16 Day Top End & Kimberley Expedition
This tour is categorised as 3 out of 5
Balanced exploration with walking tours: Our most popular style, this tour offers a good mix of planned activities and free time. Expect moderate daily walking tours, so pack comfortable shoes.
As a general requirement across all of our trips, you may be required to walk up and down stairs, get on and off transportation, handle your own luggage, and participate in all scheduled sightseeing that may be conducted on uneven ground and terrain. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability and where required, supporting documentation may be requested to ensure that we are comfortable that you will enjoy your trip.
This tour features a combination of escorted and independent travel. Part of your journey will be enjoyed as a group experience, led by expert tour leaders or local guides. The remainder is self-guided—whether by rail, cruise, or overland—allowing you the freedom to travel between destinations independently and explore at your own pace.
✓ 5 nights quality accommodation in the Top End
✓ 10 nights cruising the magnificent Kimberley Coast onboard Coral Expeditions small expedition ship, Coral Discoverer, Coral Adventurer or Coral Geographer
✓ Travel by luxury coach
✓ 12 breakfasts, 13 lunches, 10 dinners
✓ Experienced Travel Director, Driver Guides and Expert Expedition Leaders
✓ Travel by 4WD through the southern end of Kakadu to visit famous Gunlom Falls
✓ Experience the thrill of riding the Horizontal Falls in inflatable Zodiac tender vessels
✓ Visit Indigenous rock art galleries and learn about ancient Wandjina and Gwion Gwion art
✓ National Park fees contribute toward the protection of local marine life and local habitat areas, and fund land-protection projects.
✓ All activities listed in the itinerary unless a paid optional
Travel with the experts for a carefully curated, value-packed discovery of the world's most iconic destinations. Our tours are bursting with must-see sights, rich experiences and quality inclusions, all at an unbeatable price. Bucket list dreams are ticked off on these all-encompassing journeys.
Welcome to Darwin! On arrival, make your way to your hotel. Your tour will start early tomorrow morning when you are picked up from your hotel.
Depart Darwin and travel through pristine wetland regions to Kakadu National Park. Visit the Warradjan Cultural Center, then join your local guide on a cruise to experience the dramatic scenery of the Yellow Water Billabong. Keep an eye out for saltwater crocodiles, an array of smaller wildlife, and the colorful range of birdlife for which this region is renowned. Stop at Nourlangie, where your Driver Guide will lead you on a walk to view the rock art galleries
This morning travel by 4WD vehicle into Arnhem Land and the Mikinj Valley. The scenery includes sandstone outcrops, escarpments, forests, floodplains and billabongs. You’ll visit places inaccessible to most, including ancient rock art sites. Learn about traditional land ownership, bush skills, hunting, food gathering and bush tucker preparation. Most tours are accompanied by an Aboriginal guide.
Travel by 4WD through the southern end of Kakadu to visit famous Gunlom Falls, and the plunge pool suitable for a swim, plus the stunning Ikoymarrwa Rock Pool. Finish the day with drinks and canapés by a private billabong.
Stop at Ubirr for a short walk to view Aboriginal rock art. Later, join the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise along the East Alligator River. An Aboriginal guide will provide an insight into their culture. Disembark on the Arnhem Land side of the river before heading back downstream. Visit the Bowali Visitor Center before returning to Darwin. Tonight is at your leisure before boarding your Coral Expeditions cruise tomorrow.
This morning, you will need to make your own way to the Darwin cruise port. Board your Coral Expeditions ship at 8.00am where there is time to settle into your cabin before our 9:00am departure. Spend a luxuriant sea day at leisure as we cruise across Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and sail into Western Australian waters.
Take the time to become acquainted with all the facilities onboard and join our Expedition Team in the Lounge for an insightful introduction to the Kimberley. As dusk falls meet your fellow travellers, the Captain and crew for the Captain’s Welcome Drinks.
