Ultimate Australia Safari

Limited to 12 Travelers
A very important feature of our Ultimate Australia Safari is the limited group size, as nature travel and wildlife encounters are most meaningful when experienced in a quieter, low-impact context—and our environmental footprint is lighter as a result.

• 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, private boat cruise on the Daintree River, private boat excursion to Maria Island, wildlife and cultural presentations and excursions, private sanctuary tours, private kayaking excursion and kayaking gear, some 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: Flights from Cairns to Brisbane, roundtrip charter flights to/from Lady Elliot Island, flight from Brisbane to Hobart, private charter flight from Tasmania to the Outback, private charter flight from the Outback to Kangaroo Island, and flight from Kangaroo Island to Adelaide, plus any additional taxes and fees on these flights (these 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, 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.

Moderate
Our Ultimate Australia Safari is truly that: an epic journey that covers a lot of ground in a vast country, often in remote terrain, over three weeks. While it does not require a particularly high degree of physical fitness, the scope and pace are ambitious. Several long travel days are required to get to all of the amazing places we cover in this 21-day itinerary, and our days in general are long, continuing after dusk for the best wildlife viewing. In general, while individual activities may not require a lot of exertion, the itinerary can be tiring and requires stamina. Guests should also be prepared for a wide swing in temperatures, from the low 90s F in the Outback and Daintree Rainforest to much cooler temperatures in Tasmania, sometimes dropping to the 40s F at night. 

Activities are generally at an easy to moderate level. Walks can range from one to four miles in fluctuating weather and varied environments. Although these walks are not always difficult in terms of physical exertion, they sometimes include fairly steep, uneven or slippery terrain. A variety of early morning and night walks, often in dim light, are offered throughout the itinerary. In order to fully enjoy the entire trip experience, travelers should be able to walk unassisted for at least two miles over sometimes-rough terrain and inclines. A few of the walks and hikes include long sets of stairs, sometimes without a handrail. Days often start early and/or finish late and are packed with activities. 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. On our kayaking activity in Tasmania, guests must be able to get into and out of a kayak without any type of boat ramp, and without the kayaks being perfectly still. Paddling participants must also be under 242 pounds, which is the weight restriction of the kayaks.

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 to move at the pace and travel the distance that suits your personal 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.

Our journey is designed to explore elements of wild Australia that are remote, least populated and replete with wildlife and rugged beauty. These are destinations that are difficult to see and interpret on your own, where the expertise of our Expedition Leaders and local guides adds exceptional value to your experience.

A Note About Travel Within Australia
Australia is a huge country, so we have organized our itinerary in the most efficient and streamlined way possible to minimize time spent traveling and maximize time in nature. However, the scope of this itinerary does involve point-to-point travel. Wherever we take commercial flights, they are the best way to get us from one destination to the next. Any time we charter our own private flights, we utilize them because they markedly improve our itinerary. By chartering planes, we can get to remote locations without long layovers or connections, and without spending hours driving to major airports to get a flight. The end result is that you get a lot more time with wildlife in the peace of nature. You've come this far to experience the wild wonders of Australia...and we want to make sure you spend as much of your precious time doing that as possible!

That said, because towns and populated areas are often far from the remote destinations we visit, and the nature highlights are often at substantial distances from one another due to the vastness of the country, drive times between activities can be long. We have done our best to minimize long drives, but we want to make sure you get the fullest experience, too. For example, Kangaroo Island is 90 miles long and 35 miles across, with fantastic wildlife viewing and landscapes on the east and south. Many roads are narrow or unpaved, and wildlife is often found near the road, which means we must drive slower than you'd typically expect. Roads in Tasmania are winding and narrow as well. 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, an 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 might anticipate.

However: there are important 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.

And a Note About Weather & Climate
We'll be covering an enormous swath of the country, moving between wildly varied terrain and climates. Expect huge temperature swings as we move from tropical north to temperate south. We can anticipate very hot temperatures in the Outback, which may reach the low 90s F, and the same may be true for the Daintree Rainforest. Yet by the time we travel south to Tasmania, temperatures may drop into the 40s F. There will be opportunities to do laundry throughout the trip, so you need not worry about packing too much to cover the wide range of conditions we may get. 

Mandatory Insurance

This trip begins in Cairns, Queensland and ends in Adelaide, South Australia. You must arrive in Cairns by 4 pm on Day 1 to join your group for your welcome dinner. We recommend that you arrive at least one day prior to Day 1 of your trip to adjust to the time difference. You may depart Adelaide after 2 pm on your 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.