24 Day Perth to Darwin
From the temperate south to tropical Darwin, experience the bluest oceans, untouched beaches, rugged bush terrain, unique rock formations and striking gorges as you explore the north west of Australia. This is one of our most intense tours and is for people who are after a serious adventure travelling up the West Coast, through the remote Kimberley and into the Top End. There is budget camping under the stars as well as dorm share accommodation.
Highlights
Coral Bay, Eighty Mile Beach, Kalbarri National Park, Hammersley Ranges, Monkey Mia, Ningaloo Reef, Pinnacles Desert, Shell Beach, Karijini National Park, Broome, Dampier Peninsula, Cygnet Bay, Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek, Bungle Bungles, Echidna Chasm, Cathedral Gorge, El Questro Wilderness Park, Gibb River Road, Kununurra, Lake Argyle
Tour Summary
Tour Code | 24PD |
Fitness level | Advanced |
Price | $6890 |
Year | 2025 |
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Tour Details
Tour Route | Perth-Darwin |
Accommodation | Backpacker Dormshare - shared facilities (8nts), Camping - shared facilities (15nts) |
Vehicles | 4WD Vehicle or Rosa |
Fitness | Advanced |
Tour Code | 24PD |
Duration | 24 Days / 23 Nights |
Tour Style | Wild Expedition |
Maximum Passengers | 20 (Minimum 6) |
Price | Adult $6890 |
Departs | APR-SEP: Selected Saturdays, Mondays & Wednesdays |
Meals | 22 x Breakfast, 20 x Lunches, 17 x Dinner |
Luggage | Max 15kg in Soft Bag/Backpack & Day Bag (No Suitcases) |
Reverse Itinerary | 24 Day Darwin to Perth |
Private Charter | Available On Request |
Validity | 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 |
Download Trip Notes | Coming Soon |
PRIMARY PICK UP LOCATION: Fremantle YHA
Day 1 Pinnacles Desert & Jurien Bay
Leaving Perth we enter Nambung National Park to explore the Pinnacles Desert – a unique landscape unlike any other in the country. We then journey to the massive sand dunes of Jurien Bay where you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a sandboard down the slopes and perfect your technique. From here we continue on through Geraldton to Kalbarri where we stay overnight. (LD)
Day 2 Kalbarri National Park & Shell Beach
Today we take the short drive to Kalbarri National Park where we explore some of the park’s diverse scenery like Murchison Gorge, Natures Window, the Loop and Z-Bend Gorge (a steep descent but worth the effort for a refreshing swim). There is also the option to abseil here for those looking for even more adventure (own expense). After lunch we visit the beautiful Shell Beach – one of only two beaches in the world made entirely from shells, before getting back on the road towards Denham and Shark Bay. (BLD)
Day 3 Monkey Mia & Shark Bay
After a short drive across the Peron Peninsula we make our way down to the beach and pay a visit to the world famous Monkey Mia dolphins – sure to become your new best friends. The next stop is Carnarvon where we see the fascinating stromatolites at Hamelin Pool. After a short break we continue along the highway to Coral Bay, the ‘Jewel of the Northwest’. (BLD)
Days 4-5 Coral Bay & Exmouth
Take a day to explore Coral Bay – which is just as relaxing as the name suggests. We’ll also take a visit to the Ningaloo Reef the amazing marine life that lives below the waterline. Take a snorkel or cruise on a glass bottom boat to see for yourself. (Activities at own expense and subject to availability). When late afternoon comes around it’s time for the short drive into Exmouth to prepare for another day of freedom and relaxation. While here you can go snorkelling or diving, search for whale sharks (seasonal and at own expense) or view Vlamingh Head Lighthouse then choose to laze on the pristine beach at Turquoise Bay and soak up the sunshine. (BL/BLD)
Days 6-7 Karijini National Park
We head inland past many Aussie cattle stations to reach the outback oasis of Karijini National Park. This afternoon we will pass through Tom Price, a little town known for its iron ore mining, before reaching our camp overlooking the magnificent Hamersley Range. Two full days of adventure is just the perfect amount of time needed to explore Karijini National Park and its amazing gorges. Formed over 2,500 million years ago, the Hamersley Ranges are some of the most unusual landforms on earth. You’ll be able to take some great photos while you’re here – perfect for your Facebook and Instagram feeds. Deep in the gorges you’ll come across cascading waterfalls and fresh, still waterholes that are ideal for swimming. Dales Gorge, Fortesque Falls, Fern Pool, Circular Pool, Weano Gorge and Hancock Gorge are just some of the unforgettable areas we’ll visit. Definitely a highlight! (BLD/BLD)
Day 7 The Pilbara
Say your sad farewells to Karijini this morning as we travel towards the coast and the iron ore town of Port Hedland. We have time for a quick town tour and to marvel at the incredible size of the iron ore industry. After lunch we continue on towards the Pilbara region, where we spend the night together on an overnight station stay. (BLD)
Day 9 Eighty Mile Beach & Dampier Peninsula
Enjoy a leisurely break and take in the glory of the stretching sands of picturesque 80 Mile Beach, one of Australia’s most remarkable hidden gems. Take a stroll along the white sandy beach and get some fantastic photos of the azure water, before we continue north to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm on the Dampier Peninsula. (BLD)
