Port Stephens private tour: Dolphins, dunes & views
The sand dunes here stretch far and reach impressive heights.
A private tour from Sydney to Port Stephens with hotel pickup, local guide and air-conditioned transport, visiting Gan Gan Hill, Little Beach and the Stockton Beach Sand Dunes over a full day. You stop for lunch overlooking the bay, see the resident dolphins on an optional cruise, and can sand board down the dunes or ride a camel if you choose. The tour ends with drop-off back at your Sydney accommodation.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Port Stephens and Wildlife
- Pick up from city accommodation
- Optional: Join dolphin watching cruise
- Optional: Join whale watching cruise
- View Port Stephens from Gan Gan Hill
- Lunch with views over Port Stephens
- Drive to Little Beach for photos and dip
- Optional: Sand boarding adventure at Stockton Beach
- Drop off at city accommodation
- Sydney Harbour Bridge 5m
- Nelson Bay 1h
- Gan Gan Lookout 20m
- Nelson Bay Bowling and Recreation Club 45m
- Little Beach Reserve 20m
- Stockton Beach Sand Dunes 50m
What’s included
- Your local guide and hotel pickup are included.
- the tour also covers air-conditioned minivan transport, bottled water throughout the day, and drop-off back at your Sydney accommodation. Lunch, dolphin or whale watching cruises, sand boarding hire and camel riding are available at extra cost.
- Every day 08:00
Information
Private tour from Sydney to Port Stephens with hotel pickup, local guide and stops at Gan Gan Hill, Little Beach and Stockton Beach Sand Dunes.
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The experience
You're picked up from your Sydney hotel and driven north to Port Stephens, a sheltered bay home to around 150 bottlenose dolphins. The region spreads across golden beaches, national parklands and rugged headlands: a full day's worth of stops without needing your own car. Your guide handles the route and timing, and the minivan is air-conditioned for the drive.
The tour builds around three main stops. Gan Gan Hill sits at one of the highest points in the area, with views across the vast blue bay, the Yacabba and Tomaree headlands, Tomaree National Park, and the Stockton Bight sand dunes stretching north toward Hawks Nest. You stop for lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Port Stephens waterway, then drive the foreshore to Little Beach, a sandy expanse with gentle waters popular with local pelicans and ideal for a quick swim if you bring swimmers. The sand dunes themselves (the largest moving sand mass in the southern hemisphere) are the final stop, and you can choose to sand board down them on a custom-built board or skip that activity altogether.
Dolphin watching departs from Nelson Bay on a separate cruise with a 99 per cent success rate for sightings. You can watch from the deck or, in summer, get closer via a boom net attached to the boat. Whale watching runs between June and November during their migration season. Both cruises cost extra and are optional. Camel riding is also available at additional cost. Bottled water is provided throughout the day, and the tour wraps with drop-off at your Sydney accommodation.
Top questions
Can I be picked up at my hotel?
You can choose: pickup at your hotel, or go straight to the meeting point. Pickup is included in the price. When you book, you choose your hotel from 291 pickup locations; if yours isn’t listed, you can type in your address. Pickup is about 5 minutes before departure.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 12 years); Infant (under 5): free.
How many dolphins live in Port Stephens?
Around 150 bottlenose dolphins are resident in the bay. The dolphin watching cruise from Nelson Bay has a 99 per cent success rate for sightings, and in summer you can get closer to them via a boom net attached to the back of the boat.
What are the Stockton Beach Sand Dunes like?
Stockton Beach holds the largest moving sand mass in the southern hemisphere, stretching 32 kilometres along the entire length of the beach and reaching over 40 metres high: roughly the height of a 10-storey building. If you choose to sand board, you ride custom-built off-road vehicles to the top, then slide down on hand-made boards designed for speed.
What can I see from Gan Gan Hill?
Gan Gan Hill is one of the highest points in the area and overlooks the vast blue bay, the striking Yacabba and Tomaree headlands, Tomaree National Park, and the Stockton Bight sand dunes. On a clear day you can see north to Hawks Nest and south along NSW's longest beach toward Newcastle.
Can I swim during the tour?
Little Beach is a stop on the itinerary with both a grassed area and sandy beach with gentle waters. If you bring swimmers, you can take a quick dip there. The beach is popular with local pelicans and ideal for young children.
When can I see whales on this tour?
Whale watching cruises run between June and November during the annual migration season. This is an optional add-on at extra cost, separate from the main tour itinerary.
Operated by Go Beyond Tours. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated yesterday
Port Stephens private tour: Dolphins, dunes & views
10h · EN
from AU$ 495 per person
≈ US$ 342 in your currency
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