Sydney for the Adventurous Couple: One-Week Australia Itinerary

Our three-week trip had us visiting the east coast and southern areas of Australia, and went off without a hitch. Our excursions were with experienced guides and small groups. We took in stunning views, native wildlife, tasty food, and iconic areas.

The hotels were top-notch, all with (fantastic) breakfasts included and well situated for easy walking to local sites. Transportation transfers were ready and waiting when we arrived at all our destinations, with prompt delivery back to the airport(s).

We met so many friendly people along the way, too—native Australians, along with other tourists from near and far, all willing to share their knowledge and friendship. It was a truly wonderful trip from start to finish. We could have easily stayed another week or two!

Zicasso’s tour operator and our travel agent did an awesome job with this trip of alifetime! Highly recommended and we hope to use their services in the future.

Overall, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable trip. Thanks to the great travel itinerary built by Zicasso’s tour operator, we experienced the best of the best in Australia. We loved the experiences in all three cities, Melbourne, Cairns, Sydney! We really appreciated the detailed arrangements, with impeccable care, experiences, and thoughts.

Zicasso’s trip planner did an excellent job. Communication and the quality of the experiences were everything we'd expected and more, especially in New Zealand. The accommodations were first rate; the highlight was the lodge in Queenstown. The guides and drivers were professional and knowledgeable, especially those in Queenstown and Auckland. We loved the dedicated website for reference, as well as the detailed booklet and maps for both countries. 

For future itineraries, I would add another day in Queenstown and a full day in Christchurch. If days were limited, I would recommend one less day in Auckland and/or skipping the drive/train from Franz Josef. 

The only complication was the day we spent 10 hours going to and coming from Milford Sound.  I recommend doing Milford Sound by plane/helicopter from Queenstown, which would also permit seeing the glaciers/southern alps from the air. The only things we missed were the zoo in Auckland and the Blue Mountain day tour in Sydney. Next trip!

Everything went great with our trip. A couple of small, unforeseen hiccups were well managed by Zicasso's travel agency. We had a flight cancelled due to mechanical issues that would have set us back by a day. The agency was able to reroute us via a different airline so our trip itinerary could stay intact. Also, there was an issue with our Sydney Opera House tour (due to a Sydney Opera House issue) and they were able to send us the necessary information very quickly so we could go on the tour.

Our trip to Australia was incredible! Zicasso's tour operator put together a very thoughtful, well-paced itinerary. Our transportation always met us on time and with a good attitude. We enjoyed the diversity of experiences curated for our stay.

They took our bucket-list items and created an itinerary that allowed us to see almost every one! We were grateful to have a tour of the Historic Rocks in Sydney, a boat cruise harbor tour, watch "Carmen" at the Sydney Opera House, take a sunset camelback ride in the desert to see Ayers Rock, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, and get a private tour of a wildlife habitat (this was so special because we got to interact with some of the animals and learn from their keepers directly).

The only occasion on which I wish we'd had more time to spend was at Kuranda Village! There was so much to do and see, but we had an Army Duck tour and Aboriginal experience booked, which I really enjoyed because we got to ride through the jungle and enjoy performances from the Pamagirri community. Taking the Skyrail up and the train down was also a sight to see.

We enjoyed the intimate nature of tours, allowing us to ask questions about history, architecture, and daily life, and engage with our tour guides in a meaningful way. Highly prefer this style of private/small tours to the bigger bus tours. Our accommodations were impressive--from the luxurious hotel on George Street in Sydney to the desert resort in Uluru to the lodge on Captain Cook Highway in Port Douglas! We got to experience a range of climates. There was never a dull moment.

Even though the itinerary seemed jam-packed, we had just the right amount of time to rest and reset between activities and travel. Having such a detailed and professionally done itinerary gave us real peace of mind. The coordination of hospitality was also impeccable. Our hotels always communicated seamlessly with our pre-arranged transportation and tours. The trip was fun and totally stress-free! We were constantly delighted and charmed by this country and its people.

Zicasso's travel company provided an outstanding level of planning and support for our trip to Australia and New Zealand. The itinerary was detailed perfection and we had an absolutely seamless and wonderful two weeks. I wouldn't hesitate to use them in the future for another out-of-country vacation.