Day 1 (AUG 13, 2025): Darwin, Australia

Departs 5:00pm

The Darwin region, like much of the Top End, experiences a tropical climate with a wet and dry season and boasts a vibrant multicultural community, where Indigenous heritage blends seamlessly with the influence of diverse international populations. Darwin's rich history provides an incredible background for the diverse cultural and historical activities. On the 9th September 1839, HMS Beagle sailed into Darwin harbor during its survey of the area. John Clements Wickham named the region “Port Darwin” in honor of their former shipmate Charles Darwin. The city has been rebuilt almost entirely four times, following cyclones and Japanese air raids in World War II.

Day 2 (AUG 14, 2025): Day at Sea

Day 3 (AUG 15, 2025): King George River, Western Australia, Australia

Explore the King George Falls, the two highest twin waterfalls in Australia at 80m/250ft in height. The river was named in 1911 by explorer Charles Conigrave after a privately funded expedition in the area. The river is named in honor of King George V. This incredible sandstone gorge is a highlight of any Kimberley Expedition.

Day 4 (AUG 16, 2025): Vansittart Bay, Western Australia, Australia

Vansittart Bay is a small remote bay of about 30k m², synonymous with the Truscott air base that was operational during the Second World War. The bay features beaches and aircraft wrecks, but the reason for our visit is the Gwion Gwion or Bradshaw art found on Jar Island. Jar Island was named by an early survey team who found clay jars on the island. These jars were the same type as those used by the Macassans who would travel down from (what today we know as) Indonesia to the top end of Australia in search of sea cucumbers. According to Aboriginal legend, the art was created by birds. It was said that these birds pecked the rocks until their beaks bled, and then created these fine paintings by using a tail feather and their own blood. The bird said responsible was known as Gwion. The Gwion Gwion art is often called Bradshaw art after Joseph Bradshaw, the first European person to record the style of painting in 1891.

Day 5 (AUG 17, 2025): Ashmore Reef, Australia

Ashmore Reef Marine Park is an Australian marine park that covers the Ashmore Reef, which is located about 390 mi north of Broome and 68 mi south of the Indonesian Islands of Rote. The marine park comprises several marine habitats, including seagrass meadows, intertidal sand flats, coral reef flats, and lagoons, and supports an important and diverse range of species, including 14 species of sea snakes, a population of dugong that may be genetically distinct, a diverse marine invertebrates fauna, and many endemic species, especially of sea snakes and mollusks. There are feeding and nesting sites for loggerhead, hawksbill, and green turtles.

Day 6 (AUG 18, 2025): Day at Sea

Day 7 (AUG 19, 2025): Hunter River, Western Australia, Australia

The Hunter River was named in 1820 by the explorer Philip Parker King aboard the Mermaid Cutter, while making charts in the area. The river was named after the surgeon on Mermaid, James Hunter. The river is home to a large mangrove estuary, that forms part of Porosus Creek (Crocodile Creek) and home to several bird species, Osprey, Brahminy Kite, and White-tailed Sea eagles. Mitchell River National Park is one of Kimberley's two national parks. The park lies in some of the most remote and inaccessible country in Australia. It is about 350 km north-east of Derby, and 270 km north-west of Wyndham. The park of 115,300 hectares lies in a remote part of the Kimberley and contains some of the region's scenic jewels. The Mitchell Plateau is one of the most scenic and biologically important areas of the State. Small patches of rainforest grow around the margins of the plateau, where they are protected from fire and receive additional moisture.

Day 8 (AUG 20, 2025): Kuri Bay, Western Australia, Australia

Kuri Bay, situated on the remote northwestern coast of Western Australia, is a place of pristine and untouched wilderness. This secluded bay is renowned for its rugged, untouched beauty, where ancient red cliffs meet the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. The bay's waters are rich in pearls, earning it a unique place in the world as a hub for the South Sea pearl industry. Its pearling history dates back to the late 19th century; today it is a remote outpost that offers a glimpse into this lustrous past, with the spectacular Kimberley region as its backdrop.

Day 9 (AUG 21, 2025): Montgomery Reef, Western Australia, Australia

Montgomery Reef is a reef off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. When the tide is out, vast lagoons, sandstone islets, and a central mangrove island are revealed. The outward movement of the tide forms a torrent of water, creating a river cutting through the reef and hundreds of cascading waterfalls. At low tide, more than 13 ft of reef can be exposed. While the tide is going out, the waterfalls attract migratory wading birds, feeding turtles manta rays, black tipped reef sharks and dugongs.

Day 9 (AUG 21, 2025): Freshwater Cove, Western Australia, Australia

Wiggingarra Butt Butt (Freshwater Cove) lies on the mainland adjacent to Montgomery Reef. Named appropriately, as fresh water pours from out the ground all year round, making this an ideal area for a traditional camp. The area is managed in partnership with the Damibmangari traditional owners, who have strong cultural connections to the Lalang-garram / Camden Sound Marine Park and Montgomery Islands.

Day 10 (AUG 22, 2025): Talbot Bay, Western Australia, Australia

Talbot Bay is the site of the Horizontal Waterfalls, which lie about 20 miles to the east of Cockatoo Island in the Buccaneer Archipelago. The effect of the waterfalls is created by the rapid tidal fall on the ocean-side of gaps in the sandstone cliffs. Waters on the inland side of the gaps cannot escape fast enough and so a ‘’horizontal waterfall’’ is created by the cascades, with water levels differing sometimes by several meters on either side of the gaps. The gaps themselves were once layers of siltstone in the strata of the sedimentary rock. It is through these gaps that tide movements push sea water to create the Horizontal Waterfalls.

Day 11 (AUG 23, 2025): Lacepede Island, Western Australia, Australia

The Lacepede Islands are a remote and pristine region, located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is renowned for its stunning natural beauty and abundant wildlife. The islands feature rugged coastlines, white sandy beaches, and crystal-clear waters, making it a haven for nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers. Lacepede Islands are particularly famous for nesting seabirds, including the brown booby and the roseate tern. The islands are also an important site for marine life, with coral reefs and diverse fish species in its surrounding waters. Visitors can enjoy snorkeling, wildlife observation, and the untouched wilderness of this isolated and unspoiled island group. It offers a unique opportunity to experience the unspoiled beauty of the Kimberley coastline.

Day 12 (AUG 24, 2025): Broome, Western Australia, Australia

Arrives 7:00am

Perched on the Northwest edge of Western Australia, Broome was once an isolated gem, reachable only by a rugged dirt road until the mid-1980s. The town is nestled on a narrow peninsula, encircled by the crystal-clear sapphire waters of the Indian Ocean and the tranquil expanse of Roebuck Bay. It stands as a global haven for migratory birds, offering them a scenic stopover on their long journeys. Today, Broome boasts a unique architectural landscape, a testament to its diverse history. A blend of colonial buildings, old mission houses, churches, and the huts of former pearling masters share the streets with more modern homes. These structures collectively echo a distinctive style that took root over eighty years ago.