Kangaroo Island Adventure

Day 1: Adelaide / Kangaroo Island

Your adventure begins in Adelaide (Tandanya in the language of The Kaurna people, who are the traditional owners of the land on which Adelaide is now located). Adelaide is the capital of South Australia and your gateway to the delights of Kangaroo Island. A welcome meeting will take place at our hotel in Adelaide CBD at 9am where you’ll link up with your local leader and the other travellers joining you on this adventure. Find out what’s in store over the coming days, then board our transfer bound for Cape Jervis (approximately 2 hours), from where you’ll jump aboard a ferry and travel to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island (approximately 45 minutes). Be sure to keep an eye out for dolphins swimming alongside the ferry! From the ferry landing, it’s a short walk to your hotel. Drop your luggage, then perhaps get to know your group over lunch on the island. In the afternoon, get your first taste of the island’s unique nature by joining your leader and heading out onto the Kangaroo Island Sculpture Trail, positioned in the dunes overlooking Hog’s Bay. Keep an eye out for wildlife! This evening you’ll visit the Penneshaw Penguin Centre for an evening walk to search for the world’s smallest variety of penguins. 

Included Activities

• Kangaroo Island – Penguin tour
• Kangaroo Island – Penneshaw Sculpture Trail

Meals Included

There are no meals included on this day.

Special Information

Today’s meeting will take place at 9am at our centrally located hotel in Adelaide’s CBD. It’s very important that you are on time to begin your tour as we will head out towards Kangaroo Island right away. Find more details in the ‘Joining Point Instructions’ section of your Essential Trip Information. We recommend spending a night before your tour begins in Adelaide. If so, we’ll be happy to organise additional accommodation (subject to availability).

Day 2: Kangaroo Island

Australia’s third-largest island, Kangaroo Island is a veritable paradise for wildlife lovers. It’s not just kangaroos you can find here – wallabies, sea lions and echidnas are all locals too. Evidence suggests Aboriginal life existed on the island as far back as 16,000 years, but it was uninhabited by the time Europeans arrived in the early 19th century. The island is now home to 4000 people, and today will be spent diving into local culture and history. First up, head out onto Dudley Peninsula and get a real taste of Aussie culture when you pay a visit to a sheep farm to see how sheep are shorn and meet the owner’s super sweet kelpie dogs. Stop by the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in South Australia. If you’re feeling extra adventurous today, you’ll have the chance to climb the 500 steps to the top of Prospect Hill, the highest point on Kangaroo Island. Next up are visits to some local producers, such as a family-owned eucalyptus oil refinery and a honey farm, a third-generation family business and home to the only pure strain of Ligurian Bee in the world. Then head to the Kangaroo Island Gallery, a community Gallery specifically for the promotion, encouragement, and exposure of artists and craftspeople of Kangaroo Island. Time permitting there may be the option to also visit a local winery and try some of their wines (optional). Finally, head to Kingscote, the largest town on the island, check into your motel, and put your feet up.

 

Included Activities

• Kangaroo Island – Full Day Trip to Dudley Peninsula & American River
• Kangaroo Island – Cape Willoughby Lighthouse
• Kangaroo Island – Sheep Shearing & Sheep Dog Experience
• Kangaroo Island – Honey Farm
• Kangaroo Island – Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery
• Kangaroo Island – KI Community Gallery

Optional Activities

• Kangaroo Island – American River Prospect Hill – Free

Meals Included

There are no meals included on this day.

Day 3: Kangaroo Island

After breakfast, swing by Salt Lagoon to snap some pictures of this scenic spot, then continue towards Emu Bay beach. If the group fancies, you’ll have the chance to pop into the lavender farm to try some curiously delicious lavender scones. Spend some time stretched out on the white sand or paddling in the pristine, clear waters, then beach hop over to the secluded Stokes Bay, a gorgeous spot for a swim. Early 2020 saw bushfires ravage Kangaroo Island, with the Stokes Bay region being particularly badly hit. The Stokes Bay Community Hall served as a centrepiece for the settlement since 1952, but was completely destroyed by the fires. Today the area is in recovery, and the National Trust is working with the local community to restore the hall, as well as natural habitats for wildlife. After an afternoon on the beach, return to Kingscote and enjoy an evening at leisure.

 

Included Activities

• Kangaroo Island – Full Day Trip to Emu Bay & Stokes Bay

Optional Activities

• Kangaroo Island – Emu Bay Lavender Farm – Free

Meals Included

• Breakfast

Day 4: Kangaroo Island

Start the day with a visit to Seal Bay. There are no actual seals here, but there are plenty of sea lions! The sea lion colony you see today has existed at Seal Bay for thousands of years. Join an up close and personal ranger-led wildlife experience which will allow observing the lives of these endearing creatures as you watch them swim, play and bask in the sun. Continue on to Little Sahara, named for its rippling sand dunes that resemble the North African desert. While here you may have the chance to hire a sandboard and ride your way down the dunes. Next up is something really special – head to Vivonne Bay, which is not only one of the most stunning beaches on Kangaroo Island, but the whole of Australia. Venture into the Flinders Chase National Park and come face to face with the aptly named Remarkable Rocks, made up of naturally sculpted granite boulders. You’ll also check out the impressive Admirals Arch and take some time to explore the park before heading back to Kingscote. 

Accommodation

• Motel (1 night)

Included Activities

• Kangaroo Island – Flinders Chase NP Incl Remarkable Rocks & Admiral’s Arch
• Kangaroo Island – Seal Bay Wildlife Experience with Local Ranger
• Kangaroo Island – Vivonne Bay & Little Sahara

Optional Activities

• Kangaroo Island – Little Sahara Sandboarding – from – AUD37

Meals Included

• Breakfast

Day 5: Kangaroo Island / Adelaide

Start the day by heading to American River (not actually a river, or American, but a little town on the northeast coast of the island), where you’ll find a schooner boat first built in 1803 called “Independence”. Learn about the boat’s history and see how it’s being rebuilt, then take a scenic walk through coastal scrub towards the remains of an old fish cannery built at the end of the 19th century, keeping an eye out for the rare and striking glossy-black cockatoos along the way. Get ready to say goodbye to Kangaroo Island as you make the drive back to Penneshaw and catch the ferry back to the mainland. Dock in Cape Jervis and hop on our private transfer back to Adelaide (approximately 2 hours). You can expect to arrive back at our hotel in Adelaide’s CBD at around 4.30pm at which time the tour comes to an end. 

Included Activities

• Kangaroo Island – American River ‘Rebuild Independence’ Boathouse Visit
• Kangaroo Island – American River Bushwalk

Meals Included

• Breakfast

Special Information

Your adventure comes to an end at our hotel in Adelaide’s CBD on arrival at approximately 4:30pm. Please consider this when booking onward travel. We’ll be happy to organise additional accommodation (subject to availability) if you wish to extend your stay in Adelaide.