Luxury Helicopter Safari – May 2022
A 7 day, 6 night, unforgettable private helicopter safari exploring the stunning Kimberley wilderness in true style. Land on mountain pinnacles to watch the sunset over your favourite cold drink, fish in wild rivers, view galleries of the oldest rock art on earth, soar through gorges and touch down to swim in secret springs and waterfalls. Your accommodation is in the region’s best luxury lodges and coastal wilderness retreats.
AVAILABILITY: 3RD – 9TH MAY 2022
Inclusions
- All airport and hotel transfers from Kununurra
- All accommodation
- All meals and snacks on safari (except pre and post-tour)
- Meet and greet with the pilot pre-tour
- All beverages on safari (except premium wine selections)
- Complimentary quality leather and canvas travel bag
Itinerary
Day One – Arrive Kununurra
You’ll be met at Kununurra Airport by a representative of Freshwater East Kimberley Apartments and transferred to your accommodation. Once check-in is completed, the afternoon is yours to enjoy. Relax around our serene lagoon-style pool or explore the town of Kununurra. In the afternoon, you will meet your safari pilot and get acquainted over sunset drinks, giving you the opportunity to ask them any questions about the adventure you’re embarking on the following day.
Overnight: Freshwater East Kimberley Apartments – Deluxe One Bedroom Apartment
Day Two – Kununurra to Kimberley Coastal Camp
The early start is worth it today! Your HeliSpirit pilot will meet and transfer you to the airport helipad. Take in the crisp Kimberley morning before lifting off in your private helicopter at 6:00am. Soar over the Ord River, following its path west past the expansive farms of the Ord Irrigation area. View the intricate tidal patterns of the mudflats that surround the port town of Wyndham, where five huge rivers meet emptying into the Cambridge Gulf, home to some of the Kimberley’s biggest estuarine crocodiles. Pass over ancient traditional lands of the Balangarra people. Flying onwards, the ranges rise ahead with the watercourses of the De Lan Court and Berkley Rivers beneath you. Fly low through the gorges of the Berkeley River and follow the remote Kimberley‘s northern coastline, viewing craggy cliffs, white coves and plentiful sea life from above.
Orbit over the twin waterfalls of King George Falls before landing at Kalumburu, an Aboriginal community where the mission is still in place with an astonishing museum curated by the Benedictine monks who have spent their lives here. Tour the museum, visit the Kalumburu Art Centre and enjoy a delicious lunch under the shady mango trees. Land at Eagle Falls for a swim and perhaps further afield to marvel at hidden galleries of ancient rock art. Reaching the top of Western Australia, fly past Steep Head Island, where you’ll land on the shell beach at our destination for the next 2 nights, Kimberley Coastal Camp.
Kimberley Coastal Camp is an exclusive retreat, a place for the heart and soul, limiting guests to just 12. Unpretentious, laidback and set in an exquisite location, the fresh seafood is truly amazing and the fishing, wildlife and rock art will take your breath away. Your beachfront bungalows offer waterfront views, meaning you can fall asleep to the sound of the ocean.
All meals, tours and limited Australian beer, sparkling and still wine is included | Spirits and reserve list wines are at your own expense
Overnight: Kimberley Coastal Camp – Beachfront Bungalow
Day Three – Kimberley Coastal Camp
The day is yours to choose your wilderness experience. Spend your day fishing for the fabled Barramundi and dozens of other tropical species in the pristine azure waters the area is famous for. Explore this ancient land on foot, or by boat and experience the local birds, wildlife, bush tucker, ancient rock art and bush medicines first hand. You may prefer to take it easy on the boat, cruising and picnicking on deserted islands fringed by Boab trees, or sipping a cool drink from the day bed. The options are endless and completely yours to decide.
All meals, tours and limited Australian beer, sparkling and still wine is included | Spirits and reserve list wines are at your own expense
Overnight: Kimberley Coastal Camp
Day Four – Kimberley Coastal Camp to El Questro Homestead
It’s time to say goodbye to the tranquillity of Kimberley Coastal Camp however your adventure is far from over. After breakfast, your pilot will fly you towards Mitchell Plateau where you’ll orbit over and land at the top of the remarkable four-tiered Punamii-Uunpuu (Mitchell Falls). Your pilot will guide you to the best viewing spot of this iconic Kimberly landmark and you can choose to swim at the top of the falls if you wish. Boarding the helicopter again, you’ll track towards the coast and may land at Naturaliste Island, to refuel if necessary, where you may see turtles. Continuing through Prince Frederick Harbour, a natural harbour with bays, coves, spectacular cliffs and mangrove forests, you’ll land at Careening Bay. Home to the sandy cove where Philip Parker King beached his vessel, ‘The Mermaid’ and the boat’s carpenter carved the inscription; HMC Mermaid 1820 on the famous “Mermaid Tree”. That famous boab tree is now 12 metres wide and is National Heritage listed.
