Royal National Park Private Tour
Description
Explore the beauty of the Royal National Park on a private full‑day tour tailored to your group. Travel with an experienced and attentive guide to coastal lookouts, coastal trails, waterfalls, beaches, and rock formations, with walking options matched to your interests and fitness level. Enjoy the bird life and varied flora of the park - eucalyptus forests, coastal heaths and rainforests. The itinerary is flexible and can include a hike to Wedding Cake Rock or Eagle Rock, and or a visit to Symbio Wildlife Park to see native animals. Outside of the park we normally visit Bald Hill, Sea Cliff Bridge and the Imperial at Clifton ( a great place to finish with a cold drink or coffee). We will take photographs with our SLR camera free of charge and forward the day after the tour or we can take photos using your phone. This private experience includes door to door transport in a new SUV, park entry, cold drinks, snacks and a freshly prepared picnic lunch.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our first stop gives us a feel for life in Bundeena. This small town located within the national park has an old style wharf in front of picturesque Horderns Beach.
Enjoy a walk on the Royal National Park Coastal Track and admire breathtaking cliff and ocean views. We will see The Cobblers, Balconies and the Waterrun as we head through coastal heath land to Wedding Cake Rock. There will be a number of short stops to discuss native plants (banksia, grass trees, gymea lilies) and wildflowers. In the course of the walk an overview will be provided of some of the wildlife found in the Royal National Park and its geological formations. Upon reaching Wedding Cake Rock it is time to take in the stunning view of majestic white sandstone against the blue Pacific Ocean. It is not very often that you will see a rock that looks like a piece of wedding cake!
There is the option of going a little further beyond Wedding Cake Rock and enjoying one of the most delightful and underrated beaches in the Royal National Park, Marley Beach. This beach rarely has more than a few people on it and has a sweeping coastal heathland backdrop. Behind the beach are large sand dunes and a pristine natural lagoon.
Wattamolla is an aboriginal word meaning place near falling water. It is a unique place with a waterfall fed by Cootes Creek dropping into a large lagoon. The waterfall drops for around 10 metres into the lagoon which then meanders to Wattamolla Beach. In the warmer months both the lagoon and beach are popular swimming spots. If interested in swimming, take your pick, freshwater or salt water! It is a beautiful place and one of the highlights of the trip. We also have the option of a short 15 minute walk. Your day your call on the walk!
Bald Hill provides a dramatic vantage point to appreciate the Illawarra Escarpment and the beaches to the south. The city of Wollongong can be seen in the distance and you will look down on Stanwell Park Beach. We may also be treated to the aerial activities of paragliding and hang gliding as devotees launch themself off the hill.
An impressive cantilevered bridge with great curves built high above the ocean and a good distance from the nearby Coalcliff Rockface
Symbio Wildlife Park has a koala presentation and a large number of kangaroos and wallabies The park also has echidnas, dingoes, wombats, emus, a cassowary and Tasmanian devils along with a range of Australian birdlife, including the beautiful Gouldian Finch. Two wedge tailed eagles have a complete enclosure to the themselves whilst there are several interesting non native animals including meerkats, tamarin and marmoset monkeys, red pandas and two cheetahs.
At the end of the day we have the option of stopping for a coffee or cold drink at the wonderfully restored Imperial at Clifton Hotel. This historic hotel was in decay until a local club bought it and did a first class renovation. Our guests love visiting this place, with its many original features, including numerous original fireplaces, timber windows and architraves.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This is a fully private tour for your group only. We’ll pick you up from your accommodation and return you at the end of the day. Alternative drop-off locations, including the airport, can be arranged — please get in touch to confirm. Alternate start times are also available. Infant & child seats available upon request.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(56)
Royal National Park is a beautiful site for hiking and Greg is a fantastic guide. We enjoyed the day immensely. The coastal views were inspiring, the hike was awesome, and Greg’s knowledge of the park and the trails is invaluable in making it a special experience.
Molly many thanks for the review. Maybe I will see you and Chad one day on a Blue Mountains Tour! Best' Greg
We loved the easy pickup up, delicious fresh picnic lunch and the flexible time on the beach. Customer service was unmatched as items lost in the vehicle were quickly returned!
