The Kimberley & The Pilbara

Your Kimberley and Pilbara air safari begins with a morning flight bound for Kings Creek Station in the Northern Territory. Visit a local indigenous community for an immersion experience to learn about their ancient culture and connectedness to the land.

A short road journey brings you to Kings Canyon Resort and your glamping tent. Each of the six premium canvas tents, designed to blend in with the beautiful Northern Territory landscape, features an outdoor deck with seating, air-conditioning and ensuite.

Overnight: Kings Canyon Resort, glamping tent

Beginning before dawn, the spellbinding Kings Canyon Rim Walk is quite challenging, particularly at the start, but well worth the effort. As the sun rises, the sandstone turns a stunning array of oranges and reds.

Flying north-west into WA, the next stop is El Questro in the heart of East Kimberley. Marvel at the untamed natural beauty, from deep gorges and majestic mountains to thermal springs and cascading waterfalls.

2 nights: El Questro Station, river view bungalow

This morning, take an incredible scenic flight from El Questro to the Bungle Bungle, landing at Bellburn airstrip on the south-west corner of Purnululu National Park.

Your guide will lead you on an easy to moderate walk during the day through the famous beehive-shaped domes and Cathedral Gorge. Mid-afternoon it is a 30-minute flight back to El Questro for another evening of their renowned hospitality.

Fly north-west to the Kimberley coast and touch down at Mitchell Plateau. Here you’ll join helicopters for the final leg into the Kimberley Coastal Camp. The resort combines fabulous scenery, ancient rock art, unique beachfront accommodation and gourmet food with unparalleled hospitality in a remote wilderness location.

Enjoy your stay in a private spacious bungalow, with touring less structured and catered for the desires of each guest.

2 nights: Kimberley Coastal Camp

Today, the choice is yours. Take it easy on the boat and cruise around the deserted islands with a picnic lunch, laze around the pool or discover intriguing Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock art with Tubs, the camp’s owner. You can even throw in the crab pots, fish several different areas, see some of the biggest rock oysters in Australia, then cruise back, checking out the local wildlife.

Leaving the north coast of Australia this morning, helicopter back to Mitchell Plateau to rejoin your plane, then fly low over some of the most incredible coastline you’re likely to see. Continue on to Exmouth where you’ll be met by representatives of Sal Salis for a 90 minute road transfer to the resort.

Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef is an exclusive beach safari camp nestled in the dunes of the Cape Range National Park. Delicious, locally sourced food, a self-serve bar, impeccable service, wildlife on land and sea, and the Milky Way lurking above you in all its glory. Stay in an eco-luxe wilderness tent offering views of the bush and the Indian Ocean.

2 nights: Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef

A coral reef is on your doorstep and the Cape Range National Park offers exceptional wildlife and bird viewing. The crystal-clear skies display an unbelievable number of stars, and the resort guides love to share their knowledge about all of them.

Cruise out into the Indian Ocean and encounter whale sharks (March-July) or humpback whales (August-October).
A spotter plane above keeps a keen eye out while the crew help you get kitted out with wetsuits and snorkels. Experienced guides will explain how to interact with the whale sharks or humpback whales, who will decide how long they want to interact with you – sometimes up to an hour! Whale sharks and humpback whales are wild animals and their welfare is paramount, so interactions cannot be guaranteed, but the strike rate is close to 100%.

This morning is your choice - walk in the national park, snorkel on the reef, or sit and watch the ocean.

After lunch, it’s time to move on again. Drive back to your aircraft in Exmouth, then on to the next amazing destination, Karijini National Park in the Pilbara. Known for red dirt, indigenous history and mining, the Pilbara is twice the size of the UK, with breathtaking natural landscapes dating back four billion years, deep rocky gorges, crystal clear pools and stunning waterfalls. Karijini Eco Retreat is nestled in the pristine bushland at Joffre Gorge in the heart of the National Park.

2 nights: Karijini Eco Retreat, deluxe eco tent

Spend the day exploring the natural wonders of the Karijini National Park with local tour guides. Located at the junction of four mighty gorges, Oxer Lookout offers one of the most stunning panoramas in Western Australia. At Junction Pool Lookout, Weano, Hancock and Red Gorges meet at a viewing platform that is most spectacular in the mornings and evenings when the sunlight deepens the red colour of the rock faces. Fortescue Falls, the park’s only permanent waterfall, cascades down the gently sloped rocks into a pool.

In the morning leave Karijini, bound for Rawnsley Park in the heart of the Flinders Ranges. Fly over this enormous country, stopping to refuel and stretch your legs, arriving in the early evening. Rawnsley Park, once a small, struggling sheep station, is now an award-winning tourism facility, still running approximately 2000 Dohne sheep. Enjoy dinner in an authentic Australian woolshed and relax in your superior holiday unit, set at the foot of Rawnsley Bluff.

Overnight: Rawnsley Park Station, Prelinna superior holiday unit

The last day of your air safari starts with a 4WD tour, where you will learn about life on a commercial sheep station. Depart Rawnsley Park in the mid-afternoon, arriving back at your home city in the evening, the end of an epic discovery of our diverse and wonderful country.