Safaris Djugun

This outback family adventure offers an escape to the dramatic gorges, wildlife retreats and ancient cave passages of the rugged western Kimberley. Sharing the experience with other like-minded families, the kids will forget about wifi and be immersed in nature: swimming, wildlife spotting, trekking, campfires, stargazing and more! It doesn’t get much better than this.


Highlights - Gibb River Road, Derby Prison Tree, Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek, Bell Gorge, Galvans Gorge, Manning Falls, Adcock Gorge, Norval Art Gallery






Itinerary


Day 1 Tunnel Creek

Departing Broome, we journey to the renowned ‘Boab Prison Tree’ and
the start of the iconic Gibb River Road. Set up camp in Windjana Gorge
National Park and enjoy lunch before we head for the adventure of Tunnel
Creek, a cave system carved through the Napier Range, discover
stalactites and a large variety of wildlife. Also learn the legend of
Jandamarra, an Aboriginal freedom fighter who used the tunnel as a
hideout in the late 1800’s. Towards sunset, we arrive at our campsite
for a delicious campfire dinner under the famous Kimberley night sky.
(LD)

Day 2 Windjana Gorge & Galvins Gorge

The Napier Range is over 350 million years old and home to the
geological wonder of Windjana Gorge. Beneath gorge walls rising 90m, we
spend the morning searching for freshwater crocodiles, local birdlife
and indigenous bush tucker. An afternoon swim at Galvins Gorge, amongst
water lilies and boab trees, offers the chance to freshen up. That
night, we camp on Mt Barnett Cattle Station at a billabong oasis in the
heart of gorge country. (BLD)

Day 3 Manning Falls
Today we explore the remote and spectacular Manning Gorge surrounded

by high cliffs. Cross the meandering Manning River – either swimming or
by pulley boat! – and take on a bushwalk to the impressive Manning
Falls. The kids will love swimming in deep clear pools surrounded by a
rugged natural landscape. In the afternoon, relax, swim and play games
by the Manning River before we get the camp fire going for dinner and
marshmallow toasting! (BLD)

Day 4 Adcock Gorge & Bell Gorge

Enjoy a morning swim in Adcock Gorge, surrounded by rainforest and
sandstone ranges. Travel to Silent Grove to set up camp and enjoy lunch
before we explore the spectacular Bell Gorge in the ancient King Leopold
Range. This idyllic retreat boasts majestic cascading waterfalls and
crystal clear pools formed over millions of years. (BLD)

Day 5 Derby & Broome

Returning to the Gibb River Road we head for the Norval Art Gallery
in Derby. Here we discover some of the great works produced by local
Aboriginal artists. There is even an opportunity for the kids to have a
go at producing their own! Arrive back in Broome around 5pm. (BL)

Travel southbound on this popular basic wild adventure tour, camping under the stars and staying in dorm share accommodation en route. Highlights include swimming in the pristine desert pools of Karijini National Park, snorkelling the clear waters of Coral Bay, saying g'day to the dolphins of Monkey Mia, kicking back in the seaside town of Dongara and roaming the Pinnacles Desert. The adventure ends in the WA capital of Perth on the evening of Day 10.



Day 1 - Dampier Peninsula & Cygnet Bay
Start with an adventure north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula. Visit Beagle Bay Aboriginal Community and also the remote One Arm Point Aboriginal Community to tour a local aquaculture hatchery perched right on the tip of One Arm Point overlooking the impressive Buccaneer Archipelago. An afternoon tour of the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm (included) provides insight into this remote pearling industry, concluding with an in-depth pearl grading and appreciation session that will leave you feeling like a pearl expert. Make sure you have a swim in the Infinity Pool, overlooking Cygnet Bay. (LD)


Day 2 - Eighty Mile Beach

Return south and start the journey across the Great Sandy Desert, calling in at the coastal oasis of Eighty Mile Beach along the way where we can take a stroll along the beautiful white sand beach. Stay overnight in remote Sandfire. (BLD)


