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Australia’s global Kangaroo Route returns with a $50K price tag

Taylah Darnell Taylah Darnell
The once-in-a-lifetime aviation tour will span 14 days and seven global destinations.

Luxury travel company Captain’s Choice will reenact Qantas’ iconic 1930s Kangaroo Route with a luxurious, modern twist.

In a nod to Australian aviation history, you can now relive the journey on its Pioneering Spirit of the Kangaroo Route, set to take off from Sydney to London in February 2026.

A map of the new Kangaroo Route by Captain's Choice
The recreated Kangaroo Route will hit seven global destinations.

What was the original Kangaroo Route?

Created in the 1930s by Australian airline Qantas, the Kangaroo Route was a weekly flight path that would carry passengers between Australia and London over 12 days. The route’s name was coined the following decade in the 1940s, as each stopover across the eastern hemisphere resembled the hopping of our beloved native marsupial.

At this time, it was the fastest way for Aussie travellers to reach the UK, initially taking a total of 58 in-flight hours. Today, it’s a trip that takes no more than 24 hours in the air. Add or subtract a few extra hours and we can now reach most corners of the globe in less than a day.

Image of a plane coming into land at the airport
Travellers on the original route spent 58 hours in the air. (Image: Rich Higgins)

But the beauty of the Kangaroo Route was in its experience, with the long distance outweighed by the diversity of each stopover. The very first flight took place in 1935 between Brisbane and London, executed with now-defunct Qantas airline partner Imperial Airways.

Over the course of 12 days, nine passengers made an unbelievable 38 stops across the globe. By 1947, Qantas had fully taken over the route and began flying out of Sydney.

The Kangaroo Route had also been streamlined to just seven stops over the course of four days onboard a Lockheed L-749 Constellation. Travellers would touch down in places like Darwin, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Egypt and Italy (among others) before landing in England’s capital.

Lockhead Constellation plane
The first-ever Kangaroo Route flight was on a Lockhead Constellation. (Image: Aeon Aviation Photography)

Considering the extended travel time, life onboard was good. With three pilots, two flight engineers, a navigator, a radio operator and three dedicated cabin crew, passengers were in good hands. Dinner was a seafood salad paired with a grapefruit and pineapple cocktail, plus a variety of inflight amenities too.

How will the new Kangaroo Route compare?

Inspired by the legacy behind this incredible journey, Australia-based travel brand Captain’s Choice is recreating the Kangaroo Route with its own unique twist. Slated to depart Sydney on 3 February 2026, the Pioneering Spirit of the Kangaroo Route will hop between seven different destinations before landing in London on 16 February.

Following an almost identical flight path, the 14-day itinerary includes stops in Darwin, Singapore, Kolkata (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Cairo (Egypt), Toulouse (France) and Rome (Italy).

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Singapore
Guests can visit Singapore’s Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. (Image: TommL)

Beginning in Singapore, guests can visit the sacred Buddha Tooth Relic Temple or admire world-class art at the National Gallery Singapore. Aerophiles will relish privileged trade-day access to the Singapore Airshow, too. Then sit down for a spectacular gala dinner at Gardens by the Bay, one of the best places to visit in the city.

In Colombo, choose between exploring the ancient city of Galle, watching traditional stilt-fishing, visiting local homes for cooking demonstrations and meeting legendary Sri Lankan cricketers. Come evening, you’re invited to dinner at the prime minister’s residence.

A traditional stilt fisherman in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Witness traditional stilt fishing in Colombo. (Image: hadynyah)

Cairo is a true highlight, with exclusive access to the Sphinx and a guided tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum. And your private dinner with uninterrupted views of the Pyramids of Giza will stick in your memory long after you’ve left.

A final stop in Rome includes an after-hours private tour of the Vatican Museum, a vintage car ride and an authentic Italian cooking class. Join the optional day trip to Florence to delve into the genius of Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo.

