Via Travel Perth to Exmouth Ningaloo Reef Comfort Tour - Private Double Ensuite

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DAY 1: PERTH, THE PINNACLES AND GERALDTON

Meet your guide in Perth at 8:30am and head north up the Indian Ocean Drive. Along the way you see Western Australia's biggest sand dunes, then walk among the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park, thousands of limestone pillars, some taller than a person, rising from yellow sand. At Jurien Bay you might spot an Australian sea lion, and near Greenough the river red gums grow almost sideways, bent flat by the salty southerly wind. In Geraldton an orientation drive ends at the HMAS Sydney II Memorial, whose dome of 645 steel seagulls honours the 645 sailors lost when the cruiser sank off this coast in 1941.

Overnight: Geraldton (Geraldton Motor Inn or similar)

DAY 2: NORTHAMPTON, HUTT LAGOON AND KALBARRI

After a slow breakfast you visit Northampton, one of Western Australia's oldest towns, with stone buildings from the 1800s and a First Nations gallery where you meet the artists. Next is Hutt Lagoon, the Pink Lake, coloured by an alga that makes beta-carotene, and pinkest around the middle of the day. In Kalbarri National Park the Murchison River has cut a gorge through sandstone laid down more than 400 million years ago. Walk to Nature's Window, a natural rock arch framing the river, look down into Z Bend, then step out on the Kalbarri Skywalk, two platforms that jut out over the gorge 100 metres above the river.

Overnight: Kalbarri (Kalbarri Edge Resort or similar)

DAY 3: KALBARRI TO SHARK BAY AND MONKEY MIA

It's an ocean day. At the Kalbarri marina you board a boat to learn about the western rock lobster fishery, one of Australia's most valuable, and help pull the pots yourself. Keep your catch for dinner. Then north into Shark Bay, World Heritage-listed in 1991 and known to the Malgana people as Gathaagudu, "two waters". At Hamelin Pool you see stromatolites, rock-like mats of microbes from one of the oldest forms of life on earth. Shell Beach is made of tiny cockle shells, piled metres deep. In the evening at Monkey Mia, Nhanda and Malgana hosts share bush tucker, the didgeridoo and the conch shell.

Overnight: Monkey Mia (Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort or similar)

DAY 4: MONKEY MIA

After breakfast, walk down to the beach for the morning dolphin visit. Wild bottlenose dolphins have been coming into the shallows at Monkey Mia since the 1960s, and Parks and Wildlife rangers explain how they live and why only a few are offered fish. The rest of the day is free. Walk the beaches, hire a kayak or relax by the pool. In the evening there's an optional sunset cruise across the bay, where you might spot dugongs grazing on the seagrass. Shark Bay's seagrass meadows are among the largest in the world, and they feed one of the biggest dugong herds anywhere.

Overnight: Monkey Mia (Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort or similar)

DAY 5: CARNARVON AND THE GASCOYNE

A shorter, easier day. In Carnarvon you stop at the Carnarvon Space and Technology Centre, beside the giant dish that helped track NASA's Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions. At Gwoonwardu Mia, the Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre, the region's First Nations custodians share the stories of their Country. You also pass the town's quirky cactus farm, then follow the Gascoyne Food Trail through plantations of bananas, mangoes and avocados watered by the Gascoyne River, which flows underground for most of the year. The evening is free for a walk along the foreshore and dinner in town.

Overnight: Carnarvon (Hospitality Inns Carnarvon or similar)

DAY 6: CORAL BAY, NINGALOO REEF AND EXMOUTH

At Coral Bay the Ningaloo Reef comes so close to shore that you can almost wade to it. It runs for about 260 km and was World Heritage-listed in 2011. A glass-bottom boat takes you over corals, and then you get in for a snorkel, with up to 250 species of coral and 500 of fish to look for, including turtles and reef sharks. Further up the coast, Vlamingh Head Lighthouse, lit in 1912, looks out over the North West Cape, where humpbacks pass in season. Then it's into Exmouth for two nights.

Overnight: Exmouth (Ningaloo Lodge or similar)

DAY 7: A FREE DAY IN EXMOUTH

Today is yours. Exmouth is one of the few places on earth where you can swim with whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea, when they visit Ningaloo in season. You could also swim with manta rays, go whale watching, or take a day trip into Cape Range National Park, where red limestone gorges meet the reef at Turquoise Bay. These are at your own cost. There's no public transport in Exmouth, so book your choice when you book the tour or ask your guide to help arrange it.

Overnight: Exmouth (Ningaloo Lodge or similar)

DAY 8: EXMOUTH

After a last breakfast together it's time to say goodbye, and the trip ends in Exmouth. Staying on? There's plenty to fill a few more days on the North West Cape, from snorkelling at the reef to sunset at the lighthouse, and help with extra nights can be arranged when you book.

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• 1L refillable water bottle
• Wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
• Beach towel and toiletries
• Swimwear and thongs
• Comfortable sturdy closed-toe walking shoes
• All-weather clothing
• Overnight bag (20kg) and small day pack (5kg)
• Personal medicine if required
• Torch (optional)
• Insect repellent and camera
• Money for snacks and meals

• 7 nights in private boutique-style hotels and resorts, all rooms with ensuite
• 7 breakfasts
• All national park entry fees
• Rock lobster pot pull boat trip, Kalbarri
• Kalbarri National Park: Z Bend, Nature's Window and Kalbarri Skywalk
• Monkey Mia Conservation Park: dolphin spotting with a local park ranger
• First Nations night experience, Monkey Mia
• First Nations community art gallery, Northampton
• Gwoonwardu Mia Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre, Carnarvon
• Ningaloo Reef glass-bottom boat cruise and snorkelling, Coral Bay
• Experienced driver-guide with local commentary
• All transport: private small-group vehicle and boat trips
• Perth meeting point and Exmouth drop-off point

Not included

• Meals not shown in the itinerary — there are plenty of chances to buy food or dine out with the group
• Hotel transfers to the pick-up point before and after the tour
• Optional activities and hire equipment, such as swimming with whale sharks or manta rays, or a day tour to Cape Range National Park from Exmouth
• Travel insurance (highly recommended)
• Personal spending money
• International flights

Preparing for the trip

Private tours and families

Booking the trip

Who travels with us

Cost and Fees

Whilst on tour