Day 10 Cygnet Bay & Broome
A morning tour of the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm (included) provides insight into this remote pearling industry, concluding with an in-depth pearl grading and appreciation session that will leave you feeling like a pearl expert. We then journey further north to the One Arm Point Aboriginal Community to tour a local aquaculture hatchery perched right on the tip of One Arm Point overlooking the impressive Buccaneer Archipelago. Returning south, we aim to reach Broome in time for one of the famous sunsets on Cable Beach. (BL)
Days 11-14 Broome Beach Break
Enjoy a fabulous 4 day break at the Kimberley Travellers Lodge in beautiful Broome: relax on one of the best beaches in the world – Cable Beach, enjoy a brew at Matsos Broome Brewery, search for dinosaur footprints on the rugged coastline, checkout the local art galleries and jump on a local Broome tour or two. (B/B/B/B). This break is free time for independent adventures – on your own, or with new your new travel mates. (Self-Serve Continental Breakfast Provided)
Day 15 Tunnel Creek
We set off into the West Australian outback pretty early today and after a bit of highway driving we reach the Fitzroy River, then it’s all off-road to the Napier Range. The main attraction here is Tunnel Creek, a vast cave system that extends 750 metres underground. It’s from here that the indigenous warrior Jandamarra waged his rebellion against the colonial authorities – a legacy you’ll learn more about on walk through the tunnel with your guide. We camp overnight at Windjana Gorge, once an underwater reef. During the wet season a river flows all the way through it, but during the dry it’s really more a series of ponds and billabongs. (LD)
Day 16 Windjana Gorge & Bell Gorge
Spend the morning exploring Windjana Gorge while in the afternoon we journey to Bell Gorge, home to a stunning cascade of water flowing from the previous wet season rains that fall in the King Leopold Ranges. A great place to swim! Further east, Mt Barnett Station will be our camp for this evening. (BLD)
Day 17 Manning Falls
Stretch your legs on a morning hike and you will be rewarded with a swim in a large rock pool at the base of Manning Falls. After lunch we discover Adcock or Galvins Gorge, before heading back to camp to relax around the campfire. (BLD)
Day 18 Gibb River Road to El Questro
Fording rivers and weaving through gorges, travel by 4WD along the wild Gibb River Road – a 600-kilometre stretch that winds right through the heart of the Kimberley. We’ve got a fair bit of ground to cover today, so there is a fair bit of drive time, but we’ll be breaking the journey up with lunch and at a few stops along the way. This journey includes the iconic Pentecost River crossing in our 4WD. How Australian is that! (BLD)
Day 19 El Questro Station
Originally established as an enormous cattle station, El Questro is now a vast wilderness reserve sprawled over more than one million acres. Camping out here, you’ll really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere – albeit an extremely beautiful middle of nowhere. The ochre-coloured massifs of the Cockburn Ranges frame the landscape whichever way you turn and numerous natural springs offer plenty of opportunities for a refreshing cool-off. Following a soak in Zebedee Springs, enjoy a short trek to either El Questro or Emma Gorge (where there’s a very pretty waterfall). Then it’s another night camped out in El Questro. (BLD)
Days 20-21 Purnululu National Park: Bungle Bungles
So long El Questro, hello Bungle Bungles. Today we drive through the rugged landscape of Carr Boyd and the Durack Ranges into Purnululu National Park. This park is home-ground of the Bungle Bungles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dominated by massive sandstone karsts that rear hundreds of metres above the surrounding grasslands. We arrive at our bush camp in time to sit back and watch the sun set over the Osmond Ranges. If you’ve had enough of tent camping by now, you might want to spend tonight sleeping out beneath the stars snuggled up in a swag. Unbelievably, only the locals knew it existed until the early 1980’s when they were ‘discovered’ by a film team – who then had to fly over the top by plane to find a route in by land. We know the way in, but you can sign up for a helicopter ride over the site if you wish. At ground level, we’ll go on a walk through Echidna Chasm – a long and narrow ravine banked on either side by 200 metre high rock walls – and enter the massive natural Amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge. (BLD/BLD)
Day 22 Bungle Bungles to Lake Argyle
Today we leave the Bungle Bungles for Kununurra, the largest town between Broome and Darwin. Tonight’s campsite is on the shores of Lake Argyle. There are no further activities booked for the rest of the day, but an optional sunset cruise out on the lake is highly recommended. (BLD)
Day 23 Lake Argyle & Victoria River Region
Lake Argyle is actually a man-made lake, though you’d never have guessed so from looking at it. For a body of water situated in the centre of the world’s second driest continent, it looks pretty at home. Barramundi, birds and freshwater crocodiles thrive in these waters, and the islands look like they’ve always been there (they used to be mountains). In the afternoon we push on across the state border into the Northern Territory. (BLD)