Day 3-4 - Karijini National Park

This morning we make our way to the remote but spectacular Karijini National Park, where we spend the next three days exploring the ancient gorges and stunning swimming holes. We begin our Karijini experience with a visit to the Karijini Cultural Centre before heading for Fortesque Falls where you will be rewarded with a refreshing swim. The next two days are spent exploring, swimming and relaxing in the magnificent Karijini gorges. Bring your camera as you’ll want to remember this forever. One of the oldest landscapes on earth – the region will continue to amaze you. We will explore a number of gorges including Weano Gorge, Oxers Lookout, Hancock Gorge, amongst others. Overnight camp in Karijini. (BLD/BLD/BLD).


Day 5-7 - Coral Bay & Exmouth

Leaving Karijini, we travel through the vast bush land and station country on our way to Exmouth and onto our accommodation for the night. This fabulous private camp site on Yardie Creek Station is the envy of other tour groups: in the evening, kick back in our own camp and watch the sunset as kangaroos hop about the grounds. The following day, enjoy a little freedom and relaxation. Go snorkelling (equipment provided) or diving, search for whale sharks (seasonal and at own expense) or view Vlamingh Head Lighthouse then choose to laze on the pristine beach at Turquoise Bay and soak up the sunshine. On the afternoon of Day 6 we make the short trip to beautiful Coral Bay. Spend the entire day snorkelling the world famous Ningaloo Reef and seeing the marine life that lives under the waterline. Alternatively, thrill-seekers can choose one of the many optional activities including coral viewing cruises and scuba diving (at own expense). (BL/BLD/BLD)


Day 8 -Carnarvon & Shell Beach

Heading south we cross the Tropic of Capricorn and pass through the town of Carnarvon, famous for its bananas. We call in at unique Shell Beach – made up entirely of tiny shells before continuing on to Monkey Mia where you will be able to say hello to the famous wild dolphins that live here. (BLD)


Day 9 - Monkey Mia, Shark Bay & Kalbarri National Park

Time this morning to visit your new best friends, the dolphins, before exploring the Shark Bay World Heritage area. We stop to view the stromatolites – the oldest living organisms in the world – before heading south for Kalbarri. Time permitting we will be able to view the Murchison Gorge and Nature's Window this afternoon before arriving in this seaside resort town. (BLD)


Day 10 -Pinnacles Desert & Jurien Bay
Departing via the coastal gorges of the Kalbarri National Park, we head to the beautiful seaside town of Dongara before travelling on to the fascinating landscape of the Nambung National Park to check out the famous Pinnacle Desert. We then make our way to Perth arriving in the early evening where our tour concludes. (BL)

This is the perfect adventure for those who are after a true value Western Australia experience: camping under the stars and sharing dorm style accommodation. Starting in Perth, you'll meet dolphins in Monkey Mia, snorkel in Coral Bay, take a dip in the pristine pools of Karijini National Park and hike through national parks. We'll also take you to Exmouth and Carnarvon along the way, and , the tip of the Dampier Peninsula before we end the adventure on the shores of Cable Beach in beautiful Broome.



Day 1 - Pinnacles Desert & Jurien Bay

Leaving Perth we enter Nambung National Park to explore the Pinnacles Desert - a unique landscape unlike any other in the country. We then journey to the massive sand dunes of Jurien Bay where you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a sandboard down the slopes and perfect your technique. From here we continue on through Geraldton to Kalbarri where we stay overnight. (LD)


Day 2 - Kalbarri National Park & Shell Beach

Today we take the short drive to Kalbarri National Park where we explore some of the park’s diverse scenery like Murchison Gorge, Natures Window, the Loop and Z-Bend Gorge (a steep descent but worth the effort for a refreshing swim). There is also the option to abseil here for those looking for even more adventure (own expense). After lunch we visit the beautiful Shell Beach - one of only two beaches in the world made entirely from shells, before getting back on the road towards Denham and Shark Bay. (BLD)


