Discover the heart of Polynesia, 3000km north east of Auckland. From the majestic peaks of Rarotonga to the untouched rainforests of Atiu and the breathtaking lagoon of Aitutaki - the beauty and charm of these South Pacific islands is matched only by the warm hospitality of its friendly people. Your local guide will introduce you to the culture, people and natural beauty over two weeks.

 

On the main island of Rarotonga, we visit the colourful weekly market, walk through pristine rainforest to The Needle (a legendary rock pinnacle) and join local guides into a conservation area and on a tour around the island. We soak up the spirit of the famous Cook Island dancers at a legendary island night.

 

There are few places left in the world like the island of Atiu. Explore the native jungle, the Kopeka caves (home to rare birdlife), visit a coffee plantation and arts studio, then spend a day with local guide Birdman George. Our time of Atiu ends with an umukai, a traditional Polynesian feast.

 

On Aitutaki we contract a day cruise on the beautiful lagoon, and a safari & history tour to Paengariki Marae. With the tour ex Rarotonga, flights and extensions can be arranged via New Zealand.

Category Asia Pacific

Join us for a two week journey through the spectacular landscapes of New Zealand’s South Island. Snow-covered peaks tower above tranquil lakes, waterfalls tumble from misty heights and walking tracks meander through moss-draped beech forests. Travelling via Dunedin, an overnight stay at New Zealand’s only castle gives us access to the birdlife of the Otago Peninsula.

 

On the scenic south east coast, we have two days to explore the dense temperate rainforest of Catlins Forest Park. At Stewart Island, we walk to the wilderness of Maori Beach and visit nearby Ulva Island, a predator-free sanctuary for birds such as the kiwi. From Te Anau, there’s the opportunity to visit the Fiordland wilderness that provides habitat for Bottlenose Dolphins, New Zealand Fur Seals and the Fiordland Crested Penguin. Near Lake Wanaka, Mt Aspiring National Park is unveiled on the Rob Roy Alpine Walk.

 

Crossing Haast Pass to the coast, our destination is Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge, located in the heart of the 2.7 million hectare South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. An optional walk on Fox Glacier is a highlight before we finish our tour in Christchurch.

Category Asia Pacific
22 October 2010

Prom to Croajingolong

Wilsons Promontory National Park is a peninsula of sculptured granite boulders, tall forests, coastal heath land, fern grottoes and pristine beaches. Walks to the most southerly points on mainland Australia contrast with time in World Heritage listed Croajingalong National Park.

 

Three nights at Tidal River gives you a choice of warm-up walks before a challenging circuit hike. Your destination is the remotely situated Wilsons Prom light station, in the southern section of the park overlooking islands in Bass Strait. The completely restored light keeper’s house is home for two nights. Inside you can relax in cosy comfort and later venture down to the Southern Ocean’s edge to watch the mesmerising display of the short-tailed shearwaters returning from their epic migratory flight. You won’t want to leave this “world away from the everyday”.

 

Croajingalong National Park is a stunning region of wilderness coast, rainforest, dune fields and coastal heath land. Wildlife includes 300 bird species, seals, whales and dolphins off the coast. The tour finale is two nights at Point Hicks, the tallest lighthouse on Australia’s mainland. Stay in cottages built in 1890 from timber salvaged from shipwrecks and enjoy pristine beaches, coastal and dune walks.

Category Victoria
04 October 2010

Karijini to Kalbarri

This is a journey of red earth, white-barked eucalypts, sandstone gorges, remote coastlines, wildflowers and wildlife. Over 17 days, travel from north to south through the best of Western Australia wilderness areas.

 

After a flight from Perth to Paraburdoo, the immersion begins as you explore gorges and side chasms up to 100m deep in Karijini National Park. A walk over ancient fossil reefs at Cape Range National Park contrasts with the weightlessness of snorkelling at nearby Ningaloo Marine Park, the largest fringing coral reef in Australia.

 

Further south, World Heritage listed Shark Bay, is home to a profusion of marine life including dolphins, dugongs, turtles, rays, sharks, other fish and ancient Stromatolites. North of Monkey Mia, Francois Peron National Park, a former pastoral station, provides a refuge for rare and endangered flora and fauna.

 

At Kalbarri National Park, the Murchison River enters the sea through a series of sandstone gorges. Explore the river gorges and sea cliffs and admire the floral beauty of the surrounding sand plains. Closer to Perth,  bizarre limestone pillars rise from the shifting yellow sands at the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park.

04 September 2010

Nightcap Ranges

Stretching along the southern rim of the Tweed / Mt Warning Caldera, the Nightcap Ranges are a walker’s paradise and part of the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage area. Designed by your local guide, this seven day circular walk leads you to hidden waterfalls, palm valleys, misty lookouts and lush subtropical and temperate rainforests. At week’s end, feel rejuvenated in body, mind and spirit while learning about the natural and human history of Northern NSW.

 

Starting at Doon Doon near Nimbin, we join the Historic Nightcap Track, part of the original trail used by travellers and postal workers between Lismore and Murwillumbah in the late 1800s. Camping at Rummery Park for two nights, we walk through Blackbutt and Brushbox forests to the base of spectacular Minyon Falls. Traversing the catchment of the Rocky Creek Dam, we follow old logging tracks into Terania Creek (site of environmental protests in the late 1970s).

 

We spend some time with locals Nan & Hugh Nicolson, authors of the Australian Rainforest Plants series and lifelong conservationists. Our journey continues via the Caldera Rim and the Walls of Jerusalem cliff top walk back to our starting point at Doon Doon.

