At home in the Kimberley
This article is brought to you by APT Luxury Travel.
The raw beauty of the Kimberley is a sight to behold, billions of years in the making: remote waterfalls, spectacular gorges with idyllic waterholes and textured rocks that are a work of art. Then there is the unfettered wild nature of the Bungle Bungle Range, its iconic domes spellbinding in ochre and rich red, and unforgettable cultural experiences that will take you back in time.
APT has been touring the outback in style for 60 years, and their team of experts is a well-oiled machine when it comes to creating the best itineraries, and looking after guests for every aspect of their tours. Everyone from lodge hosts to driver-guides and chefs wants APT’s guests to be cared for in fine style, and takes great pride in their work.
APT offers three luxury wilderness lodges in prime locations in the Kimberley, to allow guests to make the most of what nature has in store.
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New beginnings at Mitchell Falls
Located close to Mitchell Falls, Mitchell Falls Wilderness Lodge was refurbished for the 2024 season, including building larger, ensuited tented cabins. After a day spent exploring, guests return to the comfortable cabins, can relax on the Lodge’s swimming deck by the upgraded private waterhole with its palm-fringed oasis, and enjoy the stunning Ungolan Pavilion’s fully equipped bar and lounge, before sitting down to three-course dinners accompanied by the soundtrack of the bush and the overhead light show of thousands of stars. Mitchell Falls Wilderness Lodge is Advanced Ecotourism Certified, as are the other two APT Wilderness Lodges.
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Ring the Bell
Bell Gorge Wilderness Lodge will be a welcome sight after bumping down the Gibb River Road. It is just 200 metres off this legendary, bone-jolting track that is a rite of passage for lovers of the outback, and with access to this ethereal region with its other-worldly beehive rock formations, it is good to know you will be coming home to luxury. Sit on your private deck, with views over the Wunaamin Miliwundi escarpment, to watch the changing colour palette as the sun sets, before sitting down to a delicious three-course dinner. The Lodge is in a great location to explore Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, as well as Bell, Galvans, Manning and Barnett River Gorges in the West Kimberley. This site is Indigenous-owned and is close to the Imintji Aboriginal community, with guests able to visit the Imintji Arts Centre to see work from talented local artists.
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Into the Bungle Bungle
Situated in World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park, Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge is the top-of-the-line accommodation on offer. The tented cabins will be an oasis of calm after a day spent exploring the wonders of this area, including Piccaninny Creek, Echidna Chasm, and the natural amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge, plus you can also take to the skies for a helicopter flight over the Bungle Bungle Range. The meals here are next level, with your three-course dinner sure to feature regional specialties with Indigenous herbs.
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The ultimate Kimberley trip with APT Luxury Travel
The best way to discover the Kimberley, and to experience all three of APT’s luxury Wilderness Lodges, as well as other accommodation along the way, is to embark on the 15-day ‘Kimberley Complete’ itinerary. You’ll ride in a luxury, custom-designed 4WD Mercedes Benz, and you will have expert commentary on the many astounding sights thanks to your expert APT Driver-Guide. This tour, in and out of Broome, will take you to 19 destinations, with so many highlights your heart will be full. Out of Broome, relax as you are driven to Windjana Gorge to see its ancient marine fossils buried in the walls of the gorge, before moving onto Tunnel Creek, the oldest cave system in Western Australia.
Your next home base will be the spectacular Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge in Purnululu National Park, after a special Signature Experience at Yiyili community. Day two will see you exploring the national park, with a walk along the Piccaninny Creek, a deep gorge that snakes through the Bungle Bungle Range, and visiting Cathedral Gorge, renowned for its acoustics.
Enjoy a morning hike to Echidna Chasm before venturing to Kununurra along the Spring Creek Track, for two nights. A cruise on the tranquil Ord River will be a treat, as you meander through winding creeks and lagoons spotting wildlife such as crocodiles and birds, including osprey, white-bellied sea eagles and jacanas.
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El Questro will be a thrill for two nights, staying in Emma Gorge, with a Signature Experience at Zebedee Springs. After a morning hike to the gorge and a swim beneath a waterfall, soak in the permanent natural thermal spring at Zebedee Springs, nestled in a secluded pocket of rainforest. It will be bliss.
Heading out again on the Gibb River Road, you’ll be rewarded with two nights at APT’s Mitchell Falls Wilderness Lodge, with incredible dinners under the impossibly vast night sky. The next day features an elevated experience, in more ways than one. Explore Mitchell Falls, with its tiered layers and Indigenous rock art, swim in the pools above the falls, and then take off on the truly spectacular – and included – helicopter flight over the falls.
Another Signature Experience awaits en route to your next stop, Drysdale River Station, as you are treated to a visit to the Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock art galleries and swim in the clear waters at King Edward River.
Bell Gorge Wilderness Lodge will be home for two nights, with its star attraction being Bell Gorge, with its majestic cliffs a backdrop for a series of tiered waterholes.
End your adventure back in Broome, where the outback meets the ocean, reminiscing about the sensational things you have discovered, seen and done on this exceptional APT itinerary, crafted by the experts at APT.
Discover more about APT Luxury Travel’s expertise in the Kimberley and our luxury wilderness lodges.
Bought to you by APT Luxury Travel experts in the Kimberley. Discover more at www.aptouring.com.au