Fed by the King George River draining across the Gardner Plateau, 80m tall King George Falls are the most impressive Kimberley waterfalls and the highest twin falls in Western Australia. Before reaching the mist-like spray rising from the base of King George Falls, we cruise through steep-sided gorges carved by a flooded river system that carved a swathe through the Kimberley landscape 400 million years ago.
Early in the waterfall season, we may cruise around the base of impressive King George Falls while in later months we take the opportunity to view the honeycomb erosion patterns of sandstone cliffs up close.
Vansittart Bay is home to many cultural and historically significant sites like the remarkable Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) Aboriginal rock art galleries estimated to be up to 20,000 years old. Jar Island is so-named after the pot shards found here, brought to the island by Macassan fisherman harvesting sea cucumbers (also known as trepang).
Nearby, on the Anjo Peninsula lays the well-preserved wreckage of a US Airforce C-53 Skytrooper aircraft, the result of a pilot losing his bearings flying from Perth to Broome in 1942 and putting down on a salt pan near present-day Truscott Airbase.
Tumbling down the Mitchell Plateau in a series of tiered waterfalls and emerald green rock pools, the Mitchell Falls are the photogenic poster child for the Mitchell River National Park. Take a scenic helicopter flight (additional cost) to multi-tiered Mitchell Falls where emerald-hued rock pools cascade down the escarpment and ancient rock art galleries are concealed in caves behind curtains of water.
Mitchell River National Park is inhabited by significant numbers of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and bird species which are lured by a year-round water source. Sandstone terraces beside tiered rock pools make a terrific viewing platform from which to savor the serenity of this ancient landscape.
An alternative option to Mitchell Falls is exploring the sandstone caves of Hathway’s Hideaway. This mass of weathered tunnels, arches and columns form a labyrinth-like maze and was once an Aboriginal midden. Another option while anchored at Winyalkan Bay is a visit to a series Wandjina and Gwion Gwion rock art galleries at Swift Bay.
In the evening we will enjoy watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean while indulging in a gourmet BBQ.
Prince Frederick Harbour is one of the Kimberley’s most spectacular locations at the southern end of York Sound. The harbour is dotted with islands lined with mangroves and monsoon rainforests, set against a backdrop of the ochre-hued escarpment.
White-bellied sea eagles and other birds of prey are often seen here, and at low tide, expansive mudflats reveal large populations of mudskippers and mangrove crabs. We will take our Xplorer tender vessels on a cruise up Porosus Creek to view some striking rock formations.
King Cascade is a classically beautiful terraced waterfall and is one of the most photographed waterfalls in the Kimberley. Falling from a considerable height and around 50m across, water tumbles down a staggered terrace of Kimberley sandstone. Layer upon layer of ochre-hued and blackened rock sprouts grasses, mosses and ferns in a sort of lushly vegetated hanging garden.
We reach King Cascade after cruising in our Xplorer tender vessels down the steep-sided Prince Regent River which is a remarkable anomaly as the river runs dead straight along a fault line.
Lt. Phillip Parker King named nearby Careening Bay after he beached his leaking vessel HMC Mermaid to effect repairs. While stranded on this remote coastline for 17 days the ship’s carpenter carved HMC Mermaid 1820 into the bottle-shaped trunk of a boab tree near the beach. 200 years later, the Mermaid Boab Tree has since split into two trunks and sports a mammoth girth of 12m. Significantly, the bulbous tree is listed on the National Register of Big Trees and the carpenter’s careful inscription now stands almost as tall as a person.
Montgomery Reef is a biologically diverse area covering over 300 sq km and was named by Phillip Parker King. Twice daily, as the sea recedes in mammoth 11m tides, Montgomery Reef rises from the Indian Ocean in a cascade of rushing water revealing a flat-topped reef pockmarked with rock pools and rivulets.
As the reef emerges, we get up close in our Xplorer and Zodiac inflatable tenders to witness the spectacle as our Expedition Team share their knowledge on the formation of the reef and the myriad wildlife. Opportunistic birds take advantage of the emerging reef, feeding on marine life left exposed in rock pools. Turtles, dolphins, dugongs and sawfish too are also attracted to feeding opportunities as the ocean recedes.