Day 3 - Monkey Mia & Shark Bay

After a short drive across the Peron Peninsula we make our way down to the beach and pay a visit to the world famous Monkey Mia dolphins – sure to become your new best friends. Via the fascinating stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, we continue along the highway to Coral Bay, the ‘Jewel of the Northwest’. (BL)


Day 4-5 - Coral Bay & Exmouth

Take a day to explore Coral Bay – which is just as relaxing as the name suggests. We’ll also take a visit to the Ningaloo Reef the amazing marine life that lives below the waterline. Take a snorkel or cruise on a glass bottom boat to see for yourself. (Activities at own expense and subject to availability). When late afternoon comes around it’s time for the short drive into Exmouth to prepare for another day of freedom and relaxation. In the evening, kick back on Yardi Creek Station and watch the sunset as kangaroos hop about the grounds. In the morning, go snorkelling or diving, search for whale sharks (seasonal and at own expense) or view Vlamingh Head Lighthouse then choose to laze on the pristine beach at Turquoise Bay and soak up the sunshine. (BLD/BLD)


Day 6-7 - Karijini National Park

We head inland past many Aussie cattle stations to reach the outback oasis of Karijini National Park. This afternoon we will pass through Tom Price, a little town known for its iron ore mining, before reaching our camp overlooking the magnificent Hamersley Range. We have a full day of adventure to explore Karijini National Park and its amazing gorges. Formed over 2,500 million years ago, the Hamersley Ranges are some of the most unusual landforms on earth. You’ll be able to take some great photos while you’re here – perfect for your Facebook and Instagram feeds. Deep in the gorges you’ll come across cascading waterfalls and fresh, still waterholes that are ideal for swimming. Dales Gorge, Fortesque Falls, Fern Pool, Circular Pool, Weano Gorge and Hancock Gorge are just some of the unforgettable areas we’ll visit. Definitely a highlight! (LD/BLD)


Day 8 -The Pilbara

Say your sad farewells to Karijini this morning as we travel towards the coast and the iron ore town of Port Hedland. We have time for a quick town tour and to marvel at the incredible size of the iron ore industry. After lunch we continue on towards the Pilbara region, where we spend the night together at Sandfire. (BLD)


Day 9 - Eighty Mile Beach & Dampier Peninsula

Enjoy a leisurely break and take in the glory of the stretching sands of picturesque 80 Mile Beach, one of Australia’s most remarkable hidden gems. Take a stroll along the white sandy beach and get some fantastic photos of the azure water, before we continue north to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm on the Dampier Peninsula. (BLD)


Day 10 -Cygnet Bay & Broome
A morning tour of the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm (included) provides insight into this remote pearling industry, concluding with an in-depth pearl grading and appreciation session that will leave you feeling like a pearl expert. We then journey further north to the One Arm Point Aboriginal Community to tour a local aquaculture hatchery perched right on the tip of One Arm Point overlooking the impressive Buccaneer Archipelago. Returning south, we aim to reach Broome in time for one of the famous sunsets on Cable Beach. (BL)

Australia’s North West is one of the last remaining wilderness regions of this country and during this exciting 10 day overland safari we’ll take you on a journey that will combine a taste of the Northern Territory with the vastness and beauty of the Kimberley region. Journey the Gibb River Road, sleep under a blanket of Kimberley stars, enjoy evenings round a camp fire, explore El Questro Wilderness Park, check out the famous Bungle Bungle Domes and more, en route to Darwin.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Tunnel Creek

We set off into the West Australian outback pretty early today and after a bit of highway driving we reach the Fitzroy River, then it’s all off-road to the Napier Range. The main attraction here is Tunnel Creek, a vast cave system that extends 750 metres underground. It’s from here that the indigenous warrior Jandamarra waged his rebellion against the colonial authorities – a legacy you’ll learn more about on walk through the tunnel with your guide. We camp overnight at Windjana Gorge, once an underwater reef. During the wet season a river flows all the way through it, but during the dry it’s really more a series of ponds and billabongs. (LD)


