22 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner

Max 16, avg 12

Eating is a big part of traveling. Travelling with G Adventures you experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available out in the world. Generally meals are not included in the trip price when there is a choice of eating options, to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility, though generally food is cheap. Our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other’s company. There is no obligation to do this though. Your Expedition Leader will be able to suggest favourite restaurants during your trip. On truck trips in Africa, aboard the M/S Expedition or our Galapagos yachts, while trekking in remote regions etc. food is included, plentiful and made of fresh local ingredients. The above information applies to G Adventures group trips. For Independent trips please check the itinerary for details of meals included. For all trips please refer to the meals included and budget information for included meals and meal budgets.

National Geographic Journeys

You must be 18 to travel unaccompanied on a G Adventures tour. For minors travelling with a guardian over 21 years old, the minimum age is 12.

1) WIFI/Internet Access

Please be aware that wifi and internet access is not as readily available in Australia and New Zealand as in other parts of the world. There are often additional charges to connect to the internet, and speeds may be slower than what you are used to.

2) Baggage Allowance

The internal flights on this tour have strict baggage limits of 1 item/20kg for checked baggage, and 7kg for carry-on – this may be lower than your international flight baggage limits. Additional checked baggage cannot be purchased ahead of time. However, you may be able to purchase this in person upon check-in at the airport, subject to availability and at your own expense.

3) Public Holidays

Over public holidays in Australia and New Zealand (such as Christmas, New Years Day, Easter, and Anzac Day) there may be some limitations of services and disruptions to schedules. In general our tours still operate effectively over public holidays, but there may be closures of optional activities and restaurants, and slight itinerary adjustments in order to provide all tour inclusions.

4) Combo Trip

Please note that this tour combines with other G Adventures tours. As such, the staff and some travel companions on your tour may have previously been traveling together with G Adventures, prior to Day 1 of your tour. Likewise, some staff and travel companions may be continuing together on another G Adventures tour, after your trip concludes.

5) Great Ocean Road Optional Activity

Due to exceptional demand, if you are interested in participating in the 12 Apostles, Otways & Great Ocean Road optional activity, it must be pre-booked in order to secure a spot during your tour.

6) ACCOMMODATION NOTE:

Please be aware that properties we stay in with only two stories may not have elevators installed and climbing the stairs with your luggage will be necessary.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Bookings for the America’s Cup are at either 11am, 1pm or 2pm – this is dependant on the season and availability. Please be sure to reconfirm your sailing 24 hours prior by phoning Explore (while in New Zealand): 0800 397 567 or International: +64 9 359 5987.

National Geographic Expedition Leader

This trip uses comfortable 3 star hotels, well located in cities and close to National Parks. Our chosen hotels vary in size, character, and amenities, but are of a very good standard, and the rooms are double occupancy with a private bathroom.

The max luggage allowance on domestic flights within Australia & New Zealand is 1 checked bag (20 kgs) and 1 carry on (7 kgs) per person.

You will be on the move a lot, so our advice is to pack as lightly as possible.

We recommend using a backpack for your convenience, or a medium-sized suitcase if you prefer. Heavy luggage is not recommended for the health of the Expedition Leader, who will take a lead in loading the storage trailer. Due to space in the trailer, we will not be able to accommodate more than one piece of main luggage per person. A good size day-pack (20-35L) is also essential to carry your personal gear for the day, as access to luggage between destinations will be limited. This daypack will be used to carry your personal gear for the day, your lunch and a water bottle.

Every traveller is different and therefore spending money requirements will vary. Some travellers may drink more than others while other travellers like to purchase more souvenirs than most. Please consider your own spending habits when it comes to allowing for drinks, shopping and tipping. Please also remember the following specific recommendations when planning your trip.

Please note that American Express is not widely accepted in Australia and it is highly recommended to bring other forms of payment.

Visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre at Aoraki/Mount Cook to explore exhibits and a theatre presentation about mountaineering in the Southern Alps. Learn how Hillary’s early climbs in this region helped develop the skills behind his 1953 ascent of Everest with Tenzing Norgay.

