • Air Conditioning
  • Iron / Ironing Board
  • Refrigerator
  • Ensuite
 Accommodation Hotel
 Accommodation Hotel

Overlooking the Darwin Esplanade and Darwin Harbour, Garden Inn Darwin is 2 km from Mindil Beach, 3 km from Darwin Convention Centre and 12 km from Darwin International Airport.

Features

  • Air Conditioning
  • Hair Dryer
  • Coffee/tea making facilities
  • Radio
  • Iron / Ironing Board
  • Internet Access
  • Phone
  • Mini Bar

Need accommodation before or after your tour?

Our special discounted rates make booking accommodation with us during your holiday both easy and affordable at selected AAT Kings hotels and resorts. Ask our friendly reservations at the time of booking.

Optional Experiences

To ensure your holiday is filled with memorable experiences, we have included a range of quality Optional Excursions for you to choose from and partake in, if you wish, during your holiday. The excursions can be booked on tour through your Travel Director.

Field of Light Sunrise

Adult Price: AUD 89.00
Child Price: AUD 59.00

With just enough time for some background commentary on the internationally renowned artist Bruce Munro, you will arrive very excited to see his latest artistic endeavour. Arriving in complete darkness, you will be able to enjoy the 50,000 spheres of light in the desert, before making your way up the hill to the Field of Light sunrise viewing viewing area.

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Kakadu Air Scenic Flight

Adult Price: AUD 150.00  (30 Minute)
Child Price: AUD 120.00 (30 Minute)

One of the best ways to experience Kakadu is by a scenic fixed wing flight which allows you to see the amazing escarpments, waterways and wetlands. You will be amazed by the vastness and varied landscape that can be best experienced from the air. Prices from:

Outback Hot Air Ballooning

Adult Price: From AUD 335.00
Child Price: From AUD 274.00

Your adventure begins with the balloons being inflated just as the sun lights up the rugged MacDonnell Ranges. Whilst floating gently in the air you will appreciate the vast remoteness, scenery and wildlife of the Australian outback. The tour includes your return transfers and a light breakfast. Please note this excursion is not recommended for the elderly or a less agile person. If you are unsure, please discuss your situation directly with Outback Ballooning. A compulsary aviation insurance charge of $30.00 per person is payable direct to Outback Ballooning. Prices from:

*Please Note:
- This excursion is not recommended for the elderly or a less agile person. If you are unsure, please discuss your situation directly with Outback Ballooning.
- An aviation insurance levy of $30.00 per person is payable direct to Outback Ballooning.
- Flights do not operate when weather does not permit safe flying.

Uluru Barbecue Dinner

Adult Price: AUD 150.00
Child Price: AUD 85.00

Enjoy a unique and exclusive dining experience with Uluru as your stunning backdrop. There’s sparkling wine on arrival followed by a classic barbecue of steak, lamb sausages, skewered chicken and garlic prawns. There is also a selection of fresh salads and a tasty dessert. There’s even time for stargazing.

Adult: $265.00

Child: 265.00

A 20 minute, fixed wing scenic flight is a great way to take in the amazing landscape of Uluru. This small plane operator offer extended flights that include both Uluru and Kata Tjuta.   Prices from:

Adult - AUD 158.00

Child - AUD 98.00

Explore more than 800 million years of geological history in the “Corridor Through Time”. Marvel at the rugged beauty of Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorges. Search for Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies and enjoy sweeping views of Bunyeroo Valley and the eastern wall of Wilpena Pound.

Adult: $196.00 AUD
Child: $150.00 AUD

This flight provides a jaw dropping view of your surrounds where you will see the majestic Wilpena Pound from the air with the resort nestled in among the River Red Gums just near the Pound Gap. You will also see the Elder Range, Edeowie Gorge, Lake Torrens, the Heysen Range and St. Mary Peak.

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