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Swimming with sharks

The Kimberley

Example 11 Day Cruise aboard Coral Discoverer
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Experience all of the icons of the Kimberley Coast over 11 unforgettable days cruising between Darwin and Broome. Covering more than 400,000 square kilometers (an area three times larger than England) and home to a sparse population of just 30,000 residents, the Kimberley region of northwest Australia is a place universally acknowledged as one of the world’s last – and possibly most beautiful – wilderness areas. The Kimberley is a completely unique experience!
Access the shore aboard the specially designed expedition vessel XplorerAdmire ancient Aboriginal rock art Access the shore aboard the the ZodiacManta ray during on a snorkeling trip.Swimming with sharks
Highlights
  • Zodiac to the base of King George Falls, the tallest in Western Australia
  • Explore Hathaway's Hideaway, a maze of natural sandstone caves
  • Visit Western Australia’s most significant green turtle breeding grounds
  • Watch the Montgomery Reef "rise" & view the reef's diverse marine life
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Darwin | Embark

  • Ship
  • 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Board the Coral Discoverer this morning. Farewelling Darwin Harbor, cross Cambridge Gulf and sail into Western Australian waters. This afternoon join Expedition Staff for an informative introduction to the upcoming Kimberley voyage before meeting your fellow travelers and friendly crew at the Captain’s Welcome Cocktails.

Day 2: King George River & Falls (Oomari Falls)

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Fed by the King George River draining across the Gardner Plateau, 80m tall King George Falls are the most impressive Kimberley waterfalls and the highest twin falls in Western Australia. Before reaching the mist-like spray rising from the base of King George Falls, cruise through steep-sided gorges carved by a flooded river system that carved a swathe through the Kimberley landscape 400 million years ago.
Early in the waterfall season, cruise around the base of impressive King George Falls while in later months we take the opportunity to view the honeycomb erosion patterns of sandstone cliffs up close.

Day 3: Vansittart Bay (Banjal)

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Vansittart Bay is home to many cultural and historically significant sites like the remarkable Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) Aboriginal rock art galleries estimated to be up to 20,000 years old. Jar Island is so-named after the pot shards found here, brought to the island by Macassan fisherman harvesting sea cucumbers (also known as trepang). Nearby, on the Anjo Peninsula lays the well-preserved wreckage of a US Airforce C-53 Skytrooper aircraft, the result of a pilot losing his bearings flying from Perth to Broome in 1942 and putting down on a salt pan near present-day Truscott Airbase.

Day 4: Mitchell Falls, Winyalkan, and Swift Bay

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Tumbling down the Mitchell Plateau in a series of tiered waterfalls and emerald green rock pools, the Mitchell Falls are the photogenic poster child for the Mitchell River National Park. Take a scenic helicopter flight (additional cost) to multi-tiered Mitchell Falls where emerald-hued rock pools cascade down the escarpment and ancient rock art galleries are concealed in caves behind curtains of water.
Mitchell River National Park is inhabited by significant numbers of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and bird species which are lured by a year-round water source. Sandstone terraces beside tiered rock pools make a terrific viewing platform from which to savor the serenity of this ancient landscape.
An alternative option to Mitchell Falls is exploring the sandstone caves of Wollaston Bay or Wollaston Creek. This mass of weathered tunnels, arches, and columns form a labyrinth-like maze and was once an Aboriginal midden. Another option while anchored at Winyalkan Bay is a visit to a series of Wandjina and Gwion Gwion rock art galleries at Swift Bay.
 

Day 5: Prince Frederick Harbour and Bigge Island (Wuuyuru)

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Prince Frederick Harbour is one of Kimberley’s most spectacular locations at the southern end of York Sound. The harbor is dotted with islands lined with mangroves and monsoon rainforests, set against a backdrop of the ochre-hued escarpment. White-bellied sea eagles and other birds of prey are often seen here, and at low tide, expansive mudflats reveal large populations of mudskippers and mangrove crabs. We will take our Xplorer tender vessels on a cruise up Porosus Creek to view some striking rock formations. Bigge Island’s Indigenous name is Wuuyuru, and the Indigenous Group of the area is the Wunambal people.

Day 6: Prince Regent River and Careening Bay (Wunbung- Gu)

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
King Cascade is a classically beautiful terraced waterfall and is one of the most photographed waterfalls in the Kimberley. Falling from a considerable height and around 50m across, water tumbles down a staggered terrace of Kimberley sandstone. Layer upon layer of ochre-hued and blackened rock sprouts grasses, mosses, and ferns in a sort of lushly vegetated hanging garden. Reach King Cascade after cruising in our Xplorer tender vessels down the steep-sided Prince Regent River which is a remarkable anomaly as the river runs dead straight along a fault line. Lt. Phillip Parker King named nearby Careening Bay after he beached his leaking vessel HMC Mermaid to effect repairs. While stranded on this remote coastline for 17 days the ship’s carpenter carved HMC Mermaid 1820 into the bottle-shaped trunk of a boab tree near the beach. 200 years later, the Mermaid Boab Tree has since split into two trunks and sports a mammoth girth of 12m. Significantly, the bulbous tree is listed on the National Register of Big Trees and the carpenter’s careful inscription now stands almost as tall as a person.