Category New South Wales

The tropical landscapes of North Queensland range from cool rainforests to majestic mountains, colourful reef, pristine islands, crater lakes, towering waterfalls & the turquoise Coral Sea.

 

Journey through the lush Atherton Tablelands and enjoy walks around the crater lakes of Barrine and Eacham. Waterfalls are another feature and we take hikes to Wallaman, Nandroya and Millaa Millaa Falls. From Mission Beach we take the launch to Dunk Island to hike the island circuit track. Shorter options available for those who want to relax and swim.

 

After leaving our base at Yungaburra, we travel north to the Mareeba Wetlands, a 5000 acre sanctuary for much of tropical Australia's savannah and wetland wildlife plus indigenous heritage.

 

Located on the Endeavour River, historic Cooktown gives us a glimpse into the early settlement life in northern Queensland. The Botanic Gardens in Cooktown feature an exotic plant section, a "palmetum" and a comprehensive collection of native plants. From Cairns, our final destination, we travel to Kuranda, where we enjoy a bird’s eye view of the rainforest on the famous Kuranda Skyrail. A cultural performance at the renowned Tjapukai Dance Theatre completes the trip.

 

Join this trip together with Lava Tubes to Lawn Hill to enchance your stay in Tropical North Queensland.

Category Queensland

The heart of Carnarvon National Park is a place of rambling creeks, hidden waterfalls and delightful side gorges. To the south east, are the wide open vistas of Arcadia Valley beneath the moody ridges of the Expedition Ranges. Journey to Queensland’s Central Highlands and spend time in these beautiful destinations, not just on the road!

 

After meeting in Rockhampton, we overnight on the Capricorn Coast and enjoy beach swims and headland walks. Travelling south west via historic Mt Morgan and Moura, we arrive in Arcadia Valley, our base for three days. Here cattle stations back onto the Expedition Ranges and from our homestead, we enjoy private walking trails and quiet, starry nights. Nearby are the lookouts of Lonesome National Park and the waterlilies and birdlife of Lake Nuga Nuga.

 

One hour west is the Carnarvon Gorge section of the much larger Carnarvon National Park. We explore the main gorge and its side canyons on a series of half day walks. Wards Canyon shelters the giant King Fern; the Amphitheatre quietens our voices and the Art Gallery features over 2000 Aboriginal engravings and stencils. We return to Rockhampton after a week in Queensland’s sandstone country.

Category Queensland

Outback North Queensland is a land of red rocky ridges, abundant wetlands, lush gorges, rippling grasslands and country towns. Join a two week journey from Cairns to the Gulf of Carpentaria, south to Mt Isa and back to the east coast.

 

Local guides introduce the fascinating world of Undara Volcanic National Park as we explore the world’s longest single vent lava flow. Board the historic Gulflander (the “old tin hare”) for the train ride from Croydon to Normanton. Journey north to Karumba, the Gulf of Carpentaria’s major fishing port. A sunset cruise on the Norman River is a chance to spot saltwater crocodiles, endemic mangrove and migratory birds.

 

Boodjamulla National Park features Lawn Hill Gorge, palm-fringed waterholes and sheer sandstone walls. Canoe the waterways, swim in rock pools and walk to viewpoints and Aboriginal rock art. Visit the laboratory at the Riversleigh Fossils Centre in Mt Isa and take an optional guided tour of one of the world’s largest underground mines. At the John Flynn museum in Cloncurry, experience the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. East in the small town of Richmond, is the renowned marine fossil museum at Kronosaurus Korner. Your tour ends in Townsville.

 

Why not join this tour and North Queensland Coast to complete your Tropical North Queensland experience.

Category Queensland

Make a pilgrimage to the heart of the Gondwana rainforests on one of Queensland’s new long distance hiking trails. Over five days we traverse the mountains, World Heritage-listed rainforest and hidden valleys of Lamington and Springbrook National Parks. This fully accommodated tour allows you to walk the full 54km trail in comfort with extra days for rest or shorter walks.

 

From O’Reillys, walk 21km through the Green Mountain section of Lamington following sections of the QLD / NSW border. Based at Binna Burra Lodge, we explore the Lower Bellbird Circuit with lookouts over the eastern side of Lamington. Admire the stands of flooded gums, brushbox and piccabeen groves on the way to lunch at the base of Ballanjui Falls. Leaving the Lamington plateau, we descend past Egg Rock, a remnant plug from the Tweed  shield volcano, Wollumbin (Mt Warning). The trail continues through the farming valley of Numinbah then climbs through upper valleys to the mountain plateau of Springbrook. Staying overnight in chalet accommodation, we finish with a half day hike via Warringah Pools to the cool spray of Purlingbrook Falls in the centre of Springbrook National Park.

Category Queensland

Sixty kilometres off north-eastern Tasmania is a world of craggy mountains, quiet inlets, lagoons and white sandy beaches. Spend a week with local people as you explore the bays, headlands and high points of Flinders, the largest island in the Furneaux group.

 

Immerse yourself in the orange hue of lichen-covered rocks or the intricate patterns of tidal pools. For a bigger picture, hike to the summit of Mt Strzelecki, the highest point on the island. On a clear day, the views are spectacular to the far north east coast of Tasmania. A half-day coastal walk leads to the limestone formations and caves of Settlement Point plus Wybalenna, the last settlement of Tasmanian Aborigines. The nearby Furneaux Museum documents the island’s history. There are also chances to see Cape Barren Geese, the second rarest in the world.

 

A day cruise in sheltered waters explores the outer islands, bustling with shearwater rookeries and other sea birds. On the last day, enjoy the views from the craggy granite formations of Darling Range.

Category Tasmania

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