The Kimberley & The Pilbara

Your air safari begins with a morning flight to Kings Creek Station in the Red Centre. Settle into your Drovers Dream glamping tent - each tent features beautifully appointed furnishings, a luxurious ensuite, reverse cycle air-conditioning, a deck with BBQ and your own fire pit.

The spellbinding Kings Canyon Rim Walk may only suit some, but it is well worth the effort. The sandstone turns into a stunning array of oranges and reds in the late afternoon.

A BBQ under the stars completes your first day in the outback.

Overnight: Kings Creek Station, Drovers Dream glamping tents

Fly north towards the coast to Finniss River Lodge, a luxury lodge nestled on a 50,000-acre working cattle station. We have the place to ourselves with only 6 stunning rooms commanding expansive views of floodplains, nature and fiery sunsets. A selection of activities will fill your days. Enjoy chef-prepared, local produce. The serenity will fill your soul.

A genuinely unique station experience, Cows and Canapes is a perfect way to end the day. Sip sundowners in an open-sided buggy or jump out and take a selfie with the curious Brahman cattle surrounding you.

2 nights: Finniss River Lodge

Awaken to wildlife sightings and glide through forested waters on an exhilarating airboat ride. Learn all about the fauna that inhabits these
environments, from barramundi to brolgas and, of course, the prehistoric
saltwater crocodile. Spend your afternoon unwinding by the pool or on a leisurely tour, soaking in panoramic views of the plains.

Venture west to the awe-inspiring Bungle Bungle, landing at Bellburn airstrip on the southwest corner of World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park in East Kimberley. A local guide will lead you on an easy to- moderate walk through the famous eroded towers and black and orangebanded beehive structures of the Domes Walk, the incredible natural acoustics of Cathedral Gorge and Piccaninny Creek, which only flows during the monsoon. Learn about the Kimberley climate, the six seasons, and the unique flora and fauna crucial to the land's traditional custodians. Back in the air, your pilot will provide a fantastic view of the domes from above before continuing north into Kununurra.

2 nights: Freshwater Apartments

Travel out to the enormous Lake Argyle, more than 18 times larger than Sydney Harbour, created by the Ord River Dam. Join a cruise around the lake's northern end and some of the 90 islands and inlets it offers. You may spot rock wallabies, crocodiles, wallaroos and a diverse range of birdlife. Sip on a drink as the sun sets behind the Carr Boyd Ranges.

Head to the west coast landing at Exmouth, where representatives of Sal Salis will meet you for the road transfer to Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, an exclusive beach safari camp nestled in the Cape Range National Park dunes. Delicious, locally sourced, five-star dining, a self-serve bar, impeccable service, and the unassuming reef at your tent-step. Stay in an eco-luxe wilderness tent offering views of the bush and the Indian Ocean.

2 nights: Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef

The reef on your doorstep is home to myriad colourful fish and coral formations, rays, turtles, dugongs, clownfish, harmless reef sharks, and sea birds. The Cape Range National Park offers exceptional wildlife and bird viewing.

Cruise 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! If getting in the water is not your thing, you can join in as an observer and enjoy a day out on the reef.

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, swim from the beach to snorkel on the reef, lie in your hammock or sit on the beach 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 magnificent destination, Karijini National Park in the Pilbara, the state's second oldest and largest national park. Carved out of rock that is over 2.5 billion years old, it is the oldest known landscape on Earth. Known for red dirt, indigenous history and mining, the Pilbara is twice the size of the UK, with breathtaking natural landscapes, deep rocky gorges, crystal clear pools and stunning waterfalls.

Karijini Eco Retreat, 100% aboriginal-owned, is nestled in the pristine bushland at Joffre Gorge in the heart of the Karijini National Park. The semi-permanent eco-tents offer luxury with minimal impact on the environment. Dining includes traditional bush tucker in the alfresco outback-style restaurant.

2 nights: Karijini Eco Retreat, deluxe
eco tent

Karijini has spectacular 100-metre sheer-sided ochre-coloured chasms, crystal clear rock pools, cascading waterfalls and tropical fern ecosystems with easy walking tracks.

Spend the day exploring the natural wonders of the Karijini National Park with local tour guides. Located at the junction of the mighty Weano, Joffre, Hancock and Red Gorges, Oxer Lookout offers one of the most stunning panoramas in Western Australia. Fortescue Falls, the park's only permanent waterfall, cascades down the gently sloped rocks into a pool. Swim in the calm, clear waters of Fern Pool. The Karijini Visitors Centre offers stories of aboriginal culture, pastoral and mining histories, geology, fauna and flora.

Leave Karijini early morning, bound for Coober Pedy in outback SA. Fly over this enormous country, stopping to refuel and stretch your legs, arriving mid-afternoon.

On the ground, travel out to the stunning Breakaways, a striking rocky landscape of flat-topped mesas. Toast the sunset and watch the incredible change of colours on the sandstone. Dinner is at the Big Winch 360°.

Stay at the Coober Pedy Experience Motel, an opal mine from 1918 until the 1960s. Enjoy a restful sleep in one of the most unusual rooms you're likely to encounter – surrounded by rock, individually decorated and very quiet.

Overnight: Coober Pedy Experience, underground room

Wrap up your adventure with a tour of Coober Pedy - truly like no other place. This morning's tour will show you some of the town's rich history, diverse culture, opal mines and underground churches. Depart Coober Pedy after lunch, returning to your home city in the evening, the end of an epic discovery of our diverse and wonderful country.