Day 2 - Windjana Gorge & Bell Gorge
Spend the morning exploring Windjana Gorge while in the afternoon we journey to Bell Gorge, home to a stunning cascade of water flowing from the previous wet season rains that fall in the King Leopold Ranges. A great place to swim! Further east, Mt Barnett Station will be our camp for this evening. (BLD)



Day 3 - Manning Falls

Stretch your legs on a morning hike and you will be rewarded with a swim
in a large rock pool at the base of Manning Falls. After lunch we
discover Adcock or Galvins Gorge, before heading back to camp to relax
around the campfire. (BLD)


Day 4-5- El Questro Station

Fording rivers and weaving through gorges, travel by 4WD along the wild Gibb River Road – a 600-kilometre stretch that winds right through the heart of the Kimberley. We’ve got a fair bit of ground to cover today, so there is a fair bit of drive time, but we’ll be breaking the journey up with lunch and at a few stops along the way. This journey includes the iconic Pentecost River crossing in our 4WD. How Australian is that! Originally established as an enormous cattle station, El Questro is now a vast wilderness reserve sprawled over more than one million acres. Camping out here, you’ll really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere – albeit an extremely beautiful middle of nowhere. The ochre-coloured massifs of the Cockburn Ranges frame the landscape whichever way you turn and numerous natural springs offer plenty of opportunities for a refreshing cool-off. Following a soak in Zebedee Springs, enjoy a short trek to either El Questro or Emma Gorge (BLD/BLD)


Day 6-7 - Purnululu National Park: Bungle Bungles

So long El Questro, hello Bungle Bungles. Today we drive through the rugged landscape of Carr Boyd and the Durack Ranges into Purnululu National Park. This park is home-ground of the Bungle Bungles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dominated by massive sandstone karsts that rear hundreds of metres above the surrounding grasslands. We arrive at our bush camp in time to sit back and watch the sun set over the Osmond Ranges. If you’ve had enough of tent camping by now, you might want to spend tonight sleeping out beneath the stars snuggled up in a swag. Unbelievably, only the locals knew it existed until the early 1980’s when they were ‘discovered’ by a film team - who then had to fly over the top by plane to find a route in by land. We know the way in, but you can sign up for a helicopter ride over the site if you wish. At ground level, we’ll go on a walk through Echidna Chasm – a long and narrow ravine banked on either side by 200 metre high rock walls - and enter the massive natural Amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge. (BLD/BLD)


Day 8- Lake Argyle

Today we leave the Bungle Bungles for Kununurra, the largest town between Broome and Darwin. Tonight’s campsite is on the shores of Lake Argyle. There are no further activities booked for the rest of the day, but an optional sunset cruise out on the lake is highly recommended. (BLD)



Day 9- Victoria River Region & Katherine

Lake Argyle is actually a man-made lake, though you’d never have guessed so from looking at it. For a body of water situated in the centre of the world’s second driest continent, it looks pretty at home. Barramundi, birds and freshwater crocodiles thrive in these waters, and the islands look like they’ve always been there (they used to be mountains). In the afternoon we push on across the state border into the Northern Territory. (BLD)

Day 10 - Darwin
The final leg of our journey takes us through to Darwin, with stop-offs made en route at either Katherine Gorge or Edith Falls. (BL)

From Australia's tropical north, travel south via Katherine Gorge to explore the highlights of the Kimberley on this overland adventure - including the iconic Gibb River Road, the vast wilderness of El Questro, Purnululu National Park and the Bungle Bungles and the west Kimberley gorges: Bell & Windjana. The adventure ends on Day 10, by beautiful Cable Beach in the outback pearling town of Broome.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Darwin to Katherine Region
This overland adventure kicks off from the Northern Territory’s tropical capital with a drive south to Nitmiluk National Park. Depending on the season, your adventure will get underway with a swim in the natural pool by the base of Edith Falls and a visit to the croc-filled waters of Katherine Gorge. After lunch it’s on to our private campsite on the edge of Nitmiluk, where you have the option of spending the night in a permanent tent or snuggled up in a swag (an Aussie bedroll). (LD)


