NEW 2024 SMALL GUIDED VACATIONS

Explore Australia, seductive and energetic, a country whose ancient culture is shaping its future. Your adventure begins in glorious Sydney. Cruise through the harbor, take an intimate, backstage look at the Sydney Opera House, and climb to the top of Sydney Harbor Bridge. Next are the Blue Mountains—legendary for waterfalls, kangaroos, wombats, and wine—before heading to the fabled Northern Territory. 

Uluru. The Outback. Fall under the spell of Aboriginal creation stories. The Dreamtime, it’s called. When the sun sets, immerse yourself in the Field of Light and enjoy a bush tucker dinner, the voice of a single didgeridoo, and a local Indigenous performance. What dreams you will have in this nurturing land.

You’re off to discover Queensland, gateway to Australia’s natural wonders. Spend a full day in the paradise of Daintree, one of the world’s oldest rainforests. Traditional Kuku Yalanji guides welcome you inside their culture with a walk-and-talk, techniques of foraging and fishing, and a ceremony to protect you on your journey. Perhaps dip into a private swimming hole.

A cruise to the Great Barrier Reef is a treasure. Glide above coral beds or snorkel with a marine biologist. (Imagine turtles, clam gardens, and black coral.) Savor the delights of a tropical lunch, soak up the sun playing off turquoise waters, and let it all go. Leave Australia renewed in spirit and body, a feeling understood well by the authentic traveler.

GET A QUOTE

Included Unique Activities

  • Take in the sights and enjoy morning tea or coffee on the morning cruise of Sydney harbour
  • Explore the iconic Sydney Opera House and bring to life the saga surrounding this modern masterpiece 
  • Be thrilled by a guided journey to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 134 metres above Sydney Harbour!
  • Journey into the heart of the Blue Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to enjoy lunch and magnificent views
  • With Uluru as your backdrop, enjoy canapés and sparkling wine while you view the critically acclaimed Field of Light art exhibition, an enourmous fantasy garden created from 50,000 spindles of light
  • Travel to a special location to enjoy a picnic breakfast as you watch the sun rise over Uluru, then visit Mutijulu Waterhole on the Kuniya Walk and hear stories of the local lore.
  • Journey to the mystical 36 domes of Kata Tjuta, and hear how they have evolved over millions of years
  • Full Day Daintree Dreaming Tour - Including interpretive rainforest walk, morning or afternoon tea, lunch, 2-hour Coastal Walk with Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours, & Welcome to Country Ceremony
  • Cruise to the Great Barrier Reef for either a guided snorkel tour with a qualified marine biologist offering reef interpretation, or coral touring via a glass-bottom boat. A tropical buffet lunch, morning and afternoon, teas & coffee provided.
Sydney Airport Private Transfer

Sydney Airport Private Transfer

Morning Tea Cruise on Sydney Harbor

Morning Tea Cruise on Sydney Harbor

Sydney Opera House Tour

Sydney Opera House Tour

Early Twilight BridgeClimb

Early Twilight BridgeClimb

Transfer from Ayers Rock Airport to Hotel

Transfer from Ayers Rock Airport to Hotel

A Night at Field of Light

A Night at Field of Light

Afternoon Kata Tjuta Domes Tour

Afternoon Kata Tjuta Domes Tour

Morning Uluru Highlights Tour

Morning Uluru Highlights Tour

Accommodations

3 Nights

4-Star Harbor View Hotel

2 Nights

Magnificent View Hotel

3 Nights

Luxury Boutique Hotel

Transportation and Guides

  • Private Transfers to/from Airport to your Hotel
  • Private Transportation between activities included throughout

Points of Interest

  • Sydney Harbor Bridge
  • The Rocks
  • Sydney Opera House
  • Darling Harbor
  • Uluru
  • Kata Tjuta
  • Port Douglas
  • Cairns
  • Daintree Rainforest
  • Outer Great Barrier Reef

Blue Mountains National Park, Australia

Darling Harbour, Australia

Chinatown, Australia

George Street, Australia

Sydney, New South Wales

Daintree National Park, Australia

Port Douglas, Queensland

Dining Options Included (inclusions)

  • Breakfast each morning after your stay
  • 3 Lunches, & 2 Dinners Included

2024

Available Tour Dates

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

From $4,298 per person

 

Your Price Includes:

ACCOMMODATION

  • 8 Nights in Superior 4-Star City Centre Hotels

TRANSPORTATION

  • Private Transfers to/from Airport to your Hotel
  • Private Transportation between activities included throughout

DINING OPTIONS INCLUDED (Inclusions)

