At a Glance
The Kimberley is a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list experience – do it right.
Get the ultimate bird’s eye view of this vast, timeless landscape on this 7-day, all-inclusive, private helicopter safari from the outback to the ocean.
Taking flight from Kununurra, look down over sunburnt country at endless, straight roads, farms the size of small countries, rivers dotted with crocodiles, virgin coastline and more. Visit remote Aboriginal communities. Experience the dust, sweat and exhilaration of life on a real, working cattle station. Fish for legendary Barramundi in pristine blue waters. Cruise the breathtaking Chamberlain Gorge. Ponder the mysterious Bungle Bungle domes and Cathedral Creek. Marvel at the Argyle Diamond Mine, where rare pink diamonds are found, and at the vast Lake Argyle, the largest manmade lake in the Southern Hemisphere. Land on mountain ...
Trip Highlights
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What's Included
- Group porterage
- Daily tours (chosen by you on the day)
- Guaranteed experience of a lifetime
- 6-nights’ accommodation in the region’s best luxury lodges and coastal wilderness retreats on a twin share basis
- Meals: 6 x breakfast, 6 x lunch, 5 x dinner (everything except the reserve list drinks)
- Private helicopter charter and expert pilot
Itinerary
Difficulty: Easy Welcome to the Kimberley, one of the oldest and largest wilderness landscapes on Earth! Arrive into East Kimberley (Kununurra) (KNX) Regional Airport and enjoy an included transfer to Freshwater East Kimberley Apartments. Take time to explore this small outback town at your leisure. Learn about the Ord River Irrigation project, its history and other regional history at the Kununurra Museum. Admire the work of local artists at one of several art galleries. Or, climb to the top of Kelly’s Knob for a great view over the town, farmlands, Diversion Dam, the nearby ranges and the lake. At a pre-arranged time that suits you, get to know your expert safari pilot over a drink. Your pilot will provide an informative brief and get you excited about the adventure ahead. |
Difficulty: Your Choice At first light, your pilot will meet and transfer you to the East Kimberley Regional Airport helipad. At 6:00am, take off over the huge farms of the Ord River Irrigation Area towards the Northern Territory border. Get a bird’s eye view of Keep River National Park before touching down on the lawn at Bullo River Station. Wind your watch forwards 90 minutes and you’re ready for a delicious cooked breakfast! Meet your Bullo River hosts who will help you choose your day’s activities. Experience the dust, sweat and exhilaration of farm life first-hand, helping out with bore checks, lick runs, muster training, cattle yard work and more. Or, if you would rather leave the work to the professionals, spend the day exploring stunning Top End landscapes, waterfalls and waterholes and discovering Aboriginal rock art and wildlife. The choice is yours! In the evening, relax and unwind in your private guest room. Or, venture into the comfortable communal area to mingle with other travellers and help yourself to freshly baked goodies. Laze by the pool, in a hammock among the palm trees or in air-conditioned comfort. A delicious dinner is included. |
Difficulty: Easy After a hearty breakfast, take off in the helicopter over the Top End’s huge estuaries and rivers. Five of these rivers meet in the town of Wyndham, creating incredible patterns in the mudflats that are best observed from above. If you look closely, you will undoubtedly see colossal crocodiles in this area and the impressive Cambridge Gulf. Crossing the Gulf, pass over the traditional lands of the Balangarra people and the twin waterfalls of King George Falls to visit Kalumburu, home to the Kwini and Kulari people. Kalumburu is home to a historic parish with Benedictine Sisters, lay missionaries, a priest and parish council. A visit to the parish museum is a must! Journey onto Eagle Falls for a swim before rounding Steep Head Island and the top of Western Australia to land on the shell beach at Kimberley Coastal Camp, your home for the next two nights. Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring this exclusive yet unpretentious retreat, keeping an eye out for local wildlife including wild dingoes, endangered quolls, olive pythons and sea eagles. A delicious dinner is included. The fresh seafood is truly amazing! |
Difficulty: Your Choice Today is a no-fly day where you can choose your own adventure. Explore ancient land on foot and get up close and personal with Aboriginal bush tucker and rock art as well as the local wildlife. Try your luck fishing for the fabled Barramundi and other tropical species in the pristine blue waters the area is famous for. Head out on a boat and picnic on and around deserted islands fringed by Boab trees. Or, if you prefer, simply kick back in a day bed with a cool drink in hand. A delicious dinner is included. |
