Appreciate South Australia from the air

When time is short, South Australia (southaustralia.com) with its vast extraordinary vistas teeming with free roaming native Australian wildlife, can really only be appreciated from the air. This is why luxury operator Chinta Air Tours (chinta.com.au) offers a selection of air safaris that include whale watching at the Head of Bight and wildlife spotting on the Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.

To comfortably cover the vast distances involved, tours combine light aircraft flights with regional airlines and four wheel drive vehicles. The main light aircraft used are Cessnas - high winged aircraft that allow each passenger to have a window seat.

Accommodation on all of the tours is four-star and above, or the best that is available for the area visited which can include sleeping in a luxury tented camp, experiencing a luxury eco-villa or staying in an underground hotel. Tours of South Australia include:

OUTBACK EXPERIENCE: This two-day tour departs Adelaide and takes in Coober Pedy, the world’s opal mining capital with accommodation in the underground Desert Cave Hotel, views of the world’s largest cattle station of Anna Creek, and scenic flights over the stunning dry salt river beds of Lake Eyre and Lake Gairdner, the Gawler Ranges and Lake Acraman, the largest meteorite crater in Australia.

COOBER PEDY & WHALE WATCHING: This two-day trip combines Coober Pedy and the Desert Cave Hotel with whale watching at the Head of Bight (June until October).

OUTBACK WILDLIFE: This three or four-day tour includes a 4WD tour of the Eyre Peninsula’s Gawler Ranges to see emus, kangaroos and native birds with overnight accommodation at the luxury tented bush camp of Kangaluna.
The tour then goes on to Australia’s Galapagos of Kangaroo Island to see, among others, seals, sea lions, penguins, koalas, wallabies and kangaroos.

FLINDERS RANGES & KANGAROO ISLAND: This classic three-day ocean to Outback trip departs Adelaide, takes in Rawnsley Park Station (a working sheep station) and includes a 4WD tour of the Flinders Ranges and accommodation in an award-winning eco-villa before heading off to Kangaroo Island for a 4WD drive tour and a gourmet picnic. On-island accommodation is in a choice of fabulous family run b&b’s that boast fantastic local cuisine using locally sourced food and wine.

IN ADDITION:

ULURU TO ADELAIDE AIR SAFARI: This four-day itinerary (which can start either in Adelaide or Uluru) includes Uluru, one of Australia’s most iconic destinations (accommodation at the Sails in the Desert); Coober Pedy, the world’s leading opal producer and home to the world’s only underground hotel; the Flinders Ranges for a 4WD tour (accommodation in an award-winning Rawnsley Park Station eco villa).

BACKGROUND TO CHINTA AIR TOURS (chinta.com.au): Based in Ceduna, South Australia, Chinta Tours was set up by Noel Schwarz and Felicity Brown as a means of showcasing the stunning scenery of this relatively unknown region. And, by using light aircraft, they have been able to develop a range of sole use charter tours that allow visitors to see regional highlights in a shorter time frame and from a great vantage point.

Tours, which can be tailor-made to suit guests requirements, range from two, three to four-days, with the 10-day ‘Ultimate Blend’ offering South Australia’s main highlights in one trip that includes Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, the Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy and the Gawler Ranges.

For further information on South Australia, log on to Southaustralia.com.