The centre places that achievement within a wider history of alpine exploration. Its setting makes the connection tangible: the mountains beyond are part of the terrain that challenged and shaped New Zealand climbers.

Meet Kuku Yalanji guides at Cooya Beach near Port Douglas for an exclusive cultural visit. Take part in a welcome ceremony and observe a smoking ceremony while your hosts explain the meaning and purpose of these practices.

The beach and surrounding coastal country provide the setting for learning directly from community members. Rather than presenting the ceremonies as a performance alone, the experience centres the knowledge and continuing traditions of the people who host it.

Walk through central Auckland with your Expedition Leader for a brief introduction to New Zealand’s largest city. Get your bearings, locate useful places and pick up suggestions for exploring independently.

Set beside the Waitemata Harbour, Auckland brings together Maori heritage and communities from across the Pacific and beyond. This is a practical, leader-led orientation rather than an in-depth guided city tour.

Meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and fellow travellers at a hosted welcome meeting in Auckland. Hear what to expect across New Zealand and Australia and get practical guidance for travelling with the small group.

It is a chance to put faces to names, ask questions and begin sharing discoveries before the excursions begin. An informal meal may follow, but it is not included as part of the meeting.

Cross the Waitemata Harbour by ferry to Waiheke Island and tour its vineyards, sampling local wines amid coastal views. Learn how viticulture developed in New Zealand and what makes the island’s wine-growing setting distinctive.

Waiheke’s sheltered slopes support vineyards within easy reach of Auckland, while beaches and bays give the island a noticeably slower rhythm. The return ferry offers another perspective on the harbour and city skyline.

Explore the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and take a quiet boat ride beneath thousands of tiny lights. In the darkness, glowworms illuminate the cavern ceiling above water shaped by underground streams.

These limestone caves formed over millions of years and have a long history of guided visits. The glowworms are native to New Zealand; their blue-green light turns this geological landscape into an encounter with one of the country’s most unusual species.

Join an expert-led private tour of the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua to learn how kiwi eggs and chicks are cared for. Discover the work involved in helping young birds survive before they are ready for release.

The flightless kiwi is a national symbol, but its wild populations face threats from introduced predators. The hatchery offers a close look at the practical conservation effort behind protecting this elusive, largely nocturnal bird.

Get acquainted with central Christchurch on a brief walk with your Expedition Leader. Identify useful landmarks and gather local tips for exploring the South Island’s largest city independently.

Christchurch combines long-established gardens and heritage buildings with a city centre reshaped following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. This leader-led walk is intended to help you find your way, rather than provide a detailed guided sightseeing tour.

Ride the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch towards Arthur’s Pass, watching the Canterbury Plains give way to river valleys, beech forest and the Southern Alps. Broad windows make the changing terrain the centre of the experience.

The route crosses a landscape shaped by mountain uplift and glacial rivers, revealing the scale of New Zealand’s South Island interior. If the train is not operating, the group travels through the Southern Alps by road on a similar scenic route.

Watch sheepdogs work with their handlers on a Canterbury farm and take part in a sheep-shearing demonstration. Hear directly from local people about the skills and daily work involved in caring for a flock.

Sheep farming has helped shape New Zealand’s rural economy and landscape for generations. A barbecue lunch prepared with locally sourced ingredients rounds out this hands-on introduction to a working agricultural tradition.

Observe the Southern Hemisphere night sky with local experts near Lake Tekapo, within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. From purpose-built observation areas, look for stars, planets and the Milky Way, with guidance on photographing celestial sights.

The reserve protects unusually dark skies above the Mackenzie Basin. Guides help turn a sky full of unfamiliar patterns into a readable landscape, although visibility and the start time depend on the season and weather.