Difficulty: Easy After a hearty breakfast, set off in the helicopter over Mitchell Plateau to touch down at the top of the mighty four-tiered Mitchell Falls. Enjoy a guided walk curtesy of your pilot and feel the spray coming off this impressive natural wonder. When you’re read, return to the helicopter to head towards the coast. If necessary, your pilot may touch down at Naturaliste Island to refuel, otherwise continue on through Prince Frederick Harbour, a natural harbour with bays, coves, magnificent cliffs and mangrove forests. Touch down at Careening Bay, the sandy cove where early explorer Admiral Phillip Parker King breached his vessel The Mermaid. Admire the famous “Mermaid Tree” where the boat’s carpenter carved an inscription. This Boab tree is now 12 metres wide and National Heritage listed. You can’t miss it! Fly over the King Cascades flowing into the Prince Regent River, Mount Trafalgar, Mount Waterloo and more. Touch down in Drysdale River Station, a family-owned, family-operated million-acre working cattle station, where you will have the opportunity with locals before journeying on over the iconic Gibb River Road, Home Valley Station and Pentecost River to El Questro Wilderness Park. At sunset, land on the lawn helipad of El Questro Homestead, the secret holiday hideaway of many celebrities including Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman. Here, you have over 700,000 acres of pristine Kimberley wilderness to explore, so sit back with a cool drink and take it all in. A delicious dinner is included. |
Difficulty: Your Choice Today is another no-fly day where you can choose your own adventure. Cruise alongside the towering cliffs of Chamberlain Gorge on tranquil waters alive with crocodiles and cheeky Archerfish and Barramundi. Traverse Emma Gorge and uncover a pristine oasis with cascading waterfalls and Livistonia palms. Follow the old outback roads and circumnavigate the fiery Cockburn Range with its hidden gorges and permanent pools. Fish for legendary barramundi in picturesque creeks and rivers. And, at night, look up and admire some of the world’s starriest skies. A delicious dinner is included. |
Difficulty: Easy Take off in the helicopter over the Chamberlain River and head south over the Elgee Cliffs bordering the Durack River. Look down over cattle stations as large as cities and marvel at the tenacity of early pioneers in settling this rugged land. You will also see the traditional lands of the Kija and Djaru people and their community at Warwun, where many famous Aboriginal artists such as Rover Thomas and Queenie McKenzie lived and worked. Touch down in Purnululu National Park, home to the famous Bungle Bungle beehive domes. Unknown to the outside world until the 1980s, these massive orange and black striped sandstone domes rise up to almost 600 metres (2000 feet) above sea level. On a guided walk, wander through hidden gorges and deep permanent pools and lose yourself in over 350 million years of history. Your walk concludes in Cathedral Gorge, famous for its incredible acoustics! In the afternoon, fly north over the Argyle Diamond Mine, where rare pink diamonds are found, then over Lake Argyle, the largest manmade lake in the Southern Hemisphere, with a volume said to be over 21 times that of Sydney Harbour. Touch down on a mountain pinnacle nearby to drink a toast to the Kimberley and its spectacular scenery. Cap off your epic adventure with one last flight over the lush oasis of the Ord Valley. Touch down in Kununurra and farewell your pilot, ready to commence your onward journey. |
Dates & Prices
Daily departure on request from April to October. Minimum 2 people for a guaranteed departure. Please contact us for group bookings or private departures.
More Info
- The start and finish point for this tour is Kununurra, Western Australia.
- The East Kimberley (Kununurra) (KNX) Airport provides access to Kununurra, receiving flights from Broome and Darwin through Air North.
The Kimberley experiences distinct dry and wet seasons. Average daily maximum temperatures in the dry season (April to September) range from 29 degrees (Celsius) in July to 38 degrees in September with little rain and low humidity. Overnight, temperatures decrease to become considerably cool by early morning and sunrise. Average daily maximum temperature during the waterfall season (October to March) is 40 degrees with significant humidity. Most of the 500-700mm annual rainfall occurs between December and March resulting in unsealed roads becoming impassable and park closure.
The aircraft used varies on the number of guests and the payload required.
The operator has three aircraft types available:
- Bell 206 Jetranger – Turbine engine, leather interior, very good viewing platform. Suitable for 2 or 3 guests in comfort (though 4 seats are available).
- Robinson R66 – Leather interior, very good viewing platform. Suitable for 2 passengers in comfort (though 4 seats are available).
- Bell Long Ranger – Turbine engine, leather interior, very good viewing platform. Suitable for 4 passengers in comfort (payload dependent) (though 6 seats are available).
Onlyluxe Travel acts as travel agency and work with different tour operators.
Payment Detail
All pricing is in Australian dollars and are quoted on a per person twin share basis. A supplementary price is available (see below). Bookings are not confirmed until full payment and the signed Booking Form has been received by Onlyluxe Travel.
