AAT Kings
We offer our respect and gratitude to the traditional Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori custodians who have nurtured the land and its cultures for so many millennia, and who are now some of our most trusted partners in introducing them to a curious world.
Wild, wide and wonderful, Australia and New Zealand continually excite and inspire. It doesn’t matter how many mountains you’ve climbed or remote island shores you’ve visited, there’s always a different creation story to be told or gallery of ancient rock art to be revealed.
100+ Years of Adventure
A century ago, the Australian outback was but a twinkle in most travellers’ eyes. But thanks to visionaries like the Pyke family and Bill King, the way we explore the Land Down Under was about to change in unimaginable ways. Over the coming decades, maps were unfolded, desert cruisers and coaches were customised, and guides were trained. From humble beginnings, the company now known as AAT Kings was going places few had gone before, pioneering new paths across Australia and New Zealand and taking intrepid domestic and international travellers on a wild and wonderful ride.
1920s: AAT Kings can be traced back to George Page’s modest transport service from Melbourne to Brighton.
1930s: The Pike family introduced Sydney to Katoomba and Jenolan Caves which is still apart of our Day Tours business.
1960s: Bill King decided there was a real future with off-the-beaten-track journeys – Bill purchased two Land Rovers, an ex-army international ambulance and a Denning Bus and launched Bill King’s Northern Safaris.
1970s: Bill designed and built his own 18 passenger vehicles and called them Desert Cruisers. AAT Coachlines had commenced operations in the Northern Territory.
1980s: AAT Coachlines purchased Bill King’s Northern Safaris and operated as Bill King’s Australian Adventure Tours.
1984: AAT Kings brand formed.
1997: AAT Kings joined The Travel Corporation’s Family of Brands.
1999: We began operations in New Zealand.
2008: The Travel Corporation Conservation Fund is launched. This not-for-profit organisation became The TreadRight Foundation in 2012, with a mission to have a positive impact on people, planet and wildlife. TreadRight has supported 60-plus sustainable tourism projects and launched a 5 year sustainability strategy, How We Tread Right, including a pledge to become a carbon neutral business by 2030.
2010: Small group immersive Inspiring Journeys brand was born.
2012: AAT Kings purchased APT’s Day Tours & Short Breaks.
2018: Down Under Tours joined the AAT Kings Group.
2019: SEIT Outback Australia joined the AAT Kings Group.
“Keep doing what you’re doing, but try and do it better” – Bill King
Australia and New Zealand, but not as you know them
We’ve spent the last century perfecting a Holy Grail of life-changing moments around Australia and across New Zealand – ones you likely never knew even existed, and that you won’t find in a guidebook or listed on any website. Our DNA has never changed – we are, and always have been pioneers committed to worry-free and sustainable travel, revealing these majestic countries in a way that you never imagined possible.
Award Winning Tour Operator
Tourism NT Brolga Award Winners 2023 – Major Tour and Transport Operator
AAT Kings has been operating for over 100 years and we hold the first coach touring licenses issued in Australia. We're consistently recognised and awarded by the industry.
Amazing Experiences
We get beneath the skin of the destinations we take you to, offering only-locals-know adventures and insights that most other travellers will never even know existed. We take you places, and our passionate insiders – whether vintners, farmers, astronomers, chefs, historians or Indigenous artists – reveal their true beauty.
We’re constantly looking for new ways to make your journey extraordinary, whether that’s an exclusive sunrise tour of Uluru’s Field of Light, a dazzling display at the Dark Sky Reserve in Lake Tekapo, or an Outback sunset barbecue. Sit back and dream a little, all the complicated stuff? We’ll take care of it.
Let’s go discover Australia and New Zealand anew together.
Travel Styles
What you want from your holiday is not necessarily the same as your neighbour – we get that. Sometimes, it’s all about adventure, about hiking to that summit or discovering a remote waterfall. Often, all you need is a good glass of wine and time to appreciate a remarkable view. Perhaps you want to see major sights, or visit in-the-know haunts, or choose your own offbeat path while we handle the main roads. Whatever your destination and however you want to get there, we have an itinerary for you.
Worry Free
Your health and wellbeing is, and has always been, our primary concern – even before this recent shift in travel logistics. In addition to elevated hygiene standards and protocols, AAT Kings has upgraded its coach air-conditioning filtration systems. We also only work with partners we know and trust (and who take the wellbeing of our guests as seriously as we do), and our highly trained Travel Directors make sure everything runs smoothly – with a full support team on call at all times.
Family of Brands
When you sign up to travel with AAT Kings, you’re not only part of our century-old heritage, but are welcomed into just as many years of experience in The Travel Corporation. Journey confidently in the knowledge our family-owned parent company has taken hundreds of thousands of people around the world over the decades across its network of brands.
AAT Kings Cares
The TreadRight Foundation was founded over a decade ago as a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) family of brands with a mission to ensure our trips have a positive impact, and AAT Kings is proud to be a founding member.
There are plenty of things we can all do while travelling to contribute to sustainable tourism practices. When you travel with AAT Kings and any of our sister brands you can be assured that your holiday will be a sustainable one.
From the get-go travel with us is sustainable
Why Coach Tour?
A coach tour produces 87% less emissions than the same amount of people travelling by car.
No single-use plastic
We say no to single-use plastic and recycle when this cannot be avoided.
Reusable water bottle
Pack a reusable water bottle when you travel.
Community support
Support communities by purchasing locally made souvenirs
We’ve also developed a series of tours that each include a signature MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, allowing our guests to see and understand firsthand the important work we support and its impact.
