Luxury Top End Explorer

Darwin & Kakadu

Day 1: Fly into Darwin, transfer to accommodation for your two night stay.

Day 2: Enjoy a day at leisure in Darwin, a modern gateway to Australia's 'Top End'. The city boasts a relaxed, tropical lifestyle. Soak up the local culture at one of the markets such as Mindil Beach Markets held every Thursday and Sunday night from March until October. 

Day 3: Today you will embark on your 5 night/6 day Ultimate Kakadu Experience with Lords Kakadu & Arnhemland Safaris. You will be met at your Darwin accommodation and taken to the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park.

The first stop is Fogg Dam Reserve. Fogg Dam has a year-round water coverage, making it an important feeding and roosting site for a wide variety of water birds, as well as other animals. A short detour off the highway is the beautiful Leaning Tree Lagoon. This billabong is often covered in water lilies, making it a popular quick stop for photographers.

The last stop for today is a pristine waterfall, in Maguk (Barramundi) Gorge. A half mile walk through sub-monsoon rain forest leads to the base of a beautiful plunge pool, the ideal place to enjoy a refreshing swim in paradise. Overnight is at an exclusive permanent bush camp.

Arnhem Land

Day 4: Today you have the privilege to enter Arnhemland – Aboriginal lands where access is restricted to only a select group of operators, and only at the invitation of the traditional owners. Visitors to Arnhem Land are able to experience a fascinating mixture of historical and living cultures. Your accommodation will be at the Davidson’s safari lodge at Mt Borradaile, a fully licensed camp in a natural bush setting.

Day 5: Today is spent exploring and enjoying the incredible unique environment around Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris. This location at Mt Borradaile is a registered aboriginal sacred site in an exclusively-leased area nestled against the Arnhem Land escarpment. Its rugged ranges, fringed by idyllic billabongs, floodplains, paper bark swamps and monsoonal rain forests, form an amazingly beautiful wilderness. While at Davidson’s, enjoy a range of activities and attractions, such as fishing, viewing Aboriginal art, and a billabong cruise.

Mary River Floodplains

Day 6: Depart Davidson’s and head back through Kakadu National Park to Bamurru Plains, an exclusive lodge and wildlife experience on the magnificent Mary River floodplains. This safari-style camp is surrounded by savannah woodland teeming with an amazing assortment of wildlife, reptiles and birds. The accommodation is comfortable freestanding bungalows that are spacious and screened to let in the sounds of the floodplains. The focus of your stay at Bamurru is the environment around you and the wildlife and bird life for which it is home.

Day 7: A morning airboat adventure on the floodplains is an exhilarating and perfect start to the day, and the only way to truly experience the amazing environment around Bamurru Plains. While at the camp, enjoy a variety of activities. Dominated by the climatic extremes of the tropical monsoon, the wetlands and savannah woodlands that fringe the coastal regions between Darwin and Kakadu National Park harbor an extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna. This place is home to thousands of Magpie geese, Plumed whistling ducks, egrets, ibis and a host of other birds, not to mention wild buffalo and wallabies.

Day 8: Continue to enjoy the sights and experiences of Bamurru Plains this morning, and after lunch return to Darwin for an overnight stay.

Cairns, Daintree & Great Barrier Reef

Day 9: Fly to Cairns and transfer Thala Beach Nature Reserve for the next three nights.

Day 10: Today enjoy a full day excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. Immersed in the northern frontier of the Great Barrier Reef, this is the perfect sail and snorkel adventure for a conservation minded visitor. Ideally suited to those who can swim and have a spirit of fun and adventure. The Coral Cays are pure white sand surrounded by a large fringing reef system and crystal clear water. The vessel moors on the sheltered side of the reef for protection and easy snorkeling. The reef is vast with unlimited options for exploring the shallow coral gardens. The reef is alive with a large variety of reef fish and Green Turtles are abundant and sighted often. Snorkeling is conducted off the back of the vessel and you find yourself right on top of the coral gardens - to participate you must have sound swimming ability. The snorkeling area is shallow so you can see the corals and fish easily, but you are unable to stand so you must be able to swim.

Day 11: This afternoon, experience the Daintree Twilight tour. Experience the magical views of the Great Barrier Reef Drive and observe the changes in habitat diversity as the tour ventures into the Daintree Tropical Rainforest. Cruise the Daintree River spotting wildlife on a quiet, clean solar electric boat with zero environmental impact. Dining in the evening Rainforest is an experience not to miss! Then enjoy a nocturnal wildlife tour - much of the local wildlife has adopted a nocturnal lifestyle to avoid the heat of the day in the tropical climate. Perhaps the most unique part of this experience is to observe nocturnal wildlife in the Wet Tropics. Return to Cairns later evening.

Day 12: Transfer to the airport for you flight to Sydney, your base for the next three nights.

Sydney & Southern Highlands

Day 13: You don't have to go far from Sydney to experience Australia's fabulous wildlife - you just have to know where to look. This is the ideal afternoon/evening tour in which to encounter iconic Australian wildlife. Travel with a small group (maximum of 14) in a luxury 4WD vehicle to the South Coast and Southern Highland areas in search of kangaroos, wallabies, platypuses, possums, wombats and koalas in their natural settings. Great bird-life viewing is possible, including parrots, lyrebirds, bowerbirds and kookaburras. There is stunning scenery and short bush walks.

Day 14: At your leisure to explore the city of Sydney. It’s been said that Sydney never sleeps. In daylight hours the city buzzes with life and remains active long after workers have left their offices. All-night pubs, cutting-edge dance clubs, and gay reviews could keep you out until dawn. Fancy a late-night meal or a final coffee - that’s not a problem. Be seen on trendy Oxford Street from Darlinghurst to Paddington or try the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, Surry Hills, the quay or the Rocks.

Day 15: Today you will transfer to Sydney airport for your departing flight. 

Terms & Conditions

_{*Prices are quoted in USD and are ‘from’, per person, based on double occupancy. Price excludes all airfares. Add domestic flights DRW-CNS-SYD from US$465pp. Travel may be limited to certain days of the week. Hotels and tours remain subject to availability and only available on certain days of the week. Please note blackout dates may apply to Christmas, New Year and local special event periods. CST #2012413-20 See our full Terms and Conditions.}

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