Why go on Tours in Australia
Going on Tours is part of any trip when travelling around Australia. Travelling by yourself is the most exciting thing you can do, but at times, it can be challenging, also to the most experienced travellers. There are many good reasons for joining tours and it can be a rewarding way of discovering Australia’s most remote areas.
In fact, wilderness areas, in the Australian Outback and the rainforests in North Tropical Queensland can only be accessed by local tour operators and indigenous people who can guarantee the conservation of those fragile eco-systems. And they make sure they can transfer their knowledge and cultural traditions to visitors in a very authentic way.
So there are benefits of joining local tours of Australia.
Why travelling around Australia on Tours?
That being said, there are many reasons for choosing to explore Australia on tour or maybe combining both tours to independent travels. Many people prefer joining a tour rather than travelling independently. It is more relaxing and almost no work and no stress.
Alone the trip planning is a lot of work that you must do by yourself or with the help of trusted travel planning services.
Some people cherish to travel in style, some love to have a break after a camping trip or a road trip or want to get to know new people and love the idea of travelling in a small group with like-minded travellers.
Australia indeed offers the most diverse types of tours that are hard to beat.
The choice of tours in Australia is big. From international to Australian based tour operators to independent privately owned local tour companies, you are spoilt for choice. While travellers may be motivated to explore a country on tours by different reasons, they all seem to have something in common. And travellers want to experience the uniqueness of a place through the eyes of the locals.
That added-value of the live-experience that only a local tour guide has. The precious knowledge about a place, the firsthand knowledge of the tradition and culture, makes the real difference. This is something that cannot be found on any travel books. Either cultural, food tours, adventure or speciality tours, everyone wants to learn from the locals what is unique about the place they are visiting.
Tips for choosing the right Australia Tours
So far, so good. To choose an Australia tour as a way of exploring a place sounds a pretty good idea. But when it comes to choosing the right tour, it is not as easy as it may seem at first, especially for international travellers who need to spend hours and invest much of their time searching for sites and reading travellers reviews.
Most of the times, choosing a tour can be overwhelming. In fact, there are so many questions about group travel. And not to all there is always an answer.
What key factors make a good tour for Australia?
How do you compare companies before booking your Australia Tours? How do you make sure to pick the tour that is good value for your money? I have put together a few tips to keep you on track while searching for good-value for money Tours.
Use good websites that compare all available tours. Depending on the type of tour you are searching, these are the best 3 booking sites to recommend booking Australia Tours.
GetYourGuide is the best international travel website that searches thousands of day-trips all over the world. It’s the best tool for brainstorming top-rated day-tours across Australia.
They keep adding new tours every day, so check them out regularly.
- Select 2-3 tours that match your criteria and then drill down. Take a closer look at each tour.
- Check carefully what the selected tours cover and not cover: meals, drinks, extras, etc.
- Use a checkbox for important things such as travel style, many travellers in the group, level of fitness required; activities included free time, etc.
- Look for online tour reviews by travellers on Social Media like Facebook, TripAdvisor. Some websites do have a review page where travellers can leave their testimonial about the tour too.
- Ask friends and fellow travellers for referrals and value word-of-mouth recommendations.
All Tours of Australia
Here are some Australian tours that I took and were a good investment. Click the links below to read my reviews.
Australia Day Tours For Solos
An Eco-Snorkeling Tour on the Great Barrier Reef
I really enjoyed this kids-free snorkelling tour in a small group of 12. Starting from Port Douglas, we headed out on a beautiful eco-catamaran to Low Isle, where we formed two guided-groups of people and snorkelled close to the shore. The sailing trip included sunset and champagne!
Margaret River Wine Tour
One of the best wine & food tours I had in South Western Australia. If you want a passionate, knowledgeable local to show you the Margaret River Wineries and the best local produce, this is the tour.
Barossa Valley Food Experience
I went on this day trip from Adelaide. I really enjoyed my time, visited 5 wineries and learnt so much about the Barossa region from the tour guide.
Lake Argyle River Cruise
This is another great day-tour in the Australian Outback. Excellent if you love sunsets and want to explore the Eastern Kimberley.
A scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles
This is not a cheap day-tour, but if you are on a tight schedule from Kununurra, you can visit the Bungle Bungles on a day with a flight + walking tour Purnunulu National Park.
Ballooning on the Gold Coast
This was my second hot-air balloon and loved to soar over the Gold Coast. Check out my experience in 2016.
Sydney Helicopter Scenic Flight
This is a must-have experience. However not ideal for solo travellers, since these flights start from 2-3 people. So if you are lucky to get paired with someone else, you will be able to fly.
Melbourne Hot-Air Balloon Ride
This was my first experience on a hot-air balloon. Waking up at 3.30 am is not fun but it’s worth the breathtaking views that you get at sunrise over Melbourne and the bay. Click to read about my experience.
Top Australian Outback Tours that you are unlikely to do on your own
Flinders Ranges Outback Tour
I went on a 3-day Outback Adventure to explore this remote area of South Australia: One of the most ancient Outback Areas of Australia. Can highly recommend it if you haven’t been to this area before. It’s huge, and you will save lots of time and hassle with this local tour operator who has been around for over 35 years.
A 4WD Adventure from Cairns to Cooktown
I spent 2 days from Cairns to Cooktown on a four-wheel adventure.
A 4WD Kimberley Adventure
Crossing the Kimberley from Broome to Kununurra was an epic adventure tour I can recommend to first-time travellers to North-Western Australia. It’s almost impossible to explore this area alone, even if you are an expert four-wheel-driver.
This page will be updated regularly with new resources and tips for finding the best Australia Tours.
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Multi-day Tours Around Australia
If you are looking for 10 days or longer tour of Australia, then TourRadar is the best site for it. It’s a comparison website that operates in Europe, Australia and America. This is a short of scanner for multiple-days tours worldwide. They search across a big pool of local and international tour operators from the most known names to small boutique tour companies. This is an excellent website if you want to go for at least 7-10 days or a couple of weeks tour around Australia.
You can check their current Travel Deals Page For Australia.
First published in 2013, last updated in Jan 2023
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