21-Nights Highlights of Australia and New Zealand

21 nights from: $16,105

Highlights Of Australia And New Zealand
Connect with the Outback, untamed fiords, and fascinating Maori legends as you explore the highlights of Australia and New Zealand - every bit as enchanting as looking up with a sense of awe and wonder at New Zealand's dark night sky.


Dining Summary

• 1 Welcome Reception (WR)
• 21 Breakfast (B)
• 4 Regional Dinner (RD)
• 4 Lunch (L)
• 2 Dinner (D)
• 1 Be My Guest (BMG)
• 1 Farewell Dinner (FD)

• Hurunui: Step onto a working hill-country sheep farm. Experience what it is like to farm Merino sheep & Angus cattle in this beautiful part of the country. See the animals graze pastures in the open air and learn about where the best natural products come from.

• Rotorua: Visit Te Puia for the Te Po experience, an evening of Maori culture and connection. Dine on traditional Hangi-inspired cuisine, followed by a captivating cultural performance.

• Uluru: Explore the foundations of life and society of the local Aboriginal people in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Learn about the spiritual connection the local Anangu caretakers have with the land at Uluru.
• Rotorua: Visit the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa and learn about the work being done to save New Zealand's national bird. Your visit contributes to saving the kiwi bird.

• Explore Sydney Opera House, Hobbiton Movie set, National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua, and the Dark Sky Reserve in Tekapo with a Local Specialist
• Discover Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Auckland, Lake Tekapo, Arrowtown, Queenstown, and Christchurch
• Visit Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Bondi Beach in Sydney, and Te Po Maori Experience in Rotorua
• View Geothermal activity in Rotorua, and turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo
• Scenic Cruise on the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbour, and Milford Sound

• Uluru: Discover the stunning heart of the Red Centre at Ayers Rock Resort. Revealing natural beauty of this unique landscape, the accommodation offer incredible views of towering gums, flowering native shrubs and flowing red dunes.
• Uluru: Discover the stunning heart of the Red Centre at Ayers Rock Resort. Revealing natural beauty of this unique landscape, the accommodation offer incredible views of towering gums, flowering native shrubs and flowing red dunes.
• Lake Tekapo: This resort overlooks the pristine waters of Lake Tekapo in New Zealand's South Island.

• An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
• Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
• Porterage where hotels provide this service
• Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
• Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
• All land transport shown. All transfers shown
• Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
• Optional Experiences and free time
• A Trafalgar bonus - all Intra-Air Flights: Melbourne to Ayers Rock, Ayers Rock to Cairns, Cairns to Sydney, Sydney to Auckland, Auckland to Queenstown

Uluru Sunrise Viewing Area Travel Packages

Categories: Uluru Sunrise Viewing Area

Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre Travel Packages

Categories: Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre

The world's largest monolith, located 280 mi/450 km southwest of Alice Springs, is a truly stunning sight, especially at sunset when its burnt-orange glow seems to set the desert on fire. Called Uluru by the Aborigines, the sandstone rock is huge (1,140 ft/350 m high, 9 mi/13 km around) and reddish brown most of the time, taking its color from iron oxide, or rust. Its presence is made more powerful by the mostly barren plain that surrounds it and disappears into the horizon. In 1985, ownership of the rock was returned to its traditional owners. It is rarely referred to as Ayers Rock anymore.Uluru Travel
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Considered sacred by the Aborigines for thousands of years, the rock is now part of the expansive Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, one of the country's biggest tourist attractions. The park includes the Olgas/Kata Tjuta, a cluster of 36 giant domelike rock formations about 20 mi/35 km west. If you want to visit both, plan to spend at least one night. You'll want to see Uluru at both sunset and sunrise. The Olgas are equally magnificent at both times of day. (But be prepared to jockey for position at either place; tour buses disgorge hundreds of visitors laden with binoculars, cameras and video equipment.)

Start your visit to the park with a stop at the cultural center. Run by the Anangu (a local Aboriginal clan), the center is a wonderful introduction to the unusual rock formations and to the people who lived in their harsh shadows for centuries. Aboriginal artwork and artifacts are on display. You can also see re-enactments of life in the bush and watch informative videos. Most visitors explore the rock as part of a tour led by park rangers, Anangu guides or private tour companies. But you can also pick up a printed walking guide at the cultural center and set off on your own.

Only one trail leads to the top of the rock, and it's fairly steep—those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, asthma, fear of heights or the like should remain earthbound. The Anangu prefer you walk around—not on—the rock because of its spiritual importance. If you do decide to climb it, allow two to three hours and take along a snack and plenty of water. The view from the top is spectacular, but hiking around the base is more educational and less strenuous. We suggest taking one or more of the shorter walks that pass water holes and rock paintings, allowing you to observe the rock's many faces at a leisurely pace. (Walking around the entire base of the rock takes about three hours.)

Allow at least an afternoon to visit the Olgas/Kata Tjuta. A frequent debate among visitors is whether the Olgas outshine the rock. It's a close call—the Olgas are taller, reaching 1,790 ft/545 m at the highest point. Made of conglomerate (pebbles and boulders cemented together by mud and sand), they are off-limits to climbers, but you can explore some of the valleys and chasms between the rocks.

Most visitors fly to Uluru or drive from Alice Springs. About the only place to stay in the area is the Ayers Rock Resort, or Yulara, whose five hotels and a campground can accommodate visitors in all price ranges. Longitude 131 is a magnificent safari camp with 15 luxury tents. Dozens of tours leave from Ayers Rock Resort, including sunrise camel rides around the rock, sunset champagne dinners in the desert, Aboriginal culture tours and stargazing. You can also rent a car there and explore on your own.

Because of the excessive heat in summer, the best time to visit is April-November (winter in Australia). Always take along plenty of drinking water. If you are flying to the Outback, we suggest going overland one way from Alice Springs (four to five hours) but flying the other way—the desert drive is scenic, but it can be tedious the second time around. http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru.