Private guides in Australia invite you on an exciting multi-day tour through the magical lands of the Kimberley

Duration: 5 days / 4 nights

For lovers of active holidays and adventure, a trip to Australia's north-west - the Kimberley - can become the most unique addition to your travel collection.

Across the vast, sparsely populated Kimberley region (around 20,000 people), an area large enough to fit three Englands or the whole of Germany, you'll find a huge variety of exotic landscapes, extraordinary flora and fauna, and feel like an explorer of new lands. You'll see red mountain ranges and roaring cascading waterfalls, abundant rivers and pristine lakes, unusual rock and gorge formations, and picturesque bays and lagoons along the ocean shore.

This unique north-western region of Australia is world-famous for its pink diamond mining and for cultivating the world's largest South Sea pearls.

Of Australia's 48 wild rivers, most are found in the Kimberley (33 rivers), and they're considered the largest and most abundant on the continent. The region is also home to the enormous man-made Lake Argyle (1,000 sq km), often called Australia's 'inland sea'.

For more than 20,000 years, Aboriginal people have lived a nomadic life on this land. Ancient Aboriginal rock art and ceremonial sites can be found across the Kimberley plateau.

The Kimberley has a sub-equatorial climate with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius and two distinct seasons: the wet season (November to March) and the dry season (April to October - the best time for tours and excursions).

Day 1

Fly from Darwin, Broome or Perth to Kununurra

Arrive in Kununurra - the main gateway to the Kimberley's national parks

Check in to your hotel

The small, modern town of Kununurra (population 7,000) was built in the 20th century near the rivers and the man-made Lake Argyle. Many of the major tours and excursions through north-western Australia begin and end here.

Free time

Sunset dinner on the shore of Lake Kununurra at the Pumphouse restaurant.

Day 2

Air tour: 'An Unforgettable Flight to the Bungle Bungles, a 4WD Safari and a Guided Walk at the Foot of These Unusual Rock Formations' (in a group)

Duration: 8-10 hours

Includes: a picnic lunch and tea/coffee with biscuits, hotel-airport-hotel transfers, a flight by light aircraft, a 4WD trip and a guided walk

If you're travelling through Western Australia, a visit to Purnululu National Park, home to the ancient Bungle Bungle Range - at least 350 million years old - should be on your must-see list. This air tour will give you a complete picture of this geological wonder of Australia from multiple angles.

This hard-to-reach spot in the Kimberley was a well-kept Aboriginal secret until the 1980s, when the wider world discovered it and it was added to the World Heritage list.

The dome-shaped rock formations, striped in alternating bands of orange, black and green, resemble giant beehives from above, while at the base of these giant 300-metre cones you'll be amazed by dramatic gorges, pristine waterholes, palm groves and a wealth of birdlife.

The Bungle Bungles air tour program includes:

• A panoramic flight over the picturesque terracotta landscape of the Kimberley, with its huge lakes, rivers and national parks
• Fantastic aerial photography of the colourful rocky 'beehives' of the Bungle Bungles
• A 4WD trip through Purnululu National Park
• A three-kilometre guided walk among the huge cone-shaped rocks to Cathedral Gorge. In this enormous gorge amphitheatre with excellent acoustics you'll enjoy a picnic lunch by a natural pool
• A tea/coffee and biscuit stop at a picturesque hotel complex
• The return flight to Kununurra over the world-famous Argyle diamond mine and national parks

Day 3 (your choice)

Option 1: An Unforgettable Ord River Cruise Combined with a Bus Tour (in a group)

Includes: transfers, a cruise on the Ord River and Lake Kununurra, a riverside picnic (tea/coffee with biscuits and fruit), a bus tour

Duration: 6 hours (11:30 am to 5:30 pm)

On this engaging tour you'll see the main natural attractions of the Kununurra region, considered one of Australia's major water reservoirs. You'll visit the breathtaking man-made Lake Argyle, often called the continent's inland sea because of its colossal size and volume of water.

You'll cruise along the picturesque, mirror-like Ord River, surrounded by untouched nature and its wild inhabitants. This 55 km cruise is considered the longest in Australia.

The tour program includes:

• A bus trip to Lake Argyle (70 km)
• A stop at the Durack Homestead Museum, telling the story of this extraordinary family (their history was published in Mary Durack's book 'Kings in Grass Castles')
• A visit to Lake Argyle Resort, on the shore of Lake Argyle. Here you can take stunning photos of Australia's famous inland sea from the infinity pool, ranked among the world's top ten scenic pools
• Driving across the remarkable Dam Wall, which despite its modest size can hold up to 10,700,000,000 cubic metres of water
• A scenic cruise along the Ord River into the town of Kununurra (55 km), through red gorges and wild nature (refreshments provided). Your captain-guide will make short stops to spot wildlife (crocodiles, rock wallabies, buffalo and many others)
• A riverside picnic (tea/coffee, home-baked biscuits and fruit)
• A cruise on Lake Kununurra, past unusual rock formations (the Sleeping Buddha), cosy lagoons, picturesque bays and a colourful sunset

Option 2: A 4WD Tour of El Questro Wilderness Park (in a group)

Duration: 12 hours (6:30 am to 6:30 pm)

Includes: transfers, morning tea, lunch, a river cruise, a guided walk

El Questro is a unique private reserve located 110 km west of Kununurra. This vast, little-explored territory of untouched wilderness (10,000 sq km) attracts eco-tourism enthusiasts seeking exciting experiences.

The tour program includes:

• A walk among the lush rainforest vegetation of Emma Gorge, with a swim (you'll need: a good level of fitness, sturdy comfortable shoes, 1.5 litres of water, a hat). If you'd rather not take part in the walk, you can relax in the shade at the gorge and wait for the group
• Morning tea at the Emma Gorge restaurant
• A visit to the thermal and mineral springs of Zebedee Springs. In this picturesque mountainous area, the springs cascade one above another in a series of waterfalls. Here you can relax in the warm natural pools
• A lunch stop at The Steakhouse at Township Station
• A scenic cruise into the gorge along the Chamberlain River, with a glass of champagne and fruit

Day 4

A Scenic Air Tour to Mitchell Falls (in a group)

Duration: 8 hours (6am to 1:30 pm)

Includes: transfers, a picnic lunch, tea/coffee with biscuits, a flight by plane and helicopter, a guided walk

Far from civilisation, hidden among untouched wilderness, is one of Australia's highest and most powerful waterfalls. Roaring torrents of water, spilling from one huge basin into another, drop 80 metres down into a deep emerald pool, creating a mesmerisingly beautiful four-tiered cascade. The rich colours of the surrounding landscape, with its blend of reds, blues and greens, give this place a special character.

Despite the difficulty of reaching this unique spot in Mitchell River National Park (accessible only by 4WD and helicopter), eco-tourism and photography enthusiasts are drawn to this ancient land to see this cascading wonder.

The Mitchell Falls air tour program includes:

• Scenic flights by plane to Mitchell Falls and back, where you'll see the huge Ord River reservoir, the red Cockburn Range, the King George Falls, Cambridge Gulf, and the picturesque shallows of the Wyndham coastline
• Landing in Mitchell River National Park
• A helicopter flight with breathtaking views of the famous Mitchell Falls cascade
• Guided walks through the pristine reserve, past ancient Aboriginal rock art, to Mitchell Falls

The air tours use new, air-conditioned aircraft models.

Air tours operate from Kununurra from May to September, on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Day 5

Fly to Darwin, Broome or Perth