Australia North: Kakadu, Daintree & the Great Barrier Reef

Limited to 12 Travelers
A very important feature of our northern Australia expedition is the limited group size, as nature travel is most meaningful when experienced in the company of fewer travelers, and our environmental footprint is lighter.

• Trip price includes: Accommodations, services of Nat Hab's professional Expedition Leader, local guides and lodge staff, all meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on final day, some alcoholic beverages, most gratuities, airport transfers for those arriving by air on Day 1 and final day, all activities and entrance fees, all taxes, permits and service fees.
  
• Internal air fee includes: All flights on the itinerary in between regions, including roundtrip charter flights from Redcliffe to Lady Elliot Island, flight from Brisbane to Cairns, flight from Cairns to Darwin, and roundtrip charter flights from Darwin to Bamurru Plains Tented Camp, plus airline baggage fees and any additional taxes and fees on these flights (this will be listed separately on our invoicing).

Travel to and from the start and end point of your trip, some (most) alcoholic beverages, gratuities for Expedition Leaders, passport and visa fees (if any), optional activities (including diving), items of a personal nature (phone calls, laundry and internet, etc.), international airline baggage fees, airport and departure taxes (if any), required medical evacuation insurance, optional travel protection insurance.

Easy to Moderate
This adventure does not require a particularly high degree of physical fitness, however, walks can range from 1 to 4 miles in fluctuating climates and environments. Although these walks are easy to moderate in terms of physical exertion, they can include terrain that is sometimes steep, uneven or slippery. There may be multiple early morning and/or night walks of approximately 1 to 2 miles, often in dim light. Travelers should be able to walk unassisted for 2 miles over sometimes rough terrain and inclines. During our time on the Great Barrier Reef, our primary activity is snorkeling, with the option to scuba dive at an additional cost. For snorkeling, a reasonable level of fitness and comfort in the water is required.

With local guides supporting us at various points along our itinerary, we are able at times to divide our groups according to varying physical abilities, facilitating the opportunity for our guests to move at the pace and travel the distance that suits their preference. Note that all activities are optional, and travelers should only participate in activities in which they feel comfortable. While travelers are not required to participate in all activities, should you opt out of a scheduled activity, we cannot always guarantee alternatives will be available. Travelers who would like to take longer or more strenuous hikes may have limited opportunities to do so at their leisure. Internal flights include large commercial planes and smaller aircraft. On the smaller aircraft, cabins are small and not pressurized, so travelers must be in suitable health for these conditions.

On custom or private departures with smaller groups, our ability to accommodate varying levels of physical abilities or interests is limited, since these trips are staffed with a single Expedition Leader who may be assisted, pending availability, by local guides.

Our journey explores parts of Australia’s Queensland and Northern Territory that are least populated, most wild, and densest in wildlife and rugged beauty. These are the places that are most difficult to get to and experience fully on your own, where the expertise and guidance of our knowledgeable Expedition Leaders will be most appreciated. Steering away from crowds, we explore during quiet hours that allow for secluded and intimate encounters with nature.

A Note About Distance & Drives
In addition, because towns and populated areas are often far away from the remote destinations we visit, and the nature highlights on our itinerary are often at substantial distances from one another due to the vastness of the country, drive times between activities can be long. Many roads are narrow, winding and/or unpaved, and wildlife is often found near the road, which means we must drive slower than you'd typically expect. Please expect some long, taxing drives, and understand that they are a part of nature travel in Australia—while knowing that we have arranged activities and flights to minimize these challenges wherever possible.

A Note About Our Accommodations
It is important to understand that Australia is a huge yet sparsely populated country, a remote and isolated continent filled with wildlife and landscapes that are truly unique. Australia is also an English-speaking country, which, aside from some left-side driving and happy accents, feels pretty familiar to life in North America. Yet while it may seem similar to the U.S. and Canada in many ways, the culture around travel is a bit different. Many Australians travel via camper or caravan (trailer) to remote destinations. Those who do stay at ecolodges don't expect the same level of accoutrements, service or maintenance that most North American travelers are accustomed to, even when such lodges are designated as 4- or 5-star accommodations. And since the Covid-19 pandemic, staff turnover at many lodges has been very high, making regular upkeep more difficult. So, please be prepared that while you can certainly expect our accommodations to be clean and comfortable, the standards overall may be a bit lower than what you are accustomed to.

However: there are good reasons we stay where we do! We choose our hotels and ecolodges based on their proximity to nature and wildlife, and the experiences we are able to have from these more remotely located bases far exceed what we could expect if our primary intent was finding the most luxurious accommodation. On this trip, the luxury is in the experience, including access to nature and wildlife, which is why we will choose an ecolodge that's just minutes away from a wild reserve, for example, rather than a luxury hotel that requires a 2-hour drive. 
 
In sum: Many people visit Australia, but only an intrepid few Nat Hab travelers will experience Australia in such a rare and exclusive way!

Mandatory Insurance

Your adventure will begin in Brisbane, Queensland and ends in Darwin, Northern Territory. We recommend that you arrive in Brisbane by 4 pm on Day 1 in order to join the group for our welcome dinner and orientation. You may depart Darwin any time after 2 pm on the final day.

We can best serve you if our Natural Habitat Adventures Travel Desk makes your reservations, as our staff is intimately familiar with the special requirements of this program and can arrange the most efficient travel. Please call us at 800-543-8917. Note that while we offer you the best possible rates available to us on airfare and additional nights' accommodations, you may find better fares online.