There is no getting around it – a Kangaroo Island day trip from Adelaide is a long day. Mine started at a bus station at half six in the morning and finished long after dark, and somewhere in the middle, I found myself watching sea lion pups playing along the beach while their mothers watched on.
Yes, you can do Kangaroo Island as a day trip from Adelaide, and yes it is totally worth the 16 hour day. You will see Seal Bay, Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase National Park, but you will also barely touch the surface of the island.
Allergy notice: At booking, inform the operator about your allergy. I did not have any issues on this tour, as a nut allergy sufferer. The driver proactively asked me about my allergies as I boarded the bus – which was very reassuring.
You can, and thousands of people do it every summer. Kangaroo Island sits off the coast south west of Adelaide. Getting there means a road transfer down to the ferry terminal at Cape Jervis, a ferry crossing, and then a coach tour once you land at Penneshaw. That is the shape of the day in both directions.
It is also a much bigger island than most people expect. In fact, it is Australia’s third largest island, and it’s not until you are sitting on the ferry and see it coming over the horizon do you start to feel the scale of the place. The drive from the ferry terminal across to Flinders Chase National Park at the far western end takes a good chunk of the middle of your day.
One day gives you the highlights and an overall feel of the place. It does not give you time to linger anywhere, and there are parts of the island you will not go near. If you have the time, stay a couple of nights instead.
Return coach travel from Adelaide, the ferry both ways, a local driver, and guide on the island, the guided beach walk at Seal Bay, national park entry fees and a two course lunch. Pickup and drop-off from central Adelaide accommodation is usually included as an alternative to meeting at the bus station. Snacks, drinks and the evening meal are not included.
Our tour guide told us that the best time to come to Kangaroo Island is actually during the Australian winter, roughly May to October. This is because it is the best window for seeing animals, as it’s a lot cooler during the day.
During this period, you may also get lucky and spot Southern Right Whales, or even Humpbacks and orcas from the ferry.
I went in high summer and still saw plenty, but the heat does keep some of them out of sight.
The ferry was a surprisingly good part of the day, so try not to treat it as dead time.
There is a cafe on board, which is your best chance at a decent coffee and a light snack. I sat on the top open air deck to take in the crossing, though there is comfortable seating downstairs if the weather is against you.
This is a proper open water crossing rather than a harbour hop, and it does get rocky out there. It is over well before it becomes tedious, but long enough that a rough day is felt. Stay seated once you are moving, and if you are prone to seasickness take something before you board rather than after you start regretting it. Children usually love the top deck, but bring a windbreaker for them.
It was 16°C on the water with a breeze, which ended up in an almost comedic scene of myself in shorts and a fleece sitting next to someone in a full winter coat and walking trousers. You may wish to layer up if you plan to sit on the top deck.
Coming up to the island you get a proper sense of its scale. Unlike the short hop out to Rottnest Island over on the west coast, this crossing has you looking at two land masses on either side, which does feel a little surreal.
Seal Bay was the first stop, and for me, the best thing on the island. Genuinely think they should rename the island, Seal Island, as I saw far more seals than kangaroos.
This is an Australian sea lion colony, and the species is endangered. Your guide will explain that a reef offshore made this stretch hard for sealers to reach, which is one of the main reasons why the colony survived at all. These are not communal animals, unlike many other seal species. What you see is less a heaving mass, and more scattered individuals and pups relaxing in the sand.
The briefing on the bus before you arrive is delivered seriously, and rightly so. There are dominant males on that beach, and you must follow the national park ranger’s instructions.
In most cases the ranger walks the group down onto the beach itself, keeping a set distance from the animals. On my visit, there was a reactive male on the sand, so we stayed on the boardwalk platform instead. You are still very close, and watching pups mucking about while the adults ignore everybody entirely is still worth it.
The middle of the day is spent crossing the island from the sea lion colony on the south coast to the national park at the far western end, with lunch on the way. Once you are there, there are two dedicated stops which are far more interesting in person – Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch.
Lunch was at the Parndana Hotel – fish and chips, and a kitchen that dealt with allergies and intolerances without any fuss. A solid meal before a long drive.
The drive west to Flinders Chase National Park takes about an hour, and this is when the guide commentary comes into its own:
The population is small: Around four and a half thousand people live on the whole island, with only a few hundred in Penneshaw.
It was settled before Adelaide: The island had European settlement before the city on the mainland did.
The kangaroos are slower: Kangaroo Island kangaroos are said to be the slowest in Australia, a result of dense bush and very little open ground to build up speed across.
It is the world’s oldest bee sanctuary: Declared in the 1880s to protect a pure strain of Ligurian honey bees, which is why bringing bee products onto the island is prohibited.
Ask locally about the Rocky River area of Flinders Chase, where there is a platypus colony near the campground. It is not something the day tour has time for, but if I was there for 2 or more days, I’d definitely check that out.
The Remarkable Rocks are a cluster of enormous weathered granite boulders that sit on top of a smooth dome of rock above the Southern Ocean.
They do look remarkable, as if someone has placed them there. However, it was not man that did, but in fact the weather. Five hundred million years of wind, rain and salt spray carved them out of a single granite mass, hollowing arches and overhangs into shapes that don’t make structural sense.
