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Small Ship Cruise

Kimberley Complete with Kimberley Coastal Expedition

Broome to Darwin
25 Days Request Quote
Trip Code: GKKCB25
  • Trip Highlights
  • Map & Itinerary
  • Travel & Accommodation

Your Vacation Includes

  • Experiences in 31 destinations
  • 10 nights aboard the luxury Le Laperouse or Le Jacques Cartier ship with daily excursions on Zodiac vessels
  • The services of an expert APT driver-guide and 12-member expedition team.
  • Locally-inspired dining – a total of 70 meals and a wide range of onboard beverages
  • Stay at APT's exclusive network of Wilderness Lodges
  • View the incredible natural phenomenon Horizontal Falls
  • Join your expedition team to explore Montgomery Reef by Zodiac
  • Discover ancient Indigenous rock art in a number of Kimberley locations

Map & Itinerary

Australia Map 2024 GKKCB25
Broome to Darwin

Designed Exclusively for APT guests

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

These once-in-a-lifetime moments allow you to experience an unforgettable world of exclusive moments, incredible cultures and charming surprises

Arrive in Broome, where we meet you on arrival and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at leisure. This evening, a relaxed dinner gives you the chance to meet your fellow travellers.

Stay: Broome, Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa

Daily :
  • Dinner

Leave Broome this morning and head to the Boab Prison Tree, believed to be 1,500 years old. Continue along the Gibb River Road to Windjana Gorge, where ancient marine fossils lay embedded in the gorge walls. Next, it's on to Tunnel Creek, Western Australia's oldest cave system. Wade through the cool waters that fill the tunnel and emerge on the other side to discover a serene oasis.

Stay: Fitzroy Crossing, Fitzroy River Lodge

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Travel to Danggu Geikie Gorge National Park today and explore incredible Geikie Gorge, famed for its towering walls that have been bleached white by the river when it floods. Afterwards, head to Halls Creek, before arriving at Purnululu National Park. Settle in to your lodge before an open-air dinner tonight.

Stay: Two Nights, APT's exclusive Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

End your day of discovery by watching the sunset over the Bungle Bungle Range – with a glass of bubbly in hand, of course.


A full day has been set aside for you to explore Purnululu National Park today, starting with a walk along Piccaninny Creek. This winding gorge is set deep within the Bungle Bungle Range, offering unparalleled views of the beehive domes. Your next stop is Cathedral Gorge, a natural red rock amphitheatre created by millions of years of water erosion. This spacious cavern is renowned for its acoustics, and you'll see why as you wander through it.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
4wd bungle bungle range purnululu national park kimberley australia

Set out on a hike to Echidna Chasm, a natural cleft in the rock that reaches a staggering 200 metres in height while only being one metre wide at certain points. Later, travel along the Spring Creek Track to Kununurra.

Stay: Two Nights, Kununurra Country Club Resort

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Travel to Lake Argyle and join a wildlife cruise on the mighty Ord River. From a modern shaded vessel, discover the area's ecological system that has developed from the damming of the Ord River at two locations. Later, enjoy sunset while cruising on Lake Kununurra. Keep an eye out for wildlife and soak up the views as your boat makes its way through winding creeks and picturesque lagoons.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Visit Parry’s Lagoon this morning, home to an array of birdlife. Next, it's on to Wyndham, where you'll soak up the views of the Cambridge Gulf from the Five Rivers Lookout. Stop for lunch before arriving at El Questro, a sprawling wilderness area which covers 700,000 acres. Afterwards, continue toward El Questro.

Stay: El Questro Emma Gorge Resort or Home Valley Station

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

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.


Hike to Emma Gorge where you'll be rewarded with a swim beneath a towering droplet waterfall. Visit Zebedee Springs before continuing to the iconic Home Valley Station, crossing the Pentecost River along the way. Nestled in the midst of the sweeping Cockburn Range, it’s not hard to see why this immense cattle property was used as the setting for Baz Luhrmann’s blockbuster film, 'Australia'. Tonight, head to a spectacular viewpoint just in time for sunset. Soak up the breathtaking views with a glass of bubbly and watch as the ever-changing colours dance over the Cockburn Range.

