When you think of top experiences in Australia, you tend to think of something around our photogenic harbour, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. But another New South Wales’ activity has topped Australia’s ‘Top Experiences’ list in Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travellers’ Choice Awards. Scenic World’s Small Group Blue Mountains Day Trip has been crowned the Top Experience in all of Australia.
Never heard of it? Scenic World, at the Three Sisters in Katoomba, is the Blue Mountains’ main hub of mountainy attractions, and one of the activities they offer is this small-group day trip from Sydney. As part of the 10-hour round trip, you’ll go on the Scenic Railway (the world’s steepest rail trip), ride the glass-bottom Scenic Skyway cable car, walk through the valley, get up close and personal with animals like kangaroos and wallabies at Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park, and cap off the day with a relaxing river cruise and meal. Not a bad day out at all.
The experience topped the pops because it’s so highly rated on Tripadvisor – it has a perfect five-star score, with a total of 3,307 reviews.
In the words of someone who’s taken the trip: “Fantastic day trip to the Blue Mountains! Rin, our tour guide, was brilliant. From the start Rin was very friendly and welcoming. She was knowledgeable, organised and has a great sense of humour. This day trip was one of the highlights of our trip to Sydney. It’s a must-do if you want to spend a day visiting the Blue Mountains, Scenic World, Leura for a nice lunch, [a] zoo, and back to Sydney Harbour on a fast ferry up the Parramatta River to finish the day."
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Want to know what other experiences topped the list, so you can add to bucket list? Here are the top-five experiences you can have in Australia in 2024, according to Tripadvisor data:
- All-Inclusive Small Group Blue Mountains Trip with Scenic World (NSW)
- Small-Group Yarra Valley Wine Tour: Wine, Gin and Cider (Vic)
- ABC Snorkel Charters Port Douglas (Qld)
- Phillip Island Penguin, Brighton Beach, Moonlight Sanctuary from Melbourne (Vic)
- K’gari (Fraser Island) Day Tour (Qld)
When it came to experiences around the world that topped Tripadvisor’s best-of-the-best list, these five had impeccable reviews:
- The Unvanquished Tour in Porto City Center (Porto, Portugal)
- All-Inclusive Ubud Private Tour (Ubud, Indonesia)
- All-Inclusive Amsterdam Canal Cruise by Captain Jack (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
- Small-Group Explore Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour with Guide from Siem Reap (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
- Chichen Itza, Cenote and Valladolid All-Inclusive Tour (Cancun, Mexico)
Want more inspo from Tripadvisor on the best things to do here in Australia and around the world? Check out all the Travellers’ Choice Awards 2024 winners over here.
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