6-Day West Kimberley Helicopter Safari Tour ex. Broome

The Kimberley looks best from above. This six-day private safari links Broome, Cygnet Bay, Horizontal Falls, Mount Hart, Tunnel Creek, Windjana Gorge, and Bell Gorge with helicopter, seaplane, boat, and fixed-wing flights. I like the rare mix of serious outback scenery and comfortable accommodation, especially the stay at Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge and the sunset camel ride on Cable Beach. I also like that the route reaches places that are difficult to connect by road in a short holiday.

The main drawback is the price: $17,895.22 per person is a major commitment, even for a private, all-arranged journey. You should also be comfortable with long days, remote airstrips, gravel-road travel, changing weather, and a moderate level of physical activity. This is not a relaxed resort break with a few sightseeing trips attached.

Five details that define this Kimberley safari

• Horizontal Falls by seaplane and boat: You get both the sweeping aerial view and a closer water-level look at one of the Kimberley’s most famous natural sights.
• Two contrasting bases: Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm brings you close to the coast and pearling country, while Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge gives you a remote outback base in the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges.
• A private small-group format: Only your own group takes part, giving the schedule a more personal feel than a standard coach tour.
• Helicopter access to remote gorges: The flights include Twin Flame Falls, Bell Gorge, Windjana Gorge, and other hard-to-reach scenery.
• Comfort after rough country: You return to lodge accommodation, cocktails, and a three-course Table d’Hôte dinner after days spent around gorges, pools, airstrips, and gravel roads.
• A strong finish: The final day combines Bell Gorge with a fixed-wing flight back to Broome over the Gibb River Road and Derby.

What the $17,895.22 price really buys

The cost is easier to understand when you look at the transport involved. This is not simply six nights in a lodge with a few excursions. The price covers a chain of private or specially arranged flights, including helicopter sectors, a seaplane trip, a private charter plane to Cygnet Bay, and a fixed-wing flight back to Broome.

You also pay for time. Moving through the West Kimberley by air means you can see major sites in six days instead of spending much of your holiday behind the wheel. The road-based alternative would demand long distances, rougher conditions, and more planning. Here, your guide handles the transfers and links the remote stops into one continuous trip.

I think the value is strongest for someone who wants access, comfort, and efficiency at the same time. You can reach the Kimberley’s famous gorges without giving up fine meals or lodge beds. The price is harder to justify if your main aim is a budget outback trip, independent driving, or a longer stay in one place.

The package also includes experiences that would be difficult to arrange together on your own. Horizontal Falls, Cygnet Bay, a sunset camel ride, Tunnel Creek, Windjana Gorge, Bell Gorge, and Mount Hart each require different transport and timing. This safari puts them in one carefully planned route.

Day One: Broome, Cable Beach, and a gentle start

Your tour begins at Broome Airport at 1pm. You are met by your personal guide and taken to your accommodation, where a welcome drink helps you settle in after the flight.

The first afternoon gives you a softer introduction to the region. The headline experience is a sunset camel ride along Cable Beach, one of Broome’s most familiar scenes. It is an enjoyable contrast to the more remote days ahead, with sand, open sea, and the warm evening light that makes Broome such an appealing starting point.

I like this opening because it does not throw you straight into a helicopter or a long road transfer. You get time to arrive, meet your guide, and get your bearings. It also gives the trip a pleasant rhythm: Broome first, then the coast, then the inland ranges.

The exact afternoon choice is not fully specified, so you should confirm the final timing and activity details before you travel. The tour does offer pickup, but the stated meeting point is Broome Airport, and the journey ends at Broome International Airport.

Day Two: Flying to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm

After breakfast, you take a private charter plane over the Dampier Peninsula to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. The flight itself is part of the experience. From the air, you see the peninsula in a way that road travel cannot provide, with broad views of the coastline and the remote country beyond Broome.

Cygnet Bay is more than an overnight stop. It gives you a coastal base and a chance to learn about the area’s pearling connection. The program includes a stay at the award-winning pearl farm and a sea safari, so you are not simply checking in and moving on.

This is one of the trip’s most useful changes of pace. The first day is about Broome and the beach. Day Two shifts toward saltwater, pearling, and the Dampier Peninsula. You get a sense of how quickly the Kimberley changes from one environment to another.

The day is listed at about 15 hours, so plan for a full schedule. Breakfast, flying, sightseeing, and the sea safari make this an active day. You may find the pace exciting, but it is not ideal if you need long, unstructured breaks.

