23 Day Kimberley Coastal Expedition with Splendours of the Kimberley and Northern Territory (2024)

Today, we'll meet you at the airport before welcoming you aboard your expedition ship. The Seabourn Pursuit is the newest and most luxurious ship on the Kimberley Coast, boasting incredible facilities, delectable dining options and personalised service. You might like to admire the views from the panoramic balcony of your spacious suite, sip champagne on the outdoor deck, take a dip in the infinity pool or share stories of your adventures with your newfound friends in one of the luxurious shared spaces.

A relaxed dinner this evening gives you the chance to meet your fellow travellers and sets the tone for the next nine nights on board. Stay Nine Nights: Seabourn Pursuit (D)

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. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Today your ship cruises through to Talbot Bay, known for its massive 12-metre tides that create the unique Horizontal Falls. Subject to tidal conditions, board a zodiac with your Expedition Team to view this natural phenomenon.

Today, visit Freshwater Cove and Montgomery Reef, where you will enjoy two Signature Experiences. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Experience a welcome to country and immersive smoking ceremony conducted by the Arraluli people, the traditional custodians of the land. Then, embark on a guided hike led by the expedition team to explore the mesmerising rock art site where your Aboriginal guide will offer an interpretation the rock art. This signature experience offers a profound connection to the rich cultural heritage and timeless traditions of the Arraluli people.
• Following your visit to Freshwater Cove depart with your Expedition Team to discover Montgomery Reef by Zodiac. The reef ‘rises' out of the ocean as tidal waters cascade into surrounding channels.

You are transported to Prince Frederick Harbour today, home to the towering red cliffs and tangled mangroves of Hunter River and Porosus Creek. With its extreme tides and pristine ecosystems, the harbour and its waterways are rich in wildlife including mudskippers and saltwater crocodiles. Porosus Creek takes its name from the scientific name for saltwater crocodile, a good indication of what we're looking for today.

Keen birdwatchers should keep a careful eye out for kingfishers, egrets, herons and white-bellied sea eagles. To enhance your day, you might choose to set out on a thrilling helicopter flight to see Mitchell Falls in all its splendour from above (flight at own expense). (B/L/D)

Today, enjoy a Signature Experience on Bigge Island. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Approximately six kilometres from the mainland, Bigge Island is ripe for discovery today. It's well known for its Aboriginal rock art, created by the Wunambal people, and you'll explore a network of caves throughout the island. Here, discover paintings that display fascinating examples of first-contact art and Wandjina figures.

Enjoy a relaxed morning aboard your luxurious ship. This afternoon, pay a special visit to Ashmore Reef Marine Park. Located in the Timor Sea and spanning 583 square kilometres, the reef is a sanctuary for many marine species. Every year, more than 100,000 seabirds breed here, including crested terns, white-tailed tropicbirds and great frigatebirds.

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. 255 species of reef building coral dwell here - the greatest number of any reef on the West Australian coast.

Our visit to Ashmore Reef is required to ensure we comply with Australian government regulations. Pending favourable weather and sea conditions, you'll explore this sanctuary via Zodiac with your Expedition Team. (B/L/D)

This morning, join your Expedition Team on an intriguing discovery. Walk across salt flats to view the wreckage of a US Air Force DC-3 which crash-landed near Vansittart Bay during World War II.

Later, we reposition in the bay to visit Jar Island and discover the island's outstanding rock art gallery. During your exploration here, you'll see fascinating examples of Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) paintings, dating back more than 20,000 years. (B/L/D)

Today, your ship cruises into Koolama Bay. Hear how this harbour was renamed following the Japanese bombing of the MV Koolama in 1942. Join your Expedition Team aboard a Zodiac to meander through King George River's gorge system, passing mangrove-fringed coves and sheer red cliffs.on Team and jump aboard a Zodiac to meander through the river's gorge system, passing mangrove-fringed coves and sheer red cliffs. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Anticipation builds as your Zodiac approaches King George Falls, which plunge 80 metres over a soaring sandstone cliff. Edge closer to this epic cascade and learn how it turns to a raging torrent during the monsoonal wet season.

Travel from Darwin to Katherine before enjoying your Signature Experience today. Stay Two Nights: Katherine, Contour Hotel (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Experience the outback in a different way, during the Katherine Outback Experience. Celebrate the Northern Territory's unique pastoral history through animal demonstrations, live music and storytelling.

Today will be spent travelling to Kununurra, the gateway to the eastern Kimberley, where you will enjoy a signature experience this evening. Stay: Kununurra Country Club (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• This afternoon enjoy a sunset dinner cruise and watch the magical sunset over Lake Kununurra. Keep an eye out for wildlife, and soak in the tranquillity of your surroundings while enjoying delicious food.

Hike to Piccaninny Creek and through to the spectacular Cathedral Gorge. Perhaps indulge in an optional helicopter flight – own expense.through to the spectacular Cathedral Gorge. Perhaps indulge in an optional helicopter flight – own expense. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• This evening, enjoy drinks as the sun sets over the Bungle Bungle massif.

This morning hike to Emma Gorge where you'll be rewarded with a swim beneath a towering droplet waterfall. Enjoy lunch at El Questro Station, before relaxing at Zebedee Springs. Enjoy dinner this evening back at Emma Gorge Resort. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Head to Zebedee Springs, a permanent natural thermal spring tucked away in a secluded pocket of rainforest. Relax as you soak in the hot springs and leave feeling refreshed.