The ocean is awash in a swirl of eddies and whirlpools as the moon’s gravitational force takes hold. Then, a few hours later the entire water-borne drama is reversed as the tide comes in and Montgomery Reef disappears below sea level.
Raft Point guards the entrance to Doubtful Bay, a vast body of sheltered water which harbours significant sites such as the ancient Wandjina rock art galleries located a short walk from the beach and are considered some of the finest in the Kimberley and we visit the rock art galleries when Traditional Owners are available to guide us. Doubtful Bay is the traditional country of the Worrora people who follow the Wandjina, their god, law-maker and creator. Images of Wandjina are found throughout the Kimberley, recording their stories, knowledge and culture in stone.
Red Cone Creek flows gently downstream until it meets the small but impressive Ruby Falls. Named by local mariner Capt. Chris Trucker after his daughter, Red Cone Creek is carved through rock formations stacked atop each other like building blocks. These rock walls are great for climbing and clambering over before reaching a series of freshwater swimming holes and waterfalls. The falls may be a gurgling torrent or a gentle trickle, depending on the time of the year.
Other sites we aim to visit in Doubtful Bay include the mighty Sale River and Steep Island.
The Horizontal Falls are one of the Kimberley’s biggest attractions and are a result of the mammoth 11m tides the Kimberley is renowned for. Naturalist David Attenborough described the Horizontal Falls as ‘one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.’
The Horizontal Falls are created as the ocean thunders through a narrow gorge in the McLarty Ranges. Water builds up on one side and is forcibly pushed through the bottleneck, creating a rushing horizontal waterfall of swiftly flowing seawater. Riding the rapids on our Zodiac inflatable tenders is one of the highlights of our Kimberley expedition cruises.
Talbot Bay is at the heart of the Buccaneer Archipelago, where rocks on the 800 or so islands are estimated at over 2 billion years old. At Cyclone Creek, you will see evidence of massive geological forces in the impressive rock formations and cruise through the Iron Islands, past Koolan Island, before enjoying sunset drinks at Nares Point.
The Lacepede Islands are a protected class-A nature reserve and are significant as a seabird nesting rookery for brown boobies and roseate terns. Other species often sighted at the Lacepedes include Australian Pelicans, frigate birds, egrets and gulls. The four low-lying islands are also an important breeding and nesting habitat for green turtles.
If weather and tide conditions are suitable, we will explore the lagoons by Xplorer and Zodiac tender vessels.
As our incredible Kimberley adventures draw to a close, on our last evening aboard we enjoy the Captain’s farewell drinks amongst new-found friends.
Our incredible adventure along the Kimberley Coast concludes in Broome this morning at 8:00am. Bid farewell to new-found friends, the Captain and crew. A post-cruise transfer to Broome CBD or Airport is included.
If you’re not transferring directly to the airport why not spend the day visiting world-famous Cable Beach or stroll the historic streets of Chinatown in central Broome.
Small ships and unique itineraries take you to some of the most beautiful and remote regions of Australia. On board you will discover a personalised style of cruising. With ships carrying only 72 to 120 guests, you can say goodbye to queues, long waits, and assigned seating. Instead, enjoy a relaxed, convivial atmosphere shared with like-minded explorers.
Without crowds to worry about, the chefs can prepare small-batch meals made with Australian ingredients. Where possible, they procure from local food markets. The shallow draft and high manoeuvrability of the purpose-designed expedition ships get you closer on coastal adventures to explore the sheltered bays and hidden inlets inaccessible to larger ships.
Coral Cruises operate with a number of different small ships, all with similar facilities and deck plans. Please click the ship name and departure below to be taken to further information
Room Types and Upgrade Options;
Coral Adventurer
Coral Deck - Included.
