Book early and save on this rail themed Aussie vacation.
FIRST-CLASS | RAIL: You don’t have to rough it to experience the ultimate Outback adventure. Climb aboard The Ghan Expedition, one of Australia’s most iconic rail journeys from Darwin to Adelaide. Gourmet meals and beverages, accommodation in a private cabin and Off Train Experiences are included. Finish your journey in Adelaide with a full day of experiencing the Barossa Valley, Australia’s most famous wine-growing region.
Duration: 8 days
Prices From: C$ 5,999 per person
Savings: C$ 450 per person
Land only. Airfare extra.
Book by 5pm EST February 29, 2024
DATES:
Mondays from April to October, listed price valid for travel in Oct ’24
INCLUDES:
• Private arrival and departure transfers in Darwin and Adelaide
• 2 nights first-class accommodation in Darwin
• 2 nights first-class accommodation in Adelaide
• 3 nights in a private Gold Cabin on The Ghan Expedition including meals, wine and other beverages
• Small group Indigenous Litchfield Spectacular tour (max 10 guests)
• Off Train Experiences in Katherine, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy
• Small group Best of Barossa tour (max 5 guests)
• 3 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners
Trip Type:
Classic Itineraries, Rail Travel
Destinations:
This 8-day vacation from Darwin to Adelaide is a coast-to-coast journey like no other, exploring the best of the Northern Territory and South Australia.
This 8-day vacation from Darwin to Adelaide is a coast-to-coast journey like no other, exploring the best of the Northern Territory and South Australia.
After a few nights in Darwin, climb aboard for the first leg of your adventure which takes you to Katherine Gorge. An off-rail tour lets you experience one of Australia’s most diverse national parks. You can learn about its traditional owners, the Jawoyn people, or take a scenic flight to enjoy the park from the air.
After a spectacular outback sunrise and a delicious breakfast, you’ll explore Alice Springs, the unofficial ‘capital’ of outback Australia. Take a helicopter ride of the McDonnell Ranges for a real appreciation of the desert’s vastness, or opt for an aerial view of iconic Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Sink your teeth into an authentic bush barbecue, then end your day on a scientific note, enjoying a night sky that only the Australian outback can offer.
Your next destination, Coober Pedy, is one of Australia’s true frontier towns, with a history steeped in opal mining. Explore the tunnels and caves of this underground world, including its famous Serbian Orthodox church, hollowed into the rock. Climb back aboard the Ghan for an elegant farewell dinner, then overnight to Adelaide.
Finish your vacation with a few days in South Australia’s culture-loving capital, and venture out to the Barossa Valley for a taste of Australia’s finest reds.
Arrive to Darwin
Welcome to Darwin! Upon arriving to the airport, locate your sedan transfer to head towards town! Check into your hotel and spend the rest of the day exploring at your leisure!
Accommodation: Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront
Duration 2 Nights
Indigenous Litchfield Spectacular
Learn the real story on this small-group day tour from Darwin to Litchfield National Park. Explore the area with a personable Indigenous guide with countless generations of history in the region. Get hands on as our guide demonstrates bush resources in season. See and refresh yourself at iconic waterfalls. Experience dramatic stone country as it comes alive in our tropical summer. Enjoy a flame-grilled lunch of ocean-caught barramundi, marinated kangaroo and crocodile eye fillet, in beautiful shaded surrounds. Be treated to expert natural and cultural interpretation from guides with unrivalled knowledge of the area. Take home memories you’ll never forget.
Duration 9 Hours
Depart Darwin
Your journey aboard the legendary Ghan begins at Darwin Rail Station where you’ll take the small but momentous step from platform to carriage. Friendly staff will lead you through corridors to your comfortable private cabin where you can take your time settling in and exploring the amenities as the view outside your window begins its smooth and spectacular transformation. Lunch in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant is bound to satisfy and delight with culinary wonders prepared onboard by the talented chefs.
All food is included in your fare, from a hearty full cooked breakfast to a delectable 3 course dinner. And as you sit back and loosen your belt, you’ll have arrived in Katherine ready to experience your first included Off Train Experience to the magnificent and spiritual Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge. Enjoy a leisurely cruise on the idyllic Katherine River, gazing in awe at the towering sandstone cliffs, learning the Aboriginal and geological history of the area. Take time to soak up the ancient beauty and inspiring silence of one of the world’s untainted natural wonders. Or gain a moving insight into the culture and ways of the traditional owners of Nitmiluk, the Jawoyn people, with an exclusive tailor-made cultural experience. If you’d prefer to ramp it up a notch, you’re welcome to upgrade your experience with a helicopter flight or scenic flight over Kakadu and Nitmiluk National Parks, providing unparalleled views of the geographic wonders that gave rise to many of the aboriginal Dreamtime stories
Back on board you’ll return to the Queen Adelaide Restaurant, enjoying dinner as the sun sets over the outback. Passengers travelling in Gold won’t have a nightcap waiting on their bedside table at turndown, however they can always grab one from the lounge and take it back to their room to enjoy. As the train rolls soothingly onwards, fall asleep in awe of wonders seen, and excited by those yet to come.
