We visited Coober Pedy and booked Merv Richards from Arid Zone tours as our tour guide. His services were recommended to us by the South Australian Tourist Bereau, as the being the number one in the area, and Arid Zone tours fulfilled our expectations in this respect. The highlight of the tour was inspecting the Serbian church and Merv allowing... more

I am a skeptic and especially when in the middle of the desert. Merv showed me places where I felt more in tune to the environment than ANYTHING I've ever seen! For me the trip to the "Painted Desert" easily beat the Milford Sound or Queenstown experience in New Zealand Thanks Merv - Oh and the underground houses and Opal... more

We found Arid Zone Tours here on Tripadvisor and are so glad we booked a tour with Merv. He is so much fun! It would be a total shame to go to Coober Pedy and not partake in Mervs insight. It’s the best way to experience the town & it’s warm, friendly people. We loved all his “fact is stranger... more

Merv is a brilliant tour guide who has so much knowledge of the area and is able to share this knowledge in a friendly, funny and informative way. Our trip out to the Breakaways, for sunset, and our all day trip to the Painted deset were an absolute joy and something that neither my husband or I will ever forget.... more

We decided to see Lake Eyre basing ourselves in Coober Pedy. Our friend had organised a tour guide in Coober Pedy called Merv. Being the pedantic person that I am, I researched all the info that my friend had provided just in case. Well, I need not have worried... from the minute we climbed into Merv's van, we were informed,... more

Is there anywhere else in the world where you could: visit a working opal mine...see the filming sites of over a dozen different movies and documentaries...visit underground homes - already built and under construction - ...attend an underground church...collect zebra rocks and "mars stones"...see euro kangaroos and dingoes...visit the only golf course in the world that has reciprocal rights with... more

Merv Richards knows Coober Pedy and the surrounding area. His passion for the lifestyle and environment are contagious and you will catch it! We enjoyed the day spent with Merv on our first time visit to William Creek. Whether it's a sudden stop to look at rocks (rocks that we would have missed on our own), photographing the Dog Fence,... more

DATE: 17th - 19th March 2009 My wife and I only had 48 hours in which to get the best out of our stay in Coober Pedy, so the manager of the Underground Motel where we were staying, recommended hiring Merv Richards of Arid Zone Tours to take us around. This was good advice, as Merv packed an awful lot... more

We had limited time in Coober Pedy as we were only there for one evening and the next morning before continuing driving up to alice springs. We looked into other tours which either started in the afternoon or didn't see both the breakaways and the town itself. Then we found Arid zone tours run by Merv. Initially we werent going... more