Day 24 Katherine & Darwin
The final leg of our journey takes us through to Darwin, with stop-offs made en route at either Katherine Gorge or Edith Falls. Then it’s all over red rover (an Australian expression meaning ‘all finished’). (BL)
PRIMARY DROP OFF LOCATION: Melaleuca On Mitchell Backpackers, Darwin
Live Availability
2025 TOURS | ||||
Departure Code | Departs | Finishes | Book Online | Guaranteed |
24PD250414 | 14 April | 7 May | Check Availability & Book Online | Guaranteed Departure |
24PD250512 | 12 May | 4 June | Check Availability & Book Online | Guaranteed Departure |
24PD250609 | 9 June | 2 July | Check Availability & Book Online | Guaranteed Departure |
24PD250708 | 7 July | 30 July | Check Availability & Book Online | Guaranteed Departure |
24PD250804 | 4 August | 27 August | Check Availability & Book Online | Guaranteed Departure |
24PD250901 | 1 September | 24 September | Check Availability & Book Online | Guaranteed Departure |
Camping & Dormshare | |
Nights 1, 2, 3 & 10-15 Enjoy the fun and community of staying in carefully-chosen local backpacker hostels. Bedding is dormshare style, can occasionally be mixed gender and is likely to involve bunk beds. | |
4-9 & 16-23 Camping in National Parks, Caravan Parks or on Cattle Stations involves dome tents (single/twinshare), swags with fitted sheets & pillows with pillow cases. Some on site ablutions have hot showers and flush toilets however on some nights the ablution facilities can be very basic. |
Inclusions
- Experienced Guide
- Meals as specified
- Camping & Backpacker Dorm Share Accommodation
- 5 Night Broome Beach Break (Backpacker Dorm Share Accommodation)
- National Park Entry Fees
Options
- Abseiling – allow approx $100 per person
- Swimming with Manta Rays – allow approx $250 per person
- Swimming with Whale Sharks (seasonal, April to July only) – allow $500 per person
- Glass Bottom Boat Rides – allow approx $100 per person
- Kayaking – allow approx $40 per hour
- Lake Argyle Cruise – allow approx $65 per person
- 30 minute Scenic Helicopter Flight over the Bungle Bungles – allow approx $500 per person
Your Tour Guide can assist with booking these optional activities en route. Due to a limited season and high demand, swimming with Whale Sharks can be difficult to book locally. If you do not want to risk missing out we recommend you pre-book with Kings Ningaloo Reef Tours – using the code KWE2024 – in Exmouth for Day 5 of this tour.
We operate our Wild Expeditions in custom-built, 21 seat 4WD trucks with a PA system and built-in storage (no risky trailers!). These vehicles allow our small groups extra space to kick back and relax as the Australian outback drifts by. They are fully air-conditioned and are fitted with adjustable air-vents, reclinable seats and map pockets to keep your book, drink and phone in. Note that the vehicle could be branded Kimberley Wild Expeditions or Intrepid Travel.
What to Bring
It is recommended that you bring a torch, shoes you don’t mind getting wet – and we mean fully immersed in water: ideally, wet shoes, sandals or old runners, a broad-brimmed hat with sun visor for all round sun protection, sunscreen, swimming costume and towel, good walking/trekking shoes, insect repellent, a personal water bottle, warm clothes for the evening (particularly if travelling in Winter), personal toiletries and first aid, with any personal medication required.
You will also need to bring a sleeping bag. 10ºC sleeping bags are available for sale at $50pp – these must be requested with our office prior to travel and can be kept following your trip or donated to local indigenous communities.
Notes
- Your tour will be operated by our partners, Intrepid Travel.
- Itineraries may vary and/or attractions be substituted for any cause including seasonal conditions, weather extremes, traditional owner and national park requirements.
- National Park rules request that only biodegradable soap products are used whilst in Karijini National Park.
- Due to distances covered, this trip involves early departures on some mornings and frequent stops between destinations.
- This tour is not suitable for children.
- Due to the remote location and challenging nature of our extended camping tours it is essential for all travellers to review and sign our Medical Form to ensure you can participate fully in the itinerary. Wild Expeditions reserves the right to assess the fitness capability of passengers prior to tour departure.
- Travel Insurance is compulsory for all travellers on all tours and details must be presented to tour guide before departure.
- It is your responsibility to advise Wild Expeditions if you have any special dietary requirements or medical conditions (including allergies) well ahead of departure.
- It is you or your clients’ responsibility to make your/their way to the designated Pick Up Location for this tour. We will not be responsible for missed pick-ups (and a missed tour) if we do not receive notification from you or your travel agent, and if you are not at the Pick Up Location at the appropriate time.
- This tour is a Combination of two separate tours: 10 Day Perth to Broome and the 10 Day Broome to Darwin. It may therefore have different guides for each stretch.
- Departures at the end of October may not be able to visit El Questro. We may also stay only 1 night in Purnululu National Park, depending on weather conditions. Please ask on booking for details.