I’m looking at travelling to Australia for the first time. Can anyone recommend a tour company? I know at least 2 weeks for the eastern points of interest and more if NZ is involved too. I’m a 71 year old Canadian who walks not hikes! Thank-you.
Posted by
TN, USA
2252 posts
Tauck tours offers some options for the countries separately and combined.
https://www.tauck.com/destinations/australia-new-zealand-tours/australia-tours
Another option is to take a small ship cruise. Silversea or Seabourn come to mind.
National Geographic also offers an interesting comprehensive tour thru G Adventures. While we have personal experience with National Geographic thru its partnership with Lindblad (expedition ship travel....which were incredible and we would highly recommend), we have not gone any of their tours thru "G Adventures." Perhaps another RS Forum member has and can weigh in on their experiences with that provider.
We do have personal (would highly recommend) experience with Tauck, Silversea, and Seabourn.
While you are close, I would recommend also visiting Tasmania (we loved it).
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11067 posts
In April I took a small group tour (16 max) with https://viatravel.com.au/. Because it was the end of the tour season there were only 4 of us at the beginning. The last 4 days or so it was just me, my friend and the guide. When are you planning to go? My friend and I are not too much younger than you and we didn’t have any problems physically. We did go snorkeling twice at the Great Barrier Reef, but it was something you could opt out on if you didn’t want to do it. We snorkeled. Our tour began in Brisbane and went as far north as the Daintree Rain Forest. The company offers many tours in different areas. I quite liked the look of the one in Tasmania, but it was not to be. We did go there on our own, as well as going to Melbourne and Sydney.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
I’m thinking of going late Sept-Oct as I read the GBR isn’t murky then also not as hot. I have been researching Tauck and National Geographic but they are such different levels and I was looking for unbiased opinions as this is a once in a lifetime large investment. I will check Viatour. I hadn’t heard of them. Thank-you ! Anybody else have thoughts on Tasmania?
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11067 posts
September/October would be a good time. For one thing if you do want to snorkel you should be outside of stinger season. As for Tasmania, I loved it and am considering going back in October/November of next year either before or after New Zealand.
Posted by
Minnesota
647 posts
OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel), Gate 1 and Odysseys Unlimited offer tours in both Australia and New Zealand. I believe that OAT has an extension to Tasmania. All three companies have been recommended on this forum for a variety of destinations.
A Rick Steves guide who lives in New Zealand has his own company that offers tours in both countries: Mondumo Tours https://mondumo.com/
I took a New Zealand tour with him and it was excellent.
Posted by
TN, USA
2252 posts
My husband snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef (on our second visit to Australia)....I stayed on the snorkel boat, as the water was a bit rough and it was a windy day. This particular visit was part of a much longer around-the-world tour with only "that" particular day for the Reef visit. Compared to snorkeling in the Virgin Islands and the BVI, based on the photos he took at the Reef with his underwater camera, and his telling me....as well as my seeing it later in one of those submersible thingies (can't remember what they are called, but a group goes underwater in them...sort of like a submarine)...........the water was rather cloudy and there were not nearly as many fish and other sea life....again, compared to our several snorkeling experiences years ago on several different trips to the Caribbean. Other people on our trip (who had snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef in years past...some several times) commented that the water is not as clear lately, compared to years earlier. But, I have no idea if that varies year by year or month by month.....we have no point of comparison for the Reef. We would have been there the early half of October, two years ago, and we had only one day at the Reef.
Our experience in Tasmania was a one-day stop when we took a Seabourn cruise years earlier. It was a January (I am almost sure without pulling old files to be certain). The poppies were in bloom on Tasmania (large hilly fields of them), which was truly beautiful. We also went to an animal sanctuary (would have to go thru photos to recall the name), but it gave us the opportunity to meet kangaroos (walked among them), a koala bear, and also pet (with a handler very carefully holding it) a baby Tasmanian Devil. Watching the adult Tasmanian devils play (it seemed like they were trying to kill each other, but I guess that's part of their "charm" (kidding), was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If I find the name of the animal place, I will come back and post it. There was one other place we visited in Tasmania, but I do not recall what/where, so it obviously did not make a huge impression on me. But, the drive was lovely. But, if you go by ship, likely the itinerary would include a stop at the animal sanctuary Our cruise went no where near the Great Barrier Reef, so we were delighted it was part of the itinerary for our last trip.
