Join Heritage Adventurer this afternoon at Darwin Port, Australia’s ‘northern gateway’ famous for its glittering Harbor, World War II history, and enviable tropical outdoor lifestyle. The captain and expedition team will be waiting to greet you on arrival and show you to your cabin. You will have time to settle in and familiarise yourself with the ship; they will also take the opportunity to introduce you to the expedition team and voyage plans. You are invited to join the expedition team in the Observation Lounge and up on the Observation Deck as you set sail for the Kimberley. Note: some voyages operate in reverse.

Settle into life on board Heritage Adventurer, spend time poolside, on the bridge, on the Observation Deck, or in the Observation Lounge looking for cetaceans and sea birds, and prepare for your upcoming adventures by joining lectures with your specialist expedition team.

Discover paradise north of Darwin and well off the typical tourist route as you explore the powdery white sand shores and crystal clear waters of tiny tropical outpost Matakus Island. One of the smallest islands in the Tanimbar Archipelago, a group of about 65 islands separating the Banda and Arafura Seas, Matakus Island is little more than 3.2 kilometers in length and less than 2 kilometers wide. Despite its diminutive stature, the island’s proximity to the chief town of the Tanimbars Saumlaki offers an authentic expedition experience with just 100 locals calling Matakus home. Fringed by unspoiled beaches and reefs home to abundant coral gardens and teeming with marine life, Matakus is a snorkellers paradise, while birders can look out for the Tanimbar Starling, poorly known Moluccan or Lesser Masked Owl, Fawn-breasted thrush and Blue-streaked Lory during your time here.

Sailing south towards Wyndham, there is time to relax by the pool, join the naturalists on deck and enjoy presentations as you prepare for your arrival tomorrow.

Tucked beneath the Bastion Range and at the mouth of the King, Pentecost, Durack, Forest, and Ord Rivers in the Cambridge Gulf, iconic Kimberley outback town Wyndham is Western Australia’s most northerly settlement. Built on the 1886 Halls Creek gold rush and surrounded by spectacular landforms, rivers, and wetlands, Wyndham’s claims to fame include establishing the first Royal Flying Doctor Service and being the gateway to natural wonders the Bungle Bungle Range, and one of the country’s most significant waterways the Ord River which you may have the option to explore. One of Australia’s most striking and surreal landscapes, the world-famous and World Heritage-listed ancient chasms, gorges, and 350 million-year-old sandstone Bungle Bungle Range were shaped by 20 million years of weathering. These now-famous orange and black banded beehive shapes rising eerily out of the dusty savannah plains have been known to the local Aboriginal people for thousands of years but were only brought to the world’s attention in 1983. The majesty of Ord River, a designated RAMSAR wetland of International Significance and wildlife haven is 650-kilometres long and flanked by lush wilderness and rugged cliffs home to Freshwater Crocodiles, Flying Foxes, Brahminy Kites, Short-eared Rock Wallabies, Black-necked Crane/Jabiru, Osprey, Comb-crested Jacana and more.

The approach to King George River gorge is not to be missed and best experienced out on the Observation Deck as the towering 2,000 million-year-old Warton sandstone cliffs dwarf your vessel. Navigating this scenic stretch of water by Zodiac there’s much to take in passing the ever-changing eroded rockfaces as we cruise deeper into the gorge marveling at the untouched beauty of the 1,000 tiny islands, islets, waterfalls, and secluded beaches that make up the Buccaneer Archipelago as we explore one of the last true wilderness coasts. As we reach the end of the gorge nothing will prepare you for the grand scale spectacle of the Kimberley’s highest single-drop falls as the King George River plummets 80 meters over the edge of towering ancient red sandstone cliffs into tidal waters. Undoubtedly one of Australia’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders, the twin falls known as male and female Rainbow Serpents or Wunkurr by the Balanggarra people, are fed by wet season rains and rightly hold a special place in indigenous lore. While here we will learn about how this natural wonder was created, enjoy a closer look, and, for the more energetic, there is an option to a hike to the top where your effort is rewarded with a swim in a freshwater rockpool.