View the King Cascades flowing in the Prince Regent River, Mount Trafalgar, Mount Waterloo and much more. Continue over the rugged Drysdale River Station, a remote fuel and accommodation stop on the Kalumburu Road. Our last leg for the day takes us over the central Kimberley, flying over parts of the Gibb River Road, Home Valley Station and the famous Pentecost River Crossing. The glow of the afternoon sun on the flaming rocks of the Cockburn Range make for a stunning backdrop to our sunset drinks location on top of one of the pinnacles. At sunset, we fly to El Questro landing on the lawn helipad at the Homestead, the secret holiday hideaway of many famous guests including Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman.
Questro Homestead is synonymous with absolute luxury within the Australian outback. Located amid a cool oasis shaded by palm trees and tropical greenery and perched atop an escarpment that plummets into the Chamberlain River, the Homestead is your retreat to unwind after a big day of exploring El Questro. Sprawling over 700,000 acres, there are endless waterfalls, hiking trails and gorges to explore.
All meals, tours and Australian beer, sparkling and still wine is included | Reserve list wine are at your own expense
Overnight: El Questro Homestead – Cliffside Retreat
Day Five & Six – El Questro Homestead
El Questro tours and activities form an integral part of every visit to this stunning wilderness destination. A wide range of complimentary excursions are included that provide opportunities to fully immerse yourself in the natural attractions. The majority are exclusive to homestead guests, facilitating engagement between the small group and their guide. El Questro’s enthusiastic rangers are adept at personalising your experience to your individual tastes.
All meals and selected tours included – Australian beer, sparkling and still wine is included | Reserve list wine are at your own expense
Overnight: El Questro Homestead – Cliffside Retreat
Day Seven – El Questro to Kununurra (Bungle Bungle Day Tour)
Lift off from the El Questro Homestead helipad after breakfast and soar out over the Chamberlain River, tracking south passing over the Elgee cliffs bordering the Durack River. Explore vast tracts of cattle station empires and marvel at the tenacity of our early pioneers in settling this rugged land. We pass over the traditional lands of the Gija and Jaru people and their community at Warmun, where many of our famous Aboriginal artists such as Rover Thomas and Queenie McKenzie lived and worked.
Our destination is Purnululu National Park, a World Heritage Listed area, celebrated for the valuable cultural and natural assets it holds including the Bungle Bungle Range, a 350 million-year-old sandstone massif that rises up to 578 metres above sea level. The range stands 200 to 300 metres above a woodland and grass-covered plain, with steep cliffs on the western face. Elsewhere, particularly where Piccaninny Creek has formed Piccaninny Gorge, the range is cut by deep gullies and breaks up into complex areas of ridges and domes, with prominent orange and black or grey bands.
We land at Bellburn airfield in Purnululu to join a private overland tour that comprises a drive to the massif and then a guided walk through the striped sandstone domes and further into Cathedral Gorge, named due to its excellent natural acoustics.
In the afternoon we depart Purnululu, flying north over the Argyle Diamond Mine, where rare pink diamonds were once mined, then over the expansive Lake Argyle, the biggest manmade lake in the southern hemisphere. Its volume is said to be over 21 times that of Sydney Harbour. The surrounding ranges that hold back the freshwater body will be glowing in the late afternoon light. We will land on a mountain pinnacle where you can drink a toast to the Kimberley and its spectacular landscape.
Flying into Kununurra and the Ord Valley is always spectacular, an oasis of lush farms, big waters and colourful ranges and is a fitting end to your unforgettable HeliSpirit helicopter adventure. Your pilot will transfer you to your Kununurra accommodation or the Airport and say farewell.
All meals and selected tours are included – reserve list wine and drinks are an additional cost
PRICING: $23,959 per person (twin-share)
Minimum of 2 people, maximum of 4 people
Add an additional night at Freshwater East Kimberley Apartments on 9th May – $24,125 per person (twin-share)
