South Australian Outback Adventure
South Australian Outback Adventure
South Australian Outback Adventure
8 Days Starting and ending in Adelaide, Australia
Visiting: Adelaide, Flinders Ranges, Arkaroola Village, Marree, Coober Pedy, Port Augusta, The Barossa
Tour operator:
Tour code:
SAMCF25
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
Embark on the South Australian Outback Adventure, a captivating journey through Australia's rugged landscapes. Begin in Adelaide, exploring its vibrant culture before venturing into the Clare Valley for a taste of award-winning wines. Discover the ancient beauty of the Flinders Ranges and the ghost town of Farina. Experience the thrill of a scenic flight over Lake Eyre and the Anna Creek Painted Hills, and delve into the underground world of Coober Pedy. Marvel at the celestial wonders in Arkaroola and the vast saltpans of Lake Hart. Conclude your adventure in the renowned Barossa Valley, savoring exquisite wines and breathtaking views. With comfortable accommodations and expert guides, this tour promises an unforgettable exploration of South Australia's natural and cultural treasures.
Make Travel Matter
Arkaroola has established an education and research foundation to foster an interest in science, education and conservation. AAT Kings donates $10 for every guest who visits.
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome To Adelaide
Location: Adelaide
Accommodation Name: HotelMotel Adelaide
The South Australian capital often flies under the radar - locals like it that way, happy keeping their buzzing dining precincts, glorious gardens, and on-your-doorstep wineries to themselves. But the secret is well and truly out, and over the course of the afternoon you'll discover just how diverse Adelaide really is. Touring the city after your welcome drink, you'll cover every interest base: sports (Adelaide Oval), horticulture (the Botanic Garden), culture (the Art Gallery of South Australia), and food (Adelaide Central Market). Tonight, why not wander up to the foodie hub of North Terrace? The city offers plenty of eateries in which to while away your evening.
Day 2: Adelaide - Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park
Location: Flinders Ranges
Accommodation Name: Wilpena Pound Resort
Meals Included: Dinner
You don’t have to travel far from Adelaide to be surrounded by vines. In fact, just 1.5 hours north lies the Clare Valley, and therein one of Australia’s most awarded wineries. Knappstein Enterprise Winery’s roots reach back to 1878, which yields extremely tasty drops, as you’ll discover at the cellar door before lunch in the Clare Valley’s atmospheric central town. It’s the best way to ease into the wide-open, otherworldly spaces of the Flinders Ranges – your commute is a short journey by coach, but it transports you to seemingly Martian landscapes, some 800 million years in the making and home to the Adnyamathanha people for tens of thousands of years. The Indigenous community owns and manages your base for the night, Wilpena Pound Resort, and they’ll welcome you with spirit and soul.
Day 3: Wilpena Pound - Arkaroola
Location: Arkaroola Village
Accommodation Name: Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary
Meals Included: Dinner
The cliffs and craters and ravishing red rocks of the Flinders Ranges shine brightly in the morning sun, your outlook particularly pretty from Wangara Lookout. From this vantage, you’ll enjoy expansive views over the natural amphitheatre that is Wilpena Pound. It’s an awe-inspiring way to start the day, before your journey carves north through dramatic gorges. Keep your eyes peeled for endangered yellow-footed rock wallabies – only 2,250 remain in Australia, and most call this part of the country home. You’ll begin to understand why they favour the South Australian outback when you arrive in Arkaroola, characterised by ancient granite mountains and golden spinifex covered hillsides and providing a vantage over Lake Frome and the desert beyond. But the real stars here are those overhead, as you’ll discover on an astronomy tour that brings the dazzling night sky into full focus. Prepare to be humbled – in the best possible way.
Day 4: Arkaroola - Marree
Location: Marree
Accommodation Name: Marree Hotel
Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner
What was happening in Arkaroola 1.6 billion years ago? Your local guide will help decode the region’s mind-boggling geological history as you navigate the steep slopes and hair-raising ascents of the Ridgetop Track. Plants here are found nowhere else on the planet, and gorges are so vast that they seem to cleave off the edge of the earth. A patina follows your journey northwest to the Ochre Cliffs outside Lyndhurst, where an artist’s smudge of fiery hues paints the countryside all the way to the horizon. It’s as sacred as it is spectacular, with the Indigenous community having utilised the rich clay soil in ceremonies for centuries. You can see why this part of Australia was attractive to the 1800s settlers of nearby Farina – but you’ll also learn why they departed, leaving an eerie ghost town on the outskirts of Marree, where you’ll lay your swimming head for the night.
