Perth itinerary — what to do with 3, 5, 7 and 10 days
A weekLess than that and you stay south. More and you reach Ningaloo.
Three days keeps you south, seven gets you to Ningaloo, ten opens up the gorges. Perth sits a long way from everything, which is the whole character of Western Australia — the Pinnacles are a day trip, Margaret River is a weekend, and Exmouth is six days north. The sweet spot is a week: up the coast to Ningaloo Reef and back, from $1,699. With three days, stay south and do Rottnest, the Pinnacles and Margaret River, from $169 a day.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Perth is the most isolated city of its size on earth, and planning from it means accepting one thing: the good stuff is north, and north is a long way. Here is what each length of stay actually buys you.
Three days — stay south
- Day one, Rottnest Island.A ferry from Fremantle, bikes, quokkas and the best beaches near the city.
- Day two, the Pinnacles.Thousands of limestone spires in Nambung National Park, a few hours north. The sunset and stargazing version is the one to take.
- Day three, Margaret Riveror Fremantle and the coast if three hours each way is too much.
- You will not reach Ningalooand trying to is the single most common planning mistake people make here.
Five to six days — Margaret River and the south, or the first run north
At this length you pick a direction. South gives you Margaret River's wineries and the karri forests, then Esperance and the white sand at Lucky Bay. North gets you as far as Monkey Mia and the dolphins at Shark Bay, or all the way to Exmouth one way.
| Trip | Length | Starts and finishes | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Day Perth to Monkey Mia | 4 days, 3 nights | Perth / Perth | $1299 |
| 6 Day Margaret River & Esperance Tour | 6 days, 5 nights | Perth / Perth | $1299 |
| 6 Day Perth to Exmouth | 6 days, 5 nights | Perth / Exmouth | $1449 |
| 6 Day Perth to Exmouth | 6 days, 5 nights | Perth / Exmouth | $1549 |
Seven to eight days — Ningaloo and back
This is the one. Up the coast through the Pinnacles, Kalbarri, Shark Bay and Coral Bay to Ningaloo Reef — where the coral starts at the beach rather than 50km offshore — and back to Perth by a different road. If you would rather not retrace it, the six day version finishes in Exmouth and you fly home.
7 Day Perth to Exmouth & Returnfrom $16997 days, 6 nightsHostel / Dorm Share7 days — up to Ningaloo and back to PerthView trip
7 Day Perth to Exmouth & Returnfrom $17997 days, 6 nightsHostel / Dorm Share7 days — the same run, a different operator's routeView trip
8 Day Perth to Exmouth & Returnfrom $16998 days, 7 nightsHostel / Dorm Share8 days — an extra day at the reef endView tripTen days or more — the gorges and beyond
Ten days opens up Karijini, the gorge country inland in the Pilbara, which almost nobody on a short trip ever sees. Or keep going north to Broome, and from there the Gibb River Road crosses the Kimberley to Darwin.
| Trip | Length | Starts and finishes | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Day West Coast and Karijini | 10 days, 9 nights | Perth / Perth | $2799 |
| 10 Day Perth to Broome | 10 days, 9 nights | Perth / Broome | $2905 |
| 10 Day Perth to Adelaide Tour | 10 days, 9 nights | Perth / Adelaide | $3000 |
| 24 Day Perth to Darwin Tour | 24 days, 23 nights | Perth / Darwin | $5899 |
The Perth to Adelaide run crosses the Nullarbor, which is a different trip again — long, empty and one of the great drives.
Timing it for whale sharks
Ningaloo's whale sharks are on the reef roughly March to August. If swimming with them is why you are going, build the dates around that window — the swim itself is a separate day out of Exmouth.
Do you need a 4WD?
Not for the coast road. Perth up to Exmouth is sealed the whole way and a normal hire car will do it. Four wheel drive starts to matter at Karijini and anything north of Broome. There is a full answer on our 4WD or a trip page.
Where this comes from. Trip lengths, start and finish points, what each one stops at and prices are that trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own from our booking system.