Comments
The following is a selection of comments which have been taken from our end-of-tour questionnaires and from emails we receive.
Delivered to Wayoutback Desert Safaris Via the totaltravel.com.au website
Franz and I recently completed a 5 day safari with Wayoutback. We would like to express our deepest thanks to all of you for a really wonderful experience. We found you on line and when we booked we hoped so much that the trip would meet our expectations - small group, professional, informative and as much as possible off the beaten track away from the tourist centres. Wayoutback went far beyond these expectations and delivered a really incredible adventure. But our biggest thanks has got to go to our superb guide Steve, he was just the best right from the word go. Amazingly informed, interesting, a great sense of humour, utterly professional and who worked so very hard to make sure that we were not only safe at all times but that our bush experience was the best that it could be. Thank you Steve thank you Wayoutback. We plan a trip to Darwin and Kakadu national Park and we wish you had an operation there we would be booking now and we would request Steve as our guide. Take care and all the best.- Franz and Mary Sturmeir
German & Austrian Tourism Representatives
It was a great experience to camp outside under the stars and drive through this stunning country side. We had 2 great guides who gave us enough information about Australia and who made us laugh very often. I'm happy, thankyou for the great trip guys, Great. - Christine, TUI Resisecenter Neulacker
Everything was perfect organised. - Denise, ADAC
Everything was absolutely Great! - Christine, Der Reisecenter TUI Gmblt
It was perfect. I have never seen such a lot beautiful things in short time - I'll never forget. In my opinion the tour was perfect. Phil is the best camping cook in the world! - Barbara, Reiseburo Idealtours Gmblt
I have never seen so beautiful things in my life before! It was perfect I would change nothing. - Astrid, Reiseboro Bunte Urlaubswelt
Best Tour Ever!!! All Perfect thanks to Phil & Danny. - Jens, Reiseboro Foerster Gmblt
Everything was Great, Perfect Organised, I enjoyed the trip, it was a great adventure. For me the tour with Phil was great, he explained so much - Really Good. - Carolin, First Reiseburo Binder
For me it was very important to see the outback. And I must say it was a great experience to camp outside the stars, to see the wildlife and the beautiful nature. We had 2 great guides and they gave us enough information. Unforgettable, Thankyou for the nice trip, guys - It was Great. - Sylvia, Reise-Insel
Everything was beautiful & very interesting. - Heike, First Reiseburo
A Great experience, a lot of fun with Guides Phil & Danny. - Marco, TOP Travel Agency
Couldn't do any better. - Melanie, Reiseburo Prima Sol Gmblt
Amazing - get you back to nature, absolutely well organised - couldn't do any better. - Susanne, Kladow Reisen
Many Thanks to Phil & Dan. A great & unforgettable experience. Dan & Phil made an excellent job!! The knowledge from Phil in geology, botany & aboriginal history is great. Their kind, friendly & helpful way gave us a good start in our Outback adventure - Absolutely Great. - Martina, Holidayland Reiseburo Sieker
ALL PERFECT - the best tour I have ever made. - Eva, Reiseburo Brandt
Hi Karen, Nice to hear from you. You want to know how the tour went: it was simply fantastic and really a pity that the 5 day tour wasn't available on both dates. Everything was very well organised - we haven't been pushed as it is always the case with other tours - everything was clean everywhere.
Vicky was our tour guide - she was first class. Her explanations were great and also how she handled the different people and nationalities was amazing.
Remarkable with Wayoutback was the first campground behind the cattle station in the nowhere and there were still shower and toilet - I was not prepared to that - expected a showel as I have already experienced with other tours.
Especially good was the small group - we were 14 people but I think this also should be the maximum for such a tour.
The tour in Darwin: I want to do what you suggested to me - I trust you implicitly.- Julia (translated from German).
'I just would like to say thank you again for this amazing 5-day tour! I stayed 13 weeks in Australia and visited some spots but the Outback and your tour were the best of my stay! ... Cheers, Oliver and the other "4 crazy Germans"!'
'I just got home from the 3 Day Uluru Tour with Lindsey as our guide and I just have to say what a great time I had. The small group (only 7) was great and we've had so much fun. And being in a 4WD enhanced the whole experience of the outback extremely! I have made so many new experiences in only 3 days that I will never forget! Sleeping under the brilliant stars, having a bush shower and going for a ride on a quad - what an awesome trip! In the end-of-tour-questionaire I really didn't give Lindsey enough credit. His knowledge about the area's history and geology were just amazing. He's very passionate about the Aboriginal culture and that helped us understand these people better! He took very good care of us and we couldn't have wished for a better person to bring us closer to the Red Centre. To all you guys at Wayoutback: don't change anything and keep going. Thanks for the best trip of my life (so far at least)! I will definitely be back.'