Coral Deck Staterooms are located below the Promenade Deck and furnished with a junior King size bed which can be separated into two singles. A wardrobe, desk and armchair are included. The compact ensuite has a toilet, shower and ample storage. A porthole window gives you views of the world outside. (17 square metres)
Promenade Deck - starting from $1,540 per person
Promenade Deck Staterooms are located below the Explorer Deck and are identically furnished with a junior King size bed which can be separated into two singles. A wardrobe, desk and armchair are included. The compact ensuite has a toilet, shower and ample storage. A large picture window gives you wide views of the world outside. (17 square metres)
Explorer Deck Balcony - starting from $5,940 per person
Explorer Deck staterooms are located below the Bridge Deck and are comfortably furnished with a junior King size bed which can be separated into two singles. A wardrobe, desk and armchair are included. The compact ensuite has a toilet, shower and ample storage. Your private balcony has seating for two from which to view the passing coastal vistas. (21.4 square meters)
Bridge Deck Balcony - starting from $6,240 per person
Bridge Deck staterooms are comfortably furnished with a junior King size bed which can be separated into two singles. A wardrobe, desk and armchair are included. The compact ensuite has a toilet, shower and ample storage. French windows opening to a balcony with seating for two gives you a private perch to watch the panorama unfold outside. (21.4 square meters)
Bridge Deck Suite - starting from $11,540 per person
Bridge Deck suites are spacious and elegant retreats after a busy day ashore. Suites are equipped with a lounge area, minibar and personal coffee machine. They have a spacious super King-sized bed. The 8 square metre private balcony has an outdoor daybed and lounge chair for two. A unique outside-facing bathroom with picture windows, bath and separate shower complete the suite experience. The complimentary minibar is replenished daily. (56 square meters)
Coral Discoverer
Main Deck (Category B) - Included
Located close to the Dining Room, our three spacious Main Deck (Category B) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature twin portholes for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Main Deck (Category A) - starting from $560 per person
Located close to the Dining Room, our six spacious Main Deck (Category A) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature large, twin porthole windows for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Promenade Deck (Category A) - starting from $2,300 per person
Encircled by a full-ship promenade, our 19 spacious Promenade Deck (Category A) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature picture windows for expansive ocean views, along with a sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Bridge Deck Balcony Stateroom - starting from $5,000 per person
Located on the exclusive Bridge Deck close to the Lounge and Bridge, our six spacious Bridge Deck staterooms are 20sqm (215 square feet) in size and open out onto private balconies for expansive ocean views, along with a sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Coral Geographer
Coral Deck - Included
Coral Deck Staterooms are located below the Promenade Deck and are identically furnished with a junior King size bed which can be separated into two singles. A wardrobe, desk and armchair are included. The compact ensuite has a toilet, shower and ample storage. A porthole window gives you views of the world outside. (17 square meters)
Promenade Deck - starting from $1540 per person
Promenade Deck Staterooms are located below the Explorer deck and furnished with a junior King size bed which can be separated into two singles. A wardrobe, desk and armchair are included. The compact ensuite has a toilet, shower and ample storage. A large picture window gives you wide views of the world outside. (17 square meters)
Explorer Deck Balcony - starting from $5,940 per person
Explorer Deck staterooms are comfortably furnished with a junior King size bed which can be separated into two singles. A wardrobe, desk and armchair are included. The compact ensuite has a toilet, shower and ample storage. Your private balcony has seating for two from which to view the passing coastal vistas. These staterooms are located on the Explorer deck. (21.4 square meters)
Bridge Deck Balcony Suite - starting from $11,540 per person
There will be 6 spacious and elegant suites featured on the Coral Geographer. They will be equipped with a lounge area, minibar and personal coffee machine. They have a spacious super King-sized bed. A 3.5 square metre private balcony has an outdoor daybed and lounge chair for two. The unique outside-facing bathroom with floor to ceiling windows will be the feature of the suites, with an infinity bathtub with sky views. The complimentary minibar is replenished daily. (37.5 square meters)
Please note, all cabin upgrades and sole use cabins are subject to availability. Should you wish to upgrade, please list in the special request field when making your booking.
