Is Monkey Mia worth visiting, and what is there to do in Shark Bay?
YesBut go for Shark Bay, and treat the dolphins as the bonus.
Yes — but go for Shark Bay, and let the dolphins be the bonus. Wild bottlenose dolphins have been coming into the shallows at Monkey Mia most mornings for decades, and it is managed by Parks and Wildlife rangers so it is a genuine wild encounter rather than a show. It is also brief, early, and not guaranteed. The reason to make the trip is the rest of Shark Bay — a World Heritage area with Shell Beach, the Hamelin Pool stromatolites and the cliffs at Eagle Bluff. Four days from Perth, from $1,299.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Monkey Mia is famous for one thing and the famous thing takes about an hour. Shark Bay around it is what actually justifies the drive, and most people arrive not knowing that.
What the dolphin experience really is
- It happens in the morningusually starting early, and can run to two or three feeds depending on whether the dolphins turn up.
- It is ranger-managed.Parks and Wildlife control the feeding deliberately — small amounts, only a few adult females, so the dolphins keep hunting and keep teaching their calves.
- You stand in the shallowsand a handful of visitors are chosen to help feed. Everyone else watches from a few metres away.
- It is not guaranteed.They are wild animals and some mornings they do not come in.
- It is over by mid-morningwhich is why the rest of the bay matters.
What else is in Shark Bay
- Shell Beacha beach made of billions of tiny cockle shells metres deep instead of sand, and the water is so salty you float.
- Hamelin Pool stromatolitesliving structures built by cyanobacteria, among the oldest forms of life on earth and one of very few places they still grow.
- Eagle Bluffa boardwalk on red cliffs over clear water, where you look down on sharks, rays and turtles from above.
- François Peron National Parkred sand against white beach and turquoise water, which is the colour combination the whole coast is known for.
- It is World Heritage listedon all four natural criteria, which only a handful of places in the world are.
Getting there
Shark Bay is a long way up the coast from Perth — the trip that goes there takes four days, and that is with the stops that make the drive worth doing: the Pinnacles, the Lobster Shack and Kalbarri's gorges and sea cliffs on the way. You sleep in private rooms with ensuites, including a night at the dolphin resort on the beach itself, which is how you are there early enough in the morning.
| Trip | Length | Where you sleep | Group | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Day Perth to Monkey Mia | 4 days, 3 nights | 3 nights in private rooms with ensuites — Kalbarri Edge Resort, RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort on the beach in Shark Bay, then Hospitality Geraldton Motel. | Max 18 | $1299 |
Max 18, with three breakfasts and a lunch at the Lobster Shack included. Pick-up from Perth CBD hotels from around 8am.
Or carry on north
Shark Bay sits on the way to Ningaloo, so plenty of people take it as a stop rather than a destination. Six days gets you to Exmouth, seven brings you back to Perth, and ten carries on to Broome.
6 Day Perth to Exmouthfrom $14496 days, 5 nightsHostels / Hotels6 days — Perth to Exmouth, one wayView trip
7 Day Perth to Exmouth & Returnfrom $16997 days, 6 nightsHostel / Dorm Share7 days — up to Ningaloo and backView trip
10 Day Perth to Broome from $290510 days, 9 nightsCamping and Hostels10 days — Perth all the way to BroomeView tripWhen to go
April to October. Shark Bay gets very hot in summer and the shade is limited. The dolphins come in year round, so the season is about your comfort rather than theirs. If you are carrying on to Ningaloo, the whale sharks are there roughly March to August — see our day trips from Exmouth page.
Where this comes from. Trip length, where you sleep, group size, meals and prices are that trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own. The ranger-managed dolphin feeding and Shark Bay's World Heritage listing are the published position of the WA Parks and Wildlife Service.