Follow the Kea Point track with a guide in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. This relatively easy walk opens onto views of Mount Sefton, the Hooker Valley, Mueller Glacier Lake and, when conditions allow, Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Glacial activity has sculpted the valleys and left a rugged landscape of rock, ice and braided waterways. The walk brings the Southern Alps into close view without requiring a technical climb; mountain weather can still change quickly.

Explore historic Arrowtown with a brief orientation from your Expedition Leader. Get an introduction to this former gold-mining settlement and pointers for discovering its preserved streets independently.

Old miners’ cottages, churches and the Chinese Settlement speak to the different communities drawn to Otago’s nineteenth-century gold rush. The hosted portion is a short orientation; visits to individual buildings or museums are not included in it.

Cruise through Fiordland National Park with naturalist guides, passing steep cliffs and waterfalls in either Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound, depending on departure. Watch for fur seals, dolphins, penguins and seabirds along the shore and water.

These deep fiords were carved by glaciers and are bordered by temperate rainforest. Travelling by boat reveals the height of the rock walls and the remoteness of one of New Zealand’s most dramatic protected landscapes.

Walk Melbourne’s laneways with a culinary storyteller and enjoy lunch across three venues: an Asian entrée with wine, an Italian main course with wine, and gelato for dessert. The guided experience uses food to introduce the city’s neighbourhoods and their influences.

Generations of migration have shaped Melbourne’s dining culture, with flavours from Europe and Asia woven into everyday city life. The small streets and busy restaurants provide the setting for a taste of that history.

Visit Bruce Munro’s Field of Light at dawn near Ulu?u. See the installation’s many illuminated stems spread across the desert foreground as the sky brightens, with Ulu?u visible in the distance.

The artwork places points of light within the outback landscape, creating a striking contrast between an arranged display and the natural changes of sunrise. Arriving before daylight lets you observe both the installation and its setting in transition.

Walk through Sydney with your Expedition Leader to see familiar harbour landmarks and explore The Rocks, the waterfront neighbourhood associated with the city’s earliest European settlement.

The area’s lanes and older buildings preserve part of colonial Sydney, while the harbour and surrounding land hold longstanding significance for Indigenous peoples. This is a leader-led orientation that introduces the setting, not a detailed tour of individual historic sites.

Go behind the scenes at the Sydney Opera House on a private group tour. Enter performance spaces and learn how their design affects acoustics, while hearing about the architects, engineers and artists who brought the building to life.

Danish architect Jørn Utzon’s sail-like design transformed Sydney Harbour’s skyline and became a landmark of twentieth-century architecture. Seeing the theatres from inside reveals a working performing-arts venue, not simply the celebrated exterior.

Cruise Sydney Harbour aboard a private yacht, navigating bays and coves while the crew shares stories about the city. Enjoy a casual Australian barbecue and a glass of wine or beer on board.

From the water, take in views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House as daylight fades and city lights begin to appear. The approximately four-hour cruise combines harbour sightseeing with a hosted dinner experience.

Walk through the rainforest at Mossman Gorge with an Indigenous guide, learning how Kuku Yalanji people understand and use plants in this environment. Discover bush-food sources, see a demonstration of ochre painting and sample bush tea.

Mossman Gorge lies within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, where dense forest grows beside clear waterways. The interpretation connects the rainforest’s living ecology with continuing Kuku Yalanji knowledge. This experience is scheduled for departures through 2026; later departures have a different included excursion.

Visit Kuranda Village and ride the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway on departures operating after 31 December 2026. See the rainforest canopy from above while travelling through Queensland’s Wet Tropics region.

Kuranda sits among the forested ranges inland from Cairns, offering a different perspective on the tropical landscape. This included experience replaces the Mossman Gorge Indigenous rainforest walk on those departures; the supplied itinerary does not specify further activities within the village.

Sail from Port Douglas to the Outer Great Barrier Reef on a full-day catamaran excursion. Join a guided snorkel to see coral and reef fish, or use a glass-bottom boat for a view without entering the water. Snorkelling equipment and lunch are included.

The reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. The journey also offers coastal views towards the Daintree Rainforest before reaching the marine habitats that make this a defining Queensland experience.