  • Breakfast each morning after your stay
  • 3 Lunches, & 2 Dinners Included

INCLUDED UNIQUE EXPERIENCES

  • Take in the sights and enjoy morning tea or coffee on the morning cruise of Sydney harbour
  • Explore the iconic Sydney Opera House and bring to life the saga surrounding this modern masterpiece 
  • Be thrilled by a guided journey to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 134 metres above Sydney Harbour!
  • Journey into the heart of the Blue Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to enjoy lunch and magnificent views
  • With Uluru as your backdrop, enjoy canapés and sparkling wine while you view the critically acclaimed Field of Light art exhibition, an enourmous fantasy garden created from 50,000 spindles of light
  • Travel to a special location to enjoy a picnic breakfast as you watch the sun rise over Uluru, then visit Mutijulu Waterhole on the Kuniya Walk and hear stories of the local lore.
  • Journey to the mystical 36 domes of Kata Tjuta, and hear how they have evolved over millions of years
  • Full Day Daintree Dreaming Tour - Including interpretive rainforest walk, morning or afternoon tea, lunch, 2-hour Coastal Walk with Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours, & Welcome to Country Ceremony
  • Cruise to the Great Barrier Reef for either a guided snorkel tour with a qualified marine biologist offering reef interpretation, or coral touring via a glass bottom boat. A tropical buffet lunch, morning and afternoon
  • teas & coffee provided.

POINTS OF INTEREST

  • Sydney Harbor Bridge
  • The Rocks
  • Sydney Opera House
  • Darling Harbor
  • Uluru
  • Kata Tjuta
  • Port Douglas
  • Cairns
  • Daintree Rainforest
  • Outer Great Barrier Reef

Prices Based On:

  • Prices are Per Person based on 2 people traveling together and sharing a room.
  • All Taxes & Fees Included.

"Annual Vacation - Self Drive of Ireland and Scotland"

Raymond

Henderson NV

Best two weeks ever! Jennifer at Authentic Vacations planned the most spectacular itinerary for my clients and did it with just a three-week notice. The itinerary, accommodations, experiences were truly spectacular.


Very much look forward to working with Authentic Vacations and Jennifer again on another Ireland/UK/Iceland Trip.

"Family vacation and the ND/Navy Game in Dublin"

William

Deer Park, IL

We worked with Authentic Vacations as we planned a trip in Ireland around the Notre Dame/Navy game in Dublin. Specifically, we worked with Joleen and her team for planning and during our trip. I cannot express enough positive comments about how great this organization is to work with, and I have referred them to many friends that are planning trips to Ireland! The hotels were just amazing and in perfect locations for our travels, can’t say enough good things about the tours booked and choices and recommendations you provided. But what I was most impressed with was the ability to reach out to Joleen during our trip to make last minute changes to our itinerary! It was like I had a full-time person on staff that I could reach out to any time! All of my guest were so impressed and appreciative that we selected Authentic Vacations! Thank you very much!

"Iceland & Ireland - Mother & Son Adventure"

Mary

Washington

Amber, we just returned from our trip to Iceland & Ireland, and we had a wonderful time. I really want to thank you for putting our trip together. Everything went like clockwork! We will definitely be back in touch with you when we plan our next trip. Thank you again!!



"UK Ladies Adventure"

Megan

Tennessee

Ellie, I wanted to share the below with you!  I appreciate all you do to make it possible!!! This feedback is from my clients you helped me with.


Hey Megan- before I get too immersed in catching up at work, I wanted to take a minute and thank you. You knocked it out of the park! The hotels were so amazing and well placed for convenience, can’t say enough good things about the tours you booked and choices and recommendations you provided. It’s hard to imagine how it could have been any better with you in the background thinking everything through from airport transfers to day excursions. You’re my/our travel agent for life and we’re going to keep you really really busy. Thanks for everything- you created an amazing, fun, memorable, once in a lifetime intro to Europe that I’ll never forget.

"Scotland Chauffered"

Lavonne

California

Ellie, Thank you for the best, most beautiful and easiest vacation we have ever been on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jerry, our driver, was so knowledgeable and kind-hearted that I think it wouldn't have been so exciting to be there without him. HE'S THE BEST!!!! And you Ellie, what a God send that you were to our beautiful vacation. The Gordon Castle at the end was something we will never forget. THANK YOU FOR EXPERT KNOWLEDGE AND ALLOWING FOR US TO HAVE AN AMAZING TIME. (Oh, except our luggage got lost and we didn't get it until we got home. Jerry was nice enough to take us places to buy some new clothes !!!!! )

"Small Guided - Devon & Cornwall"

