The Kimberley: Darwin to Broome Cruise - Premium Adventure

Customer Reviews

• Charles

  · March 29th, 2025
  The Tour Operator (Exodus Adventure) answered all my questions pre-departure, provided an unbelievably friendly and experienced tour leader and followed the itinerary that lived up to all my expectations. Weather was expected to be wet on a few days but the tour leader changed the timing of the walks to make best use of gaps in the less pleasant weather and avoid having to walk in anything worse than short showers or very fine rain. The choice of walks was excellent in terms of the scenery, views and wildlife that we were able to experience. Some of the walks were quite strenuous but still enjoyable taken at a reasonable pace but then the tour was aimed at experienced hikers. Some of the accommodation was a bit basic and could be improved - the least good were those that were selected as alternatives to those advertised. But this was not advertised or priced as a luxury tour so does not alter the five star rating.
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• Martin

  · February 13th, 2013
  An absolutely brilliant three weeks in the most wonderful country. Everything as described in the trip notes, and more.  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Difficult to decide, but some of the highlights were the trip up to Abel Tasman NP, including camping on the beach - watching the sun set across the water, then seeing the southern night sky in all its glory; the helicopter flight in Mt Aspiring NP and the next day a very welcome lift back down the final stretch of river by jet boat, after a 7 hour hike; the stupendous scenery around Mt Cook; and paragliding from 1400m up in Queenstown. And not forgetting rainforests, thermal springs, kiwis, active volcanoes, glaciers and fjords...  What did you think of your group leader? On North Island leader Kath - what a character! Really knowledgeable and upbeat even in the face of 50mph winds, hail, sleet and snow on the Tongariro crossing.Chris - great guy too. Arranged for the sun to shine the entire two weeks on South Island and even managed to produce home made scones when we arrived!  Do you have any advice for potential travellers? UK citizens need an ESTA visa if transitting via the US (return flight was via Los Angeles) - the Exodus office didn't know this for sure. Anyway it's easy to obtain online - I did it while in NZ.The weather in NZ (see earlier comment above) really can be "all four seasons in a day" - temperatures we encountered varied from freezing to 30 degrees - pack accordingly but try to travel as light as possible as you'll constantly be packing and repacking. Is there anything else you would like to add? Despite the long walks I don't think I lost weight - the Kiwis like to serve generous portions of food. Great bunch of people in our group - we even won the Mt Cook pub quiz! At the beginning, I did wonder what I'd got myself into when I found out I was sharing with a guy who'd bagged all the Monros in Scotland and been up Everest (hi Pete!) but, as a not particularly fit 54 year old, I had a blast.In conclusion, if you are at all considering this trip, just go for it!
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• Annette

  · February 4th, 2013
  This was the trip of a lifetime for me. If you love walking and the great outdoors but want to challenge yourself with some other activities you may not have tried before and see the wildlife and landscape of this fascinating  country with a bunch of like minded people book this trip you will not be disappointed. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There were so many great times it was difficult to pick out one.  Walking the Tongariro Crossing to the Crater Lakes and climbing Mount Tongariro through amazing volcanic scenery Taking a helicopter ride to the saddle below Ben Lomand above Queenstown and after tea brewed by our guides climbing to the summit on a beautiful day with fantastic views and then a leisurely hike down to the gondolaA Maoiri evening cultural performance and feast followed by sunset walk by hot springs  and a wallow  in thermal pools, Walking in a landscape of bubbling mud pools, yellow sulphur lakes Seeing glow worms in a cave and native birds on Tiritiri Matangi Nature reserve  and on a night nature hike at Zealandia and shooting stars in the Southern night sky Loads of water based activities: jet boating , kayaking, wild water rafting, wild swimming  and boat trips in superb and varied scenery    What did you think of your group leader? We were blessed with two group leaders from Adventure South: Stephan and Clark. They really communicates their knowledge of the county, their enthusiasm for their country and their job to our group . They had a lovely rapport between them and they on so many occasions went the extra mile to make our holiday enjoyable for example  sourcing food for my daughter's special gluten free diet, to finding excellent cafes and restaurants  lunches, bathing spots, hikes with freshly brewed tea stops and it was done with humour and professionalism. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? If you have the time take a few days at either end of the trip to see more of the Auckland area,and North Island and Christchurch.The temperature can be quite varied so take a variety of clothing.Overtrousers would be useful. Several  of the hotels/motels we stayed in had laundry facilities for a small fee.Most of the hotel/motel rooms had a fridge and some had limited cooking facilities so you don't have to eat out every night. There are long drives on some days but with breaks but there are activities every day.   Is there anything else you would like to add? I would definately want to go back to New Zealand and see more of this amazing counrty. I hope Exodus will consider introducing some other NZ trips with a different intinery and to add some Australian trips  with a similar variety of activities combining  trecking with other activities. I was glad that so many activities were included such as caving, jet boating that I would not have got round to trying on an independent holiday. I think the trip represents good value as all the activities except on our free day and most of the meals were included. It would be good to have a holiday  including the trecks around Milford  Sound and to include north of Auckland  such as the Bay of Islands
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