You reach them along a long boardwalk that runs out across the coastal scrub towards the headland, with the sea on either side of you. It is a lovely walk up, because the rocks come into view as a small silhouette on the dome ahead and steadily get more absurd the closer you get.
This is the most photographed landmark on Kangaroo Island, and possibly South Australia. Most people tend to either take a wide shot of the cluster of rocks from the car park, or of the eagle formation to the left. Personally, I preferred the overhangs and arches hidden within the cluster – you’ll only find the photographers here!
The dome is smooth granite and it slopes towards the sea. It is entirely safe if you are sensible and stay well back from the edges, but it is not a place to be chasing a photograph backwards, and if you have a kid with you, make sure you’re holding their hand!
There are two ways to visit Admirals Arch; either the lookout, or the walk down to the cove. If you are able, definitely take the walk down – it is worth every step.
The arch is a natural rock formation with the sea driving through it. Long-nosed fur seals play in the water below and haul out on the rocks around it. We happened to be there during pupping season, so there were newborns on the rocks (adorable). With the waves crashing underneath and the light coming through the arch, it is the most atmospheric spot on the island.
The spray and the low angle mean you will want to protect your lens, and the light in the cove is contrasty.
The last stop of the day was Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, which was a really great way to close off the day.
The animals looked well cared for and content, and after a day of watching wildlife from a respectful distance there is something to be said for finally getting close to a few of them. There were young koalas available for photographs, and it was a good-natured way to finish before the drive back to the ferry.
Alongside the koalas you will find kangaroos to hand-feed, penguins, dingoes, and a range of reptiles, plus keeper talks through the day.
We got there right at the end of the day, and much like my time at Adelaide Zoo, our tour group had the entire place to ourselves. As the keeper explained, all the animals at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park were rescued from the devastating wildfires on Kangaroo Island.
On this tour, you do not get to explore Raptor Domain, however it is on the same piece of land. The free-flying birds of prey company used to be a separate business nearby, but the wildlife park’s owners bought it when the original owners retired, and now the two are run as one operation. If you were to come to Kangaroo Island on your own, this could easily turn into an afternoon stop-off.
Dinner is not included in the tour price, and you get a stop in Penneshaw to visit the shop before boarding. Unless you’re planning on getting a snack on the ferry, I would recommend getting something as it is a long way home. !
This is the million dollar (or pound) question, because the day trip is not the only way to do Kangaroo Island, and it isn’t necessarily the best way either. But, if you are short on time in Adelaide, it’s the only way to go.
One thing I will say though, from a planning point of view, one thing the day trip does extremely well is remove every decision. The coach, both ferries, a local driver and guide, the guided walk at Seal Bay, park entry and lunch, are all handled. You do not drive, you do not navigate, you do not have to book everything separately, and you do not have to think about getting to Adelaide and back.
It also hits all the four major things people come to Kangaroo Island to see – Seal Bay, Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch and the wildlife park. If you have one spare day in Adelaide, and Kangaroo Island is on your list, this is a very efficient way to see the island’s headline sights and be back for breakfast the next morning
What you do give up, is time on the island.
You are on the tour company’s schedule, and a 16 hour day means a great deal of it is spent moving. You see the four main spots, but drive past everything else – the north coast beaches, the food producers, the vineyards, the quieter western roads. You are also at each site in the middle of the day, which is the worst window for wildlife. Dawn and dusk are when the island comes alive, and a day tour is nowhere near either.
If I went back to South Australia, and gave myself more time to explore Kangaroo Island, I would aim for around 2 to 3 days, excluding travel time. The island is around 150 kilometres end to end, so a car is essential and the ferry takes you across from Cape Jervis.
Two days would let you do Seal Bay and the wildlife park on the first afternoon, staying somewhere central, and giving the entire second day to Flinders Chase without having to watch the clock. But, three days is what I would actually book. It adds the beaches, the vineyards, and the freedom to be somewhere good at first light, which is when you would see the most.
If you were to do a road trip, the most logical route would be to do the eastern end and north coast beaches on day one, the south coast for Seal Bay and the wildlife park on day two, and the whole of day three west in Flinders Chase, moving your accommodation west as you go and driving back east on the final afternoon for the ferry at Penneshaw.
Book the Seal Bay guided walk in advance, rather than just turning up. Check the ferry sailings before you plan a day around them, and read your hire car agreement carefully, because parts of the island are unsealed and many agreements exclude those roads. The winter is quieter, and there are southern right whales off the coast in the colder months.
I did the day trip and I do not regret it. Given the fact I only had one week in Adelaide, it was the right call to just spend a day on Kangaroo Island, and I made some great memories.
But, the island made me want more time than I had, and everybody else I asked on our tour felt the same. If your schedule has room for two nights, take that option. If it does not, take the day trip and take it happily. The wrong answer is simply not going.
Join thousands of travelers looking for inspiration from our FREE Planet Travel newsletter!
Your step-by-step framework for stress-free, unforgettable trips — from first idea to final itinerary.
Your step-by-step framework for stress-free, unforgettable trips — from first idea to final itinerary.
Join thousands of travelers looking for inspiration from our FREE Planet Travel newsletter!
