DESCRIPTION
THIS AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC exclusive Kangaroo Island Wildlife & Conservation tour takes you behind the scenes to experience the best of Kangaroo Island. Hosted by local experts, it combines wildlife, landscape, local produce and active conservation such as bird banding.
Whether it’s meeting the world expert on the short-beaked echidna, Dr Peggy Rismiller, sampling delicious regional food and wine, or learning about the critical work of ecologists after the Black Summer fires, this
immersive trip will deliver a greater understanding of one of Australia’s supremely special places.
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival at Kangaroo Island
(domestic airfare not included)
Arrival on Kangaroo Island by plane or ferry (own arrangements). Qantas offer two departures a day from Adelaide for a the
35-minute flight to the island. Sealink offers five daily ferry services departing Cape Jervis for the 45-minute crossing to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island.
After arrival on the island transfer to your hotel from the airport or harbour. Welcome to Kangaroo Island!
This experience has been designed to showcase the best of Kangaroo Island – the lifestyle of the islanders, the produce, diverse landscapes and unique wildlife shaped by isolation. Your accommodation while on the island is the Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge, located in the quiet coastal town of American River.
Accommodation: Kangaroo Island Lodge
Day 2 – Cygnet Park Habitat Restoration
& Sea Lions
Breakfast at hotel.
After an early breakfast, we head straight to Cygnet Park, a private conservation area that supports a biodiverse ecosystem.
We meet with one of the ecologists from not-for-profit conservation group BioR to take part in bird banding as a means of
research. This is a great opportunity to take a close look at some of Kangaroo Island’s bird life, including the endangered Kangaroo Island glossy black-cockatoo, which lost approximately half of its habitat in the 2020 bushfires.
Break for morning tea while learning more about these large cockatoos – far more subdued than the typically rowdy birds.
Next up is Stokes Bay, where we explore a beautiful hidden beach through a magical tunnel – a great adventure for all. Enjoy a barbecue lunch at a private bush camp featuring King George whiting, grilled haloumi, fresh salads and local wines.
Continue to Seal Bay and take a private tour into an Australian sea lion colony – look out for pups nursing, young males
practising their wrestling and big bulls staking out their territory – all only metres away on a beautiful sandy beach in an
experience reminiscent of the Galapagos Islands. Return to Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge.
Accommodation: Kangaroo Island Lodge
Breakfast and lunch provided.
Day 3 – Flinders Chase
National Park
Breakfast at the hotel.
After an early breakfast we travel to a private wildlife refuge, in the island’s north-west, which escaped the 2020 bushfires. We’ll check out wildlife surveys using daylight and infrared camera traps, targeting tiny endangered mammals and get an introduction to the bush. This provides important context for the fire ecology discussions later in the day.
Break for an elegant picnic lunch in the bush, featuring marinated poached chicken, fresh salads, cheeses and boutique South Australian wine, beer, soft drinks and spring water.
After lunch, travel into Flinders Chase National Park via the West End Highway, stopping to learn how the bush has adapted to fire. Explore south-west peninsula around Cape du Couedic, including the lighthouse precinct and our most iconic coastal
landscapes. Explore the massive shapes of Remarkable Rocks, a natural sculpture perched impossibly on top of a granite
dome emerging from the ocean. Evidence of the power of the Southern Ocean swell continues at Admirals Arch – a coastal grotto that provides a haul-out area for a large colony of long-nosed fur seals that swim effortlessly through the crashing waves.
Upon arriving back at the lodge, enjoy dinner (at own arrangement) followed by a presentation by Dr Peggy Rismiller who is the world expert on the short-beaked echidna.
Accommodation: Kangaroo Island Lodge
Breakfast and lunch provided.
Day 4 – Cape Gantheaume Coastal Hike
Today’s breakfast is in the bush on a property that’s home to hundreds of kangaroos. After breakfast, we take a short drive to join last night’s guest speaker Dr Peggy Rismiller for an echidna habitat walk at her Pelican Lagoon Research Centre. Next, we drive to the D’Estrees Bay region to meet with local entomologist, Dr Richard Glatz, who is currently working to save the endangered green carpenter bee. We drive further south to the spectacular coastline at Point Tinline, which features
an osprey nest that was first sketched by a crew member of Osmanli, which was shipwrecked in 1853. This nest has been in
regular use since then.
Break for another elegant alfresco picnic lunch at a secluded clifftop location. Take a stunning coastal hike along the clifftops of Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park, with a range of wildlife opportunities, including spotting western whip birds, shy heath-wren, southern emu-wren and long-nosed fur seals. The marine lagoon at Wheatons Beach is always worth a look as international migrants like red-necked stints, ruddy turnstones and resident hooded plovers are regular seasonal
encounters.
Dinner tonight is wood-fired pizza at the home of our tour operators, Craig and Janet Wickham. Return to the Mercure Kangaroo
Island Lodge for your final night. Accommodation: Kangaroo Island Lodge
Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided
Day 5 – Depart
Breakfast at the hotel.
Tour ends after breakfast transfer to the airport or transfer to the ferry at Penneshaw.
Costs include the following services
as per itinerary
4 nights accommodation in Deluxe Water view Rooms
at Kangaroo Island Lodge
Local experienced driver/guide throughout day 2–4
Sightseeing and transfers as per itinerary by private air
conditioned charter 4WD vehicle
Meals as per itinerary: 4 x breakfast, home-baked traditional
Australian morning tea with a selection of hot beverages,
elegant alfresco lunch set in the bush with a choice of
local wines, beer, soft drinks and spring water from day 2–4,
wood-fired pizza dinner with your hosts on day 4
All National Park entry fees
Meeting with ecologists and wildlife experts in their field
Active conservation by taking part in bird banding
Presentation on short-beaked echidna by Dr Peggy Rismiller
Goods & Service Tax (GST)
Costs do not include
Domestic or international airfares
Ferry services to/from Kangaroo Island
Pre-registration, late check-out or day use at
hotels other than specified above
Guide services other than specified
Meals/beverages other than specified
Tips & gratuities
Optional tours/services
Travel
COVID-19
Until further notice: from 1 October 2021 we will require that all participants on our tours must be fully vaccinated with a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved vaccine against Covid-19 with the final dose administered no later than two weeks prior to departure. See terms and conditions for more details.
Now’s the time to secure your spot – don’t miss out on the trip of a lifetime with Australian Geographic.
