I joined the Galah Dreaming tour and absolutly loved it! Dean and Rob were fantastic guides,very passionate and knowledgable. Hiking Kings Canyon and sleeping underneath the stars was definitely my favourite part! Even for my dietary requirement was catered for, which was amazing considering you are in the middle of the Red Centre. Perfect tour for adventurous people wanting to experience the outdoors.More
This tour provided many wonderful outback experiences BUT we do not recommend this for over 50s. In fact it is more suited to school excursions and recalcitrant teenagers. We were at no time given consideration for our age and when we decided not to climb the 200 metre at almost 90 degree climb up Kings canyon we were just sent off on our own to fend for ourselves for over 3 hours. On the first night after travelling and walking for 12 hours we were handed our sheets and told to mAke up our own bed in the pitch black dark. The toilet by the way was at least 250 metres away in the pitch black dark walking through deep red sand.
As I said a great adventure for teenagers.
Dear maurker, thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
As you are aware, I have been in touch with you via email and I will copy in my responses to your points mentioned in your review.
I'd like to address your comments regarding the ages of the passengers and your observations about the type of person this tour is suitable for. The tour that you travelled on is one of our Open Aged safaris; this means that you can expect any age from 5 years upwards providing that they meet our fitness requirements. Our 4WD Safaris are suitable for all ages seeking an authentic outback experience providing a moderate level of comfort. With remote and some powered campsites they include hot water, flushing toilets, complete with permanent tents with beds. As such I do not believe that your claims that our tour is only suitable for school excursions and recalcitrant teenagers is a fair observation.
With regards to the fitness requirements and unsupervised passengers, I refer to Section 11 of our T&C's:
"A certain level of fitness is required for all safaris. To ensure that you enjoy your time on tour with us, you should be able to walk at least 6km (3.7 miles), unaided, over rough, uneven ground (often in intense heat) and climb (or descend) steps or steep inclines without hindrance. If you are unable to meet the required level, you must disclose this at time of booking."
Passengers are advised to stay in close proximity to the guide on all walks, however if passengers advise that they feel they are not capable of a particular walk or activity, the guide will either offer an alternative walk (unsupervised) or advise them to make their way back to the carpark shelters and wait until the group has completed the walk or activity. No member of your group had advised of any pre-existing medical conditions or that they were unable to meet the required level of fitness prior to the tour departing.
As we travel in remote areas we are unfortunately unable to guarantee lighting at each of our campsites. As such we recommend that all passengers carry a flashlight with them when travelling with us as per our FAQ's; this information is reiterated at time of reconfirmation. Flashlights are an important part of travelling with us on a remote camping adventure; not only to assist with navigating the campsites at night time but also to assist with making up the tents after sunrise.
The toilet and showers are located a short distance away from each of our campsites (usually between 100-250m depending on the campsite) and the walk is along a clearly marked path. As the toilet and showers are in a fixed location as decided upon by the owners of the property, we are unfortunately unable to offer a closer alternative.
Here at Wayoutback, we do understand that this type of touring may not appeal to everyone. As such we do try our best to be very clear about the type of touring we offer; we have extensive FAQ's and photographs (including our campsites and vehicles) readily available on our website for those wishing to research prior to booking as well as we welcome any questions prior to booking if you are uncertain.
Once again, I apologise that you feel that some aspects of our tours did not live up to your expectations, however in this instance I do believe that we have provided this tour as advertised. We have taken your feedback on board to ensure that we continue to provide our passengers with amazing trips within the Northern Territory.
Thank you again for taking the time to leave a review and we wish you all the best on your future travels.
I did two tours with wayoutback. The first one I did was in Darwin which was the 3 day buffalo dreaming tour. The second one was the Alice Springs/Uluru Cockatoo tour.
The Darwin tour was great. We had great weather even though it was the rainy season. Our guide Rowdy knew all the great places to go, even when things were closed. Was a bit disappointed that we couldn't go to Litchfield as the road had washed away the night before and no one knew (not wayoutback's fault as their head office didn't find out till 1400 on the day we tried to go there). Our guide quickly came up with an alternative plan to fill the day. We slept in permanent tents which had fans in them. Be prepared as Darwin is hot and humid.
I enjoyed my Uluru tour even more. Our guides Rowen and Hayden were great. We slept in swag under the stars and I loved it (we only one snake). We had some slight changes to the order of the itinerary but we did everything and we were always well informed of what we were doing that day. Uluru is just amazing to see. Alice Springs is also very hot, but not as humid.
Both tours had basic food but always enough. After a hike they would have snacks available. Be prepared for a lot of time in the bus.
Dear Nicole H, it's great to hear that you had a wonderful time on both of your safaris with us and thanks for choosing Wayoutback to visit the NT!
Sorry to hear that you missed out on Litchfield, we were also disappointed that the park closed when the roads washed away. It is not very often that Litchfield is closed, however there was an unseasonable amount of rain in the Top End during this Wet Season. I appreciate your understanding with this matter and it's great to see you still enjoyed your day. You are certainly not wrong that Darwin is very hot and humid, particularly during the Wet Season (from November to April) and we highly recommend that our passengers check the temperature forecast prior to departing to ensure that they are appropriately prepared.