Michaun and Colin, thank you for the review. Enjoyed spending time with you and the boys. Many regards, Greg
Greg did a great job of giving us a tour of the Royal National Park. We even got a picnic lunch. If you're into beautiful views, plants and birds, it's the right tour for you. Greg even helped us find our hotel that was cancelled at the last minute.
Hey James thanks for the review. Enjoyed having the two of you on board. Blue Mountains - next time! Greg
Awesome day. Greg was an amazing guide and his knowledge added so much to the experience. The scenery was beyond stunning. This is not to be missed.
Debbi thank you for your comments, enthusiasm and car conversations. I hope you had a good view of the marathon and made it to Manly!
Great day of sightseeing with our private guide Greg. It was raining some during the day but that didn't stop us from visiting the parks and animals at the Symbio park. We didn't get to have the picnic lunch but had a great lunch at the Imperial Hotel. The best part was feeding the Wallabies and Kangaroos at Symbio. They were so cute holding on to my hands not letting me go so they could eat. Best part of the day.
Diana thank you for the comments. Really pleased the day turned out well in view of the challenging weather. Best' Greg
Greg is very happy to change the itinerary. We did the hike to Eagle Rock which took a few hours. Highly recommended for the views! This is a medium hike which can take 2.5 hours.We did four wildlife parks on our cruise, so we're looking for something else. We suggested the kayaking but the place in Royal National Park was closed due to high winds. He suggested the glow worms at the abandoned train tunnel. Amazing experience. It was like looking at the stars while listening to the birds outside. Something out of a Hitchcock movie. The lunch was excellant. Nothing like having a homemade lunch, on a picnic table, in the forest with birds eyeing you after the hike. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a truly memorable adventure.
Grace thank you for the detailed and thoughtful comments. Many regards, Greg
It was a wonderful experience, where we enjoyed incredible landscapes. Our guide (Greg) picked us up directly at our hotel, and planned the day according to what we wanted to see/do. We're a family of 4 adults (parents + 2 grown up daughters) We started by a ~2h30 walk (including all the photo breaks) on the coastal track, heading up to the wedding cake rock. Greg provided us some nice information on the geology, birds and plants around us. After this nice walk we had a great healthy lunch that Greg prepared for us. We then went to the Wattamolla falls, and to the Symbio Wildlife park. Greg managed to bring us there just at the time where the feeding of the koalas happened. The animal keeper also provided nice information. We fed the kangaroos, the wallabies and the emus. At the park closure we went to the Sea Cliff Bridge, and to the Wombarra beach. It was right at sunset, and we got really nice pictures. Greg also took some family pictures and sent them just the day after. Since going to the Royal National Park via public transport is close from the nightmare, that was a great opportunity for is to visit it. We highly recommend it!
Maude thank you for such a detailed review. I loved your dad's unusual pose at the Water Run and the many nice smiles in the photographs. Cross fingers Sydney gets to join the World Marathon Circuit!
Had a lovely day with Greg. We picked the Royal National Park tour but then ended up with a bespoke tour as we wanted a more challenging hike and had already visited the other sites listed on the original tour. Hiked Eagle Rock, had a nice picnic lunch (too bad the kookaburra flew off!), and then a leisurely drive through Sydney on the way back to our hotel. Greg pointed out buildings of architectural interest and we stopped twice for short walk arounds. Greg (of Sydney Nimble Tours) was truly nimble in adjusting the itinerary to suit us! We would definitely recommend Greg and Sydney Nimble Tours.
Ken thank you for making the time to write this review. Many thanks, Greg
The value of this tour was so much more than the places we visited - Greg made sure we had the absolute best time we could have. Traveling as a family, we had a lot of requests for minor adjustments and Greg not only was flexible in accommodating those, but was also proactive in suggesting ways to improve our day. We had a blast and it's by far the day that our toddler talks about the most from the trip.
Joao thank you for the review. Your toddler is indeed a bright star! The day brought back memories of the early days with my own children. Many regards, Greg
Greg picked us up nearly our hotel, and head straight to Royal National Park. He showed us where were the best spots to take photos and also helped to took some for us. The whole trip was excellent. I have traveled 24 countries and joined a lot of local tours, Greg's tour is one of the best one I have ever joined. Though we did not use to talk much
Thanks King and Angela. Just sent photos. Best' Greg
