APT Touring: Kimberley Coastal Expedition

Cruise to Adele Island and join your Expedition Team member for an exploration of this remote coastal area by Zodiac. The island is surrounded by Adele Reef, teeming with an array of coral and marine life, including reef sharks and stingrays. There’s further promise of turquoise waters this afternoon as your ship arrives in the Buccaneer Archipelago, home to more than 800 islands. This evening, enjoy a captain’s welcome dinner.

Explore Talbot Bay and Cyclone Creek. Accompanied by your Expedition Team Leader, you’ll weave nimbly past the dramatic folds of rock formations, keeping a look out for local wildlife.

Signature Experience – Horizontal Falls

Today, your ship cruises to Talbot Bay, known for its massive 12-metre tides that create the unique Horizontal Falls. Subject to tidal conditions, board a Zodiac with your Expedition Team to view this natural phenomenon up close.

Today, visit Freshwater Cove and Montgomery Reef, where you will enjoy two Signature Experiences.

Signature Experience – Arraluli Heritage Exploration

Experience a Welcome to Country and an immersive smoking ceremony conducted by the Arraluli people, the traditional custodians of the land. Then, embark on a guided hike led by the Expedition Team to explore a mesmerising rock art site where your Aboriginal guide will offer an interpretation of the rock art. This Signature Experience offers a profound connection to the rich cultural heritage and timeless traditions of the Arraluli people.

Signature Experience – Montgomery Reef

Following your visit to Freshwater Cove, depart with your Expedition Team to discover Montgomery Reef by Zodiac. Soak in the amazing scenes as Montgomery Reef dramatically rises out of the ocean as a result of the region’s strong tides. Cruise through narrow channels between the world’s largest inshore reef as you admire the spectacle, and the incredible wildlife exposed by the cascading water.

Venture to Prince Frederick Harbour today, home to the towering red cliffs and tangled mangroves of Hunter River and Porosus Creek. With its extreme tides and pristine ecosystems, the harbour and its waterways are rich in wildlife including mudskippers and saltwater crocodiles. Porosus Creek takes its name from the scientific name for the saltwater crocodile, a good indication of what we’re looking for today. Keen birdwatchers should keep a careful eye out for kingfishers, egrets, herons and white-bellied sea eagles. To enhance your day, you might choose to set out on a thrilling helicopter flight to see Mitchell Falls in all its splendour from above.

Enrich Your Experience – Mitchell Falls Scenic Helicopter Flight

Soar over the incredible and breathtaking Mitchell Falls on a scenic helicopter flight experience (additional expense).

Enjoy a relaxed morning aboard your luxurious ship. This afternoon, pay a special visit to Ashmore Reef Marine Park. Located in the Timor Sea and spanning 583 square kilometres, the reef is a sanctuary for many marine species. Every year, more than 100,000 seabirds breed here, including crested terns, white-tailed tropicbirds and great frigatebirds. In addition to the prolific birdlife, beneath the clear tropical waters, the coral reefs, seagrass meadows, sandflats and lagoons of Ashmore Reef are home to a colourful array of marine life. 255 species of reef-building coral dwell here – the greatest number of any reef on the West Australian coast. Our visit to Ashmore Reef is required to ensure we comply with Australian government regulations. Pending favourable weather and sea conditions, you’ll explore this sanctuary via Zodiac with your Expedition Team.

This morning, join your Expedition Team on an intriguing discovery. Walk across salt flats to view the wreckage of a US Air Force C-53, which crash-landed near Vansittart Bay during World War II. Later, we reposition in the bay to visit Jar Island and discover the island’s outstanding rock art gallery. During your exploration here, you’ll see fascinating examples of Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) paintings, dating back more than 20,000 years.

Today, your ship cruises into Koolama Bay. Learn about how this bay was renamed following the Japanese bombing of the MV Koolama in 1942. Afterwards, join your Expedition Team aboard a Zodiac to meander through King George River’s gorge system, passing mangrove-fringed coves and sheer red cliffs.

Signature Experience – King George Falls

Get up close and personal to the magnificent King George Falls, where the King George River tumbles 80 metres down from lofty sandstone cliffs. You’ll be able to experience its power as your Zodiac creeps close to the iconic waterfall.

Today, enjoy a relaxed day at sea as your ship makes its way towards Darwin, arriving in the evening. Take advantage of the ultra-luxurious features of your ship: perhaps relax by the pool with a glass of champagne, indulge on delicious made-to-order sushi or 24-hour in-suite dining, or attend an informative lecture hosted by your expert Expedition team.

Disembark in Darwin this morning and bid farewell to your ship before you are transferred to the airport.