Karijini National Park
Aboriginal Rock Art & Culture
Hamersley & Knox Gorges
80 Mile Beach Marine Park
Dales & Joffrey Gorges
Swimming & Hiking
Weano & Hancock Gorges
Outback Stays & Camping
April-September
POA
This tour is ideal for active adventure seekers
Active groups who are looking for a unique touring experience from Broome to Karijini National Park and the Pilbara; If you would like to experience some real Australian Outback, remote camping, adventure and stunning landscapes in less than a week, then this tour is perfect for you. There will be plenty of opportunities for swimming, hiking and exploring.
While camping, we provide comfortable Aussie swags fitted with full linen, and breezy dome tents. Our camps can be a mix of national parks and private campgrounds, to basic bush camps. There are also options of eco glamping and hotel style accommodation.
Please scroll down for tour itinerary and further tour information.
May – September
POA
Our 6 Day Pilbara Tour includes the popular Karijini National Park Gorges, and highlights of the Pilbara including 80 Mile Beach marine park. We also offer Millstream- Chichester NP as an option, and exploring the Aboriginal rock art and culture of the Pilbara. The entire Pilbara displays truly stunning and diverse landscapes; from deep red gorges and escarpments, to blue pools, stunning lookouts, endless beaches, unparalleled sunsets and sunrises, and remote Outback drives. This destination is a nature lovers paradise and photographers dream. A medium level of fitness, balance & agility is all that’s required to experience the Pilbara.
Your adventure begins this morning as we pick you up from your accommodation at 7am. Our first stop this morning is the beautiful Eighty Mile Beach marine park. Enjoy the white sand and turquoise waters of the beach- there is no better way to stretch the legs, take a dip in the beach, or just take in this stunning marine environment. After some beach time and lunch, we continue our drive along the coast and over the De Grey River before heading inland to tonight’s station stay. The station managers have been living here for over 60 years, and have a wealth of knowledge about the Pilbara farming and mining history. After admiring the station homestead, which displays a myriad of relics from the past, we set up camp for your first relaxing campfire dinner and sleeping under the stars.
(Optional Room accommodation available)
This morning, enjoy your first healthy camp breakfast with real espresso coffee. After breaking camp, we head to Karijini National Park for our first day of hiking and swimming at the park’s popular gorges. The drive along to highway to the park is very scenic; you will get a first impression of the ancient yet green landscape of the Pilbara. Upon arrival at Karijini, we head straight to our campsite at Dales Gorge. We set up and immediately prepare for our Dales Gorge expedition, which will fill the remainder of our day with active adventure. With plenty of time to explore Dales, we embark on our hike along the top of the gorge. Enjoy amazing views of the gorge which was carved out by water over billions of years. Extreme pressures, shifting and uplifting of the surrounding rock country and erosion have formed these unique local landscapes. The contrasting colours of the gorge’s red cliffs and the lush greenery that grows on top of the gorge are typical of Karijini, which makes the scenery here outstanding.
We climb into the gorge to have a closer look at what we have seen from the top. After an opportunity for a swim at pretty Fern Pool and a picnic lunch, we begin our walk past Fortescue Falls and onto Circular Pool at the western side of Dales Gorge. The walk through the gorge is very peaceful, and it is moderately challenging in parts- a great preparation for tomorrow’s more adventurous expedition. After plenty of hiking, swimming and exploring, we return to camp ready for another delicious wholesome dinner.
This morning after breakfast, we head to the visitor center to learn about the park’s history, geology and the indigenous custodians of the area. This is a great overview of the park and there is plenty to see and learn. We then take the 4WD only road of Karijini to reach the western part of the park. We set up camp at the Karijini Eco Lodge. From here it’s a short drive to Hancock and Weano Gorges; which we will spend all morning and part of the afternoon exploring. The walks in these two gorges are quite short in distance; however, they are challenging and need to be treated with care. Some rock hoping, wading through water, navigating of narrow chasms and over some slippery sections are all part of the adventure. Listen closely to your guide’s instructions and you will have a great time tackling this challenge. After our exploration of Weano and Hancock, we walk to a great lookout point to see the area from above.
Now it is time to return to camp. If you still have some energy left, you can walk from our camp straight to Joffre Gorge, where you can admire another spectacular Karijini Gorge from a lookout point. This walk is particularly nice in the late afternoon. After an activity filled day, you are free to get a drink at the lodge’s bar, or relax around the camp and let us cook another delicious dinner for you.
(Optional Eco Lodge stay available)
Today we rise early and drive direct to Knox Gorge. The Knox Gorge Trail is a stunning hiking route that offers breathtaking views of the dramatic gorge and surrounding landscapes. Before descending we enjoy a panoramic view of the gorge and experience its geological wonders. As we hike through the gorge we will encounter steep sections with rock scrambles that require a good level of fitness, but the reward is worth the effort. The trail features incredible geological formations, showcasing ancient rock layers that reveal the region’s geological history. Along the way, you may discover small waterfalls and natural pools, particularly during the wetter months, providing perfect spots for refreshing dips.