We thoroughly enjoy being able to offer our guests the opportunity to experience sleeping in a true Aussie swag in the Red Centre and it is a pleasure to hear that you loved it as much as we do! Alice Springs can get very hot during the Summer months, however unlike Darwin they do also experience a very mild Autumn and Winter; these times of the year are ideal to travel for those who prefer the colder weather and temperatures can get down to below 0 overnight!
It is always wonderful to hear when our guides go above and beyond to leave such a positive impression on our passengers. I will be sure to pass on your feedback to both the guides and their necessary management.
Thanks for your honest comments about our meals and snacks that we provide. All of our meals are designed to be filling, nutritionally adequate and - most importantly - be easily prepared at remote locations or over campfires.
There certainly is quite a lot of driving time required to reach these remote locations! It is the perfect time to chat to your fellow travellers, have a nap or simply watch the scenery go by out the window. We believe it is well worth it once you get to experience each destination.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences and I hope we get to see you again next time you visit the NT. Safe travels!
I booked on the combined Cockatoo/Galah dreaming tour which lasted for 3 nights. Starting in Alice Springs, we drove down to Uluru with plenty of breaks along the way. The first campsite was fantastic - clean facilities, nice open space for sleeping under the stars, and only a 5 minute walk to our sunset viewing point. On day 1 we did a series of short walks (due to the heat) around the base of Uluru. The tour guides - Hayden and Rohan - were really informative and told us stories along the way. Day 2 included sunrise at Uluru which was my favourite part of the trip (apart from the flies haha!). We also completed a hike at Kata Tjuta which was brilliant. Again the tour guides were amazing and gave plently of information along the way. I have arthritis, which I discussed with Wayoutback before booking my trip. They were more than happy to give me details of all of the activities, and offer alternative walks that might be easier for me to complete. Hayden and Rohan were awesome - they helped me out when I was struggling, made sure that I had alternative walks that I could complete, and generally made sure the group always had enough water and breaks during our hikes. The second night we camped at Kings Creek - again it was a great campsite with clean facilities and also a pool! Day 3 involved another early start (if you don't like getting up before sunrise, this trip's not for you!) and we travelled to Kings Canyon, which involved a difficult hike for most of the group with myself completing the easy creek walk (which was still beautiful!) In the afternoon we drove back to Alice Springs, stopping off at a camel farm en route for those who wanted to have a ride. On night 3 we said farewell to the group with a great dinner in Alice, and those on the Galah tour drove back to Uluru the following day.
Overall the trip was AMAZING I definitely recommend it, especially if you are on a budget, looking for an 18-35 group trip, and want to see all of the sites in the red centre. I was also a solo traveller and found the group fab, Hayden and Rohan made sure they spoke to everyone in the group and encouraged us to get to know eachother. The food was good and there was always enough to go around, with snacks throughout the day as well which I've found lacking on other trips. It's a participation trip, which I think some travellers didn't realise, but I didn't mind helping out at all with cooking/cleaning, and it means that it all gets done faster!
Hayden and Rohan thanks for an incredible trip, lots of laughs and some real tunes!! Shoutout to Hayden for also dropping off some lost property with me the following day in Uluru - legend!
Outback trip ticked off the bucket list!
Hello hmposnett, thanks for leaving a review, it's great to hear that you had an amazing time on tour with us.
I really appreciate you taking the time to write a detailed summary of the itinerary and I am happy to see that you enjoyed all of the locations we visit as much as we do.
We pride ourselves on the high standards of our guides and it is always great to hear when they go above and beyond to provide a memorable tour. I will be sure to pass your comments on to Hayden, Rohan and their necessary management to ensure that they are recognised for their efforts.
We do our best to accommodate for some pre-existing medical conditions - such as arthritis in your case - as long as we are advised at the time of booking. Our safaris are active tours and we recommend that all passengers be able to walk up to 7 kilometres per day, unaided and over uneven terrain, in order to fully enjoy their time on tour with us.
However, as you have mentioned, we do offer some alternative walks at most locations in the Red Centre and some locations in the Top End. It is a pleasure to hear that you enjoyed the alternatives that you participated in during your time with us - I believe that it is pretty hard to find a walk in the NT that is not beautiful!
Thank you again for sharing your experience and I hope that we see you again next time you visit the NT. Safe travels.
We did the 3 day / 2 night tour with guide Gus who was great.
We were upgraded from the basic package as there weren't enough people which was nice (better food etc and we had the option to stay in tents though I'd recommend swags as they're cooler in the January heat). We however were not told this so our pick up time was changed and was later. We had confirmed a few days earlier but make sure you call to confirm your tour the day before (they don't really make this clear). Communication needs to be better on a couple of other points - we read on the website to have 1a 1.5 litre bottle of water each, but then during the tour it was 3 litres we needed so we had to buy the very expensive water on the way. We also almost didn't bring closed toe shoes as we usually wear walking sandles, but good thing we did as our guide said he wouldn't let us do the 2 main walks without them (there is loose stones but nothing bad to be honest).