I did really love Melbourne...very artsy and interesting. We loved seeing the iconic places in Sidney, and only wish we'd had time to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge, but I remember sipping champagne as our ship entered the harbor there, as everyone celebrated the journey's end :)
Australia is sooo big and so much to see. With our two trips we had a mere sampling. New Zealand is fabulous and we basically went along one side. The people there are so charming and so genuinely caring and nice...everywhere we went in New Zealand. Going into Milford Sound was going to be a highlight for me, but gale force winds meant it was not safe for our small ship to enter the Sound...bummer!! If you get the chance, do go......it looks lovely!!
Posted by
TN, USA
2252 posts
Okay, I Googled and I am "pretty sure" this is where we met the kangaroos and the baby tasmanian devil.
But, there are evidently several places you can see wildlife (note the clear dome thing in the photo of the first place)....I just showed it to my husband and his response was: "cool!!!!"
Posted by
Chicago
1731 posts
There are many companies that do day tours to the GBR for snorkeling (and often SCUBA). Check departures from Port Douglas and Cairns. Different companies have staked out different "spots" where they bring their guests. Different sizes of boats and thus different numbers of participants. Some boats are huge with large numbers of visitors - including those who have been booked on by their multi-day tour companies. Different companies, especially those catering to larger numbers, may offer underwater porthole viewing, glass bottom boats, SCUBA instruction, etc.
I had two different GBR tours a few years back, one from Port Douglas, one from Cairns. Sadly, the GBR does not come close to the Caribbean where I first learned to love snorkeling in the last century. There has been a lot of bleaching.
My first trip out of Port Douglas was quite disappointing. The boat made 4 different stops, but none were particularly interesting. Bleached reef and murky due to storm remnants at one location. Out of Cairns, I went with a small boat that had a much better location. Enjoyed swimming along with multiple tropical fish and following a sea turtle as he ate his way through the seagrass.
Australia is quite easy to DIY.
Posted by
TX, USA
5481 posts
Agh. Y’all are making me want to go back to Tasmania. Not that it would take much.
Posted by
the great P-NW
423 posts
Several years ago we went to Australia with Trafalgar Tours, and they did a great job. Guide was top notch, hotels were really excellent. We traveled with my 95 year old mother in law so baggage handling and less strenuous activities were important. We visited Sydney, Melbourne, and the Great Barrier Reef (scuba was available for those who wanted.) The little penguins (previously known as fairy penguins) were a huge hit. Also the rain forest up by the GBR was amazing, with indigenous presentations and guides.
If I ever fly that far again, I will do whatever I have to do, to fly business class. Quantas could only do so much to mitigate the hours, even if we did pay for aisle seats.
Have a wonderful adventure!
Posted by
Kamarooka
531 posts
Out of curiosity I have previously checked Tauck tours. A 10 day (really 8) tour inc Uluru and Cairns worked out at 30,000 Aussie $ per couple. A 20 day (really 18) that adds NZ worked out at over 50 grand in Aussie $. We have a phrase here in Australia, " they saw you coming".
Mondumo has a 14 day (really 12) that worked out at about 24,000 Aussie $ for a couple.
I guess if money is no object then why not although none of their itineraries impress me greatly.
Cheapaz offer quite affordable tours for those that have a budget. They do have a tour starting in Cairns and also some Tassie tours.
Intrepid Travel are probably somewhere in between budget and expensive.
Tasmania.
I love it. I can't think of a place in Tassie I have visited that I didn't love. It is easy and cheap to get to. Small, it is just 1.5 x the size of Switzerland. A pleasant cool climate.
New Zealand.
So many people tack it onto an Aussie trip then are disappointed they didn't give it more time.
I did a 3 week roadtrip of the South Island last year and a 3 week roadtrip of the North island this year. I could do 3 weeks on both islands again and still not see all I want to see.
Don't underestimate the size of Australia. Cairns is 3000 or so kms from my place. I live closer to Antarctica than I do to Darwin. Also the huge climatic variations, tropics, rainforests, deserts, snowfields.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11067 posts
Just to comment on snorkeling the GBR. Both times were on our Via Travel tour (our guide also does OAT tours) and our first location was from the Whitsundays, the town was called Airlie Beach. This is the southern end of the GBR. It was stunning. The water was a blue like I’ve never seen before, and I’ve been to the Caribbean. It was clear and easy to see a variety of fish, coral, etc. The second day of snorkeling was from Cairns. The water was rougher and cloudy. I enjoyed the experience from Airlie Beach much more.