Blue Mountains Mercedes Tour : cacatua, cascate e mondo panoramico

I selected this tour to avoid the crowded buses and the pit stop at the Taronga Zoo. I’m not sure why other tours include a short visit to the zoo. To me, that is a full or half day experience, not an hour or so. In any case, the company reached out to be beforehand to ask which hotel in the CBD I would like to be picked up at. I was staying slightly outside of the area in Woollahra, but we were still able to come up with a solution. I got promptly picked up at the start time by our group’s tour guide, Ian. As a solo traveler, I asked Ian if the van would be a full house today. He confirmed it would, and did offer the front seat if I wanted it. I gladly accepted. I have to say, getting a front row seat to the tour was pretty awesome. It might make this review a bit biased, because I had a fun time chatting with Ian throughout the day. He did use the bus intercom to provide a quick history of Australia. He kept it light and fun. It felt like enough information to understand where we were and some cultural/historical aspects, without getting too technical and pedantic. He also tied the recent history to his own life in Sydney which I thought was a nice touch. It felt more memorable that way. Positives about the tour: 1.) when the weather was foggy, Ian made the judgement call to shuffle the itinerary around. This way we could see Echo Point when the sun was out, and enjoy the Scenic World rainforest when it was a bit more foggy. 2.) The tour offered two locations for the lunch hour: Scenic World or Katoomba. While Scenic World does have vegan, veg, and gluten free options, I preferred the wider variety and healthier options of Katoomba. I can’t imagine a tour bus full of folks would be able to arrange that. Katoomba’s restaurants were also less crowded and didn’t have kids running all around like the cafeteria at Scenic World. 3.) Free water. Even though it was cool, Ian kept making sure everyone was offered water bottles, trying to keep us hydrated. In a related note, he also mentioned where the rest stops would be along the journey. 4.) Leura is such a cute little town. If I had to give feedback, it would be to spend more time at the town. However, since it is at the end of the day, it really depends on how timely the other passengers are getting back to the bus. We probably lost 20-40 minutes as there were a couple folks who always arrived a bit late. Ian did manage them the best he could (ie leaving the waterfalls on time even when the late comers tried to wander off again). If the van had more people, I can imagine it would take longer trying to corral everyone. Overall, it was a good trip. I felt that we got to see the broad highlights of the Blue Mountains. The rainforest at Scenic World felt pretty magical. Having a cockatoo refuse to get off my backpack for several minutes even though I had zero food was amusing. Cheeky little birds.

It was a fantastic experience today. Ian was our driver. He was funny as well and had good knowledge about history of Australia and Blue mountains. He made the tour worth for us. We enjoyed a-lot.

Long day, exhausting. Totally worth it. Very comfortable transportation, guide/driver laid the day out before we were at each destination, added local knowledge. Wonderful day. Perfect weather. My photos are like post cards.

This was such a great tour of the Blue Mountains! The views were spectacular, the rides at Scenic World were a blast, and our tour guide, Ian, was informative and just plain fun!!!

The ancient landscape and prehistoric looking trees really make the Blue mountains the closest thing to Isla Nublar in real life. However our guide Ian truly was the star of the show! Even for locals, Ian's knowledge and perspective is both refreshing and entertaining.

It was wonderful but check the weather before you go. Still a great experience but when weather is bad you can’t see everything. Still enjoyed the walk in the rain forest, and through the towns but would have enjoyed seeing the views had the weather not been so foggy. Driver was so excited and enthusiastic. Tried to make you have the most of the experience despite the weather.

Our driver/guide Ian was extremely informative and helpful even though the weather was less than cooperative. But he drove us up and down the mountain range in an attempt to get us a peek thru the clouds and fog. The tram rides were fun and the waterfalls beautiful. The wild cockatoos were a blast to hang out with. We will definitely have to book this again when the weather is better. Highly recommend.

The weather was against us from the start, raining and as we entered the mountains so cloudy! Ian our driver did his best to get us to lookout locations to grab a photo. This was the beauty of this tour a small group so Ian was able to adapt the itinerary to the weather as much as he could. Even though we didn’t get the weather Ian was able to still provide a great day out and sent us photos of what we would have seen if the weather was clear! Highly recommend the trip and if you have Ian as your guide even better 😀 Also the Cockatoo’s were the stars of the day!

We had an amazing experience visiting the Blue Mountains and Scenic World. The tour was very well organised, with convenient pickup and everything running exactly on time. Our tour guide, Jackie, was friendly, professional, and extremely knowledgeable, making the trip both enjoyable and informative. The scenery was breathtaking, and the entire day was smooth and stress-free thanks to the excellent planning and guidance. Jackie went above and beyond to make the tour memorable for everyone. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking to explore the Blue Mountains. Thank you, Jackie, for making our trip so wonderful and unforgettable!

We had the best day.. our tour guide Ian was both personable and highly knowledgeable when it came to all things Australia! I would highly suggest seeking out his tour if you are looking to maximize your experience and thoroughly enjoy your outing to the Blue Mountains