A non-refundable 30% deposit is payable within 7 days of your booking, with the final balance due 60 days prior to departure. If a booking is made 60 days or less before departure, the full payment is payable immediately. Last minute bookings are payable before arrival. Failure to pay on time may result in automatic cancellation of a booking with cancellation penalties payable to Onlyluxe Travel. If you pay by credit card or PayPal a surcharge will be added to the total price.
Single Supplement
All accommodation is twin share. Single guests will share with someone of the same gender. If a single room is demanded, a supplementary price of will apply. The supplementary price refers to our quotation and needs to be stipulated at the time of booking.
General Cancellation Policies
- Outside of 60 days monies will be refunded less 30% of full fee
- Within 60 days prior to arrival all monies will be forfeited
- No refunds will be given in the event of non-arrival, any unused services or unused nights due to flight or weather disruption
- We strongly recommend guests protect themselves with travel insurance and medical insurance
Please Note: Cancellations must be advised in email and will take effect from the date they are received.
Liability
The participant agrees to indemnify Onlyluxe Travel, and its servant, tour operator and agents, in relation to any liability, loss and damage which the tour operator, or its servants and/or agents may incur as a result of the participants, negligence or misconduct during the tour.
Smoking is not permitted on the bus, or in tents or in other accommodation being used by tour operator at the time that a trip is being conducted.
Child Policy
Please consult travel consultant on age limit.
Changes to Itineraries
Local conditions may necessitate changes to sightseeing, walking and driving routes, camping and accommodation locations. While every effort will be made to provide the services and experiences as offered in our brochure, on our website, and in our trip letters, we reserve the right to vary your itinerary. In the event that we are forced to change your arrangements, substitute arrangements of a similar standard will be provided. The tour operator will not be liable where interruptions to itineraries are caused by weather conditions, technical problems to transport used by the tour operator, industrial action, political or civil commotion or other circumstances beyond our control. We refer you to the conditions regarding travel insurance.
Changes in Prices
While we will do its utmost to honour its pricing unforeseen circumstances may mean that prices may be subject to change without notice.
Pre-Existing Medical Conditions and Age Limits
You need to advise Onlyluxe travel and the tour operator on any pre-existing medical condition, mobility impairment and/or disability that might reasonably be expected to increase the risk of your requiring medical attention, or that might affect the normal conduct of a trip and the enjoyment of other trip members. Onlyluxe Travel and the tour operator may require an assessment of your medical condition from a qualified medical practitioner. If you fail to adequately notify the tour operator of any pre-existing medical conditions and/or disability, the tour operator reserves the right, at its reasonable discretion, to cancel your participation in a trip at any time, including after the commencement of your trip, with no right of refund if your medical condition, mobility impairment and/or disability could be reasonably expected to affect the normal conduct of the trip and the enjoyment of other trip members.
Cancellation by The Tour Operator
The walks take place in very special wilderness settings. The tour operator is at the mercy of nature in all her beauty and all her fury. The tour operator will under no circumstance knowingly place at risk the health and well-being of our guests and guides. In the case of natural threats, acts of God and the like (e.g. bushfires, impassable snow, etc) the tour operator may need to cancel a walk with very little notice. In some cases, this can occur after the walk has commenced. The tour operator reserves the right to cancel any walk up to 60 days prior to departure if a minimum of 4 walkers are unable to meet for a tour. If the tour operator needs to cancel for any reason, the cost of the walk or any other costs associated with travel to the designated pick up point, overnight accommodation, meals, etc will not be covered by the Onlyluxe Travel and therefore we strongly recommend travel insurance be taken out prior to travel.
Force Majeure
'Force Majeure' means (without restriction) any event which Onlyluxe Travel or its third party providers could not, even with due care, foresee or avoid. Force Majeure covers events such as, but not limited to, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events beyond our control. In the case of Force Majeure Onlyluxe Travel will not accept liability, and reserves the right to change and cancel trips.
Evacuations
In rare circumstances, due to injury or unforeseen illness, the tour operator may need to evacuate you from a remote part of the walk. Helicopter evacuations are expensive and in most cases will be at a cost to the customer.
For Australian residents, under the Australian Government Medicare Act, it is prohibited for any domestic travel insurance product to provide any financial reimbursement with regard to ambulance or air ambulance services. We therefore strongly advise our customers to take specific ambulance cover through their health insurance provider. Evacuation cost will not be covered by the Onlyluxe Travel and therefore it is also strongly recommended that our customers take out travel insurance to cover (amongst other things) the costs associated with evacuation.
Travel Insurance
In view of the heavy cancellation penalties applied to cancelled reservations in certain circumstances, we strongly recommends suitable travel insurance be purchased at the time the holding deposit is paid. We recommend insurance cover that covers any loss which may be suffered due to cancellation. We also strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance against loss of baggage and medical expenses.