Stay: Home Valley Station

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Back on the Gibb River Road, ford the mighty Durack River, then turn off and travel north on the Kalumburu Road towards the isolated Mitchell Plateau. Along the way, stop at Drysdale River Station for lunch. Afterwards, enter a remote world of Livistona palm forests, beautiful lookouts, magnificent waterfalls and isolated swimming holes.

Stay: Two Nights, APT’s exclusive Mitchell Falls Wilderness Lodge

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

Soar over incredible Mitchell Falls on an included helicopter flight.


Today you have a full day to discover the beauty of Mitchell Falls, with its tiered waterfalls and Indigenous rock art. When available, local Indigenous guides will join the adventure. Begin with a guided hike to Little Mertens Falls to view rarely seen rock art. Continue to Big Mertens Falls before arriving at the incredible Mitchell Falls. Go for a swim in the pools above the falls then take an included helicopter flight over Mitchell Falls and the surrounding wilderness back to your 4WD vehicle (or if you prefer, hike back with your guide).

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
Appreciate the magnificent Mitchell Falls while on a Kimberley Coast small ship expedition cruise

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

Admire ancient Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock art.


Visit Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock art galleries and swim in the clear waters at King Edward River. Cross Drysdale River and arrive at Drysdale River Station.

Stay: Drysdale River Station

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

At Manning Creek, you’ll enjoy lunch in the shade of boab trees. Look out for the region’s bird life and enjoy a refreshing swim in the pristine water under paperbarks. Continue to Galvans Gorge, where a short walk leads to a picturesque waterhole, the ideal spot for a refreshing swim.

Stay: Two Nights, APT’s exclusive Bell Gorge Wilderness Lodge

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Back on the Gibb River Road, travel to Bell Gorge, where spectacular cliffs surround a series of tiered waterholes. Should you be feeling particularly energetic, you may take the opportunity to hike to the lower pool of the gorge and enjoy a relaxing dip below the cascading waterfall.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Travel through the Wilinggin King Leopold Range Conservation Park to a local art centre.

Stay: Broome, Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Today you will transfer to your luxurious Explorer small ship. Later, get to know your Expedition Team and APT Cruise Director at a welcome briefing before dinner.

Stay: 10 Nights, Le Laperouse or Le Jacques Cartier

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

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. Join your expedition team for a guided Zodiac tour to view the prolific wildlife. Later, your ship charts a course into the stunning Buccaneer Archipelago. Made up of more than 800 islands, and filled with stunning scenery and an incredible array of wildlife.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

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.


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. You might also choose to take a thrilling ride through the falls aboard a high-powered fast boat (own expense).

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

At Freshwater Cove take a guided hike to visit an ancient Wandjina rock art site. The unique figures depicted are ritually repainted each year, but scientific estimates date the originals as far back as 5,000 years. Later, 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.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

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 your ship 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).

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

Approximately six kilometres from the mainland, Bigge Island is ripe for discovery today. It’s well known for its Indigenous 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.


You continue to cruise north along the stunning Kimberley Coast towards your final destination, Darwin.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
View of Bigge Island in Kimberley, Western Australia

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.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

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.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

Anticipation builds as your Zodiac approaches King George Falls, which plunges 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.


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.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Relax and ease into a full day at sea, enjoying the endless horizon. Perhaps take a swim in the onboard pool, pamper yourself in the wellness area, or head below deck to your ship’s underwater observation area for a stunning window into marine life below the ocean’s surface.

Daily :
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

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

Daily :
  • Breakfast

We know that great service is more than just taking care of you on holiday… it’s the unprecedented warmth, care and consideration you’ll be afforded from your first call until after your return home