Day 2 - Katherine to Lake Argyle
The outback of the Kimberley region, which spreads across the northern region of Western Australia, is not as flat, dry and barren as many first expect. Today we’ll visit enormous Lake Argyle, which looks perfectly at home despite being entirely man-made. You have the option of taking a cruise and looking for the native fauna that has settled here in huge numbers – try to spy crocodiles, wallabies and rare birds. Soak up the backdrop of mountains-turned-islands as we explore some of the 700 square kilometre surface of the lake, then turn into camp under some seriously starry skies. (BLD)


Day 3-4 - Purnululu National Park: Bungle Bungles
The distinctive sandstone towers of the Bungle Bungle Range only became known to wider Australia when a group of documentary filmmakers stumbled across them in the early 1980's. Travelling by both foot and vehicle, we’ll take you through the craggy gorges, past unique rock formations, and to hidden waterholes. The day closes with a stunning Kimberley sunset witnessed from this evening’s bush camp. Day 4 is all about getting to know the Bungle Bungles proper. First stop for the day is the ever-narrowing gap of Echidna Chasm. Formed over millions of years by water flowing through an opening in the sandstone, the path winds through palm-filled gorges up to 200 metres high though in parts only 1-2 metres wide. Next, trade the tight spaces of Echidna Chasm for the wide-open natural amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge. From feeling dwarfed by these giant rock structures, get a very different perspective with a helicopter flight over the Bungle Bungles. Though an optional activity at extra cost, this is definitely an experience worth shelling out for. (BLD/BLD)


Day 5-6 - El Questro Station

Hit the road again, this time passing Warmun (Turkey Creek) and the Durack Ranges on the way to El Questro. Not too long ago, it was mostly cattle that got to enjoy the million-acre sprawl of El Questro. Thankfully for the rest of us, the owners recognised the beauty they had on their hands and turned it into a wilderness park in 1991. At more than one and a half times the size of the UK, there are plenty of scenic spots to explore in El Questro. On the drive in you will have got some clue as to the huge cliffs, deep gorges, waterfalls and swimming holes contained in the Cockburn Ranges, but now you’ll be exploring them on foot. Walk to Emma Gorge, cool off in a waterfall-fed subtropical pool and bliss out in the thermal springs of Zebedee. (BLD/BLD)


Day 7 - Gibb River Road & Mt Barnett

Fording rivers and weaving through gorges, travel by 4WD along the wild Gibb River Road – a 600-kilometre stretch that winds right through the heart of the Kimberley. We’ve got a fair bit of ground to cover today, so there is a fair bit of drive time, but we’ll be breaking the journey up with lunch and at a few stop-offs along the way. Tonight’s camp is at Mt Barnett Station located close to Manning Gorge. (BLD)


Day 8 - Manning Falls
Stretch your legs on a morning hike and you will be rewarded with a swim in a large rock pool at the base of Manning Falls. After lunch we discover Adcock or Galvins Gorge, before heading back to camp to relax around the campfire. (BLD)


Day 9 - Bell Gorge & Windjana Gorge
The western Kimberley region is full of endless stunning gorges that have to be explored and this morning is no exception. After breakfast we adventure to Bell Gorge home to a stunning cascade of water flowing from the previous wet season rains that fall in the King Leopold Ranges. We camp overnight at Windjana Gorge, a segment of 375 million-year-old reef, that was once underwater. Cut through by the Lennard River, which runs during the wet season then breaks up into little billabongs during the dry, this gorge attracts many species of bird and bat and is a great spot to see wild freshwater crocodiles. (BLD)


Day 10 - Tunnel Creek
The major attraction this morning is Tunnel Creek, an extensive limestone cave system that extends 750m underground. Inside, shards of sunlight stream in through crevices, little bats flutter about and enormous stalactites rear down from the ceiling. In the late 1800s, an indigenous man called Jandamarra waged a one-man uprising against European settlers, becoming a hero to his people. You’ll hear a bit about his legacy during a tour through Tunnel Creek, then make the final drive on to Broome, hopefully arriving in time for a stunning Cable Beach sunset. (BL)