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Gems of Australia

Sydney Harbour

9 NIGHTS

PLEASE NOTE: We can help you add, adjust and tailor the itinerary to suit your requirements.  Each clients itinerary is different. We work to your budget and take advantage of current specials in the marketplace for your time of travel.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 3 nights Sydney

  • 2 nights Uluru

  • 4 nights Port Douglas

  • Sydney Opera House Tour

  • Sydney Harbour Cruise

  • Sydney City Sights Tour

  • Sounds of Silence Dinner

  • Kata Tjuta Domes Tour (small group)

  • Uluru Sunset Tour (small group)

  • Great Barrier Reef snorkeling tour

  • Cape Tribulation and Daintree tour

  • Kuranda Tour with Skyrail Cableway and Rainforestation

  • All breakfasts daily

  • All transfers throughout

ITINERARY OVERVIEW:

Destinations:     Sydney, Uluru (Ayres Rock), Port Douglas

Experiences:     Culture, Scenery, Wildlife

No. of days:      10 days/9 nights itinerary

Begin your Australia highlights adventure in Sydney.  Explore Sydney with a Sydney Opera House tour, Sydney Harbour Cruise and a City Sights Tour to discover Sydney’s best spots.  Leave the city behind and visit the beautiful and scenic Blue Mountains.  See the famous Three Sisters rock formation.  Next you’re off to Uluru (Ayres Rock) where you can view the spectacular scenery, sunsets and sunrises, learn about Aboriginal culture and enjoy award winning activities such as the Sounds of Silence Dinner.  It's time for your Great Barrier Reef experience out of Port Douglas. Snorkel the stunning reef and experience the abundant marine life and reef formations.   Tours to the Daintree Rainforest, spectacular beaches, and the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park make a great day out and a wonderful end to your trip.

DAY BY DAY:

Day 1:  Arrive in Sydney, transfer to your hotel.  A nice introduction to Sydney after a long journey is to do a Sydney Opera House Tour.  Enjoy an afternoon visit to one of the world's most recognizable landmarks and this is your chance to truly get up-close. Visit areas off-limits to the public and capture photographs from rare vantage points. Explore theatres and foyers where more than 1600 concerts, operas, dramas and ballets take place each year. Explore the city at leisure for the rest of the afternoon (3 nights Sydney).

 

Day 2:  Start the day off with a small group Sydney Harbour Cruise covering all the harbor highlights. Your captain and host will share the rich history of Sydney Harbour and its foreshore as you take in the sights of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the bays and coves of Sydney Harbour.  Stop for lunch (own expense) before joining a small group City Sights Tour.  Visit Sydney's trendy districts, superb coastal cliff walks and famous Bondi Beach. Your personal guide will entertain you along the way.

 

Day 3: You’re heading out of Sydney today on a small group full day Blue Mountains Tour. Relax and smell the fresh air of eucalyptus and tea tree. The fresh aromas of the Blue Mountains provide a magical experience, taking you into another world. Today you get to enjoy Scenic World Rides, walk in the Rainforest, Lunch, Featherdale Wildlife Park and a ferry back to Circular Quay. The lush green rainforest of the Jamison valley and views of the blue haze make the Blue Mountains simply unique. Lunch is included.

 

Day 4: Transfer to the airport for your flight to Ayres Rock. Check in to your accommodation.  This evening you have the Sounds of Silence Dinner, an unforgettable evening eating beautifully prepared food under the sparkling outback sky. Following a dinner of authentic Australian delicacies, you get to view some of the world's best stargazing as the resident astronomer takes diners on an unforgettable tour of the spectacular southern night sky. (2 nights Uluru/Ayres Rock).

 

Day 5: Today you’re off to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park.  Visit the Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Your guide will describe the cultural significance of Kata Tjuta as a sacred Aboriginal men's ceremonial site. Arriving at Walpa Gorge walk between the mighty conglomerate domes and hear how these 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuta have evolved over millions of years.

 

Day 6: It’s and early start today for your small group Uluru Highlights tour.  Travel towards Uluru where its vast shape rises from the sand dunes in the early dawn light and stop at a special location to watch the sun rise over this amazing monolith and enjoy a picnic breakfast. Then drive around the base of Uluru hearing the cultural stories of the Mala people before returning to the resort. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Cairns and transfer to Port Douglas. (4 nights Port Douglas).

 

Day 7:  It’s time to explore the Great Barrier Reef! Unwind while you snorkel the pristine warm waters off the coast of Port Douglas to visit spectacular reefs and beautiful coral bombies. Even if you've never snorkeled before, this is an opportunity you can't afford to miss! The day consists of visiting 3 breathtaking sites on the reef with ample time to relax, enjoy and explore spectacular reefs with abundant marine life.

 

Day 8: While in the tropical north you get to explore some of the oldest rainforest in the world. Cruise on the Daintree River. Enjoy a delicious BBQ lunch in the rainforest of Noah Valley. Next drive to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the reef. Walk on this world-renowned rainforest beach, admire the coastline and fringing coral reef from the Kulki Lookout. Stop for an afternoon refreshment at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. After winding through the rainforest of the Alexandra Range, enjoy this spectacular lookout over the Daintree River Estuary, Snapper Island and beyond to the Coral Sea.

 

Day 9: Today is all about history, rainforest and wildlife.  You get to ride the historic Kuranda Scenic Rail to Kuranda. Rainforestation, set in 40 hectares of lush gardens, is your next stop. Board the amphibious Army Duck and enjoy the Wildlife Park. Transfer back to Kuranda, then it’s time to board Skyrail Rainforest Cableway for your return journey.

 

Day 10: Transfer to the airport for your return flight home!

TOP ACTIVITIES:   Sydney   |   Uluru   |   Cairns |   Port Douglas

Customized Itinerary

  • All aspects of this itinerary can be changed to suit your requirements.

  • The itineraries provided are great introductions to your chosen destination.  You can create a travel plan using the itinerary provided or make modifications to destinations, activities and accommodation and create the dream trip you want.

  • Not every traveler is the same, we get that and so that’s why we recommend making changes to suit your needs. In fact, we insist - we want you to have the best trip.

  • If you would like any recommendations for dinner or shopping areas please let us know we are happy to help and make bookings for you where necessary.

Visa requirements:

To travel to Australia you will need a US passport valid for at least 6 months and we can process an ETA Visa for free for US Citizens.  We will need a copy of your Photo Page of your Passport.  Nationalities of any other countries please enquire with your agent to see if you are eligible for a free ETA Visa or if you need to apply for a Visitor Visa.

To travel to New Zealand you will need a US passport valid for at least 6 months and an NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority. More information on the NZeTA application requirements and process can be found on our FAQ page here.

Travel Insurance:

We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your investment. We will provide a travel insurance quote at the time of booking, and you are free to use our recommended insurance with Travelguard, find your own, or book without insurance.

A product that we can offer is a Cancel For Any Reason policy that will provide you with 80% back in refunds.  If the cancellation is for medical reasons there is a 100% refund..

Additional information:

Downunder Journeys services travel requests from the United States and Canada for travel to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands and Tahiti.  All pricing on this website is in US Dollars.

 

All of the sample itineraries on this website do not include airfares as the airfare price changes daily and to ensure you get the best possible price we will work with the best airfares at the time.  If you happen to buy your airfare first and then need a package to fit it, we can certainly help with that as well, just let us know.

 

As an idea for a 2-week vacation to Australia or New Zealand we recommend a budget of around $8,000-10,000 (including economy airfare), this would be for a 4 star and above itinerary, a little cheaper if we did more moderate accommodations.

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