'I just wanted to thank you all very much for a totally awesome trip that we just finished. My best friend Sam and I came on a 3 day safari with Todd as our guide. Not quite knowing what to expect we were both really pleased we didn't encounter too many snakes or spiders ... just flies, more flies, heat and more heat!! Todd was a great guide, which really made the difference to our trip - we were just sorry we buggered off with the ipods and didn't stay for the extra 2 nights. Sydney seems huge in comparison, and being back at work sucks. But one consolation is that the surf is definitely up, the waves here are awesome at the moment. Thanks again for everything ... Tash & Sam.'
'Hi Phil I had an amazing time on one of your tours. Mind you I thought I would die on the charge up the Olgas one afternoon. I think they must have slowed down after that, Carolyn was amazing. Not many people could be tour adviser, cook, driver, naturalist, aboriginal adviser all at once. Thanks for a great tour, I'm recommending it to everyone. Regards Nella.'
'I took the 3 Day Safari with Lindsey 13-15 March. Fantastic stuff! Thank you for taking such good care of the group, and for employing a guide with skill, humor, and generosity. He's fun, professional, and has strong sensibility and respect for the environment, Aboriginals, wildlife, and guests. This was the first organized tour I've ever done, and it was a screaming success. Thanks again! Sincerely, Bob (Seattle, USA).'
'My name is Jo Jo and I recently went on two of your Wayoutback Desert Safaris, the 2 day tour of West MacDonnell Ranges and the 3 Day tour of Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon. I just wanted to say thank you for the fantastic experience, as it was my first time in Central Australia, the Outback and Wayoutback Desert Safari made it a very genuinely memorable experience. I cannot imagine seeing this region of Australia in any other way than the Wayoutback Desert Safari, 4WD tours. Please pass on my thanks to our two tour guides, Disco Dave and Jason. Their sound knowledge, of the area, geology, history and Aboriginal Culture made a real difference to our tours, for me this has been a holiday and a learning experience. Most importantly your tours took us away from the majority of ‘terrorists’ that swamp some of these attractions. I have recommended your company to everyone interested in visiting the Central Australia, especially to many Australians who have never been.'
'My three days with wayoutback (from Dec 3, with Matt as our guide) was the best travel experience of my life among all other places, camps, or tours. Unlike other tours, every moment of activity, including the 4WD drive, the view and texture of air from the windows, talking and getting to know each other, Matt's 'kawaii' character, the music, preparing and having meals, the view of/from the camp sites, sitting around the campfire, sleeping under the stars in swags in addition to visiting the most known tourist places was all just fascinating. We also had pleasant encounterings with wild camels, small lizards, and a small sand spout(tornado?) at the Ernest Giles Road, which was one of my favorite part of the tour. I had never seen such red land continuing as long as I can see to the horizon where it meets the blue sky, and running the unsealed red road making a cloud of dust with no other cars or artifacts in sight was really fun and amazing. I still keep imagining the images, texture of air, all that I have felt with all my senses, not wanting to forget a piece. I really appreciated the tour and felt very lucky to be able to be a part of the trip. So, just to let you know ... Thank you so much. I would love to visit again some day.'
'... We thank those at Wayoutback Desert Safaris, in particular, our tour guide Jason, for the fantastic experience of Central Australia that the three of us had. Now back in wintery and dull Victoria, we can indeed appreciate the wonderful colours and amazing culture that we experienced on our three-day tour. We certainly had a memorable holiday and it was due in no small part to Jason's enthusiasm, knowledge, and sensitivity to the needs of all participants on our tour. We would certainly recommend Wayoutback Desert Safaris and hope, at some future date, to join one of your five day tours - particularly if Jason was the tour guide! With best wishes, Colleen, Lauren and Joel.'
'I was just researching a possible (if improbable) return trip to Australia and was pleased to find you now have a site up and running. You've probably already got plenty of recommendations but I thought I'd add one more. My brother and I went on one of your tours in May '98 (your 21st I think) and it is still one of our abiding memories from our year in Australia. In fact in a year when I did many amazing things this was the best, along with diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Even being woken at an ungodly hour to watch the sunrise hitting Uluru was a magical moment. Special thanks to the boss/driver (Kiwi with a beard, sorry can't remember your name) whose knowledge, observation and excellence at finding campsites made this an extra special tour and even left me feeling sorry for the NTAT hordes. I'd thoroughly recommend this tour to anyone.'
'I have continued to bask in the wonder of the great adventure we enjoyed with you over the past week. I am sure it will be a highlight and long lasting memory of our time in Australia. Thank you for a great experience.'
'Kirsten from the SMH called to thank us all for helping her organise such a wonderful trip. In her words she said it was really 'refreshing' and the 'small group was awesome to travel with'. The guide was really knowledgeable and the itinerary was great. She's been telling everybody she knows about the trip and about YHA.'
