Best Tours in the Pacific Islands and Oceania 2014
From Traveler Magazine's 2014 Tours of a Lifetime
Australia: Oz for Kids
Melbourne, Ayers Rock, Port Douglas, Sydney: This private tour hits the highlights with an eye toward engaging kids, with activities like sheep-shearing, eating traditional bush foods, catching mud crabs, and surf lessons at Bondi Beach. Elevate Destinations: “Australia: Family Planet,” 12 days; $7,500; www.elevatedestinations.com
Vanuatu: The Original Bungee Jumpers
The centerpiece of this caving/diving/kayaking/trekking excursion on six of the archipelago’s 80 islands is the naghol—a ritual on Pentecost Island in which men tie vines to their feet and dive off a tower to ensure a bountiful yam harvest. Aspiring Adventures: “The Naghol,” 14 days; $3,375; www.aspiringadventures.com
Australia: Tassie Romp
With nearly half of its landmass preserved as parks or reserves, Tasmania is an outdoor lover’s paradise. Explore the stunning coastal stretch from Launceston to Hobart on foot, bike, and kayak, with stops in Freycinet National Park and Maria Island, which still displays cellblocks from the country’s penal colony days. Tasmanian Expeditions: “Cycle, Kayak, and Walk Tasmania,” 6 days; $1,794; www.tasmanianexpeditions.com.au
Contributing editor Margaret Loftus has reported and written “Tours of a Lifetime” for the past eight years.
- Nat Geo Expeditions
