Tour Kimberley Coast And The Top End (2023)

Accommodation

10 nights aboard Le Soleal   with daily excursions on Zodiac vessels 10 Nights, Le Soleal

Transport

Cruise ship

Guide

The services of an APT cruise director and expert 12-member expedition team

Others

Experiences in 12 destinations View the incredible natural phenomenon Horizontal Falls Join your expedition team to explore Montgomery Reef by Zodiac Experience the natural wonder of King George Falls aboard a Zodiac See the wild mangrove forests and saltwater crocodiles at Hunter River

Meals

Locally inspired dining - a total of 29 meals and a wide range of onboard beverages

Not included:

Flights

International flights are not included

Insurance

Travel Insurance is not included

Others

Other activities and services are not included

Optional

Other activities and services are not included

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Arrive Darwin, Embark Ship
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Arrive Darwin, Embark Ship

Welcome to Darwin, a great starting point for your Kimberley Coast adventure. After your arrival, we will transfer you to your luxury ship, Le Soleal. Get to know your expedition team and APT cruise director at a welcome briefing before dinner.
Day 2 Day 2: Koolama Bay, King George River And Falls
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Koolama Bay, King George River And Falls

Wake this morning as your ship cruises into Koolama Bay. Hear how this harbour was renamed following the Japanese bombing of the MV Koolama in 1942. Next, it’s onto the King George River. Join your Expedition Team and jump aboard a Zodiac to meander through the river’s gorge system, passing mangrove-fringed coves and sheer red cliffs.
Day 3 Day 3: Vansittart Bay, Jar Island
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Vansittart Bay, Jar Island

This morning join your Expedition Team on an intriguing discovery. Walk across salt flats to view the wreckage of a US Air Force DC3 which crash-landed near Vansittart Bay during World War II. Later, visit Jar Island and discover the island’s outstanding rock art gallery. During your exploration here, you’ll see more examples of Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) paintings, dating back more than 20,000 years.
Day 4 Day 4: Ashmore Reef
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Ashmore Reef

Located in the Timor Sea, the Ashmore Reef Marine Park is a sanctuary for many marine species and a designated important bird area (IBA). Every year, more than 100,000 seabirds breed here, including crested terns, white-tailed tropicbirds and greater frigatebirds. It was recognised as a wetland of international importance in 2003 for its vital role in providing a haven for the tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds which turn up to feed each year. In addition to the prolific birdlife, beneath the clear tropical waters, the coral reefs, seagrass meadows, sandflats and lagoons of Ashmore Reef are home to a colourful array of marine life including 255 species of reef building coral, the greatest number of any reef on the Western Australian coast. Ashmore Reef provides a unique opportunity to combine a zodiac tour to view the abundant birdlife and marine life with the opportunity to experience a magical moment snorkelling or a refreshing swim.
Day 5 Day 5: Careening Bay
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Careening Bay

Visit Careening Bay, the home of the historic Mermaid Boab Tree, where in 1820 Lieutenant Phillip Parker King used the area’s massive tides to beach his damaged ship, the HMC Mermaid to repair a leak in the ship’s hull. One of King’s crew members carved the ship’s name in a Boab Tree that overlooks the bay, and today you have the chance to see for yourself a living piece of Australian colonial history.
Day 6 Day 6: Swift Bay
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Swift Bay

Explore this maze of islands, inlets and peninsulas, believed to have been named by explorer Lieutenant Phillip Parker King after novelist Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels. Most significant here are extraordinary examples of Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock art, estimated to have been created between 5,000 and 13,000 years ago. They can be seen in caves close to the water’s edge, mainly painted on rock overhangs.
Day 7 Day 7: Prince Frederick Harbour, Hunter River, Mitchell Fall
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Prince Frederick Harbour, Hunter River, Mitchell Fall

You are transported to Prince Frederick Harbour today, which is home to towering red cliffs and tangled mangroves. With its extreme tides and pristine ecosystems, the harbour is rich in wildlife including mudskippers and saltwater crocodiles. Keen birdwatchers should keep a careful eye out for kingfishers, egrets, herons and white-bellied sea eagles. Stepping out from the sleek comfort of Le Laperouse to your trusty Zodiac, it’s hard to believe you’re at Australia’s final frontier, this time to explore the Hunter River and Naturalist Island. As your day of discovery draws to a close, you might choose to set out on a thrilling helicopter flight to see the Mitchell Falls in all its splendour from above (flight at own expense).
Day 8 Day 8: Raft Point, Montgomery Reef
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Raft Point, Montgomery Reef

Step onto dry land at Raft Point to visit an ancient Wandjina rock art site. The unique figures depicted in these artworks are ritually repainted each year, but scientific estimates date the originals as far back as 5,000 years. You’ll be joined by a local Indigenous guide when available.
Day 9 Day 9: Talbot Bay, Horizontal Falls
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Talbot Bay, Horizontal Falls

Explore Talbot Bay and Cyclone Creek. Accompanied by your Expedition Team Leader, you’ll weave nimbly past the dramatic folds of rock formations, keeping a look out for local wildlife.
Day 10 Day 10: Buccaneer Archipelago, Lacepede Islands
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Buccaneer Archipelago, Lacepede Islands

This morning, your ship charts a course into the stunning Buccaneer Archipelago on route to the Lacepede Islands. Made up of more than 800 islands, and filled with stunning scenery and an incredible array of wildlife, the remote region remains relatively untouched. The Lacepede Islands are Western Australia’s most important breeding habitat for Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) and have been named by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area. The breeding colony of Brown Boobies is possibly the largest in the world. Up to 20,000 Roseate Terns have also been recorded here. Other birds breeding on the islands include Masked Boobies, Australian Pelicans, Lesser Frigatebirds, Eastern Reef Egrets, Silver Gulls, Crested, Bridled and Lesser Crested Terns, Common Noddies, Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers. Join your expedition team for a guided Zodiac tour to view the prolific wildlife.
Day 11 Day 11: Disembark Ship, Depart Broome
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Disembark Ship, Depart Broome

Arriving into Broome today means it’s time to say goodbye to your ship and to be transferred to the airport.

11 days tour

Kimberley Coast And The Top End (2023)

This tour includes:

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Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Kimberley Coast And The Top End (2023)

Day 1: Arrive Darwin, Embark Ship

Day 2: Koolama Bay, King George River And Falls

Day 3: Vansittart Bay, Jar Island

Day 4: Ashmore Reef

Day 5: Careening Bay

Day 6: Swift Bay

Day 7: Prince Frederick Harbour, Hunter River, Mitchell Fall

Day 8: Raft Point, Montgomery Reef

Day 9: Talbot Bay, Horizontal Falls

Day 10: Buccaneer Archipelago, Lacepede Islands

Day 11: Disembark Ship, Depart Broome

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