2022 Tours

The Great South-West Edge (WA)

CONFIRMED DEPARTURE – Just two places left

14 day tour | Sept 30 – Oct 13, 2022

This tour takes us to the far western edge of the Australian continent where we will be setting off on an adventure south of Perth, along its spectacular wildlife-rich coastline then looping back to Perth through the Australian outback. It’s also been timed to coincide with excellent times to go whale watching and see some of Western Australia’s spectacular array of wildflowers.

WA is Australia’s largest state, covering a third of the country’s landmass. It’s huge so I’m just concentrating on the region south of Perth- the Great South-Western Edge.

We’ll be visiting Perth and Fremantle, of course, but then heading south to the famous Busselton Jetty and underwater viewing gallery, taste some of the produce in the Margaret River wine region, taking a whale-watching cruise, go underground into the amazing Ngilgi Caves and visit the Cape Leeuwin heritage precinct.

We will also be riding the rails on the Pemberton historic tram, making a treetop walk through the rare and special Karri trees and visit the award-winning National ANZAC centre.

The Porongurup and Stirling Ranges national parks are on our itinerary as is the Unesco World Heritage Fitzgerald River National Park.

It’s also possible to combine this tour with a journey back to Sydney aboard the famous Indian Pacific railway, one of the world’s great train adventures.

Tasmania – The Grand Circuit (Tour Confirmed)

Oct 16 – Oct 30, 2022

We will be making a circuit of the island of Tasmania, taking in a long list of its beautiful scenic routes and locations and its historic highlights …this really is the very best of Tasmania. We’ll have time in Hobart (timed to coincide with the famous Salamanca markets), will cruise Peppermint Bay, taste gourmet food on a wilderness cruise to Bruny Island and board the West Coast Wilderness Railway.

There’s an overnight stay in the famous Cradle Mountain Lodge and a cruise through the Gordon River Wilderness Area and we will see Tasmanian devils and echidna in a special sanctuary, taste local wines, encounter local artists and craftspeople, enjoy lunch on a Wineglass Bay cruise, visit historic farm estates and, of course, explore the notorious Port Arthur convict settlement. There are plenty more highlights too – they are all outlined in the full itinerary, so do contact me or Moray at morayj@hot.co.nz so you can read more!

Oman and UAE

Nov 20 – Dec 5 (approx), 2022

This holiday will begin in Dubai with a special tour focusing on Dubai’s spectacular architecture and will include an elevator ride up the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

We’ll then travel to Sharjah and stroll through its souks (markets) and world class museums. Sharjah is a Unesco Cultural Capital of Arabian Culture. In Abu Dhabi we will visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi and a falcon hospital among other attractions.

We then move to Oman, an Arabian country that treasures its traditions and which I have travelled to in person before. There are no modern skyscrapers here but authentic Arabian experiences. We have a week to travel around the country visiting everything from builders of traditional Arabian dhows (small ships), oasis, date plantations and livestock markets, palaces and forts. We’ll also spend a night in comfort in a desert camp and meet the Bedouin people.

What I’m especially pleased about with this itinerary is that there are a number of meals with local families included, giving us a chance to meet people properly and understand a little more about their lives.

The Gulf States and Oman are an ideal way to get back into international travel after all the stresses and worries of the past two years as they have an excellent infrastructure for travellers, world class health care, hotel and food standards.