Day 7: Montgomery Reef (Yowjab)

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Savor a truly unforgettable moment as Montgomery Reef ‘rises’ out of the ocean as the tide ebbs. Join Expedition Staff aboard the Xplorer and zodiacs to experience this natural phenomenon up close and discover the reef’s diverse marine life including turtles, manta rays, and reef sharks. Later, cruise through scenic Doubtful Bay.

Day 8: Doubtful Bay and Raft Point

  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Raft Point guards the entrance to Doubtful Bay, a vast body of sheltered water that harbors significant sites such as the ancient Wandjina rock art galleries located a short walk from the beach and are considered some of the finest in the Kimberley and we visit the rock art galleries when Traditional Owners are available to guide us. Doubtful Bay is the traditional country of the Worrora people who follow the Wandjina, their god, law-maker, and creator. Images of Wandjina are found throughout the Kimberley, recording their stories, knowledge, and culture in stone. Red Cone Creek flows gently downstream until it meets the small but impressive Ruby Falls. Named by local mariner Capt. Chris Trucker after his daughter, Red Cone Creek is carved through rock formations stacked atop each other like building blocks. These rock walls are great for climbing and clambering over before reaching a series of freshwater swimming holes and waterfalls. The falls may be a gurgling torrent or a gentle trickle, depending on the time of the year.
Other sites we aim to visit in Doubtful Bay include the mighty Steep Island and Ruby Falls at Red Cone Creek.

Day 9: Horizontal Falls | Buccaneer Archipelago

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Cruise through the Buccaneer Archipelago, home to over 800 islands. In Talbot Bay, the region’s 12 meter tides create an amazing spectacle, the unique Horizontal Falls, described by legendary naturalist David Attenborough as “one the greatest natural wonders in the world”. Board the zodiacs for an exhilarating ride through the falls. Later, explore Silica Beach on Hidden Island with its stunning white sands and crystal clear waters.

Day 10: Lacepede Islands

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Cruise through Pender Bay and, subject to weather and tides, visit the Lacepede Islands, a series of low islands consisting of coarse sand and coral rubble lying atop a platform reef. This nature reserve has been identified by Bird Life International as an Important Bird Area as it supports up to 18,000 breeding pairs of brown boobies and roseate terns, possibly the largest such population in the world. Board the zodiacs and explore the island’s lagoon, keeping an eye out for many species of marine birdlife including Australian pelicans, frigatebirds, egrets, gulls, and terns. The islands are also renowned as Western Australia’s most significant breeding grounds for the green turtle, often seen nesting on the islands. This evening say farewell to new-found friends as you enjoy the Captain’s Farewell Cocktails.

Day 11: Broome | Disembark

  • 1 Breakfast
Your unforgettable cruise along the Kimberley coast concludes in Broome this morning.

Ship/Hotel

Coral Discoverer

Coral Discoverer
Bridge Deck Bar aboard the Coral Discoverer

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$8,025
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Main Deck B
Averaging 195 sq. ft. Three cabins located on the Main Deck, equipped with twin portholes, desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
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Main Deck A
Averaging 195 sq. ft. Six cabins located on the Main Deck, equipped with twin porthole windows, desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
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Promenade Deck B
Averaging 160 sq. ft. Four cabins located on the Promenade Deck, equipped with picture windows, desk, telephone and Junior King bedding.
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Promenade Deck A
Averaging 195 sq. ft. Eighteen cabins located on the Promenade Deck, equipped with picture windows, sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
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Bridge Deck
Averaging 195 sq. ft. Five cabins located on the Bridge Deck, equipped with picture windows, sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.

Notes

Solo Travelers:
Solo cabin occupancy is limited and based on availability in Promenade Deck B cabins only. Single supplement is an additional 50%.

Important Fare Information:
Rates are posted based off of the current exchange rates from Australian or New Zealand Dollars. Please contact us for current exchange rates.
Included
  • 10 Breakfasts, 10 Lunches, 10 Dinners
  • 10 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • All entrance fees to National Parks, ports, traditional owner fees and charges imposed by governing authorities
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Selected wines, selected beers and house spirits, juices, and soft drinks served with lunch and dinner
  • Captain’s welcome and farewell events, and open bridge access
  • Use of Xplorer, Zodiacs and kayaks
  • All excursions with our Expedition Team
  • Daily lectures and briefings with Guest Lecturers
  • Use of all onboard facilities, incl. a reference library
  • Your expedition photos captured during the voyage
  • Post-cruise transfers (in most destinations)
  • 24-hour coffee and selection of teas
Excluded
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
  • Laundry Service
  • Entry visas/Travel permits
  • Alcoholic drinks including beer and wine outside of lunch and dinner service
  • Internet 
  • Pre-cruise transfers
  • Pre and post cruise flights/charter flights
  • Pre and post cruise accommodation
  • Items of a personal nature such souvenir purchases
  • Optional Extras (in some destinations)
  • Airport Departure Tax - Airport arrival or departure taxes
  • Excess baggage charges
  • Passport or Visa fees

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