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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
102
No. of Departures
8,571
Avg. Trip Length
8 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$582
Accommodation
3.5 - 4.5 Star
Budget
Affordable & Premium
No. of Trips
356
No. of Departures
1,998
Avg. Trip Length
16 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$1,005
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
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, meticulous planning and unquestionable passion it's 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; epic rail journeys to small-ship expeditions; classic ocean cruising to safaris of discovery by both land and air – there’s little APT are 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
4.5
AAT Kings itinerary for this outback tour was thoughtfully planned. There were many opportunities to learn about Aboriginal culture and view spectacular scenery. We enjoyed getting to know our fellow travellers. Having some evenings free to dine without the group was appreciated. Highlights included "Under a Desert Moon", Field of Light Sunrise and read more Uluru Barbecue with star gazing. Walks along the creek bed at Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta exploration, around base of Uluru and at Simpsons Gap provided ample photo opportunities. Accommodation at the three resorts was spacious and meals high quality.
Bus drivers/tour guides all knowledgeable. Perfect weather in early June for travel with warm days and no rain.
Bus drivers/tour guides all knowledgeable. Perfect weather in early June for travel with warm days and no rain.
Grace was very helpful in arranging the booking and final details. We had a group of 18 on our tour. We saw a lot of interesting places which were definitely worth visiting and it was an unexpected delight to see Lake Eyre full of water. The flies were bad, so a fly net is recommended even for April/May, and we only received an email from the AAT read more King tour guide about it after we had arrived there. Wilpena Pound and Arkaroola were definite highlights and extra nights there would have been desirable in hindsight. The 4WD jeep tour at Arkaroola accessed a very remote area and was spectacular. There were too many fries served at lunches and dinners (even at the winery lunch) for my liking, and I feel that the preordered meals lacked details (ie, chicken, beef, vegetarian). It would help if vegetarian indicated is it rice, pasta, salad? especially for the cost of the trip. Most breakfasts were at 7 am and departures at 745 am so there were no super early departure times. And Coober Pedy is definitely worth visiting.
Tasmania's Wilderness & Heritage tour with AAT Kings tour was a great small group tour. There was lots of room in our bus, they took us to really interesting places, accommodation was very comfortable. Lunches in wineries, the autumn colours were wonderful. Tour leader was informative . I would recommend this holiday for an enjoyable relaxing time away.
Fun tour and great sights. 0
Tastes of Southern Australia
Dawn and Gary, TX, United States, Mar 2026
We enjoyed this trip. The Great Icean Road was spectacular. We went to a reserve and saw multiple koalas in the wild. It was great to see the kangaroos and wallabies roaming around along the way. The tour director and bus driver were amazing. Kudos to Anna and Terry!!
Our New Zealand tour was well organised, very pleasant. All places we visited are of great interest. We would recommend future travellers to experience this tour.
Tour through the South of New Zealand 4
Southern Wonders
Leonardo and Francesca, Italy, Italy, Dec 2025
Booking on line with Global Journeys has been easy and very efficient, thanks to Tracey Standing helping us at every step of the procedure. The travel with AAT Kings has been enjoyable and well organized, inlcuded the comfort of the bus and the management of the bags, trhanks to the Travel Director Hope Horsley and the bus driver David. Lovely travellers. read more Good accomodations. Perhaps desirable some more stops to admire the scenery. We have appreciated vey much the option activities offered. We recommend the journey without any doubt.
4.7
Fantastic APT trip through The Kimberley & The Top End 0
Kimberley and Top End
Derek and Alison , New Zealand, Jun 2026
We booked our APT Tour using Global Journeys (Hannah). We had a fantastic time 10/10. 100% met (or actually exceeded) our expectations. Booking process was easy and Hannah helped us manage the process smoothly and always replied quickly to our queries. Trip itself was holiday of a lifetime. 20 of us in the group and we all became 'mates' very quickly. read more Driver / Tour guide Leigh was totally amazing, great personality, unbelievable knowledge and organised everything perfectly.
Highlights?? there are too many to mention, but helicopter ride over the Bunge Bungles would be in the top five. Walk to Mitchell Falls, tour through Arnhem Land / Kakadu National Park, huge selection of Aboriginal rock art to view, Emma Groge walk, numerous amazing swimming spots such as Zebedee Springs are just a few that come to mind. Accommodation at APT Wilderness Lodges (ensuite glamping) and the cuisine we were served was also another definite highlight. Only downside is that, due to the distances that need to be covered, we spent an average of five hours on the (very comfortable, with Starlink) 4WD bus and also this meant lots of early starts each day eg. breakfast at 6am for 6.45am departure. As long as you can handle this I say go for it, you will NOT be disappointed.