After our morning hike and some lunch, we then head to the more remote Hamersley Gorge. It is only a short walk down to the stunning pool, which is perfect for an afternoon swim and some great photography while the afternoon sun is descending over the gorge. Hamersley gorge’s geology is very impressive and quite different to Karijini’s other gorges. Here, folds in the gorge walls have formed like waves, and natures extreme forces become very evident again. The water flowing through the gorge travels along several sets of cascades and pools. From the bottom pool, you can swim further into the gorge.
After our afternoon exploration of Hamersley Gorge we return to our Karijini base for some relaxation and dinner after our active day.
As we depart from our Karijini base this morning, we head for Port Headland, one of Australia’s oldest resource towns. While in Port Headland we have time to explore the town history and its impressive shipping port. We have a picnic lunch at the town waterfront then continue our drive to Pardoo Station. Pardoo is a working cattle station which welcomes visitors to its campground. The best thing about Pardoo is their access to another section of the Eighty Mile Beach marine park. After our arrival we take a short 4wd journey to the beach for sunset and some sunset nibbles. On our return to the station area we are free to head to the showers or the pool before another healthy dinner and relaxation.
(Optional room accommodation available)
This morning, enjoy a relaxed breakfast and perhaps another swim in the station’s pool. It is now time to begin our journey back to Broome. Along the way, we stop at Sandfire Roadhouse to say gidday to the resident ostriches, geese, camel and T-Bone the bull. As we head closer to Broome we stop for some lunch enroute, then continue our final drive to Broome. Upon arrival in Broome, we drop you off at your accommodation and leave you to reflect on your total Pilbara experience.
Under the Stars; Accommodation available some nights
All meals from lunch Day 1 to lunch Day 6
At Charter North 4WD Safaris, we know how important a healthy, balanced diet is for your well-being, and just because our tours are remote that does not mean that you will have to compromise your diet for the duration of your trip. Many of our tour guests still attribute camping to sausages and bread, but thankfully these days are over. At Charter North, we provide freshly prepared meals incorporating all food groups at breakfast, lunch & dinner. In between meals, there will be plenty of healthy snacks to top up energy levels during our activity packed tour days. Ample cool storage space in our tour trailers allows us to carry lots of fresh vegetables & fruits along with all other ingredients for our wholesome meals. All of our guides are great camp fire cooks and you will be surprised at the variety of meals they prepare for you. We cater for a range of diets (vegetarian, gluten free etc.). Read more.
“The day was always started with a fresh cup of percolated coffee and a spread of cereals, breads, fresh fruit and when time permitted damper, eggs and bacon, often with an open fire. We were all surprised at the quality and variety of food prepared; Fresh, organic, delicious and plenty thereof, always thinking of the environment in our use of the camping area, roads and bush.”
“We fully expected 3 nights of BBQ sausage in rolls so it was fantastic to get a really delicious home-cooked meal every evening, from stir fries to homemade pasta sauces. Plenty of snacks and a hearty breakfast (and espresso coffee… no international roast here!) set us up for the day.”
“I was expecting 8 nights of BBQ’ed sausages, but we ended up with everything from stir fries to tacos to pasta, all cooked on an open fire. So the dinners were great, and it would be remiss of me not to mention Alina’s muesli and GT’s coffee, which got the mornings off to a great start.”
“The food was great & all meals other than lunch were cooked over the fire. We enjoyed freshly brewed coffee and cooked breakfasts (eggs and bacon; jaffles); bread cooked in the camp oven (including damper; multigrain and a banana bread); Bbqs, curries, pasta and stir fries for dinner and plenty of chocolate and marshmallows for toasting over the fire while star gazing.”
(Quotes from our 2017/18 TripAdvisor reviews)
At Charter North 4WD Safaris, our guests’ safety, comfort and well-being always comes first. Through a number of mechanism, we ensure that you are well looked after, well informed and getting the most out of your valuable holiday at all times. After all, a holiday should be relaxing and enjoyable, and you are in the right hands with Charter North.
All of our tour guides have many years of experience and comprehensive knowledge of our tour destinations. They are personable, responsible and approachable and will ensure that you truly experience and learn about your chosen destination, not just see it. Our guides are accredited, trained in remote first aid and most importantly passionate about their work, people and the environment.
Charter North’s tour vehicles and trailers are suited to the sometimes rough and often challenging conditions characteristic of our tour destinations, and are equipped with the latest safety features and emergency communications. Our modern luxury 4wds are the most comfortable available in the market, and fitted with upgraded suspension to “smoothen out the ride” even further. They are fitted with air-conditioning and curtain airbags throughout, and designed for quiet acoustics allowing you to converse freely. All vehicles and trailers are serviced and maintained to the highest standards and beyond recommended service intervals to minimise any risk of mechanical issues on tour.
Charter North’s camping equipment is chosen with care to provide the most suitable and comfortable options available. We test and approve any equipment we use, with an emphasis on products that are easy to manage, fast to set up, light weight and of course comfortable. On our mobile camping programs, we use standing room dome tents that are easy to set up and cool through warmer nights. Our custom swags are fitted with high density foam mattresses, sheets & pillows.
For further tour information, please visit our FAQs.