Day Three: Horizontal Falls from the air and water

Start with breakfast on Cygnet Bay’s terrace. It is a calm way to begin a day that soon becomes one of the most dramatic parts of the safari.

The Horizontal Falls experience begins with a seaplane flight over Talbot Bay and the Buccaneer Archipelago. From above, you can understand the scale and shape of the coastal waterways. The falls are created by powerful tidal movement through narrow gaps in the ranges, and the aerial view helps explain why this sight is best approached from the air.

The boat section brings you closer. Instead of seeing the falls only as a distant pattern from a plane, you get a water-level perspective and a more immediate sense of the tides. This two-part format is a real strength. The flight gives you the grand view; the boat gives you the action and detail.

The Horizontal Falls portion lasts about three hours, then the journey continues toward Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge. You fly over the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges, formerly known as the King Leopold Ranges, before landing in the Mount Hart area.

That transfer matters. A normal road trip between the coast and the inland ranges would take much longer and require serious driving. Here, the flight turns the move to Mount Hart into another scenic event rather than a dull transport day.

The day is listed at about 12 hours for the Mount Hart section, so you should expect a long period of movement. The reward is arrival at the West Kimberley’s outback oasis, where the lodge becomes your base for several nights.

Mount Hart: comfort in a very remote setting

Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge is the heart of the inland portion of this trip. Its appeal is the contrast between remote surroundings and a comfortable place to sleep, eat, and relax.

You spend the next several days returning to Mount Hart after helicopter flights, gorge walks, swimming stops, and land safaris. That is easier than packing up every morning. It also lets you see the lodge at different times of day, from early departures to cocktails at the bar after an outing.

The food is given unusual importance here. One evening includes a premium three-course Table d’Hôte dinner, and another finishes with cocktails and an exceptional meal at Pippa’s Corner. For a remote outback base, those details matter. After a rough road or a hot day near a gorge, a proper dinner feels like part of the experience rather than an optional extra.

Do not expect Mount Hart to feel like a city hotel. The attraction is its setting and its distance from ordinary holiday routines. You should be happy with remote accommodation and a schedule shaped by weather, aircraft, and daylight.

Day Four: Waterfalls, swimming holes, and bubbles at Matthew Gorge

Day Four begins with an early helicopter flight toward Isdell Gorge. The aim is to reach hidden waterfalls for a picnic breakfast while the day is still fresh.

The 40-minute Isdell Gorge stop is short, but it offers one of the safari’s most memorable combinations: helicopter access, a remote waterfall setting, and breakfast outdoors. This is the sort of moment that would be difficult to arrange independently, especially within a six-day route.

Back at Mount Hart, you have time to rest before heading out by land vehicle to the Barker River and Barker Pool. The chance to swim in a natural pool gives the day a practical break from aircraft and sightseeing. Bring suitable swimwear and a towel if those are not supplied, although the tour information does not specify what equipment is provided.

After lunch, you continue by land to Matthew Gorge in the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges. The program includes a glass of bubbles while you look over a rock pool. It is a small touch, but a telling one: the safari is designed to pair remote scenery with comfort rather than make you rough it from morning to night.

The day closes with cocktails at the Mount Hart bar and another dinner at Pippa’s Corner. You get a full mix of activity, rest, swimming, scenery, and food. The possible downside is the amount of scheduled movement. If you prefer to linger at one pool or take an unplanned afternoon, this itinerary may feel tightly managed.

Day Five: Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge

Day Five takes you southwest by helicopter over the Gibb River Road toward Windjana Gorge. The flight gives you a fresh look at the road corridor and the ranges, while avoiding a long road approach.

At Tunnel Creek National Park, a guide takes you into the area for a land safari and a gourmet outback picnic. Tunnel Creek is a particularly different experience from the open gorges and waterfalls earlier in the trip. You move through a confined natural setting rather than simply viewing a broad gorge from above.

The itinerary gives about two hours to Tunnel Creek, followed by another two hours at Windjana Gorge in the early afternoon. Windjana is known for its towering rock walls, riverbed, and concentration of freshwater crocodiles. Keep your attention on the surroundings and follow your guide’s instructions near the water.

The direct descriptions of this day suggest that the flight and the land-based exploration are meant to work together. You first see the country from above, then spend time at ground level with a guide and picnic. That balance is important because helicopter trips can sometimes become a series of quick photo stops. Here, you get a proper land component as well.

