Kimberley Coastal Expedition
with APT Luxury Travel
- 10 nights aboard a luxury small ship with daily excursions
- Locally inspired dining and a wide range of onboard beverages
- Experience Horizontal Falls, Montgomery Reef, King George Falls & more
- Save up to 6600 per couple^
Explore Australia’s stunning Kimberley Coast in APT luxury on the 11-day Kimberley Coastal Expedition journey from Broome to Darwin aboard the luxurious Le Laperouse or Le Jacques Cartier small ship.



Set out every day on Zodiac excursions to enjoy ancient rock art, hidden gorges, marine life and world-renowned tidal phenomena.
Highlights
- View the incredible natural phenomenon Horizontal Falls
- Step ashore on Bigge Island and discover Indigenous rock art created by the Wunambal people
- Join your expedition team to explore Montgomery Reef by Zodiac
- Experience the natural wonder of King George Falls aboard a Zodiac
Inclusions
- 10 nights aboard the luxury Le Laperouse or Le Jacques Cartier ship with daily excursions on Zodiac vessels
- The services of an APT cruise director and expert 12-member expedition team
- Experiences in 16 destinations
- Locally inspired dining — a total of 29 meals and a wide range of onboard beverages
Day 1: Arrive Broome, Embark Ship
Welcome to Broome, a former pearling port and an ideal stepping stone to your Kimberley Coast adventure. After your arrival on the stunning Indian Ocean coast, we will transfer you to your luxury explorer ship. 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
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Lacepede Island, Buccaneer Archipelago
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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Talbot Bay, Horizontal Falls
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.
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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Freshwater Cove, Montgomery Reef
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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Prince Frederick Harbour, Hunter River, Mitchell Falls
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 luxury expedition 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).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Bigge Island
You continue to cruise north along the Kimberley Coast towards your final destination, Darwin, bound for another encounter with ancient art.
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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Swift Bay
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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Vansittart Bay, Jar Island
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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Koolama Bay, King George River and Falls
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.
Signature Experience
Anticipation builds as your Zodiac approaches King George Falls, which plunge 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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10: Day at Sea
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 luxury ship's underwater observation area for a stunning window into marine life below the ocean’s surface.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerDay 11: Disembark Ship, Depart Darwin
Arriving into Darwin this morning means it’s time to say goodbye to your ship and to be transferred to the airport.
Meals: Breakfast
Travel dates | Standard Price Per person, twin share* |
---|---|
04 May - 14 May 2024 | From $11,995 |
24 May - 03 June 2024 | From $14,245 |
13 June - 23 June 2024 | From $12,295 |
21 June - 01 July 2024 | From $14,245 |
03 July - 13 July 2024 | From $13,745 |
23 July - 02 August 2024 | From $14,245 |
12 August - 22 August 2024 | From $14,245 |
01 September - 11 September 2024 | From $12,295 |
*Prices are per person, twin share. Advertised price of $11,995 is based on 04 May 2024 departure and includes saving amount. Prices and availability are subject to change. Please enquire with your RAC travel consultant for available departure dates and current pricing.
*Terms & Conditions apply. Please contact your RAC travel consultant for full terms & conditions. Advertised price is per person, AUD, twin share, includes port charges & savings where applicable and is based on Deluxe Stateroom. Price is correct as at 01 December 2023. Price is based on 04 May 2024 departure and is inclusive of the saving amount.
^Save up to $6600 per couple: Book by 31 March 2024 or until sold out. Book the tour GKKCB11 - 11 day Kimberley Coastal Expedition tours departing on selected departure dates in 2024 and save up to $6600 per couple or up to $3300 per person. A $1000 per person non-refundable deposit must be paid within 7 days of booking. Final payment is due 100 days prior to the tours departure date.
General Information and Conditions: Offers are available for travellers departing from Australia. All pricing and save amounts are in Australian Dollars. Information correct as at 01 December 2023 but may fluctuate due to changes in surcharges, taxes or currency. A strictly limited number of offers are available on selected itineraries and departure dates in selected suites/staterooms/cabins/room categories. Offers are subject to availability, not combinable unless specified, available on new bookings only and may be withdrawn at any time.
Other APT terms and conditions apply, for full terms and conditions please check with your RAC travel consultant. General RAC Travel terms and conditions apply.