'You asked us let you know how the 5-day Wayoutback tour was - well it was probably the best tour we've done in 6 months of travelling, narrowly ahead of the Wilderness 4WD Adventures trip, which was also great. The Wayoutback trip really was an outback bush experience and the off road driving was both good fun and good for camel and roo etc spotting.'
'It was the best tour I did so far in Australia. It was a great adventure and also relaxing at the same time. I saw a lot of beautiful spots, really great. We had a really good group and also a really good guide!'
'Best experience since coming to Australia. Wish it wasn't over. The guide conducted a more than perfect tour. Thankyou for the highlight of my travels!'
'Great tour. The guide is a great tour guide, lots of fun and easy to talk to. I felt really taken care of. He makes camping and the outback feel safe. He is very organized, smooth running. Thanks for the awesome food, info and great time.'
'I've never slept on the ground, but it was so beautiful, so many stars in the sky. I won't forget this experience. Thanks a lot.'
'Amazing - I loved every minute, especially the Kings Canyon walk and bush shower.'
'Fab tour - liked explanations of geology and walks at Kings Canyon and the Olgas.'
'Fantastic 3 day trip. I had a blast. Looking at other groups we saw along the way I am confident we had the best company and the best guide ... I will never forget this trip.'
'Fabulous 5 days, even the early starts - well worth it. At beginning, did seem like all tours were doing the same route, but we soon lost them at Kings Creek. This tour came highly recommended from someone we met in New Zealand ... It did not disappoint!'
'This tour was pretty funny and interesting. I was surprised about the guide's knowledge about everything. Therefore, I learned a lot. Thankyou so much, I will never forget this adventure.'
'I only regret not coming on a longer safari! Keep doing the alternative to the bus tours and I will hopefully be back!!'
'Everything about the trip was brilliant. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Australia.'
'Everything was great! The camping experience, the guide, the place we visited. Congratulations.'
'The best 3 days of my life.'
'Like the small group and being away from other big groups. Thankyou!'
'Many thanks to you and your team at Wayoutback for what was definitely the highlight of my trip around Oz ... I would have to give Wayoutback 10/10 - I've been on quite a few tours whilst in Australia and I often had the sense of being just another tourist wallet - something, thankfully, which Wayoutback managed to avoid completely. I'd recommend Wayoutback as a "must do" to anyone without a moments hesitation.'
'... in the myriad of tourist brochure promising to deliver the world ... and wait, there's more ... in a three day tour, I was drawn to the simple blue and orange of the Wayoutback brochure, It told me everything I was going to see without me even having to open the cover. I was not disappointed. There were endless blue skies, a hundred shades of red and all without a thousand other tourists sharing the view. Wayoutback provided the perfect desert escape to the wonders I wanted to see - not in 5 star luxury, but as part of the bush, the way they should be experienced. I enjoyed the journey as much as the destinations - and that's the sign of a good tour ... '
'We were on a trip to Kings Canyon, Uluru, and the Olgas with Tim as our guide from August 10th through the 12th. Not only was he tons of fun, but he was extraordinarily sensitive and knowledgeable about the aboriginal culture, and he understood and helped us understand the geology of the region. He Actually made the trip for us, especially our children, two girls 15 years and one boy 17. Our journey to the red center was a highlight of our trip - because Tim was a terrific guide.'
'Just wanted you to know how lucky you are.'
'I'm writing this email to express my thanks for the 3day safari tour I did with your company on 7th September 2002. This being my first visit to Central Australia and also the first time I've done a safari tour of this type, I have come away with many good memories and a sense of having learned something.'
'Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon were the main highlights of my trip, however, it was the entire experience of setting up camp each night under the stars along with the knowledge and experience that our guide 'Seamus' shared with us that really enhanced the whole tour. I believe my friend Leslie and I made the best choice when deciding which tour company to go with and there is nothing we would change about the whole trip.'
'Thanks especially to Seamus who was friendly, professional but most of all knowledgeable on everything from Aboriginal culture to botanical names for the many native plants and animals unique to the area. He is not only easy going, friendly and enthusiastic, he did well to manage a group of 13 people who were all very different from each other. The world needs more people like him - please pass on my thanks and gratitude.'
'Keep up the good work!'
'Just a quick note to saythank you for hosting a great 3 Day Safari. It lived up to my expectations and then some. I will definitley recommend to future generations of Poms and other travellers.'
'Just finished a Wayoutback Safari 3 day (August 2nd-4th) and absolutely LOVED it!!! I really want to commend Wayoutback on how well put together everything was and how exciting and incredible an experience it was!'
