7 action-packed Western Australia holidays for adventurous travellers
With new direct flights from Europe to Perth, the extraordinary landscapes, untouched beaches and unique wildlife of Western Australia are now within reach. Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?
1: Discover the best of the west
Sunset on Cable Beach Broome (Dreamstime)
Experience the very best that Western Australia has to offer as you travel the vast expanses and otherworldly landscapes of this colossal, uncrowded state with Intrepid.
You’ll explore Western Australia’s desert landscapes, national parks and spectacular Coral Coast in rugged style, covering immense distances at a leisurely pace and camping under the great southern sky. Each day brings new adventures – taking a dip in the freshwater swimming holes of Karijini National Park, snorkelling the spectacular Ningaloo reef, and discovering hidden grottoes and rock pools in the Pilbara. Meeting the world famous dolphins of Monkey Mia will be a highlight too.
From vast empty beaches to the red earth cattle stations and mining communities of the interior, this is the Australia of your imagination. Experience it all.
Who:Intrepid
When: Departures throughout the year
How long: 10 days
How much: From £930 (exc. flights)
2: Uncover south western secrets
A quokka on Rottnest Island (Dreamstime)
Stroll along an empty beach, get a selfie with a quokka, and enjoy world-famous wines on this relaxing exploration of Western Australia’s surprising south west with Audley.
Stretching from Perth around to Albany, this diverse corner of Western Australia is one of the nation’s best-kept secrets. It is a land of sugar-white beaches, sumptuous wineries, ancient Karri forests, and a rowdy history of convicts and whaling.
From the unspoilt nature of Rottnest Island and the gentrified docks of old Fremantle, to the taverns and whaling stations of Albany, it is a journey that guarantees extraordinary wildlife, exquisite food and wine, and breathtaking scenery.
Trip:Southwest Uncovered
Who:Audley
When: Departures throughout the year
How long: 10 days
How much: From £2,780 (inc. flights)
3: Explore one of the world’s last great wildernesses
Kimberley Gorge (Dreamstime)
All aboard the Coral Expeditions II to explore the remote the Kimberley Coast on this expedition cruise with Wildlife Worldwide.
Parts of this spectacular red sandstone coastline can only be visited by boat. It’s a journey that will take you along the majestic King George River with its towering 80-metre twin falls, to the mysterious Bradshaw (Gwion) Paintings of Bigge Island. You’ll explore the Mitchell Plateau and cruise the Kimberley’s ‘big’ rivers before experiencing the beautiful King Cascades, remarkable Montgomery Reef and the amazing natural phenomenon of Horizontal Falls.
This is a land steeped in ancient Aboriginal culture and the legends of Australia’s pioneering past. With two landings most days, you can fully immerse yourself in the magic of the Kimberley in the company of knowledgeable guides, who will explain local aboriginal legends and the ways of the unique wildlife.
Trip:Wildlife of Kimberley & Bamurru Plains
When: Flexible departures throughout the year
How long: 22 days
How much: £8,595 (inc. flights)
4: Discover the planet’s most diverse dives
Diving with a whale shark (Dreamstime)
Dive among whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales on this once-in-a-lifetime underwater adventure in Western Australia with Dive Worldwide.
You’ll be based in Exmouth, on the North West Cape, a gateway to the extraordinary Ningaloo Reef. Each day you’ll dive a different site, exploring the coral and keeping an eye out for potato cod, turtles, sharks, nudibranch, manta rays and whale sharks. If the season is right, you may even bump into a humpback whale or two.
Back on shore, there will be plenty of chances to meet the local wildlife, visit the ancient desert sculptures of the Pinnacles Desert, and climb the vast white sandy dunes at Lancelin.
Who:Diving Worldwide
When: Departures Apr-Aug
How long: 16 days
How much: From £3,795 (inc. flights)
5: Enjoy a tasty tour of Margaret River
Voyager Estate Winery near Margaret River, Western Australia (Dreamstime)
Indulge all your senses on this decadent tour of Margaret River, one of Australia’s premier wine regions, with Wexas.
Just three and a half hours from Perth, the region is home to some of Australia’s finest wineries. You’ll partake of tastings, lunches and cellar door sales, of course, plus get the chance to hike through the region’s picturesque farmland and vineyards to work off your excesses. Indeed, the whole area is bursting with natural charm, and is home to empty beaches, towering Karri forests and cliff-fringed coast lines. Relatively untouched by tourism, the small towns full of gourmet food producers and farmers’ markets are a delight to explore.
Trip:Perth, Margaret River & The West Coast
Who:Wexas
When: Departures throughout the year
How long: 14 days
How much: From £1,415 (inc. flights)
6: Wander through the Bungle Bungles
The Beehives of the Bungle Bungles (Dreamstime)
Venture deep into the heart of the Australian outback on this five-day adventure to the Kimberleys with Intrepid.
A region of astounding natural beauty and great spiritual significance, this is Australia at its most untamed. You’ll weave through the boulders and chasms of the Bungle Bungles, spot crocodiles on a wildlife cruise through Geikie Gorge, encounter Dreamtime stories in the Mimbi Caves, and learn the legend of Jandamarra on a tour of Tunnel Creek.
Finally, after experiencing the wild beauty of north-west Australia you’ll return to Broome Beach and an unforgettable Indian Ocean sunset.
Who:Intrepid
When: Departures May-Oct
How long: 5 days
How much: From £1,145 (exc. flights)
7: Experience the ultimate Kimberley adventure
Cliff-side dining at El Questro (El Questro)
Experience untamed Australia in the height of luxury on this sophisticated tour of the country’s rugged north west with Exsus.
Combining a five-star stay on the beach in Broome with a luxury cruise journey through the remote wilderness of the Kimberley, this is the ultimate luxury holiday to Australia. You’ll float along the azure waters of the west coast to discover uninhabited islands, isolated billabongs and primary rainforests that contain some of the oldest rock paintings in the world.
For the pinnacle of outback indulgence, consider heading to El Questro after the cruise for a million-acre cattle ranch experience.
Trip:The Ultimate Kimberley Experience: A Beach, Outback & Cruise Holiday
Who:Exsus
When: Flexible dates throughout the year
How long: 14 days
How much: From £7,565 (inc. flights)
