Cockatours
This Gulf Savannah Tour was created due to requests from past clients who refused to travel with other providers! The itinerary has been thoroughly researched and tested to bring you the best of the Northern Territory and Gulf Savannah! We ran our inaugural tour in 2021 and it blew everyone away, including us! It is a very unique itinerary visiting some of the most mind-blowing places in the Top End!
Departing from Cairns or Darwin, highlights include Kakadu & Litchfield National Park, The Lost City, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, Riversleigh Fossil Deposit, Burketown and the world famous Undara Lava Tubes! There is a helicopter flight over wetlands plus another flight over Australia’s largest aggregate saltpans! There are sunset dinner cruises, croc feeding, ancient landscapes and incredible wildlife to experience!
Gulf Savannah tours run every second year.
All itineraries are subject to change due to weather, road conditions, unexpected circumstances or driver’s decision based on what is best for the group. This itinerary is ONLY a guide. Whilst an itinerary is important, at Cockatours, we believe being flexible and having the ability to explore and deviate is also incredibly important. 
Important note
This tour is named “Gulf Savannah (Cairns to Darwin)” to help people understand what Gulf Savannah means. Please confirm your tour dates and T1/T4 number, which will correspond to your itinerary and actual tour direction.
Please be aware, this tour is subject to change as some places won’t accept reservations until 12 months beforehand. We have flagged dates with all providers but are still awaiting confirmation from some. Until then, the itinerary may change slightly.
31/7/2024: The cultural experience in Katherine is no longer available as the presenter is retiring. We are currently investigating alternatives.
Cairns or Darwin
How do the payments work?
As inflation and the cost of goods and services increases, we have had to adjust our prices. We have always tried to keep our prices low for you, however, prices have risen across the board and we must keep up. Fuel prices have risen significantly, increasing the prices of food and other resources in remote areas due to freight costs. Many of our accommodation and tour providers have doubled, and sometimes tripled in price. Since 2023, all dinners out have also been included in your tour price.
We also pride ourselves in maintaining our vehicles impeccably and paying our guides well. Our staff are up there with the highest paid tour guides & cooks in Australia. And despite what you may have heard, road conditions in Cape York and the Top End are as bad as they always have been, and there is still a LOT of bad dirt.
We have recently conducted research on all other companies going to Cape York (& a few Gulf Savannah), including motorbikes, tagalongs and tour trucks. We found that we are still the best value in Cape York, whilst maintaining our 5-star rating.
We are just outlining this as we believe in being transparent and we hope you can appreciate the immense value of these remote, outback tours. We hope you will continue to support us, our staff and our dream.
Cockatours is a family-owned business who aim to create unforgettable experiences for everyone. We would love to share our experience and knowledge of the remote top end of Australia with you and show you places, experiences and wildlife you never thought existed! We run smaller tours with a maximum of 15 (Isuzu) or 19 (MAN) people so it still feels private and we expect everyone to be friendly, considerate and work together as a team to create a positive experience for all.
As a small business, we have the ability to be flexible and use this as an advantage for creating great experiences and adventures. Tours are subject to change due to weather, road conditions, unexpected circumstances and the guide’s decision to best suit the group.
If you decide to join us on an adventure, please note the following:
We call them…BUS-TRUCKS! You will either travel on our 19-seater (only 18 guests on board) tour truck, Herc, or our new 19-seater tour truck (yet to be christened).
Both trucks are setup specifically for the hard conditions in the outback and the rough dirt roads. They are both very comfortable trucks. The air-conditioning works extremely well and the tinted windows in the cab help keep the glare & heat out! They are equipped with a road-cam tele and USBs for charging devices.
Herc is a fully contained unit, with the storage and kitchen incorporated into the body. Our new truck is like our original truck, Zeus, and tows a trailer with our kitchen and gear in it. Both are equipped with a small client fridge for your own drinks (no food).
Both trucks have a mini library, full of field guides and locally relevant books.
The private tour vehicle is a 5-seat, 2022 dual cab, Isuzu Ute, setup for exploring the more remote parts of Cape York.
We are very particular about a few things that make a trip comfortable; good food and sleeping gear are two of those. We do our best to maintain our gear to a high standard and turn over our camping gear frequently.