Highlights?? there are too many to mention, but helicopter ride over the Bunge Bungles would be in the top five. Walk to Mitchell Falls, tour through Arnhem Land / Kakadu National Park, huge selection of Aboriginal rock art to view, Emma Groge walk, numerous amazing swimming spots such as Zebedee Springs are just a few that come to mind. Accommodation at APT Wilderness Lodges (ensuite glamping) and the cuisine we were served was also another definite highlight. Only downside is that, due to the distances that need to be covered, we spent an average of five hours on the (very comfortable, with Starlink) 4WD bus and also this meant lots of early starts each day eg. breakfast at 6am for 6.45am departure. As long as you can handle this I say go for it, you will NOT be disappointed.
Fantastic Lake Eyre and Flinders Ranges 0
Lake Eyre and Flinders Ranges
Robert and Denise, QLD, Australia, May 2026
It was the trip of a lifetime. Lake Eyre lived up to its reputation and the Flinders Ranges were spectacular, with an amazing flight over Wilpena Pound. Meals were first class. The coach, operated by Gary. Was top notch. We couldn’t drive on two sections of the roads but APT chartered two planes on two occasions. Hannah from Globus is very professional and friendly.
From the start Grace was very helpful with our booking. Our trip itself was absolutely fantastic and we would highly recommend it. We felt so lucky the whole trip. We felt that travelling mid to late May was the perfect time to travel. The country was so lush and green and there was so many beautiful flowers to be seen, plus so much water in all the read more falls, yet we were earlier enough in the season to be ahead of most travellers as some roads were not yet open after such a late wet season. On that note we were absolutely delighted when APT flew our whole group from Drysdale station to their lodge at Mitchel Plateau as the road in was not open. The next day they then helicoptered the group up to the Mitchell falls and back again, as the walking track was also closed. This by itself ensured that we will be choosing to travel with APT for our future trips.
We were also lucky enough to be on a trip with two guides, Kylie and Dean. We are aware that other trips only had one guide. We feel having two guides added so much to our trip in a number of ways.
Firstly it allowed the driver (mainly Dean) to concentrate on driving, while the other guide (Kylie) did an outstanding job of setting a very happy and respectful tone on the bus. . She had obviously done an incredible amount of research which she shared with us daily about geographical features, cultural issues, and fauna and flora. This was interspersed with a couple of fun games and some music while giving enough quiet time for us to chat between ourselves or just take in the scenery.
The bus was always immaculately clean every morning and plenty of snacks made available to eat while on the bus.
Having the second guide also meant we felt a lot safer on our walks, with one guide leading the way while the other guide was at the rear helping those in the group who were a little slower or needed a bit more help to negotiate any tricky parts. All together this made for an amazing trip!
We were also lucky enough to be on a trip with two guides, Kylie and Dean. We are aware that other trips only had one guide. We feel having two guides added so much to our trip in a number of ways.
Firstly it allowed the driver (mainly Dean) to concentrate on driving, while the other guide (Kylie) did an outstanding job of setting a very happy and respectful tone on the bus. . She had obviously done an incredible amount of research which she shared with us daily about geographical features, cultural issues, and fauna and flora. This was interspersed with a couple of fun games and some music while giving enough quiet time for us to chat between ourselves or just take in the scenery.
The bus was always immaculately clean every morning and plenty of snacks made available to eat while on the bus.
Having the second guide also meant we felt a lot safer on our walks, with one guide leading the way while the other guide was at the rear helping those in the group who were a little slower or needed a bit more help to negotiate any tricky parts. All together this made for an amazing trip!
Lake Eyre and Flinders Ranges 0
Lake Eyre and Flinders Ranges
Barb and Garry, QLD, Australia, Apr 2026
Well arranged tour allows you to see & experience from the Flinders Ranges to the outback. The extended flights over Lake Eyre & the Diamantina to Birdsville were spectacular. Unique opportunity now to see the Lake Eyre in flood & desert in bloom.
Botanica Japan 0
Spring Gardens, Culture and History of Japan & South Korea by Small Ship
Bill and Yvonne, NSW, Australia, Apr 2026
The trip was really well organised & of high quality. All Botanica staff were excellent being both down to earth as well as knowledgeable. The ship & crew was excellent with the cabins being spacious & plenty of storage. The food was fabulous. The local guides were also fabulous. The trip was very well handled for us by Hannah Perry who is always pleasant.
This tour was from Uluru to Alice Springs over 7 days. Our tour guide/driver, Geery was an amazing guy whose knowledge and lifetime experience in the area gave us an insight into life in the region. Uluru was one place I have always wanted to visit and getting up close to the rock was a great experience. Accommodation and the meals at Sails was superb. read more We then had a couple of days at Kings Canyon before moving onto Alice and spending the day walking through the MacDonnell Ranges. Great experience walking into Simpson's Gap and Standley Chasm. Our last night was spent at the Outback Bush BBQ, a great way to end the tour. Thank you to Hannah from Global Journeys for organising this tour for me.
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