Welcome to Paraburdoo! Your Australian adventure will start right away with a pickup from the airport. Your group will then drive into Karijini National Park – home of the Banjima, Innawongka and Eastern Guruma peoples. This is Western Australia’s second-largest national park, with a landscape more than 2.5 billion years old and home to some of the best hiking trails in the state. When you arrive, get to know your group over sunset drinks and dinner before settling into your comfortable tent for the night. The start time for this trip varies according to the day of the week, and the flight schedule on the day. Your pick-up will coincide with the arrival of the daily flight from Perth. The flight is not included in the trip price. Please ask your travel agent to book this flight for you or book directly with the airline. Please read the Joining Point Instructions in your trip notes carefully for more information.

Your first hike in the National Park will be Dales Gorge. Explore Fortescue falls from above before descending down to the gorge floor to Fern Pool, a sacred site for the Banjima people. With deep red rocks, lush ferns and waterfalls, you’ll feel like you’ve discovered your own private paradise. Don’t forget your swimmers today, as you’ll have the chance to cool off here. Return to the surface, then drop into the Visitor’s Centre to learn more about the park and perhaps grab an ice cream. Your walking time today will be approximately 3.2 km on a Grade 3 to 4 (moderate - challenging) track. The path has some eroded sections, moderate slopes and loose stones that can be slippery.

After breakfast, lace up your hiking boots for the hike to Mt Bruce – Western Australia’s second highest peak. This full day ridge walk has it all, from paths that feel like you’re taking a gentle stroll to rock scrambles and climbs so steep there’s a chain for support. When you reach the top of the mountain, the 360-degree views of the Karijini Range and its red landscape make the challenge worthwhile. Your walking time today will be approximately 9.5 km or 6 hours on a Grade 5 (difficult) trail. Some parts of the trail require a high level of fitness and experience and includes near vertical climbs and scrambles over boulders.

Today’s occasionally challenging walk has four major highlights including two of Karijini National Park’s most famous gorges, Hancock and Weano. The trail to Junction Pool Lookout is relatively flat and has terrific views of Hancock and Joffre Gorges. Cool down as you wade through pools and streams to reach your destination and soak up the scenery. Go for swims in Kermit’s Pool and Handrail Pool then make the return trip to camp for a shower and dinner under the stars. Your walking time today will be approximately 3 km or 3.5 hours on Grade 3 to 5 (difficult) trails. There may be some challenging sections, including a series of metal ladders to the gorge floor, wading through cold pools, negotiating rock ledges on the gorge walls and clambering through stony creek beds. When the gorge dramatically narrows, you’ll need a degree of flexibility and nerve by doing the ‘spider walk’ (where you stretch your arms and legs out to straddle the gap and move along the walls). It is recommended you bring reef sandals/shoes for walking in water. They need to have a good grip when they are wet.

We are venturing further a field today to the very western side of the national park - Hamersley Gorge. It will take us an hour and a half to drive there this morning, but you will be enraptured by the ever changing scenery on the drive. The organic shapes of geology of Hamersley Gorge is interesting in itself as the bedding planes cascade into the water. It almost looks as if the land has tipped sideways! There is a shaded lookout at the top and we will embark o the short walk along the rock staircase down into the gorge to be rewarded with a dip in the gorge pool. In the afternoon we depart for Cheela Plains, a true outback station stay where you will enjoy a delicious meal under the spectacular desert sky!

Grab your favourite tunes or a good book and settle back and rest your legs on the drive from Cheela Plains to Exmouth. There will be time to stop and stretch your legs along the way and have lunch together before you arrive at your campsite at Yardie Homestead, near Exmouth in time to watch the sun set into the Indian Ocean. Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours. You will have the opportunity to do a bit of snorkelling on the days we are in Exmouth. You may bring your own but if you would like to hire them you can do this via the Milyering Visitor Centre. It's currently $12 for the day for a full set (mask, snorkel and flippers), or $15 for an overnight hire. A $50 deposit is required.

Less than 1 in 3 million people have swum with whale sharks and today, you could be one of them! Book early for the opportunity to go on an (optional) experience of a lifetime and swim with whale sharks – the world’s biggest fish – off Western Australia’s Coral Coast. It’s not unusual for these gentle creatures to grow up to 10 m in length, which makes swimming alongside them an incredible experience. You might instead like to take a half-day snorkelling glass bottom boat tour or just chill out at the accommodation. It’s very important that you pre-book any whale shark experiences, as these can sell out far in advance. We strongly suggest booking you tour in advance to avoid missing out. You can pre-book your tickets by visiting or . Whale shark tours can only be accommodated on Day 7 so please confirm the date with your booking agent prior to booking the experience.

Get set for a day of adventure in Cape Range National Park, with a series of short walks, snorkels and swims along the coast. First, you’ll explore Mandu Mandu Gorge on a walk that follows the route of an ancient riverbed. Then, spot rock wallabies in Yardie Creek Gorge. From here, you’ll head to Turquoise Bay on Ningaloo Reef – part of the traditional lands of the Baiyungu, Thalanyji and Yinigurdira peoples – for swimming and snorkelling among the corals. Tonight, you’ll sit down for a group dinner back at Yardie Homestead. Your walking time today will be approximately 6 km or 4 hours on Grade 3 (moderate) trails. Please note that the snorkelling location today will be determined on the conditions.

Today you‘ll head to Charles Knife Canyon for a walk on the Badjirrajirra Trail to Shothole lookout, with views that seem to stretch on forever across gorges cut into the limestone karst. We’ll use the cooler morning weather to explore this area. Later, cool off in Ningaloo’s sparkling waters and go in search of turtles around the small islands known as the Oyster Stacks. After another full day of exploring, it’s back to camp at Yardie Homestead for the last night of the trip. Your walking time today will be approximately 5 km or 3 hours on a Grade 4 (challenging) trail with no shade. Adequate sun protection and 2-3 litres of water is required. Please note that we aim to visit the Oyster Stacks today. Depending on the tide we may visit an alternative location instead. The leader will advise on the day.

After breakfast today, you’ll be transferred to Exmouth (Learmonth) Airport for your flight back to Perth. If you’d like to extend your stay, just get in touch with your booking agent ahead of time. You can choose to be dropped off either in the town centre of Exmouth (Ningaloo Centre) at approximately 9.30 am or at the airport at approximately 10.30am. If you have an afternoon flight, you can also book an airport transfer coordinated with your flight departure time with Exmouth Bus Charters.