Let your travel make a difference with AAT Kings

By Helen Hayes 31 October 2024
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Knowing you are making a difference on your travels elevates your experience, and AAT Kings is here to help you do just that.

This article is brought to you by AAT Kings.

Often, the simple things carve a special niche in your holiday memories. A conversation with a local, a shared experience taking in nature’s beauty, learning about traditional cultures. These moments warm your heart, and create a bond you won’t forget in a hurry.

AAT Kings, part of The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) family of brands, carefully curate MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences into their holidays. It is not just an afterthought, but created using a robust set of criteria endorsed by industry experts. AAT Kings cares about sustainability, the planet, and local communities they interact and immerse with, from the ochre-red desert sands of Australia’s outback to the Tolkienesque forests, valleys, mountains and fiords of New Zealand and everywhere in between. They don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk. Here are some of the ways you can make travel matter in Australia.

Heading Outback

On this 15-day Outback Adventure from Adelaide to Darwin through the rugged Red Centre, your stay at Wilpena Pound Resort in Ikara-Flinders Ranges will be a highlight. This ancient, rocky landscape has been home to the Adnyamathanha people – meaning ‘rock’ or ‘hills people’ in Yura Ngawarla – for thousands of years. When you visit on this tour, you’ll be contributing towards the sustainable future of the Adnyamathanha. Many work with Wilpena Pound Resort to reduce the environmental footprint and help conserve the region they call home. This connection will be shared with you when an Aboriginal Elder or member of the local community welcomes you to Wilpena Pound Resort, and help you learn about the area.

Image credit: Tourism Australia

Take to the idyllic river in Katherine Gorge on an 11-day guided Outback Safari from Uluru to Darwin. Cruising through the Gorge, located in Nitmiluk National Park, is a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Navigate between ancient sandstone cliffs with lush green vegetation a stark contrast to the textured rock. Go ashore to explore trails and admire rock art with an Indigenous guide, learning about the culture of the traditional Jawoyn landowners, their stories of how the gorge was formed, and how the Jawoyn people live and work today. A second boat takes you even deeper into the gorge, uncovering more cultural heritage and spectacular scenery.

Image credit: Tourism NT

Tasmanian Discoveries

The Freycinet Peninsula is achingly beautiful, and a wonderful way to connect with the land is on a four-hour cruise, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience with AAT Kings. This aquatic adventure will not only showcase nature at her best, but also contribute to the preservation of Tasmania’s wildlife. The cruise will take you past wild granite coastline, the jagged peaks of the Hazards Range, glorious beaches and sublime Coles Bay. You might also see some of the wildlife you are helping, including penguins and short tailed shearwaters in the inner passage of remote Schouten Island, sea eagles, dolphins and seals, and maybe even whales in pristine Wineglass Bay.

Image credit: Tourism Australia

On the 13-day Perfect Tasmania  journey, you will be making a big difference to Tasmanian Aboriginal (palawa) people. The Kipli Takara Bush Tucker walk and native lunch at Risdon Cove is a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and by supporting this food walk, you’ll help keep palawa in work, to build on their culturally focused food and land management practices. The palawa have only ever taken what was needed to ensure resources for future generations, and believe that by sharing their food with you, you’ll become more aware of sustainability, and will learn about their culture and history. Knowledge is one of the best takeaways from any holiday.

Get back to nature on the seven-day guided Tassie Parks and Nature  tour from Hobart to Launceston. Take in scenic beauty on a Gordon River cruise, go exploring at Cradle Mountain, and let your inner gardener take charge at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart. These cool climate gardens feature Australia’s only Subantarctic Plant House, Tasmanian Fernery, and over 20 cultivars in various shades at the Lily Pond. Take a moment in the Conservatory and feel the zen of the Japanese Garden, finding pleasure in the knowledge that this is a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. By being there you’ll be contributing to the Botanical Gardens Seed Bank, conservation projects and to the upkeep of these magnificent gardens.

Many palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) cultural experiences across Tasmania are provided by NITA Education. Owners Trish Hodge and Craig Everett, both descending from Mannalargenna, Chief of the North East, welcome guests on the 10-day Tasmanian Wonders guided holiday on the banks of the River Derwent. Be immersed in the local Indigenous culture with a Welcome to Country and traditional smoking ceremony, then take a stroll with your hosts around this culturally significant area. Learn about their history, going back at least 2000 generations, and about native food in this region. A MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, this enterprise ensures guests leave with a deeper understanding of this culture and that the stories continue to be passed down through the generations.

Image credits: Tourism Australia

Hop into South Australia

Let your spirits soar on the 11-day guided Tastes of Southern Australia holiday, with so many wonderful sights to see as you journey from Sydney to Adelaide. One of the most impactful will be a visit to Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Kangaroo Island, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Learn about the role bushfires play within the ecosystem on a private, educational ecology tour of the sanctuary, which was severely impacted during the 2019/20 bushfires. It is rewarding to assist them with their continued bushfire recovery plan and wildlife rehabilitation program while learning about the delicate ecosystem of the area and its native animals. You will leave full of hope, after witnessing the power of regeneration, and after potentially spotting a range of wildlife, including koalas.

Kangaroo Island is unique in Australia, and you will uncover its charms on this five-day Remarkable Adelaide to Kangaroo Island guided holiday. At Seal Bay Conservation Park, make a difference through your visit to this vital breeding ground for the Australian sea lion. It is one of the rarest species in the world and around 800 of the 12,000 left reside here. From a safe distance on the beach, watch and learn how these endangered animals hunt, interact with their pups, defend their territory, and rest up after days spent fishing deep underwater. Your entry fee assists in the extensive, environmentally sensitive upgrades to the infrastructure of this special place.

Image credits: Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance

The joy of discovery

With over 100 years of experience, AAT Kings knows how to help you discover Australia with like-minded people who like to do more than just holiday – people who want to connect with people and places and have everything looked after. AAT Kings has premium coaches, and you will be well looked after by knowledgeable and affable Travel Directors and Driver Guides who all share AAT Kings’ passion for our lands, people and wildlife.

Ask your travel agent or contact our experts today! Discover more at aatkings.com

This article is brought to you by AAT Kings.