Steve

Ontario

Hi Joleen, thank you! We had a wonderful time - really enjoyed exploring the small coastal villages in Cornwall and the moors in Devon. Fascinating history and folklore - our guide Chris was very knowledgeable and made it very interesting. Some of the highlights for us was a visit to the Tea plantation Tregothnan as well as visiting Doc Martin’s house in Port Isaac! The Wells Cathedral was fascinating with its history and architecture, featuring a novel scissor-arches to sustain the weight of stone.  We enjoyed the small group (17 in total) and mantra - off the main roads and willing to take suggestions from the group - even to visit a small village for an Australian lady with family roots in Cornwall. The itinerary was well planned, without hurrying from point A to B - more like meandering through the countryside and catching some lesser-known sites, like an abandoned tin mine site near the sea, or stopping to mingle with Dartmoor ponies on a hillside in the moors. Having a free day to explore on our own was also great - we walked to a nearby village called Charlestown, which had an interesting museum on shipwrecks and Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica. The harbour is also featured in filming Poldark with a two masted tall ship alongside. All in all, I felt that this was a fantastic vacation for us and I’m very happy that we signed up for it. Thanks for your support in getting us prepared for this adventure- I hope there’ll be more!

"Ireland & Scotland Combo"

Charlene

Ohio

We had such a wonderful, beautiful vacation! Everyone thought the spacing of activities and traveling every few days fit us all perfectly. I loved that we started in the beautiful countryside and then had the city life keep building as we changed locations. Scott’s favorite activity was St. Andrews golf. They loved their car service driver as well! The guys had a rainy day of golf in Dublin, but still enjoyed the course. I think the guys were both sad they couldn't play Lacinth (spelling?), however, they did have lunch there and enjoyed. My favorite activity was the Guinness Connoisseur Experience. Loved the private bar, tasting, and pouring my own draft! Also, I loved the Military Tattoo. Perfect ending to the trip. All activities were spot on and enjoyable! My favorite hotel was Fiddle and Bow, so unique and cute in the country. Excellent breakfast! A nice add on that we didn’t expect was the Fringe Street shows in Scotland. We also visited the Queens Royal yacht. Traveling was easy. The Irish and Scottish people were very friendly and welcoming. We can’t say enough good things about the trip. Thank you for organizing such a wonderful, memorable trip for us Joleen! I love that you are always reachable and go above and beyond to help us when needed. You are truly amazing! Hopefully we can get something on the calendar for next year! Thanks a million! 

"Italian Honeymoon"

Daley

Minnesota

We worked with Mandie at Authentic Vacations to plan our Honeymoon. We picked the "Opulent Italian Lakes and Cities" trip and then worked with Mandie to customize a few pieces that made more sense for our trip. Let me tell you that this was the best trip of our lives! The hotels that we stayed at were beyond incredible, and there were the perfect number of activities planned. Everything went extremely smoothly, and we didn't have to worry about a thing while we were on our trip! We can't wait to book another vacation through Authentic Vacations!

1. Click the “GET QUOTE” Button Above.

Complete our inquiry form by selecting your departure date, and all other relevant fields. Be sure to let us know if you're traveling for a special occasion! We can adjust most of our vacation packages to suit your needs, based on the details you provide.

2. Online Account & Quote Created

Your request will be forwarded to our team of Destination Experts, and a price quote will be prepared, based on your submitted preferences and criteria. A free Authentic Vacations online account will also be created, allowing you to view and request changes to your quote at any time. Log into your account via “LOGIN” at the top of any of our webpages.

3. Fine-Tune Your Tour Quote

Work with your assigned Destination Expert to tweak your quote in any way you wish. Our customers continually tell us that our flexibility in this regard is exceptional – your Destination Expert’s sole brief is to create the perfect tour for you!

4. Reserve & Pay Online

Once your quote is 100% to your liking, you can pay for your package with your credit card via your Authentic Vacations online account. We also accept payment by personal check and wire transfer. We only require a 20% deposit to secure your vacation, and our Risk-Free Cancellation Policy provides you with complete peace of mind.

5. Print Your Travel Documents & Go!

Once your vacation has been paid in full, you will be able to print your travel documents directly from your online account. You’re ready to embark on your ideal, authentic vacation!!

Questions?

If you would prefer to discuss your perfect vacation on the phone, we would be delighted to hear from you! Our Destination Experts are standing-by and looking forward to speaking with you at any time during our business hours listed below. We also operate a very responsive and efficient Live Chat service on our website…instant gratification awaits!

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Saturday: 6:00am – 3:00pm PST

Sunday: 6:00am – 3:00pm PST

With offices in Scottsdale, San Francisco, London, Dublin, Copenhagen and Edinburgh, we can offer you unrivaled support while you are abroad. We truly believe all our clients deserve an extraordinary, authentic experience!