The return to Mount Hart follows the Gibb River Road. The road journey takes about three hours and offers a closer look at Kimberley flora and fauna. Gravel-road travel is part of the character of this region, but it can be tiring. You should be ready for a less polished ride after the smoothness of the flights.

The day finishes with a premium three-course dinner at Mount Hart. That meal is well timed. After Tunnel Creek, Windjana Gorge, and the road back, you will probably appreciate a comfortable table more than another rushed activity.

Day Six: Bell Gorge and the flight back to Broome

Your final morning begins with breakfast at Mount Hart before the last helicopter journey. The flight passes over Mount Hart and continues toward Bell Gorge, one of the Kimberley’s best-known gorge areas.

The Bell Gorge stop lasts about three hours. The available information does not specify every walking route or swimming arrangement, so you should confirm the exact activity level before departure. The broader pattern is clear, though: you see the gorge from the helicopter and spend time on the ground before returning to the airstrip.

The return to Broome is by private charter plane rather than helicopter. This fixed-wing flight passes over the Gibb River Road and Derby before landing at Broome International Airport. It is an efficient final transfer, but it is also part of the sightseeing. You get one last aerial view of the road and country you have crossed.

The tour ends at Broome Airport, with the stated arrival point at Broome International Airport on Macpherson Street. If you have an onward flight, leave enough time for the scheduled arrival and any changes caused by weather.

The comfort level and physical demands

This is a private tour, so only your group takes part. That gives you a more personal setting and avoids being folded into a large coach group. It may also make the long days easier, since the experience is not built around a crowd moving through every stop.

You should have a moderate level of physical fitness. The program includes helicopter transfers, a sea safari, land safaris, gorge visits, natural pools, and time outdoors. The supplied information does not give exact walking distances, so ask about the ground activities if you have mobility concerns.

The flights are a major part of the value, but they also mean you should be comfortable with aircraft travel and remote airstrips. Weather matters. The experience requires good weather, and a cancellation for poor conditions can result in another date or a full refund. A minimum number of people is also required, despite the private format for your own group.

The booking is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. That is important at this price. I would avoid booking non-changeable flights or tight onward connections until your tour is confirmed and your plans are firm.

Who should book this safari?

I would recommend it most strongly to you if:

• You have six days and want to see several major Kimberley sights.
• You value private transport and arranged logistics.
• You want helicopter and seaplane access rather than a self-drive route.
• You enjoy remote scenery but still want quality meals and lodge accommodation.
• You can handle long days and a moderate level of activity.
• You are celebrating a major occasion or planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

I would be more cautious if you want a low-cost holiday, lots of free time, or a gentle pace. The itinerary is packed, and the price leaves little room for disappointment if aircraft weather disrupts a major section.

The strongest parts are the combination of Horizontal Falls by seaplane and boat, the three-night-style base at Mount Hart, and the variety of ways you see the Kimberley. You are not only looking at gorges from a helicopter. You also swim, eat outdoors, travel by road, explore Tunnel Creek, watch for crocodiles, and finish with serious dining.

Should you book the West Kimberley helicopter safari?

Book it if the Kimberley is a top priority and you want the most efficient, comfortable way to connect its coastal and inland highlights. The sunset camel ride, Cygnet Bay, Horizontal Falls, Mount Hart, Tunnel Creek, Windjana Gorge, and Bell Gorge create a varied trip rather than six days of repeated scenic flights.

Do not book it casually. At $17,895.22 per person, this needs to be a deliberate choice. If you can accept the cost, weather risk, long days, and firm cancellation terms, the experience offers a rare blend of access, comfort, and genuine outback adventure.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts at Broome Airport in Western Australia at 1pm.

Where does the tour end?

The tour ends at Broome International Airport on Macpherson Street in Broome.

How long does the experience last?

The tour lasts approximately six days.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the private tour or activity.

Is pickup available?

Pickup is offered, although the stated meeting point is Broome Airport.

What is the price per person?

The listed price is $17,895.22 per person.

What level of fitness is required?

A moderate level of physical fitness is required.

Does the tour include Horizontal Falls?

Yes. The experience includes a seaplane and boat adventure at Horizontal Falls.

What happens if bad weather cancels the tour?

If poor weather causes cancellation, you are offered a different date or a full refund.