The Great Barrier Reef, Australian Uluru & Vibrant Sydney – 13 Days

Upon arrival at Cairns airport our representative will meet you and assist you with your transfer to the hotel. Enjoy dinner at an Indian restaurant.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Today get set to enjoy the Reef, which is registered as “Eighth Wonder of the World” and is on the Heritage listing of our planet’s unique and precious places. Board the 30-meter-long luxurious Catamaran, The Big Cat, for an exciting day at the reef. Enjoy snorkelling, swimming, viewing fish feeding, and a ride in the semi-submersible. See the beautiful corals with their amazing range of brilliant colours. Enjoy a delicious lunch, morning tea, and afternoon tea. The rest of the day is at leisure, and in the evening, enjoy dinner at an Indian restaurant.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Transfer to Tjapukai and you will enter the mystical and magical world. Enjoy 5 theatres, including The Creation, The Dance, and The History theatres. Visit the Art gallery and a traditional Aboriginal Camp.

Board the Skyrail Cableway, enjoy the 7.5 km rainforest canopy and arrive Kuranda, voted as Australia’s best attraction. Free time at Kuranda. Board the scenic Rail at the Kuranda Train Station (located next to Skyrail) This memorable train ride will take you through Barron Gorge with its many waterfalls and will give you the taste of the world’s oldest and most beautiful Rainforest. The rest of the evening is at leisure, and enjoy dinner at an Indian restaurant.

Overnight

Breakfast. Pick up for your transfer to the airport for your flight to Alice Springs. Arrive into Alice Springs and transfer to your hotel. Freshen up and discover the real outback full of colourful landscapes, mountain ranges, desert plains and native wildlife. This afternoon join ‘A Town like Alice’ tour including the historic Telegraph Station, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the School of the Air and the Alice Springs Reptile Centre to see unique Central Australian reptiles. Finally, enjoy a panoramic view of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill.

Overnight.

After breakfast, drive through the West MacDonnell National Park, a spectacular stretch of natural formations including chasms and gorges, waterholes, and ochre pits. Explore Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek, Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen Gorge. Enjoy a ploughman’s lunch with beer and wine at Glen Helen Homestead Lodge. En-route we shall stop at Simpsons Gap which is rich ochre coloured rock walls rising from the sandy creek bed. Look for the black footed rock wallabies along the rocky base. Return back to your hotel and rest of the evening is at leisure.

Overnight.

Depart early morning, passing the West MacDonnell Ranges. Enjoy a light breakfast at Stuarts Well. Experience the vast openness of the outback as you travel past Mt. Ebenezer and Mt. Conner. Arrive at Ayers Rock (Uluru), the spiritual heart of Australia.

Travel into Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and learn about Aboriginal ‘Tjukurpa’, the foundation of Anangu life, and see rock art on the Mala Walk. We shall take a guided walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole and see Aboriginal rock art and learn about the law, legends, and bush tucker of the Anangu people.

Visit the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre to learn about Aboriginal culture, and in the evening witness an Ayers Rock (Uluru) sunset while sipping wine or juice and enjoying a delicious dinner.

Overnight.

Nearby is Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), meaning’many heads,’ a series of enormous rock domes that date back 500 million years. (Optional) You can start your morning with a drive to the Kata Tjuta dune viewing area for the sunrise. Enjoy magnificent panoramic views of the domes and absorb the ever-changing colours of the landscape. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

Then, view Kata Tjuta up-close by foot. Hike the Valley of the Winds (2–3 hour walk) and discover this sacred Anangu men’s natural wonder. Marvel at the unique flora and admire the view of the central valley of the domes of Kata Tjuta. This walk can be a little challenging, but well worth the effort. (Shorter walks, such as Walpa Gorge, are also available for those who are after a more leisurely stroll.).

(Optional) This evening, proceed to ‘A Night at Field of Light.’ Your experience begins with canapés and chilled sparkling wine served on a viewing platform overlooking the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. As the sun sets and darkness falls, join your table of fellow travelers for an unforgettable dining experience under the outback sky. During your bush tucker-inspired buffet dinner, a resident stargazer will decode the southern night sky. After dessert, 50,000 slender stems crowned with frosted-glass spheres bloom as you take a self-guided walk through the Field of Light art installation. Transfer back to your hotel.

Overnight

Depart early in the morning for Kings Creek Station – a working cattle and camel station in Central Australia. Afterwards, make your way to Kings Canyon for breath-taking views over the desert landscape. Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park offers hiking suitable for all ages and fitness levels. The 6km Kings Canyon Rim Walk features 100m high sandstone walls, palm-filled crevices and views that stretch across the desert. Alternatively, the Creek Bed Walk is a gentle 2.6km walk that follows a trail between the two soaring canyon walls. Head back to Ayers Rock (Uluru).

Overnight.

This morning see the desert scenery atop a camel for a unique perspective. Climb aboard for a quiet, leisurely ride and view the surrounding area from six feet high. Explore the large red sand dunes in the cool, clear morning and watch the sun rise over Uluru. Your guides will point out the desert flora and fauna along the trail followed by a breakfast of billy tea and freshly baked beer bread.

Check out of your accommodation and catch the complimentary shuttle to Ayers Rock Airport with fond memories. On your arrival at Sydney you will be transferred to the hotel of your choice. Rest of the evening is at leisure.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Depart on this full day tour, passing by the site of the 2000 Olympic Games, and drive to Katoomba, the quaint capital of the Blue Mountains National Park. Enjoy views over stunning eucalypt forests and age-old rock formations en route. On arrival at Scenic World, enjoy the optional Blue Mountain rides – Scenic Railway and Cableway (these rides are included in the Cable Car option). Experience the Skyway, a journey 370 meters above the valley (own expense). Drive back to Sydney.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Enjoy a full day Port Stephen’s Dolphin Watcher Cruise & Nelson Bay 4WD Tour. Stop at the Reptile Park. After a buffet lunch on board, watch the dolphins or even swim with them as they play around your boat. Return to your hotel.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Enjoy a morning City Sight Tour which includes the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, and other highlights. Get down at the Clock Tower, stop at Rocks and walk across to Sydney Opera House Lower Concourse for a one hour guided inside tour. Drop off at Darling Harbor. Stop at Bondi Beach.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Check out and transfer to the airport with fond memories of Australia.

End of tour.