Accommodation: The Ghan Expedition
Meal Plan Lunch and Dinner
Duration 3 Nights
Arrive Alice Springs
Wake up to a new view outside your window, in a world which feels a million miles from home. An outback sunrise could be one of the most spectacular you’ll ever see, setting the tone for the day ahead. After coffee, a juice and a sumptuous breakfast you’ll arrive in Alice Springs ready for another day of exploration. Here you have the opportunity to embark on one of the included off Train Experiences, taking in the delights of this famous outback town. A full day in Alice Springs gives you ample opportunity to visit the town landmarks, get up close and personal with Australia’s incredible flora and fauna or explore the Alice at your own leisure.
At this point you may choose to upgrade your experience with a helicopter ride over the spectacular MacDonnell Ranges or with the ultimate outback experience; an intimate scenic flight over Uluru and Kata Tjuta. There really is no better way to comprehend the vastness of the Northern Territory. Come the evening you’ll dine beneath a canopy of stars at an authentic Outback Bush Barbecue set in a strikingly lit quarry.
This is a truly unique experience with live Australiana music and a feast of mouth-watering steak and traditionally made damper. After dessert, cast your eyes skyward and ponder life, the universe and everything with an informative astronomical talk. And with a full belly and deep sense of wonderment, it’s back on the train to rest up and roll out of Alice Springs, fulfilled in every sense of the word.
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Coober Pedy
After breakfast this morning you’ll wake up and rub your eyes with disbelief as you pull into the middle-of-nowhere stop at Manguri. Here, a friendly tour guide awaits ready to whisk you away for the day. Your destination – the sun-scorched opal mining capital of world, Coober Pedy, where more than half of the residents live underground.
Venture into the tunnels and caves of this underground town, where you may even catch opal fever as you mine for riches, visit the otherworldly underground Serbian Orthodox church and glimpse the famous Coober Pedy Golf Course – the only course in the world boasting reciprocal rights with St. Andrew’s course in Scotland. Below the earth’s surface, you’ll enjoy a gourmet lunch in the most unique of locations before setting off to the stunning outback moonscape that is the Breakaways.
After an eye-opening action-packed day – if you haven’t chosen to stay and find your fortune – it’s back on board with plenty of time to ease into a slower gear and prepare yourself for your final evening onboard The Ghan Expedition. Dine in style in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant, meet and share stories with new friends in the Outback Explorer Lounge (open until late) or simply head back to the privacy of your cabin to wind down, read a book and plan your next epic journey.
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Arrive Adelaide
Looking out of your window this morning you’ll notice a dramatic change in landscape as the rich ochre tones of the outback make way for the beautiful green fields and pastoral lands of South Australia. After breakfast you’ll have time to reflect on your journey before The Ghan Expedition rolls into Adelaide.
Spend the day settling into your hotel and exploring your surroundings. The day is spent at your leisure.
Accommodation: Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury
Meal Plan Breakfast
Duration 2 Nights
Best of Barossa
Your journey begins with a city orientation tour. You travel through the scenic Torrens Gorge to the Barossa Valley. Perhaps you’ll stop at a local bakery to taste the best of the fine German pastries. Travel over the Jacobs Creek for your first tasting of the fine wines at the Peter Lehmann winery. Then visit Torbreck wine cellars, a small winery with rustic charm, making wines in traditional Barossa methods. After, you’ll stop for a stroll in the German town of Tanunda with time to discover the small shops. Before lunch take the picturesque drive up to Menglers Hill for an unsurpassed view over the entire Valley. Continue into historic Angaston – one of the more English villages in the Barossa. Lunch will be alfresco under the vines or at Vintners restaurant just out of Angaston. Your next stop may be Henschkes winery in Keyneton, a fifth generation German winery or the historic Yalumba, the biggest family run winery in Australia. If time permits you may visit small boutique producers such as Charles Melton or Turkey Flat.
Duration 8 Hours
Depart Adelaide
Wave a fond farewell to Adelaide as you enjoy a private sedan transfer from your hotel to the airport to prepare for your final departure.
Terms & Conditions:
Price is per person based on twin/double, subject to availability and current exchange rates. Pricing reflects discount for departures in Oct ’24. Savings listed are the total savings per person based on twin/double occupancy. Land Only, airfare not included. Please enquire about departures from other cities, single supplements, extensions or upgrades. Please visit trip page for full terms and conditions. CST#2070685-20. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. BC#833-0 / ON#1532989 3284 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4N 3M7. FD #101929
Prices are “from” per person based on twin/double share accommodation and for travel in low season. Seasonal surcharges and blackout dates may apply. Limited seat/spaces and all pricing is subject to change and availability. Rates for single or triple travellers are available on request – please enquire.
PRICE EXCLUDES:
12 Easy Payments
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