Day 5: Marree - Coober Pedy
Location: Coober Pedy
Accommodation Name: Desert Cave Hotel
Much of the South Australian outback exists because of the old Ghan Railway, click-clacking from Adelaide to Darwin. Plenty of history will be revealed on your morning’s journey along the Oodnadatta Track, perhaps only outshone by the natural drama of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. Australia’s largest inland lake is – most of the time – a shimmering saltpan covering hundreds of square kilometres, yet is occasionally transformed by desert downpours into a thriving oasis. You’ll have the chance to glimpse it from the air, your bird’s-eye view unfolding beneath you like a work of art. Speaking of art – your included scenic flight will also pass over the Anna Creek Painted Hills, a rocky outcrop that literally pops out of the flat desert, creating silhouettes resembling cartoon characters. Touch down to explore the otherworldly countryside before jetting on to your destination for the next two nights, Coober Pedy, brimming with compelling quirks and subterranean adventures.
Day 6: Coober Pedy Sightseeing
Location: Coober Pedy
Accommodation Name: Desert Cave Hotel
Meals Included: Dinner
Coober Pedy’s many attractions lie primarily below the earth’s surface. Due to the aboveground heat (temperatures can soar) many locals choose to take up a subterranean residence as well. Once you’ve explored this fascinating community – including fossicking for opals in surrounding mines – look further afield to Aboriginal owned Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park, where you’ll travel along a stretch of the Dog Fence: a barrier spanning 5,300 kilometres across three states. As mind-boggling as the construction is, it pales in comparison to the setting’s moonscape of fossilised shells and cracked grey clay. It has provided the ideal setting for Hollywood blockbusters like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The only thing more surreal than the natural landscape is the constructed one this afternoon at Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Club, where the fairways are dirt and sand. That’s one for the record books. Pick up a club to thump balls around the oil-soaked putting green. And then learn more about the region’s history at the Big Winch 360º, a ‘circlevision’ cinematic experience that envelops you and takes you on a journey along SA’s Explorer’s Way. Make no mistake – this show is as big as the outback, and as unique as the people that call it home. It's where you have dinner tonight.
Day 7: Coober Pedy - Port Augusta
Location: Port Augusta
Accommodation Name: Majestic Oasis Apartments
It’s hard to imagine landscapes more dramatic than those you’ll have experienced so far. But the bar is officially raised by those at Lake Hart, another vast saltpan that sparked a community in the 1930s. Today, it’s all but deserted, the isolation reminding you that Mother Nature always rules. The vastness of the South Australian outback here was no doubt one of the reasons why it – specifically Woomera – was chosen to become the world’s largest military land base. Established by the British in 1947, the countryside here has been a testing base for atomic bombs, ballistic missiles and satellite boosters. It’s a piece of Australian history few know of, but that you will leave appreciating, as you head toward your evening’s repose in the natural harbour of Port Augusta.
Day 8: Port Augusta - The Barossa - Depart Adelaide
Location: The Barossa
The Barossa needs no introduction – your journey today will take in one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, and local makers know a thing or two about creating memorable vintages. Lambert Estate reveals some of the finest regional drops, your lunchtime tipples complemented by glorious views over the vines. Cheers to that! You’ll arrive in plenty of time for your Adelaide flight, your heart, mind and spirit filled with the natural and human wonders of a region that exudes superlatives.
What's Included
What's Not Included
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Flights to and from the Start/End of the Trip
Flights to and from the start/end of your trip are not included in the trip price.
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Personal Items
Items such as comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, water bottle, warm layers in cooler months, and camera are not included.
Mode of Transport
Travel by coach through the stunning landscapes of South Australia, with included scenic flights over Lake Eyre and Anna Creek Painted Hills, and a 4WD tour in Arkaroola.
Accommodation
Enjoy comfortable stays at Adabco Boutique Hotel, Wilpena Pound Resort, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, Marree Hotel, Desert Cave Hotel, and Majestic Oasis Apartments, each offering unique experiences and easy access to city centers and natural wonders.
