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 6 day/5 night 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 to your city accommodation for the next three nights.

Day 10: Today join the Frankland Islands Cruise. Experience an exclusive Cairns Great Barrier Reef day tour, starting with a rainforest river cruise, followed by the shortest open water crossing of any of the Cairns day tour boats, to put you right on the Great Barrier Reef. The destination is Normanby Island in the beautiful Frankland Islands National Park island group. Surrounded by vibrant fringing reefs, it's home to many species of marine life, including turtles, octopus and the ever-popular anemone clownfish, Nemo. You have up to 4 hours to explore and enjoy this natural paradise, above and below the water.

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: Depart Sydney early morning for the 90-minute drive to the historic town of Berrima. Take time to stretch your legs and enjoy the tranquillity of this colonial township before heading to Fitzroy Falls to visit a local farm. Red leaf Farm is true Australian farming at a grass roots level complete with chicken caravan, Highland Cattle, horses, wolfhounds and their stunning Railway Carriage accommodation conversions. See waterfalls, flying foxes or swim in billabongs if it's warm enough.

Enjoy a true Australian farm adventure with country style morning tea by the farms private billabong with billy tea, damper or homemade muffins. From Red Leaf farm, transfer to Nature Experience where you will do some bushwalking and enjoy some magnificent views over the valley and waterfall. Have lunch at the Burrawang General Store which prepares and serves a high quality and innovative menu with an emphasis on local produce. After lunch, visit Tertini Wines, ending the day with tasting and a cheese platter before heading back to Sydney.

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$570pp. 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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