Dolphins in the wild west

This Australia coral coast tour is Down Under for connoisseurs! The wide open spaces between Perth and Broome are some of the most beautiful, peaceful parts of the continent. Vast, at times seemingly endless desert scattered with 'spinifex', deserted bays and national parks with rugged rock formations lie on the path ahead. One of the highlights of our Australia coral coast tour is an encounter with the dolphins at Monkey Mia. Keep in mind though that you'll need to spend a few long days on the road to get from one point to the next during this trip. As bush camps are the primary type of accommodation on the road with few facilities, this trip is especially meant for those who are physically fit, adventurous and active.

Duration	10 days/9 nights Departs from Perth; Mon, Wed and Fri Departs from Broome 7 May - 19 Nov: Thursdays	Accommodation	Bush camps/caravan parks, tents. Comfort level 1 and 2 (see accommodation).
Price	£976 per person - shared room with other travellers £1095 Upgrade to double room between Perth and Broome (indicate during booking)	Includes	Transport, accommodation, professional english-speaking guide, meals and excursions as described below
Transport	Toyota Coaster	Excludes	Excursions at Coral Bay, rock climbing in Kalbarri National Park, Diving in Exmouth and local taxes (to be paid on the spot)

Day 1 - 2: Broome - Indee Station - Karijini National Park

Includes: Lunch and dinner

As soon as you leave Broome at 6:00, you'll begin the long drive through the Great Sandy at the beginning of our Australia coral coast tour. You'll head south on the Great Northern Highway on route to the iron harbour Port Headland. Then it's another few hours to the spectacular Eighty Mile Beach, a great place to stop for a swim. During the afternoon, you'll head out on the last leg of today's trip towards Indee Station. You'll spend the night at Indee Station before driving on to the beautiful Karijini National Park to enjoy the astounding beauty of nature of this area.

Australia coral coast tour - Great Sandy Desert

Australia coral coast tour - Splendid waterfalls

Day 3 - 4: Karijini National Park

Includes: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Karijini Park with its splendid nature offers plenty of opportunities for outdoors activities. Hike through magnificent sheer gorges, climb rock formations and go for swim at the spectacular waterfalls. The following day, you can take an adventurous trek straight through the park to the historic gorges in the Hamersley Mountains. One of the most well known gorges is the Miracle Mile. The enthusiastic Aboriginals who have run the visitor's centre for quite some time now can tell you all about it.

Day 5-6: Karijini National Park - Tom Price - Exmouth

Includes: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

On Day 5 of your Australia coral coast tour, you'll say goodbye to Karijini and travel to the mining town of Tom Price. From there you'll continue on to the ancient, arid region of Pilbara and on through the fascinating coastal region and Exmouth. You can visit the beautiful beaches and attractive gorges of Cape Range National Park; however you can also choose to go on a relaxing visit to picturesque Turquoise Bay. For those who rather get their adrenaline pumping, you can climb the vertical red rock walls of a steep-sided gorge. While you're here you can enjoy the fabulous view out over Yardie Creek!

Australia coral coast tour - on the road

Day 7: Coral Bay - Ningaloo

Includes: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Today you'll go snorkelling at Ningaloo Reef - a real highlight of your Australia coral coast tour. This is actually a somewhat smaller version of the Great Barrier Reef and it's incredibly accessible, lying only 100m from the coast while at the same time it is also home to an abundance of marine life. From November to March, sea turtles can be found here as they lay eggs on the coast. From March until June the largest fish on the planet, the whale shark, visits the coral here to feed on plankton and small fish. In June/ July and October/ November the humpback whale comes to visit the area. Aside from these gentle giants there are beautiful tropical fish always swimming around as well as the impressive manta rays. You'll have plenty of time to lie in the sun and go swimming here. Naturally there's also the laid-back option of taking a glass bottom boat cruise across the reef to see the coral.

Day 8 - 9: Coral Bay - Money Mia - Kalbarri

Includes: Breakfast and lunch

Today you'll trade in Coral Bay for Shark Bay. Along the way you'll pass the sleepy town of Carnarvon with its many tropical (mostly banana) plantations. You'll make a pit-stop at "Shell Beach" before driving on to Monkey Mia, where you'll spend the next morning getting to know the local wild bottlenose dolphins. These wild dolphins have been swimming in these waters since the 1960s and they swim all the way into the shallow waters of the surf. At times, you'll only see one or two, other times there are at least five or more. During the winter they arrive like clockwork, in the summer slightly less frequently. The best time of day to catch a glimpse is during the morning, but these are wild animals so we can't guarantee that you'll see them. In any case, you can visit the dolphin information centre for lots of interesting information on these friendly creatures. After visiting the dolphins, you'll drive to Kalbarri National Park at the mouth of the popular Murchison River. Kalbarri has over 1000 km2 of bushland, scenic gorges and rugged coastal cliffs. Along the coast you'll see several Dutch ship wrecks dating back to the days of the East India Company.

Australia coral coast tour - Dolphins at Monkey Mia

Day 10: Kalbarri - Pinnacles - Perth

After a visit to the sheer gorges in Kalbarri National Park, you're off to the Pinnacles at Nambung National Park. The flat sandy desert of the park is interrupted by a group of very unusual limestone pillars known as the 'Pinnacles'. Some are only 10cm tall but others can be up to several metres. They're remnants of the incredible amount of erosion that has taken place here across the ages. From August to October, the desert is at its most beautiful. The desert gets more rain and the park's desert floor becomes carpeted by wildflowers. It will take a few more hours to bridge the 250km gap back to Perth. Who knows, you may even see a few kangaroos and emus along the side of the road as you drive on. You'll arrive back in Perth at the beginning of the evening, and this where your Australia coral coast tour ends.

Click here for the quote request form

Click here for our Australia itineraries or self-drive holidays