Join the crew of an America’s Cup-style yacht on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour. Help with sailing tasks where invited, or take in the harbour and city views from the deck of a competitive sailing vessel.

Auckland’s strong sailing culture gives this hands-on outing a fitting home. It is an optional extra at additional cost that should be arranged before the tour; its scheduled time may make an extra night in Auckland advisable.

Soak in a geothermal hot pool in Rotorua if you choose to visit one of the town’s bathing venues independently. The warm mineral-rich water offers a relaxing way to experience the volcanic activity beneath the region.

Rotorua’s springs are part of a landscape of geothermal vents and heated ground closely connected to local Maori history. This is an optional activity at additional cost; ask your Expedition Leader about available venues and booking options on tour.

Cruise Lake Wakatipu aboard a historic steamer for views of Queenstown from the water. Take in the surrounding mountain ranges and the town’s lakeside setting during this independently chosen outing.

The long, narrow lake was formed by glaciers, and travelling across it reveals the scale of the alpine landscape around Queenstown. This is an optional experience at additional cost; ask your Expedition Leader about bookable sailings on tour.

Experience a jet-boat ride around Queenstown for a fast-paced encounter with the region’s waterways. Specialist boats accelerate and manoeuvre on the water, bringing an adrenaline-focused alternative to quieter alpine sightseeing.

Jet boating is closely associated with New Zealand adventure travel, and Queenstown is one of its best-known centres. This is an optional activity at additional cost; ask your Expedition Leader about operators, suitability and booking availability on tour.

Visit a winery in the Queenstown area to sample local vintages and learn about wine production in Central Otago. A tasting offers a slower-paced way to explore the region beyond the town’s adventure activities.

Central Otago is particularly known for Pinot Noir grown in a cool-climate, inland setting. This is an optional experience at additional cost; ask your Expedition Leader about available winery visits and bookings on tour.

Travel the Great Ocean Road on an optional excursion from Melbourne, following Victoria’s Southern Ocean coast towards the Otways and the Twelve Apostles limestone stacks. Expect sea-cliff scenery and a marked contrast with the city’s laneways.

Wind and waves continue to shape this exposed coastline, carving its cliffs and offshore formations. The excursion is at additional cost and must be pre-booked to secure a place; it should not be left until arrival on tour.

Walk through Whirinaki Rainforest with a Maori guide, learning about ancient podocarp trees, native birds and plants traditionally used for medicine. At Maori-owned Kohutapu Lodge in the Murupara area, watch a hangi prepared in an earth oven and share the resulting lunch with your hosts.

A short hike leads to sacred rock carvings and a discussion of their significance. Kohutapu is also a community-focused social enterprise rooted in Ngati Manawa tribal lands, giving the visit a direct connection to local people and place.

Visit the Ulu?u–Kata Tju?a Cultural Centre to learn about A?angu beliefs and customs, and walk with a guide beside Ulu?u. Explore sections of its northwest and southern sides while hearing about the area’s history and living cultural significance.

Ulu?u is part of a UNESCO World Heritage-listed landscape recognised for both natural and cultural values. Walking close to the sandstone formation reveals details missed from a distance; tracks may close in extreme heat.

Walk among the red domes of Kata Tju?a in Ulu?u–Kata Tju?a National Park. Explore on foot for a closer view of the rock formations, desert vegetation and changing textures of the outback landscape.

Though often associated with nearby Ulu?u, Kata Tju?a has its own distinct form and deep significance to the A?angu traditional owners. Walking access depends on park conditions, and tracks may close when temperatures become unsafe.

Watch the sunset over Ulu?u from a viewing area in the national park. As the light lowers, look for shifts in the sandstone’s colour against the surrounding desert.

The formation’s appearance changes with the angle and quality of sunlight, making this a focused opportunity for viewing and photography rather than a walk. It is also a moment to appreciate Ulu?u as a place of continuing importance to its A?angu traditional owners.