How do I get from Perth to Exmouth or Broome?
By tour, because there is almost nothing in between. Perth to Exmouth takes 6 to 8 days, from $1,449: stopping at Monkey Mia, Kalbarri and Ningaloo Reef, which is the point of going. Perth to Broome is 10 days, from $2,905.
Checked on 5 October 2026.
The Western Australian coast north of Perth is one of the emptiest drives in the country, and that is its appeal rather than its problem. The operators' own day sheets put most driving days between 450 and 600km, with nothing much in between, so the trip is the transport and the accommodation as much as the sightseeing.
Perth to Exmouth
| Trip | Length | Route | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Day Perth to Exmouth | 6 days, 5 nights | Perth / Exmouth | $1449 |
| 6 Day Perth to Exmouth | 6 days, 5 nights | Perth / Exmouth | $1549 |
| 7 Day Perth to Exmouth & Return | 7 days, 6 nights | Perth / Perth | $1699 |
| 8 Day Perth to Exmouth & Return | 8 days, 7 nights | Perth / Perth | $1699 |
| 7 Day Perth to Exmouth & Return | 7 days, 6 nights | Perth / Perth | $1799 |
| 8 Day Perth to Exmouth in Comfort | 8 days, 7 nights | Perth / Exmouth | $4099 |
Some finish in Exmouth, some return to Perth. Prices update on their own.
What you stop for
- Ningaloo Reefa fringing reef you can swim to off the beach, which is the thing the Great Barrier Reef cannot offer.
- Monkey Miaand Shark Bay, where the dolphins come in to the shallows.
- Kalbarririver gorges and sea cliffs, halfway up.
- The Pinnaclesusually on the first day out of Perth.
One way or return?
- One way to Exmouthat 6 days is the cheapest version — fly back from Learmonth, or carry on north.
- Return to Perthat 7 or 8 days costs a few hundred more and saves you a flight, and the drive south takes a different route.
- Eight days in comfortis the same coast with better beds, if camping is not for you.
Carrying on to Broome
Broome is a long way further north again. The trips that go the whole way take ten days and cross the Pilbara, which almost nobody sees.
| Trip | Length | Route | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Day Perth to Broome | 10 days, 9 nights | Perth / Broome | $2905 |
| 10 Day Broome to Perth | 10 days, 9 nights | Broome / Perth | $2805 |
| 9 Days Darwin to Broome | 9 days, 8 nights | Darwin / Broome | $2699 |
| 10 Days Darwin to Broome | 10 days, 9 nights | Darwin / Broome | $3149 |
| 10 Days Broome to Darwin | 10 days, 9 nights | Broome / Darwin | $3195 |
How long do you need?
- Four daysreaches Monkey Mia and back — the short version, and still a long way north.
- Six daysreaches Exmouth and Ningaloo, which is where the swimming is.
- Ten daysgets you to Broome, and the drive between is the emptiest and best part.
- Twenty-four daysruns the whole way to Darwin, if you have the month.
Whale sharks at Ningaloo
This is what Ningaloo is famous for, and it is seasonal — the whale sharks are on the reef roughly March to August. If that is why you're going, time the trip for those months. The swim itself is a separate day out of Exmouth.
Do you need a 4WD?
Not for this route. Perth up to Exmouth is sealed highway and a normal hire car will do it. Four wheel drive starts to matter at Karijini and on anything north of Broome — and on these trips the vehicle is a 4WD anyway, so it is not your problem either way. There is more on that on our 4WD or a trip page.
The trips
4 Day Perth to Monkey Miafrom $12994 days, 3 nightsResort/MotelView trip
6 Day Perth to Exmouthfrom $14496 days, 5 nightsHostels / HotelsView trip
7 Day Perth to Exmouth & Returnfrom $16997 days, 6 nightsHostel / Dorm ShareView trip
10 Day Perth to Broome from $290510 days, 9 nightsCamping and HostelsView tripPeople also ask
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- Which tours suit older travellers?
Where this comes from. Each trip's own route, duration and inclusions sheet, as held on its page here. Prices are the current from price and update on their own.