Our single or duo tents are 6.5 ft high, very spacious and easy to put up. The fly can also be removed, making it a big mozzie dome, for those starry nights so you can watch the stars go over head!
The mattresses are high-quality, high-density dunlop foam mattresses that stack (not rollable) and are comfy! We have sheets and micro-fibre blankets (NO yucky sleeping bags) for bedding and a mattress case as well. The pillows are real pillows and are covered with hygienic pillow covers as well as a standard pillow case. We even supply bath mats for the front of your tent! The chairs and mattresses vary between trucks due to storage space.
Making sure everyone has an enjoyable and safe tour is paramount for us. Here are a few things we do to achieve that:
We highly suggest reading through our Frequently Asked Questions before sending through an enquiry or making a booking.
We have provided a handy camping checklist for you to help with your preparations. This list was built from suggestions from past clients!
WOW! This was an absolutely fabulous tour! Joe, the driver and guide, was informative, caring and supportive, giving the encouragement the guests needed to try every activity and fully participate without feeling pressured. Ryan’s food was well cooked, and no one went hungry! Rossy thanks for encouraging me to go on this big adventure could never have done this on my own!
GULF SAVANNAH – May 2023
First time travellers with Rossy and his crew and must say, one of the best!
We have had some excellent guides on trips with other groups over the years, however Rossy is an exceptional owner/ecologist with a wealth of experience from living in FNQ and the Cape. He is an avid environmentalist & exceptional educator.
This is a challenging trip, however the trade off is breathtaking sights each day and the wonderful friendships that are forged.
We were privileged to also have Joe with us, an ecologist, zoologist and reptile specialist. His enthusiasm for all things that slithered and crawled was infectious!
Out 1st class chef Ryan, was nourishing us with the most delicious gourmet meals. We were never hungry.
Zeus, the 4wd truck was super comfortable and cool. The tents were of the highest quality along with the mattresses, pillows and bed linen.
Lots of inclusions, boat trips, scenic flights and dinners out.
It was an immersive insight into the harshness and cultural complexities of our vast country where there is so much beauty in such remoteness.
Not to be missed!
In November 2021 I did the Cockatours 15-day tour to the ‘tip’ at Cape York with my folks (aged 70 & 77 at the time) and best mate. The impact was profound and we have memories that will last a lifetime. A special highlight was Fruit Bat Falls.
In May this year (2023) I did their ‘Gulf Savannah’ tour from Cairns to Darwin, meandering through the Outback and seeing more of this great country. Yet again, Cockatours delivered an exceptional tour that is carefully curated to feel like you’ve really ‘done it’. I can’t imagine a better way to experience the outback, knowing you’ll see and do so much and in such capable hands.
Cockatours’ Guides, led by Rossy, make everyone feel as though we were completely immersed in every moment and they offered invaluable insights along the way – they’re Rockstars.
I cannot possibly imagine better trips. Highly recommend.
Choosing Cockatours for our Gulf Savannah holiday in 2023 was the best decision ever!!
Rossy and Joe (our guides) were exceptional, resulting in each day becoming a unique and wonderful adventure. Ryan (our chef) was masterful in creating delicious meals throughout.
Thanks guys for making this camping trip everything we’d hoped it to be ( and more), and look forward to booking with Rossy for another amazing adventure in the future.
Jamie and Wendy
The Gulf Savannah tour with Cockatours was truly an amazing adventure. The itinerary was well-paced and diverse; we saw so many beautiful places and had the best experiences. There were so, so many highlights.
I loved the magical sunset dinner cruise, lots of swimming opportunities, aboriginal cultural experiences, air boating, kayaking through gorges, ancient rock art sites, plus an exciting day at Matt Wright’s Safari Camp, just to name a few. It’s a perfect mix of cultural and active inclusions. The large 4WD truck was comfortable and well-equipped, easily covering this vast and rugged wilderness. I found the tents were easy to manage and the bedding was comfortable.
The group was small; we had lots of laughs and friendships, and everyone pitches in to help with the chores. The meals are varied, healthy and delicious. The only downside, you will put on weight!
Rossy, our guide, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Through him, we gained an insight of the geology, flora, incredible wildlife and fascinating termite mounds unique to this part of Australia. It was great value, would highly recommend and I can’t wait to do another tour with Cockatours!
