I'll be honest: I was sceptical about joining a guided coach tour through the Kimberley. I've self-driven plenty of Western Australia, from the red pindan tracks above Broome to the long, lonely stretch of highway south towards Coral Bay, and I'd always assumed that having a set itinerary would blunt the experience. Spending eleven days on the road with AAT Kings changed my thinking considerably.
What the Tour Actually Covers
The AAT Kings 11-Day Complete Kimberley operates as a loop from Broome, heading east through the Great Northern Highway corridor before looping back via the Gibb River Road — one of the most legendary unsealed routes in the country. The headline sites are well-known: Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek, El Questro Wilderness Park, the Bungle Bungles (Purnululu National Park), and the iconic horizontal waterfalls of Talbot Bay. But it is the connective tissue between those marquee names that most surprises first-timers.
Day-by-Day Breakdown at a Glance
- Days 1–2, Broome: Orientation, Cable Beach sunset, pre-tour briefing from your driver-guide.
- Days 3–4, Gibb River Road: Windjana Gorge National Park (freshwater crocs on the bank every morning), Tunnel Creek walk-through, Manning Gorge swim.
- Days 5–6, El Questro: Emma Gorge thermal springs, Chamberlain Gorge boat cruise, optional helicopter over the ranges.
- Days 7–8, Kununurra: Lake Argyle sunset cruise, Mirima National Park, Ord River irrigation district.
- Days 9–10, Purnululu: Helicopter over the domes, Cathedral Gorge walk, Echidna Chasm if timing allows.
- Day 11, Return to Broome: Long drive day with stops at roadhouses and a final group dinner.
The Gibb River Road — What You Should Know
The section of this tour that most travellers worry about, and rightly so if you're self-driving, is the Gibb River Road. It runs roughly 660 kilometres through the heart of the Kimberley ranges, and in a standard two-wheel-drive vehicle it is genuinely inadvisable. AAT Kings runs purpose-built touring coaches with high clearance and experienced drivers who know where the corrugations ease and where the creek crossings can surprise you after rain. Travelling this stretch with a driver-guide removes a very real logistical headache.
Road Conditions and Seasonality
The tour runs during the dry season, roughly April through September, which is the only sensible window. The wet season renders most of these roads impassable and many national parks are closed outright. Even in the dry, the road corrugates badly by mid-season. Our driver told us he checks conditions with local stations (cattle properties) at each overnight stop — that kind of local intelligence is genuinely difficult to replicate independently. If you want to understand what the Kimberley is like across seasons before committing to a date, the Western Australia Tourism Kimberley page has clear seasonal guidance and a regional events calendar.
Accommodation and Meals — The Honest Version
AAT Kings markets this as a mid-range touring product, and that's an accurate description. You are not sleeping in luxury lodges. Nights are split between permanent camp-style accommodation (think solid permanent tents with proper beds and en suites at El Questro's Kimberley Camp), motel-style rooms in Kununurra, and a very comfortable stay at Lake Argyle Resort. The Purnululu nights are in the national park itself at Bellburn Camp — basic but brilliant, because you're inside the Bungle Bungles when everyone else has driven back to town.
Meals on the Road
Most dinners and breakfasts are included. Lunches are a packed affair at roadside stops or gorge car parks, which suits the pace of travel. The food is solidly good rather than remarkable — there is a lot of barbecued meat and salad, which is exactly what you want after a long, dusty day of walking. One standout is the farewell dinner in Broome: the kitchen at our accommodation leaned into the local barramundi, and it was genuinely excellent. Dietary requirements are handled well if you flag them before departure.
Who This Tour Actually Suits
The overwhelming majority of passengers on my departure were over sixty, and several were solo travellers. This is not a criticism — the demographic makes sense. The Kimberley is a destination that rewards people who have the time and the inclination to sit with a landscape rather than rush through it, and the tour's pace supports that. There were also two couples in their forties, one of whom had originally planned to self-drive but pivoted after pricing up vehicle hire, fuel, and campsite costs for eleven days. Their arithmetic was persuasive: by the time you factor in a capable 4WD rental, insurance, fuel at remote roadhouse prices, and national park fees, the self-drive option is not as dramatically cheaper as you might assume.
Physical Requirements
Some walks involve uneven rock surfaces and ladder climbs (Echidna Chasm, for instance, requires you to edge through a very narrow gorge with some scrambling). The tour notes these clearly in pre-departure materials. Cathedral Gorge is a gentle, wide path suitable for most fitness levels. If you have concerns about mobility, the AAT Kings team is worth contacting directly before booking — some activities have alternatives, and a good driver-guide will help you find the best option for your pace.
Booking, Pricing, and Practical Preparation
Pricing shifts year to year and varies by departure date and cabin type. In recent seasons, the tour has sat in the AU$5,000–$7,000 per person range for a solo traveller, with twin-share bringing the per-person cost down meaningfully. Single supplements apply. Early booking (six months or more out) tends to secure better pricing and more cabin options at El Questro and Purnululu.
Getting to Broome
Most visitors fly directly into Broome from Perth, which is roughly two hours and well-serviced by both Qantas and Virgin Australia. If you're planning a broader Western Australia trip, it's worth considering a southward extension post-tour to regions like Margaret River, which offers a dramatically different landscape — tall karri forests, ocean swells, and world-class wine — as a contrast to the raw mineral country of the Kimberley.
What to Pack
- Lightweight long-sleeved shirts for sun protection on gorge walks (the UV intensity even in the dry season is significant)
- Closed-toe shoes with grip for uneven gorge terrain — sandals are not sufficient for most walks
- A good headlamp; the Purnululu camp has limited lighting outside the main areas
- A dry bag or zip-lock bags for your phone and camera on boat cruises
- Cash for optional activities and tips — EFTPOS coverage at remote properties is unreliable
- Insect repellent containing DEET; the sandflies near water sources are persistent
Optional Activities Worth Budgeting For
The helicopter flight over the Bungle Bungles is the one optional expense I'd budget for without hesitation. The ochre and black banded domes are extraordinary from the ground; from the air they are surreal, particularly in the late afternoon light when the beehive shapes cast long shadows. Purnululu National Park, managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the helicopter gives you a spatial understanding of the formation that ground-level walks simply cannot replicate. Budget around AU$300–400 per person for a standard scenic flight.
Final Assessment
The AAT Kings Complete Kimberley is not a perfect product — the long transfer days can feel relentless, and there are moments when you'd love an extra afternoon at a gorge rather than pushing on to the next stop. But as a way to genuinely cover the breadth of the Kimberley without the logistical complexity of self-driving remote roads, it is well-organised, professionally guided, and more flexible than its structured itinerary suggests. I'd recommend calling AAT Kings directly to ask about recent itinerary updates, as some stops and timings have shifted post-pandemic, and confirming which departure dates use the Bellburn Camp arrangement in Purnululu — that park overnight is, in my view, the highlight of the entire eleven days.