Dining Summary
- 7 Full Breakfast (B)
- 4 Dinner (D)
- 2 Lunch (L)
Fitness Requirement
- Wilpena Pound: Bush walk to Hills Homestead and Wangara LookoutMedium level of fitness required. This 6km hike will be suitable for most guests. The Tour Director will offer guests an option to book shuttle bus for part of the trip however the track up to the homestead has uneven surfaces and is rocky in places. Retractable hiking poles may be useful. Arkaroola: The Ridgetop 4WD tourMedium level of fitness required. Guests will sit in the back of an open air 4WD. It is wheelchair accessible however due to the roads being quite rough in places, it’s not recommended for pregnant travellers or people with serious back problems Anna Creek Painted HillsMedium level of fitness required. The Lake Eyre flight will touch down at Anna Creek Painted Hills and guests will have the opportunity to have a walk around the area. This is an extremely remote area and ground will be rocky and uneven. Guests with mobility issues may wish to choose to stay close to the aircraft Coober Pedy and surrounds full day tourMedium level of fitness required. Part of the tour will include walking down into mine shafts. Areas may have low lighting and ground will be uneven in places.
Flexible Holidays
- Take a flight over mighty Lake Eyre, or if terra firma is more your thing, stay on the coach to Coober Pedy to experience more of the famous Oodnadatta Track with your experienced Driver Guide.
Flight information
- Flights to and from the start/end of your trip are not included in the trip price. Day 1 – flights to arrive prior to 11.00am into Adelaide AirportDay 8 – flights to depart after 5.00pm from Adelaide Airport
Iconic Sites
- Explore Farina, one of Australia’s most famous ghost towns, and enjoy a tour of Coober Pedy where 70% of the population live underground.
Natural Wonders
- See prehistoric river systems as you fly over Lake Eyre, Australia’s largest inland lake.
What to Bring
- Comfortable walking shoes Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat Water bottle Warm layers in cooler months Camera
Check out our Q&As
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What kind of fitness level is required for the activities on this tour?
A medium level of fitness is required for several activities on this tour. This includes the bush walk to Hills Homestead and Wangara Lookout, the Ridgetop 4WD tour in Arkaroola, and exploring the Anna Creek Painted Hills. Some activities involve walking on uneven and rocky surfaces.
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Are flights included in the tour package?
Flights to and from the start and end of the trip are not included in the trip price. You will need to arrange your own flights to arrive in Adelaide by 11:00am on Day 1 and depart after 5:00pm on Day 8.
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What type of accommodation can I expect during the tour?
The tour includes comfortable stays at various accommodations such as Adabco Boutique Hotel, Wilpena Pound Resort, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, Marree Hotel, Desert Cave Hotel, and Majestic Oasis Apartments. Each offers unique experiences and easy access to city centers and natural wonders.
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Is the tour suitable for people with mobility issues?
Some parts of the tour may be challenging for those with mobility issues due to uneven and rocky surfaces, particularly during the bush walk to Hills Homestead and Wangara Lookout, and the exploration of Anna Creek Painted Hills. The Ridgetop 4WD tour is wheelchair accessible, but not recommended for pregnant travelers or those with serious back problems due to rough roads.
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What unique experiences does the tour offer in Coober Pedy?
In Coober Pedy, you will explore the underground community where many locals live due to the above-ground heat. The tour includes fossicking for opals in surrounding mines and visiting the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park. You will also have the opportunity to play at the Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Club, known for its dirt and sand fairways.
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Who will be my travelling companions on the tour?
The beauty of taking a holiday with us is you’ll have the opportunity to meet and travel with people from all over the globe.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
It is important to adhere to departure times while on tour for the comfort of everyone on-board, and to make sure no one misses out on the planned experiences. The coach will not be able to wait for you, and in some instances, if you miss a departure time you will need to make your own way to the next destination to re-join the tour.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
AAT Kings operated Guided Holidays have competitive single supplement rates available if you prefer to confirm your own room. Or we can match you to share with a guest of the same gender at no extra cost. If we fail to match you, we will accommodate you in a single room at no extra cost.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Over 100 years
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
We will email your documents to you approximately four weeks before your departure date provided you have completed your pre trip registration using the My Travel Portal. If you’ve booked through a travel agent, your documents will be emailed directly to your agent.
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Low Deposit
AAT Kings requires a minimum deposit of 100 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of aat kings charges.
Up to 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 59 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.
At 15 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 7 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 1 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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