Australian Natural Adventures

Wildlife, Nature & Soft Adventure Tours

 

 

 

AAT Kings has been operating coach tours in Australia in one form or another for since the 1920's, when it began operating tours to Sydney's Blue Mountains. AAT Kings is well known for offering a diverse range of superior products in Australia and New Zealand, including both higher end and low cost fully-escorted accommodated multi-day tours; escorted camping tours, shorter 2 to 6 day regional tours, and day tours. They also offer independent touring, using a combination of day and multi-day, daily departure tours to allow a tour to be created for the day you arrive, rather than be restricted to a set departure date tour. AAT Kings offers both coach and small group tours, and tours may be purely coach/small vehicle based, or combine coach and rail or air travel. You can find the complete range of AAT Kings touring products here. We especially like the very complete 15 or 17 day Outback Wonders, which takes you from Sydney to Adelaide and up to Darwin via the Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy, Ayers Rock and Alice Springs. Near Adelaide several wineries are visited, so it' a wide ranging look at much of what Australia is famous for. Click here to download a pdf of this tour (1MB)

 

When touring on a coach for a week or more, one of the most important aspects of your travel is the staff; their k nowledge, personality and professionalism. We can say from experience that AAT Kings has highly trained professional drivers, for whom safety and comfort are of foremost importance (all coaches and small group vehicles have seatbelts), but are also personable and go out of their way to help. We've been on coaches where the driver has driven one person to a store for that special purchase. It takes a special sort of person to be a coach tour direcor and guide - a genuine friendliness, and desire to share, the skills of a manager, ability to take in and retain a vast amount of specific knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, the people skills to make sure that everyone in the group is having a great time. AAT Kings is extremely choosy in its selection of guides and tour directors, and we don't believe you'll find better teams anywhere in the world. It's pretty rare for travelrs not to want to take a photo of their coach team, and guides and tour directors have been invited into the homes of their passengers all over the world.

 

Coach travel is a great way to see Australia. AAT Kings' coachs are state of the art, with panoramic windows and seats that were once called aircraft style, but now leave typical airplane seats way behind. Reclining seats, moveable armrests, ample legroom, footrests, drink holders and knicknack pockets, and overhead space all add to the pleasure of the ride. Full size coaches have 46 or so seats, but also two doors so the coaches load and unload very quickly. Theres also a restroom on board, and a water cooler. Two of the advantages of full size coach travel are comfort - the special suspension and wheelbase make for a very comfortable and quiet ride, and view - being high above the road allows for better vistas as you travel. Our own experience has shown that we can see kangaroos grazing in the bush from a coach that would be impossible to see from a car or other lower profile vehicle. You can also get up and walk about, and the coaches have a policy of changing seats at least every day, and sometimes more often, so everywhen gets to sit up front, next to the window etc. All escorted tours have a tour director and driver, both on the coach and at the various stops along the way. Smaller group tours may have a guide and driver, or just a driver/guide, depending on the tour and size of vehicle. For some tours special 4WD vehicles are used - in Australia coach touring doesn't just mean staying on the highway.

We're also very excited about some new tours that are being offered by ATT Kings. One is an 8 day tour of New Zealand's South Island, which hits all the high points including Stewart Island, wonderfully rich in wildlife including Kiwis, and seldom visited by US travelers. It's a great place, and we can't recommend this tour enough. Best of all, it's a small group tour, with a maximum of 21 passengers, but still in a luxury vehicle, complete with reclining seats, extra leg room and all the bells and whistles - not a cramped standard mini-bus that other smaller group tours use. You can find full details about this Mountain and Lakes tour here.The other New Zealand tour we're keen on is not small group - though it often is as there are so many departures that most depart without a full complement of passengers - and covers both north and south islands. In fact, we really have two tours here, as there is a very inclusive version, with an extra day, and a less expensive version that is one day shorter. The major difference between the two is the standard of accommodation, and some included tours and a few meals that are extra cost in the less expensive version. However, the touring that is done is still 5 star touring in a luxury vehicle, with driver and a dedicated tour host throughout, so consider thme both as 5 star luxury touring, but with the choice of 5 star or 3 star accommodation. Full details of these two tours - the Premium 15 Day New Zealand Highlights and the Best Buy 14 Day New Zealand Marvel - can be found by clicking on them.

On premium tours optional sightseeing opportunities provide you with the flexibility to tailor a holiday to your individual interests. Fully planned itineraries allow passengers to take advantage of the operators local knowledge, and ensure comfortable travel without the daily hassle of organising accommodation or meals. Premium levels of accommodation are used, usually 4 star and above, and special dinners and other meals are often provided in addition to the usual, excellent meals. All tours have days where dinner is not included so you can try the local cuisine of your choice.

 

In addition to country, state and regional tours AAT Kings offers tours that combine both Australia and New Zealand, up to 31 days in length. Seamless connections are made between destinations, and on escorted tours you are never by yourselves (except on the plane itself between major destinations; transfers with your tour director to and from the airport are part of the tour however). The full range of touring products, complete with detailed itineraries, maps and other useful information, can be found on our dedicated AAT Kings pages here. You'll also find information about specials and deals, such as on some escorted tours single travelers who are willing to share incur no single supplement, even if a share partner is not found.

 

 

While coach touring is very popular in Europe, many visitors don't think of this option when considering their visit to Australia or New Zealand. Yet the wide open spaces, lightly used roads, and incredible scenery all lend themselves to making coach touring Down Under an excellent choice. Please call or email us for more information, or a brochure detailing many of the available tours.

 

AAT Kings uses special fuel efficient coaches to reduce emissions. This reduces the carbon footprint of each passenger, contributing to a cleaner planet. As with life at home, getting out of a one or two person car and into "public" transport - larger vehicles - helps our planet breath.