Beautiful islands, pristine white beaches lapped by turquoise waters, secluded coves, and stunning scenery abound in Vansittart Bay which is also the location of a historical World War II site and incredible ancient Aboriginal rock art. Named after the Chancellor of Exchequer by early explorer Rear Admiral Philip Parker King, this striking, naturally protected bay is framed by scattered jagged sandstone monoliths and the final resting place of the preserved skeleton of a WWII Douglas DC-3 Aircraft which crash-landed onto the saltpan after running out of fuel during a mercy mission to evacuate four Dutch citizens from Java. On Jar Island, the location of ancient outdoor Aboriginal Gwion Gwion art galleries set among fascinating caves and rock formations, much of the rock art tucked under ledges and featured on cave walls is estimated to be up to 40,000 years old and remarkably preserved, protected from the elements. The island is also home to some interesting flora and fauna including the Golden-backed Tree Rat, echidnas, and birdlife. Discover a bounty of anthropological and historical wonders in Vansittart Bay.

During your explorations of theHunter River today it will quickly become apparent why this winding, 30-kilometer stretch of water is widely considered to be one of the highlights of the Kimberley coast. Tucked into the north-east corner of Prince Frederick Harbour, an enormous bay that puts Kimberley’s epic scale into perspective, this scenic wonderland is dotted with islands and flanked with wildlife-filled mangrove-lined rivers, savanna woodlands, and patches of lush monsoon rainforest, courtesy of receiving the lion’s share of the region’s rainfall, and soaring red cliffs. At the river’s mouth, the unrestrained grandeur of the 200-meter-high sandstone escarpment Kampamantiya keeps silent sentry, welcoming you into this otherworldly realm you will be exploring today. Fed by two 90-meter waterfalls, the Hunter and the Donkin, the Hunter River is home to one of the largest and most pristine mangrove systems in the world. Zodiac cruising the coastline could see you spotting diverse wildlife including White-bellied Sea Eagles, Osprey, Great-billed Heron, Eastern Reef Egrets, Red-headed Honeyeater, Blue-spotted Mudskippers, Fiddler Crabs, and more, as well as the iconic saltwater crocodile, of which the Hunter River boasts the Kimberley’s largest population. While here you will also explore Naturalist Island/Wunumpurramarra and its remarkable, 300-meter-long beach strewn with marine snail shells.

Located at the eastern end of the Buccaneer Archipelago, and only accessible by sea, have two days to explore the ancient land- and seascapes of Collier Bay and its astounding natural attractions. At Talbot Bay, you will experience the power of the region’s massive tidal movements which have shaped the landscape, most famously at the world’s only Horizontal Falls. Here you will witness what David Attenborough described as “one of the greatest wonders of the natural world” as trapped water in an inland bay thunders between two narrow chasms as the tide drops more than 14 meters on the other side creating spectacular falls, whirlpools and boiling white water. At nearby Cyclone Creek, you will explore the twisted geological folds of the ancient seabed and hope to see the inquisitive Tawny Nurse Sharks among the incredible marine life on display, while another tidal spectacle awaits at Montgomery Reef at the bay’s center. The world’s largest inshore reef system, you hope to capture the magic of observing this enormous reef ‘rise’ from the ocean as the tide falls creating torrents and waterfalls up to 3-metres high, and displacing marine life igniting a feeding frenzy as predators above and below the water descend. At Freshwater Cove shoreline explorations of the caves and grottos reveal a multitude of ancient rock art galleries.

Today, explore the incredible wildlife reserve and birding paradise of the Lacepede Islands. Designated a nature reserve in 1970 and rat-free since 1986, this collection of four unassuming islands off the north-west coast of Western Australia is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International with what is thought to be the largest breeding colony of Brown Boobies, up to 18,000 pairs, in the world. These small, low-lying spits of coarse sand and coral rubble atop a platform reef are also the state’s most important breeding grounds for Green Turtles. Other wildlife which calls these remarkable islands home includes Roseate Terns, Masked Boobies, Australian Pelicans, Bridled, Crested and Lesser Crested Terns, Eastern Reef Egrets, Silver Gulls, Common Noddies, Lesser Frigatebirds, and Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers, while Grey-tailed Tattlers, Whimbrels, Bar-Tailed Godwits, Ruddy Turnstones and Great Knots are among the visiting vagrant species. While landings are not permitted, plan to explore the islands’ incredible shores by Zodiac and, if lucky, you may also see some Humpback Whales which frequent this coastline during their northern migration in winter and early spring.

This morning, arrive in Broome, a former wild frontier now relaxed tropical beach resort and gateway to the Kimberley. After breakfast, there will be a complimentary coach to a central hotel or to Broome International Airport. To allow time for disembarkation procedures and travel from Broome, they do not recommend booking flights departing before 1300 hours. During your voyage circumstances may make it necessary or desirable to deviate from the proposed itinerary. This can include poor weather and opportunities for making unplanned excursions. Your Expedition Leader will keep you fully informed. Please note: Voyages are planned and scheduled pending final regulatory approval.