Just returned from a 9 day trip of the Kimberley’s. Beautiful, breathtaking and wonderful. Booked through Global Journeys over 3 years ago with COVID delays and Hannah Campbell navigated us through all the delays and rebooking with expertise. We travelled with APT, who didn’t quite deliver on the promoted itinerary, which was disappointing. However, read more Trish and Ellie - our Driver-Tour Guides we’re absolutely amazing and managed several curve balls with outstanding customer service and a smile. A great trip.
With regards to the accommodation, the APT Lodges were the best with some outstanding meals. Scott our Guide/Driver was exceptional with his knowledge, skill, and attention to our needs. The bus was very comfortable and very suitable for the dirt roads. Again, we thank Global Journeys and APT for all the care given to us. People need to take seriously read more the fitness level required because some of the walks were strenuous and a few people had falls or needed assistance getting over rocks and along tracks. With regards to the accommodation, the APT Lodges were the best with some outstanding meals. We would definitely travel with APT, especially if Global Journeys arranged our booking!
Apart from the initial issue with pick up from hotels which impacted most on our trip, the trip surpassed all our expectations and this was largely due to great APT tour guide Nick who made the trip a memorable one. The camping arrangement were excellent together with the evening dinning. I would highly recommend the trip to the Kimberley’s with APT.
Kimberley wilderness adventures and top end cruise by APT 2
Urai & Gregory, NSW, Australia, Jul 2022
We feel very privilege to be able to get on the cruise after 2 years of restrictions and COVID 19 lockdowns. it was a wonderful adventure which has been carefully planned by a group of scientists employed by Ponant , we had a meeting in the evening to review what we saw during our expeditions by zodiac during the day and the following day programs, read more very rare experience of the country. the scenery of ancient rock formation and old history and rock arts of first nation, the fresh warm air and pristine water make this trip a very memorable one. We enjoyed the 5-7 course meals (French cuisine) every day for 11 days!
The Kimberley's, what a vast and wonderful part of our country. Don't miss the Bungle Bungles and all the springs in the area. The worst part of the holiday was the APT camps and the meals, and homesteads, the evening meals were cold.
We thoroughly enjoyed our Kimberley cruise. The crew were lovely, and efficient, and the expedition team were great… very knowledgeable and helpful. The cabin was spacious and comfortable. The food was great.. with lots of variety, but also not huge portion sizes ( which I appreciated ). We did have a few COVID cases on board… but the Captain was very read more good with keeping us informed on what was happening. A great and comfortable way to see the Kimberley coast.
This tour by APT provided some of those 'Outstanding' life experiences. The booking process and care via Tracey and Global Journeys proved to be an invaluable start.
As a first-time traveller to the outback, who knew the drive from the airport to town of Yulara would see us pass 'the Rock'! On arrival we met our driver/guide Kym who shared his love read more of this wonderful country. He proved to be a congenial host and knowledgeable resource with very capable hands behind the wheel in such isolated areas.
For a journey that included Uluru in its glory at both dawn and dusk to Coober Pedy and back to the Flinstone's era; William Creek where we met Trevor Wright who developed a thriving community; the fascinating and hospitable Birdsville Hotel with nearby Diamantina River; a flight over a full Lake Eyre teeming with birdlife; time through Wilpena Pound and their efforts to cultivate local flora and fauna; then via Claire Valley to Adelaide and time at Kangaroo Island - meeting the locals, especially the sea lions in their home environment.
An unexpected highlight was a visit to Parachilna (north of Adelaide) and the Prairie Hotel (a real gem with fabulous luncheon cuisine and hospitality). Obviously travelling in such remote areas everything can't be perfect and the Maree Hotel fitted the bill - not just basic, make sure you take your own soap. Something most impressive was for the number of travellers that pass this way, there was no litter - making the journey extra special. Highly recommend!!
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.
I have just returned from my unforgettable trip through Australia. The Kimberley and the Top End tour was just stunning. It was the tour of a life time, absolutely fantastic in every respect. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful, walking through gorges, swimming in billabongs, sleeping in luxurious APT bush camps and amazing food in the middle of read more nowhere. Seeing Australia's wildlife and nature, the countryside's diversity by boat and helicopter was just unbelievably beautiful.
We were a lovely group of 16 people, all Australians apart from me. We got on very well and we had lots of fun. Beginning of June was a perfect time as we were fortunate enough to still see lots of waterfalls and crossing quite a few creeks. Our guide Leigh was great with an extensive knowledge of the outback, aboriginal rock art and the culture of the Aboriginal people. Our bus was the most immaculate one in the whole of the Kimberley considering travelling on dirt tracks for over 3,000 kilometres. The Kimberley is a special place which every Australian should experience and book through Global Journeys. My special thanks to Georgie who was easy to communicate with and helpful at all times. Thank you so much.
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.