Coral Expeditions SailSafe Plan
Coral Expeditions has put in place a range of measures and associated protocols to manage expeditions in a world in which COVID-19 exists. The plan focuses on prevention to target a 100% COVID free environment onboard. Coral Expeditions has implemented a three-tiered medical screening protocol and ensures everyone on board has passed through this screening process. This prevention protocol is supported by strict onboard mitigation actions and an approved response plan. Please follow this link more information and to familiarise yourself with Coral Expedition's SailSafe Plan
Deposit & Payments
Booking Process
Booking on Request
COVID-19
Due to COVID there maybe disruptions to standard operating schedules of particular components of this itinerary. Should a component be effected a substitute will be confirmed prior to departure.
Fitness Requirements
While the tour itinerary should give you some guidance and overview to the expected requirements, to determine if this tour is right for you we categorise each of our tours in terms of their intensity. These guidelines are to ensure that each tour group is conducted as expected and to ensure the overall satisfaction of all Travel Spree customers. As a general rule, porterage is not included, therefore at all times you are expected to handle your own luggage where help may not be available. This particular tour is categorised as a “4”:
4 – A good level of fitness and mobility is required, as this tour includes a moderate level of physical activity and is considered a medium-fast paced tour. You should be able to walk up and down stairs, get on and off the coach and able to walk reasonable distances of approximately 4 kilometres per day or more with ease. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability. If you have any form of walking aids, other than a walking stick or hiking poles, then this tour is not suitable. Emma Gorge walk requires a good level of fitness.
Accommodation
The accommodation listed is subject to change. Any changes will be of an equal or higher standard. Bedding configurations (double or twin) are requests only. All efforts will be made to meet your preferences, however, any changes are beyond our control.
Group Size
Darwin and Kakadu tour is a maximum of 50 people
Coral Expeditions Cruise is a maximum of 120 people
Single Supplement
A single supplement is available on all nights of this trip from an extra $6,999 subject to availability.
Triple Share
Not available.
Children
Children must be 12 years old or over and share a room with parents at all times. Children are the same price as adults.
Tour Documentation
Final documentation will be provided approximately 30 days prior to travel.
Inspiring Vacations has been globally recognised and awarded for its handling of COVID-19 during the pandemic. The safety and wellbeing of our guests is our highest concern during this time of uncertainty, and we are continuously monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation.
We have adopted the advice of the WHO to ensure all customers can travel with the knowledge of how to travel safely and with confidence.
Australian owned and operated with 100% Australian Customer Service support
We are proudly 100% Australian owned and operated, with our head office located in Melbourne, Victoria. When you make your booking, you will receive dedicated and ongoing support from our team of travel professionals throughout your booking, up until you are due to depart.
Flexible Date Change Option
Book now, change later with our Flexible Date Change option. You may select this $99pp option at time of purchase, giving travellers the flexibility to change your date without penalty (subject to availability, less third party costs incurred, plus any applicable surcharges for the new date selected).
Date change must be requested prior to 65 days before your original selected departure date*. Once inside 65 days of departure, date changes are not permitted.
*some packages may have a varied period in which you can request a date change due to limitations with the third-party provider.
Please refer to our 'Book with Confidence' section for terms and conditions.
The Flexible Date Change option does not cover cost incurred for components not fulfilled by Inspiring Vacations or in the event extra services have been booked with Inspiring Vacations outside of the standard package, including but not limited to airfares, pre/post accommodation or insurance.
Cooling off period
If you change your mind within 7 days of making your booking online, you can request a refund of your initial deposit payment as part of our cooling off period.
Once your purchase date falls outside of the 7 day period, our standard terms and conditions will apply. Please ensure that any request to cancel your booking is received via email to [email protected], including the reason for cancellation.
Some departure dates run on a reverse itinerary as follows:
Day 1 - Broome. Make your way to Broome port and board your Coral Expeditions Cruise by 4pm.
Days 2 to 10 - Cruise from Broome to Darwin with Coral Expedition.
Day 11 - Darwin. You will be transferred to your accommodation in Darwin.
Day 12 - Kakadu National Park.
Day 13 - Arnhem Land.
Day 14 - Kakadu National Park
Day 15 - Darwin.
Day 16 - Darwin. Departure day.
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