Home > Compare Tour Operators > AAT Kings vs APT
AAT Kings vs APT
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of AAT Kings and APT.The Low Down
AAT Kings have partnered with Global Journeys since our inception, and as a result we have an in-depth understanding of all their trips, through both Australia and New Zealand. Our team have journeyed with them on 9 tours through New Zealand, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. That close relationship also means we can deliver fantastic savings throughout the year. AAT King's core multi-day coach tours cater mainly for those over 55+, whilst their short breaks in the Northern Territory tend to attract a more diverse range of ages. All coaches are first class, and AAT Kings pride themselves on their tour guides - many of which have been with them for decades!
Initially providing coach touring around Australia and NZ to the local market, APT have grown exponentially over the last decade to now offer trips around the world, and are well known for their European river cruises. Over the last few years APT have introduced small ship expeditions that cruise the waters through Asia, Europe, Canada and off the coast of Kimberley. Catering primarily for the retired market, their trips aren't cheap, but in APT's case - you get what you pay for. Look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. The team here at Global Journeys have travelled multiple times by coach, cruise & river with APT, and we definitely recommend them as a quality, consistent, reliable Operator, and our past client reviews back that up.
Stats
No. of Trips
90
No. of Departures
6,090
Avg. Trip Length
9 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$471
Accommodation
3.5 - 4.5 Star
Budget
Premium & Affordable
Trip Styles Coach ToursShort BreaksCity Breaks
No. of Trips
524
No. of Departures
3,236
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$731
Accommodation
4.5 - 5 Stars
Budget
Premium
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Choosing AAT Kings for your Australia or New Zealand holiday guarantees you’ll benefit from the insider secrets, off-the-beaten-path destinations and authentic interactions with local characters that only 100 years of experience can provide. With over a hundred years’ experience in sharing Australia with our guests, AAT Kings holds exclusive access to some truly unique locations, secret trails and roads less travelled that add so much value to the overall travel experience.
At AAT Kings, our on-road staff are best in class. Our Travel Directors, Driver Guides and Drivers are hand-picked for their passion, experience, and enthusiasm for the spectacular countries we live in. There is truly no one better to share with you the best destinations across Australia and New Zealand. We have been perfecting our itineraries and products for over 100 years, so the benefits gained from travelling with us are unrivalled. With over 150 expertly crafted holiday itineraries to choose from, we offer something for everyone.
APT is an Australian family-owned company whose essence began in Melbourne in the 1920s. More than 90 years on, APT offers life-enriching trips to every continent, and through the company’s vast industry experience, innovative investments, meticulous planning and unquestionable passion it has earned a place among the world’s most well-regarded travel companies.
From boutique river cruising to small-group 4WD adventures; traditional coach touring with a decadent twist to private air cruising; epic rail journeys to small-ship expeditions; classic ocean cruising to safaris of discovery by both land and air – there’s little APT is unwilling to consider in pursuit of creating the finest holiday experience for its valued guests.
Timeless luxury, exclusive experiences, life enriching moments and true personalisation. APT offers all-inclusive holidays so everything is taken care of. We invite you to join us; you won’t be disappointed.
Recent Reviews
After debating whether to do the Darwin to Broome or Broome to Perth segments, I am glad to have done both as the Pilbara region was as special as the Kimberley. The tour guide was also a source of information I never would have known if driving on my own. Highlights were staying at Emma Gorge and Karinjini for 2 nights each. The Emma Gorge walk was ...read more part of the itinerary, with warnings about fitness levels etc, but the tour guide made it sound so dangerous that many debated whether to even do it. Those who did were pleased they did it. I was disappointed with the Bungle Bungle optional tour as I had wanted to see Cathedral Gorge and have lunch there and somehow AAT Kings had selected Taste of the Bungle Bungles with limited hiking and lunch at the lodge. I should have booked this independently.
Some excursions offered by our tour guide were limited to where you happened to be seated So those in the first few rows of the coach booked in and never making it to the back rows. We were lucky to be in Broome during a full moon so I was fortunate to take a bus to town to witness Staircase to the Moon.
The group was too large, 46 to start with, and the coach had sound issues with high volumes at the back, shared window shades so some wanted them down while others up and no tv screens on right side of coach made it hard to watch if sitting on left. Even walking options were limited as some accommodation was behind barbed wire fences for security. Most breakfasts and dinners were buffet and the tour guide and driver always sat with the guests. Next time I would choose a smaller group, more active tour, 4WD to get to more areas that the coach could not.
