2024 Gulf Savannah Adventure – Over 60s Tour

Your fare excludes:

The operator reserves the right to alter itinerary and accommodation if necessitated.

Day 1 - Arrive in Cairns

Arrive in Cairns at your convenience and make your way to the Pacific Hotel Cairns. Check-in begins at 3 pm. In the evening, join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner, providing the perfect opportunity to meet new friends who share your passion for travel and exploration.

• Stay: Pacific Hotel Cairns
• Included Meals: Dinner

Day 2 - Atherton

Rise and shine early this morning and grab your boxed breakfast to take with you for a 7am departure. Travelling up the Kuranda Range to the Atherton Tableland and on to Herberton. Today we explore the Historic Village of Herberton, where you can live the folklore and romance of yesterday’s Australia in every piece of this eye-opening collection. Sit in the schoolhouse. Stand at the bar of the pub.

Enjoy a latte in the Bakerville Tearooms. The award-winning attraction is more than a vintage precinct – it’s a tangible buzz of things past with over 50 original buildings with intact interior displays, original machinery and vehicles, plus thousands of antique items and period memorabilia. Late afternoon we settle into the Malanda Lodge, situated on 11 acres of manicured tropical gardens. All rooms have ground level balconies and views to enjoy the tranquillity, or maybe spot their resident platypus family in the large pond. 

• Stay: Malanda Lodge
• Included Meals: Boxed Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3 – Savannahlander – Georgetown

An early start sees us travelling west on the Kennedy Highway towards Mount Surprise, where we enjoy lunch with a snake show. After lunch, you travel aboard the “Savannahlander” train as it tracks towards Einasleigh. There is enough time to have a beer in the pub or head down and check out Copperfield Gorge, before the train departs for Forsayth. From here we travel on to Georgetown where we stay overnight.

• Stay: Latara Motel Georgetown
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4 – Karumba

Morning "smoko" on the shore of Croydon’s Lake Belmore before Normanton for lunch. Here you can absorb its famous landmarks, the "Purple Pub", historic Burns Philp General Store and a replica of Krys, the 8.63m crocodile. Continue on to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria, where we enjoy a spectacular Gulf sunset.

• Stay: Karumba Lodge
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5 – Karumba

After a leisurely breakfast we enjoy a cruise on the Gulf of Carpentaria. This afternoon we spend time at the Barramundi Centre with a guided Feed-A-Barra tour and hand-feeding will take you into the brand-new hatchery for an educational, entertaining and engaging experience! This afternoon we head out to sunset point for happy hour. Dinner at Karumba Lodge.

• Stay: Karumba Lodge
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6 – Normanton

After breakfast we visit Burke & Wills Camp #119, the most northerly campsite of the ill-fated expedition of 1860 on our way back to Normanton for lunch. This afternoon we visit the Mutton hole Wetlands for croc- and bird watching.

• Stay: The Gulfland Motel, Normanton
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7 – Cobbold Gorge

This morning we depart from Normanton’s famous Victorian architecture Railway Station. All aboard the historic “Gulflander RM93” train, a Savannah Guides Site, for a ride through the savannah landscape across the Norman River to Critters Camp. On to Black Bull Siding then the old gold mining town of Croydon and its Historic Precinct. This afternoon we visit Georgetown and Forsayth on our way to Cobbold Gorge, a Savannah Guides Station.

• Stay: Cobbold Gorge
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8 Cobbold Gorge  

This morning we cruise on Cobbold Gorge’s beautiful and secluded waterway surrounded by spectacular carved Hampstead sandstone, 135 million years old. We have ample time to enjoy this beautiful area.

• Stay: Cobbold Gorge
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9 Undara

This morning we travel via Einasleigh and Mount Surprise to the famous Undara Lava Tubes, a Savannah Guides Station. There's campfire entertainment after dinner before retiring to your accommodation in faithfully restored antique railway carriages or Pioneer cabins.

• Stay: Undara Lava Lodge
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10 - Cairns

After breakfast in the Australian bush, an experienced Savannah Guide will meet you for an informative tour of the world’s largest, longest and most accessible lava tube system. We continue on our scenic and leisurely drive over the Tropical Tablelands past the Wind Turbines at Ravenshoe, stopping off at the magnificent Curtain Fig Tree, before making our way back to Cairns, where you will spend the night. Dinner is not included this evening.

• Stay: Pacific Hotel Cairns
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 11 - Depart Cairns

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before checking out of the hotel and bidding farewell to your fellow travellers.

• Included Meals: Breakfast

• Tuesday 11 June to Friday 21 June 2024
• Tuesday 24 September to Friday 4 October 2024

• From $4,939 per person twin share / $6,299 Single Traveller

We can also book your flights and additional accommodation if you wish to extend your stay in Cairns.

On this tour you will enjoy 10 nights accommodation with ensuite bathrooms.

• Pacific Hotel Cairns
• M​alanda Lodge
• Latara Motel, Georgetown
• Karumba Lodge
• The Gulfland Motel, Normanton
• Cobbold Gorge
• Undara Lava Lodge

*Please note that as you will be travelling through remote parts of North Queensland, some accommodation will be basic, however all accommodation used in this itinerary will have private ensuite bathrooms.

Accommodation - Undara Lava Lodge has a combination of railway carriages and pioneer huts with ensuite bathroom facilities.

All breakfasts and dinners are served in the restaurants of the accommodation venues we stay at. You will enjoy 4 continental breakfasts and 4 cooked breakfasts while on tour. A 2 course dinner is provided at night time with a main course, dessert, tea or coffee.  Lunch will be served at a suitable lunch stop, there is a combination of 5 sit-down lunches and on 4 occasions we have a picnic lunch on which we provide salads and sandwiches, which will be made at the lunch stop.

Fitness Requirements:

• Moderate level of fitness as walks to locations may be on uneven ground and lots of stairs. Boardwalks do have handrails.
• Unsuitable for wheelchairs
• Supplier Fitness Form to be completed and return prior to travel.

Entry in and out of tour vehicle - There are 4 steps to navigate to enter the vehicle. There is a handrail to assist. Passengers can bring a walking stick to assist with the walks, however, the tour is not suitable for passengers who depend on a walker. Travel these remote areas in our purpose built Isuzu off road 4WD tour-vehicles with forward facing reclining seats, footrests, and retractable seatbelts. The vehicles are equipped with standard features as a P.A. System, on-board toilet, T.V and road cam, portable satellite phone and first aid kits and all necessary off road equipment you can think of. With small groups, minimum of 10 and a maximum of 25 passengers, you will have the ultimate opportunity to enjoy the areas at its best.

What to Bring:

• Luggage restriction: 1 small soft travel bag per person (maximum size: 30 x 30 x 70cm, preferably without wheels, cannot exceed 10kg)
• Cabin baggage: 1 small daypack per person
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
• Warm layers in cooler months
• Swimmers & towel (if swimming)
• Toiletries

Want to avoid the single supplement? If you're fully vaccinated and willing to share, we can happily pair you with another solo traveller. Subject to COVID-19 vaccination, availability of another guest of the same gender willing to share, otherwise a single room rate will apply.