10 Days Wonders of the Kimberley

itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Broome

On arrival in Broome you will be transferred to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome drink with your Tour Director and fellow travelling companions. Hotel: Cable Beach Club Resort, Broome, 2 nights (D)

Day 2: Broome ‘Free Time’

Today is at leisure to explore this tropical hideaway. Enjoy a leisurely stroll along the 22 kilometres of pristine sand and swim in the turquoise blue water that is Cable Beach. Wander through Chinatown or shop for pearls. This evening sit back, relax and watch the spectacular sunset over the Indian Ocean. Or you may like to take a camel ride along Cable Beach. (B)

Day 3: Fitzroy Crossing

Travel to the Port of Derby, the oldest established town in the Kimberley, located at the base of King Sound. Visit the famous Prison Boab Tree, believed to be around 1,500 years old and used by the first police as an overnight holding cell. Travel through some of Australia’s biggest pastoral properties to the remote township of Fitzroy Crossing. Hotel: Fitzroy River Lodge, Fitzroy Crossing. (B,D)

Day 4: Geikie Gorge

This morning cruise through Geikie Gorge which was formed by the waters of the Fitzroy River tunnelling through the Napier Range. During the wet season, the Fitzroy River rises over 16 metres, staining the limestone walls of the gorge and ꄀooding the national park with seven metres of water. In the dry season, the river transforms itself into a quiet stream strung beneath the towering cliffs of the Devonian Reef. Watch for freshwater crocodiles, fruit bats and wallabies as the 30 metre high walls of the gorge tower above us. Travel to Halls Creek, situated on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, at the doorstep to the majestic World Heritage listed Purnululu National Park. Hotel: Kimberley Hotel, Halls Creek. (B,L,D)

Day 5: Halls Head – El Questro

Journey north of Halls Creek and enter the Argyle mining lease. A local guide will join us and conduct a tour of Lirrgarn Argyle Diamond Mine, the world’s largest diamond mine, which produces one quarter of the world’s diamonds annually. This afternoon travel to El Questro Wilderness Park, a million acres in the heart of the Kimberley, one of the world’s few remaining wild frontiers. Hotel: Emma Gorge Resort, tented cabins with private facilities, El Questro, 2 nights. (B,L,D)

Day 6: El Questro Wildnerness Park

This morning cruise through Chamberlain Gorge, a three-kilometre fresh waterhole fringed by tropical vegetation and 60 metre tall escarpments. Keep your eyes peeled for fresh water crocodiles sunning themselves as you glide past. At Emma Gorge Resort there is time to sit by the pool or to hike into Emma Gorge for a refreshing swim in the waterhole. (B,D)

Day 7: Parry Lagoon – Wyndham

This morning we travel along the Gibb River Road to Parry Lagoon Nature Reserve, a haven for birdlife in this region (weather permitting). Continue to Wyndham to the 5 Rivers Lookout for sensational views over the Cambridge Gulf. View the Dreamtime Statues and rock art murals at Warriu Park. This afternoon visit the historic Argyle Downs Homestead, which was faithfully removed brick by brick and reconstructed to become a pioneer museum. Then cruise along the Ord River from Lake Argyle to Kununurra. This permanent water supply has formed wetland areas, which have become havens for myriads of birds and a variety of marsupials that inhabit the islands in the lake. Hotel: Pinctada Kimberley Grande, Kununurra, 2 nights. (B,D)

Day 8: Kununurra

After breakfast enjoy a tour of Kununurra, one of the youngest towns in Western Australia which is the hub of local industry for agriculture, tourism and mining in the east Kimberley. See the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and Hidden Valley National Park, which features 300 million year old sandstone cliffs, often referred to as the ‘mini Bungles’. Admire the local views from Kelly’s Knob Lookout. Learn all about the sandalwood industry from soil to oil when we visit the Sandalwood Factory at Mount Reserve. You are invited tonight by the Dessert family to the Hoochery Rum Distillery for an exclusive gourmet barbecue. You’ll taste the rum and learn about the distillery and the local way of life. (B,AT,D)

Day 9: Katherine

Cross vast cattle stations en route to Katherine in the Northern Territory. Hotel: Paraway Motel, Katherine. (B,D)

Day 10: Katherine Gorge – Darwin

Join our local guide for a cruise on the placid waters of the Katherine River through the towering cliffs of two gorges. Look out for freshwater crocodiles. This afternoon travel to the city of Darwin for an orientation tour on arrival. Hotel: Travelodge Mirambeena Resort, Darwin. (B,FD)

Day 11: Depart Darwin

Your tour concludes this morning after breakfast. You will be transferred to Darwin Airport for your onward flight (B)

dates & pricing