I think the company needs to make these points clear and maybe send an itinerary with what's required when you book the tour and a follow up email a few days before would be even better.
Campsites were fine for me though I know the girls were not impressed with the shower blocks in the second place. I would've preferred somewhere where we could watch the stars and sunset and sunrise well (it is one of the reasons people come to the red centre), or at least had somewhere pointed out to us - on our first night I hadn't realised there was the sunrise viewing platform so nearby or I would've gone there to take nighttime photos (there were too many lights on at the camps so star gazing wasn't the best from there).
Food was surprisingly good, though I imagine this is because we were on the upgraded tour. The price we paid therefore was great, otherwise I'd probably look at it as an expensive experience.
All in all it is a great tour and the guide provides excellent information on local and aboriginal culture.
Dear mcladley, thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
It's a pleasure to hear that you had a great time on tour with us and will be sure to pass on your thanks to Gus.
From time to time we do have to combine our departures due to operational requirements as was the case for your safari. I am sorry to hear that the change in pick up time wasn't communicated to you at the time of your call to reconfirm. We do ask all passengers to call us 48 hours before departure to reconfirm and all changes are to be advised at this time (including pick up times as well as the additional water bottles). As I am unsure which date you travelled on I am unable to follow this up with the Reservations Team Member in question.
We do recommend that all passengers wear hiking shoes/boots and this information can be found in our T&C's. I will pass your feedback on to our Website team and ask them to add this information to the FAQ's page as well.
I appreciate your comments regarding our campsites and food; it's good to hear that you enjoyed them both. I would love to have some further detail regarding the bathrooms on the second night that the girls were unhappy with.
I am surprised to hear that you did not find the campsites to be a good place to view the night sky. Many of the campsite lights are turned off during the night and makes viewing the sky from your sleeping bag to be quite an amazing experience. Many of our guides do advise of the sand dune nearby to the camp ground on night one for those who do wish to walk out there after dinner, however it sounds as though Gus may have simply forgotten in this case. I will be sure to pass on your feedback to Gus and the necessary management to ensure a reminder is passed on to all guides.
Thank you again for leaving a review and I hope that you enjoy the rest of your travels. If you would like to add any further information, please edit your review or you can also contact us at feedback@wayoutback.com.au. Safe travels.
We booked the 3 day Goanna Dreaming Tour. Our tour guide, Phil, did a very good job. He is experienced and knowledgeable. And considering we were around 20 people he managed (and most timdes fed) all on his own, he managed it pretty well.
The vehicle was a truck with A/C and 21 seats. We payed 750 $ for the tour which is not cheap nor expensive. When we picked up all guests on the first day it was announced that they had to upgrade some people from another tour for operationals reasons, which i can understand. Only thing is, we were only 6 people wo booked this tour and the other 15 were upgraded to it. They all booked the cheaper tour which costs half the price. So we two and four other payed double than all others. And the tour bus was fully packed.
The only difference in the tour program for us was a one hour aboriginal guided walk around Uluru, the rest was apparently the same.
Further on there was a dot painting workshop on the itenary when we booked which then, when i wrothe the feedback as described here, apparently we couldn't do for cultural reasons.
So in the end for the money we payed, particularly compared to most of the other paritcipants it was an average experience. Although the tour and the guide it self was good.
Dear David R, thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
As you are aware, I have already been in contact with you via email regarding your feedback for your tour. I will include my summarised email responses below:
Firstly, thank you for your positive comments regarding your guide, Phill.
From time to time we are required to combine tours due to operational requirements or low tour numbers and in these instances we will always upgrade to the higher standard product if necessary. I refer to section 6 of our Terms and Conditions which can be located on our website. In this instance we were required to upgrade a large group of passengers due to operational requirements, this was of no detriment to the style of tour that you had booked and you did not receive a downgrade at all.
There are quite a number of differences between the 3 Day Cockatoo Dreaming Safari and the 3 Day Goanna Dreaming Safari. The additional extras include:
- Travel in a 4WD vehicle (maximum of 21 passengers per tour)
- Camping in twin share permanent tents with beds
- Sleeping bag hire
- Maruku Cultural Experience: guided walk at Uluru with local Anangu guide
- Sparkling wine and nibbles with sunset at Uluru
- Endless Star Dining Experience on night 1 (due to the forecast of rain this was moved indoors)
- Remote bush camp night 2
- 4WDing on remote outback roads
- Alternate food menu
Due to cultural reasons we have had to remove the Dot Painting Workshop from our itinerary for a period of time, including your tour. This is reflected upon our website and our guides are instructed to advise all passengers of this change at the time of boarding.
I am sorry to hear that you feel that you did not receive value for money for your tour but it is great to hear that you enjoyed the tour and guide itself.
Thanks again for sharing your experience and I hope that you enjoy the rest of your travels in Australia. All the best