'I especially have nothing but brilliant comments for my tour guide, "Spooky" Luke. He was absolutely excellent and never was at a loss of words!! Also, the knowledge he had about the Outback and its ecosystem was quite deep and impressive!! I learned sooo much from his brief lectures on our bush walks!! He was a very unique and incredible tour guide!'
'This experience was amazing - something I will always treasure back in the States! I will tell everyone about Wayoutback - our guide was wonderful!'
'Best tour I did in Oz and will be one of my best memories of the year I spent here.'
'Great experience. Good size group and the fact our camp area was more private. Cheers.'
'Absolutely brilliant! Don't want to go back to Sydney.'
'As a foreigner wanting to get a bit of insight into Australia this completely exceeded all my expectations. Just the right platform for further trips into the outback.'
'Excellent trip - great variety of pace, fun and beauty.'
'The tour was great, especially the swag camping and cooking over the fire.'
'Tour was excellent. Keep doing what you're doing!'
'This was by far the best tour I've done since I've been in Oz.'
'Enjoyed the trip immensely. Phil was a fantastic guide who was extremely knowledgable and informative on everything from Aboriginal culture, to plant life and history of Australia. Enjoyed having a smaller group size as well.'
'Travel with small group is better to meet and have good feeling with other people.'
'Great experience and brilliant company. Would definitely do it again!'
'Had an excellent time - would definitely recommend the 5 day tour.'
'Loved the bush camps and walks. Excellent tour all round. Great tour to see the outback of Australia.'
'Excellent - enjoyed every minute.'
'It was great, unforgettable.'
'Perfect! Excellent! Best days of my journey in Australia!'
'Excellent trip! The pace was just right, the food the great. Our night in the bush was fabulous. The trip was light years beyond the 2 day trip I took a few years ago.'
'Excellent. The trip to do in Australia!'
'Enjoyed the 3 days so much. Great guide and group. Should have booked a 5 day!'
'Best trip in Australia.'
'Enjoyed tour. It was a more personal experience with smaller group size.'
'Fantastic trip. Memory maker!'
'Top time. Will recommend to anyone!'
'A once in a lifetime experience! The small groups are brilliant, along with the isolation of the 2nd night campsite.'
'Many thanks for a fantastic trip. Guide and group were perfect. Would do it all again.'
'I have had a fantastic time and have enjoyed every minute of it. The guided walks were wonderful. I love sleeping looking at the stars. Thank you.'
'Good to be in a small group to appreciate the wilderness.'
'Excellent trip. Good pace.'
'Had a thoroughly excellent time. The bush shower totally outdid many hostels I have stayed in ...'
'First class guide made the whole experience very memorable and great fun. Thanks.'
'I had a fantastic 3 days. It was really good travelling in a small group. I particularly enjoyed the 2nd night camping in an isolated place. Great trip.'
'Swags were comfortable - some of the best nights sleep I've had. James was very responsible and knowledgable.'
'Small group definitely better - good crowd, brilliant fun. First outback camping experience - thoroughly enjoyed.'
'Great place, great time, great guide. Thanks a million.'
'Great time, really chilled out. The food was brilliant, great experience.'
'Very good - did not feel like a "tour", more like a road trip with your mates, Great stuff.'
'Great fun, great people. Worth the money.'
'Keep going on this way! Thanks.'
'Loved the whole thing - especially when we got away from the crowds. Rich is a great multi-talented guide with an enthusism for all and everything.'
'Excellent throughout - especially like the smaller group size.'
'We've been on your tour from the 2nd till the 4th of August and we had the greatest time in Australia. You are the best organisation and we loved to see the real OUTBACK. It was so much fun. We want to thank our guide, Ian who was so friendly and funny all the time with us tourists. Thanks!!' - Seven students from Mainz in Germany.
'I couldn't have asked for a better central Oz experience. Thanks.'
'Such a good time!! May never do another type of holiday again!'
'It was fab - loved sleeping out under the stars next to the fire and being away from the hoardes of other tourists.'
'Good sized tour. Best way to see the centre.'
'The tour was the best tour I've been on since being in Australia (been here 8 months).'
'This was the most amazing and fascinating tour I have been on. Everything we did was absolutely awesome!'
'Really good tour. I liked the small group.'
'My suggestion is don't change anything.'
'The whole experience was very rewarding. It's difficult to offer any suggestions when so much is gained in such a short space of time.'
'Always felt we were one step ahead of the other tours. Never been so sure I chose the right tour.'
'It was absolutely excellent.'
'Change nothing - excellent!'
'An excellent trip, thanks for everything.'
'Top tour - enthusiasm of guide a strong factor. Could only be bettered by making tour longer.' (A comment from the 5 day tour)
'Opened my eyes to the real outback, not just the tourist destinations.'
'Trip was a great experience. Had a lot of fun, best way to see the outback.'
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