A Qantas A330-300 Airbus
Passengers will fly on a privately chartered Qantas A330-300. (Image: Ryan Fletcher)

No more than 186 guests will fly with Qantas onboard a private Airbus A330-300, renowned for its space, comfort and efficiency. The aircraft also features eco-friendly green technologies and releases less CO2 emissions compared to previous models.

During flight hours, you’ll be treated to Business-Class catering, with food, drinks, sightseeing, porterage, transfers and tipping all included. On the ground, guests stay at only the finest accommodation, including Singapore’s five-star Ritz-Carlton Millenia and the St Regis Cairo with views across the Nile River.

Reservations for the 2026 Pioneering Spirit of the Kangaroo Route with Captain’s Choice are now open, priced from $49,950 all-inclusive.

The new Kangaroo Route by Captain's Choice
Reservations for the Pioneering Spirit of the Kangaroo Route are open.

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Taylah Darnell
Taylah Darnell is International Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, and this life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. After graduating, she began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's fairly certain nothing can top witnessing the northern lights in Norway, she'd love to explore Scotland and Ireland next.
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    Travel + Leisure just crowned the world’s best trains for 2026, and the results might reroute your next holiday.

    Forget the airport security queue. Forget the middle seat. Forget the bloke in 14C who reclines the second the seatbelt sign turns off. Travel + Leisure just dropped its 2026 World’s Best Awards, and the train category is basically a love letter to slow, scenic, ridiculously plush travel – voted on by roughly 661,000 readers who have very strong opinions about onboard spas and pisco sours. Here’s who made the cut.

    1. Andean Explorer, a Belmond Train – 96.84

    Peru takes the crown, with the Andean Explorer, South America’s first luxury overnight train, running a three-day, two-night route between Arequipa and Cusco that has zero direct competition on the continent – which might explain why it’s clearing 96 points.

    Launched in 2017, the train threads through the Peruvian highlands with stops at Lake Titicaca, all while passengers tuck into signature Andean cuisine, get treatments in an onboard spa carriage, and take in scenery that will blow you away. This isn’t a quick transfer – it’s an immersive, multi-day journey for people who want the trip to be the destination.

    2. Hiram Bingham, a Belmond Train – 96.46

    Peru pulls off the rare feat of taking out the top two spots. Named after the American explorer credited with bringing Machu Picchu to international attention in 1911, the Hiram Bingham is the glossy, dark-wood, live-band, welcome-cocktail version of getting to Machu Picchu. Think traditional dancers on the platform, a five-course dinner on the way there, and a bar carriage full of live music and pisco sours on the way back. It’s shorter and livelier than the Andean Explorer, more group celebration than private hideaway – but it delivers one of the most theatrical arrivals in world travel.

    3. Royal Canadian Pacific – 90.93

    The Royal Canadian Pacific runs vintage rail carriages out of Calgary through the Canadian Rockies, and unlike everything else here, you can’t just book it off a website – it operates mostly through private charters and limited special departures, with no standing public timetable. That scarcity is basically the point: this is old-money rail travel, heavy on restored heritage carriages and light on crowds.

    4. Rocky Mountaineer – 90.80

    The people’s champion of luxury rail, the Rocky Mountaineer, runs daytime routes with glass-domed carriages through British Columbia, Alberta, and down into Colorado and Utah, turning the Canadian and American Rockies into a rolling widescreen movie. It’s more accessible than most trains on this list – no overnight cabins, no need for a private charter – which is probably exactly why so many readers have actually ridden it and voted accordingly.

    5. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a Belmond Train – 90.78

    The name that started the whole luxury train fantasy. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE)’s 1920s-vintage Art Deco carriages – navy-and-gold livery, polished wood, white roof – have been the definitive symbol of golden-age rail travel since 1883, running routes between Paris, Venice and other storied European cities. It might land at number five on points, but in terms of pure name recognition, it’s still the train every other train on this list is being measured against.

    Australia's global Kangaroo Route returns with a $50K price tag