Savannah Way Wilderness Expedition - 15 Days

We meet our professional touring crew before checking in to our accommodation, spending the evening getting to know fellow adventurers over a welcome dinner.

Please note: a passenger weight limit of 135kg applies to flights included in this tour; please contact us in advance if your weight exceeds this amount.

Departing Cairns early, we travel west through the scenic Atherton Tablelands, visiting Millaa Millaa Falls before continuing to Undara Volcanic National Park, where a local Savannah Guide leads us through the lava tube cave system.Tonight, we enjoy dinner in an open-air restaurant as the outback sunset fades into a clear, starlit sky.

This morning, we depart Undara and head west to Croydon, passing Blackbull, and continue through Normanton before arriving in Karumba. Set on the banks of the Norman River, Karumba rose to prominence in the 1930s as a stopover point for flying boats travelling between London and Australia. We arrive for a 2-night stay.

We join the Gulflander, one of the last great characters of rail travel, for a scenic journey from Normanton to Critters Camp.

Please note: the Gulflander journey is subject to change depending on operating hours.

From here, we return to Karumba to discover the secrets of the barramundi at the Les Wilson Barramundi Discovery Centre. This evening, we enjoy a Sand Island dinner cruise in the Gulf, dining on local seafood as the sun sets.

Our journey along the Savannah Way continues as we cross the Gulf, pausing at Camp 119, the northernmost camp of the historic Burke and Wills Expedition. We continue on to Leichhardt Falls, a remote and rugged landmark.

Please note: swimming is not possible at Leichhardt Falls.

After lunch, we travel north, rejoining the Savannah Way near Doomadgee, before arriving at Hell's Gate late in the afternoon for a 2-night stay.

We immerse ourselves in the rugged beauty of Hell's Gate, set on Cliffdale Station and named after the dramatic gap in the nearby escarpment. Today brings a guided tour exploring station life, along with a scenic helicopter flight over the Gulf of Carpentaria, following Eight Mile Creek, keeping an eye out for native wildlife along the way.

Please note: maximum passenger weight limits apply to all scenic or transfer flights.

This afternoon, we have time to take in the atmosphere of this unique outback station before another night under the northern skies.

We continue along the Savannah Way and cross into the Northern Territory. Not far from the border, we turn north into the Australian Wildlife Conservancy's Pungalina-Seven Emu Wildlife Sanctuary.

Please note: together, the two properties cover around 305,000 hectares of coastal monsoon rainforest, paperbark forest, wetlands, gorges and floodplains, home to more than 40 species of mammal, 190 species of bird, and 95 species of frog and reptile. Seven Emu is privately owned, with 110,000 hectares leased to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy for conservation; Pungalina is wholly owned by the Conservancy.

On arrival, we check in to our safari camp, built by Outback Spirit in 2019, with tents featuring ensuite bathrooms and covered decks, for a 2-night stay.

We step into the untouched wilderness of the sanctuary, a place of real ecological significance in northern Australia, with a guided cruise along the Calvert River, taking in towering sandstone cliffs and lush riverbanks rarely seen elsewhere in the outback. We also join a presentation on the Australian Wildlife Conservancy's conservation work, research and land management here.

This morning, we return to the Savannah Way, heading west to Borroloola on the McArthur River. We visit the Borroloola Museum, housed in the original 1887 Borroloola Police Station, learning about the Gulf Territory's Indigenous, droving and Second World War history.We pass through Limmen National Park before reaching the turn-off to Lorella Springs, a further 30-kilometre drive to Lorella Springs Wilderness Park, our base for the next three nights.

Over the next two days, we explore the wonders of this privately owned, 4,000-square-kilometre working cattle property, home to thermal springs, hidden waterfalls and crystal-clear billabongs tucked among sandstone escarpments, alongside wallabies, birdlife and freshwater crocodiles.Today, we take an exhilarating helicopter flight over the southern "Lost City," and drive out to explore ancient sandstone structures, with a ground tour from our guides covering the local geology, vegetation and birdlife.

Please note: maximum passenger weight limits apply to all scenic or transfer flights.

At the end of the day, we join our station hosts at the bar for happy hour, mingling with fellow travellers journeying across the Gulf.

We continue exploring Lorella Springs at our own pace, free to be as active or restful as we like amid the property's springs, waterfalls and billabongs.

Please note: maximum passenger weight limits apply to all scenic or transfer flights.

Once again, we gather with our station hosts at the end of the day for happy hour.

Today's journey follows one of the most remote sections of the Savannah Way, historically used by drovers moving cattle between Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Kimberley since the 1870s.We pass through the dramatic scenery of Limmen National Park before continuing along the Savannah Way towards Roper Bar. In the afternoon, we follow the Roper Highway east via Mataranka, arriving in Katherine late in the afternoon for a 2-night stay.

This morning, we enjoy an award-winning outback show celebrating the Northern Territory's pastoral history through horse-training and working dog demonstrations. Later, we take a 2-hour boat cruise along the ancient waterway of Katherine River Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park.The cruise takes us to the end of the first gorge, where large boulders, rock pools and sand crossings lead into the second gorge, framed by towering sandstone walls.

Departing Katherine, we pass through Pine Creek and Adelaide River on the way to Darwin, arriving early afternoon. Along the way, we visit Edith Falls, with the chance to swim in the paperbark-fringed pool at its base.We have free time this afternoon before boarding a vessel for a Territory-style sunset dinner cruise, celebrating the end of an incredible journey.

After breakfast, we enjoy a leisurely morning before transferring to the airport, or staying on in Darwin as preferred.