Hanna and Jemma from Global Journeys were top notch in ensuring this pre-Covid shutdown travel credit from a Trafalgar trip was transferred to AAT Kings and kept me up to date with any changes.
Some excursions offered by our tour guide were limited to where you happened to be seated So those in the first few rows of the coach booked in and never making it to the back rows. We were lucky to be in Broome during a full moon so I was fortunate to take a bus to town to witness Staircase to the Moon.
The group was too large, 46 to start with, and the coach had sound issues with high volumes at the back, shared window shades so some wanted them down while others up and no tv screens on right side of coach made it hard to watch if sitting on left. Even walking options were limited as some accommodation was behind barbed wire fences for security. Most breakfasts and dinners were buffet and the tour guide and driver always sat with the guests. Next time I would choose a smaller group, more active tour, 4WD to get to more areas that the coach could not.
Hanna and Jemma from Global Journeys were top notch in ensuring this pre-Covid shutdown travel credit from a Trafalgar trip was transferred to AAT Kings and kept me up to date with any changes.
Loved our trip to the Kimberley. Starting in Broome was great but also the best of accommodation by far. Smaller places had basic but clean and ok stays. Longish days on the bus but lots of wonderful rewards. Loved El Questro stay in luxury tents, flight over the Bungle Bungles was a must. Flexibility is a key as lots of changes needed in itinerary ...read more due to Covid but effectively handled by our great guide Nellie and driver Darren. Thoroughly enjoyed the varied and diverse experiences...especially 4 very different cruises!!! The long journey from Brisbane to Broome via Perth was well worthwhile but with flight disruptions and changes we were very glad to arrive a day early to make sure we arrived in time for the start of the trip.
Booked with Global Journeys and it was easy and they kept in contact with me at all stages of my journey. Travelled with AAT Kings. With Covid times and lack of staff wherever we went it was a excellent trip. We were able to make the most out of it and congratulations to tour leader Christin as she worked extremely hard for the end result. Would recommend ...read more both Global Journeys and AAT Kings.
We really enjoyed the tour covering Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks. We had an excellent tour guide, Liz, who was always cheerful and nothing was too much trouble for her. She had challenges finding places for us to have lunch due to staff shortages but always managed to sort things out. Liz was also very knowledgeable about the NT. We really ...read more enjoyed the flight over Kakadu which was an excellent overview of the area. We were happy with the accommodation provided which was always clean and comfortable. We were very happy with the help we had from Georgie Walpole at Global Journeys with this booking.
It was a wonderful trip show casing the wonderful outback from the flinders rangers to Uluṟu the Olga’s the wonderful kings canyon to Alice Springs. From the tour guide Christine and the bus drivers great driving skills and to the wonderful guest on the tour we all got on well and had many a laugh. To Georgie again for great organising of our trip everything ...read more went extremely well - she is the best.
As always Global Journeys were great to work with when deciding and booking our AAT Kings Tassies Parks and Nature tour. Thanks Georgie for your professionalism. Our tour was well run with a great guide (Dave) and excellent driver (Tom). Felt very safe throughout the tour. Tour was well placed. Boat cruise on the Gordon River and Sarah Island was excellent. ...read more Accommodation was good and most hotel staff were friendly and helpful. Included meals were good. Added bonus of 2 drink vouchers when having included dinners was also a nice inclusion. One hotel needs to update their staff on the conditions of use of these vouchers. I think AAT kings were going to address the issue as well.
Included stops were good. The only disappointment was the Wall in the Wilderness being deleted from our itinerary. As we stayed extra nights in Launceston after the tour we were able to travel there ourselves. AAT Kings need to resolve the issues that have prevented them visiting as other tour operators include it in their itineraries. Will happily use Global Journeys for future holidays and also AAT Kings.
Included stops were good. The only disappointment was the Wall in the Wilderness being deleted from our itinerary. As we stayed extra nights in Launceston after the tour we were able to travel there ourselves. AAT Kings need to resolve the issues that have prevented them visiting as other tour operators include it in their itineraries. Will happily use Global Journeys for future holidays and also AAT Kings.
The highlight of the holiday for us was the included plane flight to Birdsville were we had lunch then on the return trip fly over Lake Eyre. Seeing all the water come down the rivers then filling the flood planes is incredible. Then seeing the contrast of the dessert either side is amazing. Much better way to visit Birdsville than driving the Birdsville ...read more Track. We saw a wonderful sunrise and sunset at Marree. Our 4WD bus was comfortable and gave us a good view as we travelled on our journey.