Private Jet Tour WA 1
GJ, ACT, Australia, May 2022
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.
Amazing tour of Western Australia 1
Theresa & Michael, ACT, Australia, May 2022
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.
Kimberleys 1
Martin & Jonathan, NSW, Australia, May 2022
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!
Despite being incredibly disappointed with APT's booking errors meaning we missed out on staying at El Questro and visiting Emma Gorge, our APT tour of the Kimberley was an amazing experience. Our tour guide Taimi was knowledgeable, organised and fun and we can't speak highly enough of her and our tour "truck" was comfortable and a great way to see read more this region. The glamping tents, meals and the APT lodges were fabulous but the accommodation booked to replace El Questro was in a building site - great new rooms and good food but not what we expected for such an expensive tour. If our itinerary had followed the itinerary we paid for, we would have easily given this tour a 5 star rating.
Kakadu and the Kimberley with APT along the Gibb River Road
1
Kimberley and Top End
Robert , NSW, Australia, May 2022
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.
We eventually got to experience this trip after several years of cancellations due to Covid. So glad we decided to bite the bullet and go ahead in May, regardless of the threat of Covid. May I say the level of cleaning on both the Rocky Mountaineer, our APT Coach (thank you Lennie for your wonderful driving, witty comments and dedicated hand sanitising read more duties) and the incredible Holland America Zuiderdam ship, was outstanding.
Sure, we had to wear our masks on occasions, but I think that we all appreciated the extra level of safety they gave. The trip was very good. Our Tour Director, Jaqi, was fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble and she made sure everyone was looked after and didn't have to worry about a thing. She was very informative and friendly and made our trip so easy. The accommodations were beautiful (my only regret was that we couldn't stay longer in some places - especially Jasper. The Fairmont at Jasper was beautiful - gorgeous cabins in an outstanding location). I think most of our group shared this sentiment, as there were a few long days (early starts) on the Coach, but we covered quite a lot of ground.
The cruise to Alaska was amazing - Glacier Bay - wow. It was very relaxing and it was a shame when it all came to an end. We had a fantastic group of people, who all got on extremely well and we had lots of fun. Thanks again to Jaqi and Lennie for making the trip so effortless. Thanks to Georgie at Global Journeys for her help over the last two years in eventually getting us to Canada/Alaska after all the cancellations etc due to the pandemic.
Everything was superb bar one. The boat, the cabin, the hotel staff on the boat, the expedition team and the musicians were all wonderful. We had a totally enjoyable time. Fellow travellers were all very nice. Food and drinks were very good.
According to our personal itinerary we were supposed to go to Hilton Darwin at 3.30 pm May 6 2022 to be taken read more by bus at 3.45pm to the embarkation pier. But it was changed to 12.30 pm, No one informed us. No phones calls, no SMS, no email. Quite a few of our fellow passengers who stayed at Hilton Darwin also were not informed of the change. As our luck had it we went to Hilton Darwin on May 5 2022 just to check out the place and found out that departure was changed to 12.30pm. Even then we thought it was only for travellers staying in Hilton Darwin. In any case we went to Hilton Darwin at 12 noon to have lunch and only then did we realise that the 12.30 pm departure applied to everyone.
APT are to be congratulated on the way they have put this tour together. There are times when you're out in the back of beyond but the accommodation is always clean, fully serviced and more than comfortable and the catering for meals is superb. Our tour guides/drivers, Adam and Kym, were at "Oracle" level with their knowledge of the places we went to, read more the people we met , their customs and history, the sights we saw and the roads we travelled. Getting a shot of a yellow-footed rock-wallaby in the wilds of Brachina Gorge is just 1 of the highlights. This was my 1st tour with APT and I'll definitely be back.
Travelled on APT Caledonian Sky 9 night cruise from Broome to Darwin late May 2022. We had the most wonderful time. The sights and experiences were unforgettable and we loved every moment of the cruise. Very professional, very organised, food above expectations. Cannot fault any aspect of this trip. Special thanks to Hannah at Global Journeys for read more her assistance over the past couple of years as we maneuvered our way through COVID and cancelled trips. Hannah was always timely in her responses and kept us informed of any new developments. Will certainly book through Hannah and Global Journeys for future trips.
Missed Maralinga 1
Jonelle & David, VIC, Australia, Apr 2022
Maralinga & Eyre Peninsula tour in April was quite good in most respects, but various things, such as some accommodation and roadside picnics, we’re not up to our expectations, given the cost and APT’s reputation.
The Maralinga flights were cancelled due fog in William Creek. Pilots should have positioned to Ceduna the night before. We were told this read more had happened before, so APT and William Creek Air should be prepared with alternative Maralinga visit plans. Almost two weeks after this non-event, we have heard nothing from APT re compensation for this full day nonevent. It’s cost would have been a substantial portion of the whole tour. Very disappointed.
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