Our additional flight over Wilpena Pound was incredible and a vast contrast to the first flight. Glad we did it. The tourist industry is still recovering from COVID and there were a few little glitches along the way but these were fixed very quickly. Everyone along the way were happy to see us and help us out. Thanks Georgie for organising this trip for us. We have already booked another trip with Global Journeys and APT.
Our additional flight over Wilpena Pound was incredible and a vast contrast to the first flight. Glad we did it. The tourist industry is still recovering from COVID and there were a few little glitches along the way but these were fixed very quickly. Everyone along the way were happy to see us and help us out. Thanks Georgie for organising this trip for us. We have already booked another trip with Global Journeys and APT.
Really disappointed the itinerary in Uluru was changed to jam 2 days of original itinerary into one day. This stopped me being able to walk around Uluru, also gave limited time to explore the Olgas. To do the rim walk at Kings Canyon you had to depart the motel in the dark at 6am. Days on the 'truck' as the guide called it, were long, that was to be ...read more expected but we had days when we were not even told where or when the next comfort stop would be, sometimes driving for 3 hours with no word from Driver or Guide. I would have expected more commentary on the area we were travelling thru. Very rushed tour, poor value for money, most people on the tour felt the same. We would arrive at our destination, eat, sleep & move on early the next day. No time to look around. Very limited free time.
Enjoyed the trip and enjoyed the concept of travelling by Private jet. APT has done well to coordinate luggage to the plane directly to and from each hotel and to the plane and the very quick processing going through airport. It would be hard to visit so many places in such a short period of time without a private jet. The tour leaders were very helpful ...read more and coordinated the tour very well. Also appreciative of the help from Global Journeys and Georgie.
Margaret River, Kalgoorlie, Exmouth, Broome, Kununurra, and Darwin. Travel on one plane with the same crew on board for the entire 8 days. This was luxury travel. No worries about checking bags or waiting for baggage at the carousel! It was all loaded and unloaded from the tour bus at each location.
The 5 course lunch at Rustica winery in Margaret ...read more River was some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. The Pullman Bunker Bay had the most beautiful accommodations and gorgeous beach. Wished we’d had another night. Exmouth stop did not disappoint with the Whale shark snorkel. Incredible boat crew and once in a lifetime experience.
It was nice to have an in room washer and dryer at Oaks Cable Beach once we reached Broome. Not the cleanest accommodations but it wasn’t horrible. Kununurra Country Club was the pits. Old, dirty and in need of serious upkeep/updating. I don’t know if this was due to lack of staffing or lack of access to decent updating materials given the remoteness of the location. Regardless, APT should seriously consider finding alternative accommodations for this stop. The tours to El Questro were fabulous. The Chamberlain Gorge boat trip was so much fun. I’d recommend two smaller shuttle buses for airport transfer and transport to scheduled tours. A lot of time spent loading, waiting and unloading passengers.
The 5 course lunch at Rustica winery in Margaret ...read more River was some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. The Pullman Bunker Bay had the most beautiful accommodations and gorgeous beach. Wished we’d had another night. Exmouth stop did not disappoint with the Whale shark snorkel. Incredible boat crew and once in a lifetime experience.
It was nice to have an in room washer and dryer at Oaks Cable Beach once we reached Broome. Not the cleanest accommodations but it wasn’t horrible. Kununurra Country Club was the pits. Old, dirty and in need of serious upkeep/updating. I don’t know if this was due to lack of staffing or lack of access to decent updating materials given the remoteness of the location. Regardless, APT should seriously consider finding alternative accommodations for this stop. The tours to El Questro were fabulous. The Chamberlain Gorge boat trip was so much fun. I’d recommend two smaller shuttle buses for airport transfer and transport to scheduled tours. A lot of time spent loading, waiting and unloading passengers.
Had a great holiday! Always a few minor hiccups travelling in the outback, but in general all went smoothly. Our driver/ guide was lovely. The rest of the group were great - we got on very well. Just don't recommend the tour if you can't walk over rocks and riverbeds! The weather was a perfect hot for avoiding a freezing winter in Sydney! If you can ...read more stay a couple of extra days in Cable Beach resort it's worth it!
Every day was highlight on this trip. Our Driver/Guide, Clare was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and passionate about her work; nothing was too much trouble! Everything worked according to plan. The choice of excursions, with boat cruises, hiking, and heli-lifts was amazing. We accessed remote areas with aboriginal guides and we learnt a lot. The accommodation, ...read more including glamping, was exceptional and the food could not be faulted. The 4WD vehicle was comfortable and made for the harsh conditions and dirt roads. We were a group of 14 and surprisingly we all got on well, enjoying the fantastic experiences together. I can only speak favourably of this incredible journey.
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