Duration:
Operated By:
This is a flexible itinerary that can be customised for your unique experience.
You have two options for departure locations.
Option 1: Departure from Kingscote / Airport:
Tours departing from the airport or your Kingscote hotel will include a visit to Nepean Bay and Red Banks, untouched places that are only visited by locals. Enjoy a leisurely walk on the pristine beach at Nepean Bay, and then discover the stunning red clay cliffs of Red Banks which can only be reached by walking on a path downhill. A breathtaking place!
Then, we will pass through the small town of American River, where the rare Glossy Black Cockatoo (a parrot that is virtually extinct on the mainland) can be spotted while it feeds off the trees. And, if you look hard enough, you might be able to see a couple of Koalas.
Moving toward Pennington Bay, we will see Pelican Lagoon and maybe some Wallabies and Kangaroos.
The perfect ocean waves at Pennington Bay makes it very popular among local surfers. Adventure lovers can climb to the top of Prospect Hill and admire the expansive views of the Dudley Peninsula. Since this is the narrowest point on the island (just 900 meters coast-to-coast, apart from Pelican Lagoon} you can see the North and South shorelines at the same time.
Then, the tour will continue toward Cape Willoughby, the eastern-most part of the island, where the guide will take you inside the light house precinct. Climbing the lighthouse is permitted only with a National Park Ranger and it is not always available to the public. In the evening, Kangaroos will start coming out, often near the lighthouse.
At the end of the tour, after spotting Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies, Pelicans, and, if you are very lucky, even an Echidna up close, we will take you back to your hotel, or the airport/ferry terminal.
The tour includes coffee breaks with biscuits and a light meal (please let us know about your dietary allergies) and we will cook a BBQ lunch with local wines (except on Total Fire Ban Day where will offer a Gourmet Picnic).
Option 2: Departure from Penneshaw, American River and Ferry Terminal:
In this option, the tour will start from your American River or Penneshaw hotel, or when you arrive with the ferry from Cape Jervis.
A fee of $60 per person will be applied for Penneshaw/Ferry pick up or Drop Off. This will cover the extra time, km driven and fuel.
Included:
- Gourmet BBQ Lunch or Gourmet Picnic
- Local red and white wine.
- All National Parks Entries Fee
- Small Group 4wd Tour.
- Free pick up in Kingscote/Airport
Not Included:
- Gratuities.
Age Restrictions:
- Children 6 + 14 years old will have a discount on the tour.
- Children 15 – 18 years old are considered adults.
- Children 6- 18 Cannot travel unless accompanied by an adult.
- If travelling with infants or young children please book the Private Option.
- Depending to the age young children will need to use a booster seats. Please let us know if you need one.
Payment Policy:
- A non refundable card surcharge of 2.99 % applies on all the transactions made by credit card.
This tour is NOT SUITABLE for Cruise Ship Arrivals.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
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Thank you Nikki for a lovely and fantastic day.
Our best recommendation 👏🏻😃🤩🙏




She’s so passionate about the animals and the island in general that makes it so fun to get to know all about it. We got to see a lot of koalas and sea lions and we loved the entire tour.
Luca is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly - we highly recommend Kangaroo Island Hire a Guide! Thank you so much!!!



Luca took us to the right spots to observe everything this extraordinary island has to offer in its natural habitat. He also helped us understand what it means to live in such a beautiful and remote location. We spent the entire day in a comfortable 4x4. What was supposed to be a picnic lunch turned into a barbecue by the sea. We Italians also enjoyed our usual coffee break, prepared in the traditional way with a real moka pot. (Luca assured me that for non-Italian tours, he still offers delightful teatime.)
Highly recommended!
Personalmente, non amo particolarmente i tour organizzati. In luoghi sicuri come l’Australia, è possibile affittare un’auto e partire all’avventura. Tuttavia, Kangaroo Island è una terra di contadini, allevatori e pescatori. Non è un luogo prettamente turistico e, se desideri davvero vedere canguri e koala, hai bisogno di una guida esperta. Noi ci siamo affidati a "Hire a Guide". La nostra guida, Luca, è un italiano che vive qui da decenni e conosce ogni aspetto di questo posto.
Luca ci ha condotti nei luoghi giusti per osservare in natura tutto ciò che questa straordinaria isola ha da offrire. Ci ha anche fatto comprendere cosa significhi vivere in un luogo così bello e remoto. Abbiamo trascorso l'intera giornata a bordo di un comodo 4x4. Quello che doveva essere un pranzo al sacco si è trasformato in una grigliata vicino al mare. Noi italiani abbiamo avuto anche la nostra consueta pausa caffè, preparata come da tradizione con una vera moka. (Luca mi ha assicurato che nei tour non italiani offre comunque invitanti teatime.)
Consigliatissimo!


Julie and Geoff






I booked the tour for September 2nd and 3rd, 2024 and my husband and I flew to Kangaroo on September 1st. We found we were the only persons on the tour because the ferry service, the usual way for most to reach the island, was not operating for several days.
The tour was thoroughly enjoyable and the lunches, eaten outdoors, were surprisingly good.
I highly recommend this tour, if possible, in a seaon when fewer people visit the island.

The pumpkin soup prepared by Luca for our lunch time was so good😋.
Luca accompanied us on the interesting night tour and showed us the animals that live at night.
Our brains are bursting from the amount of things we've learnt - to say Nikki is an expert would be an understatement! We saw so much - sea lions, kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, echidnas, dolphins, parrots, various birds....
She was so lovely with our two daughters, she quickly learned our youngest is a koala fanatic and made sure we saw lots and learnt plenty!
We enjoyed the most delicious BBQ and a glass of wine with a sea view. Special thanks to Luca for preparing this and for providing vegetarian treats for me :)
We cannot thank Nikki enough for the most magical day. Our hearts are full x











We topped off our day capturing the Western Whip Bird, glad we were there to share that special moment with you Nikki! Highly, highly recommend Nikki and Luca to see all the sights of KI. A must do.







We really enjoyed the full day. Everything has been so unexpected and gorgeous!
Of course, we will suggest this experience that is unforgivable!

We really enjoyed the full day. Everything has been so unexpected and gorgeous!
Of course, we will suggest this experience that is unforgivable!

We spotted kangaroos, wallabys, opossums, penguins and even a koala!!! All of this under a sky full of stars and a big shiny moon. Cover up, it's chilly at night, but you'll be warm and comfy in the van. Recommended!!


From the way he talks about the island and its wild animals, you can perceive his attachment and passion for both.
Luca is able to catch sight of a great amount of kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, brush tail possums and blue penguins! Without him, for sure we wouldn't have been able to distinguish and discover so many different animals!
We also got lucky enough to see a couple of echidnas, two stone-curlews with their babies and even a small varano!
During the daily trip, we had a couple of moka coffee breaks, accurately prepared in the well-organised trunk, and had a light bbq lunch cooked by Luca in a beautiful spot with Snelling beach view.
Highly recommended!

From the way he talks about the island and its wild animals, you can perceive his attachment and passion for both.
Luca is able to catch sight of a great amount of kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, brush tail possums and blue penguins! Without him, for sure we wouldn’t have been able to distinguish and discover so many different animals!
We also got lucky enough to see a couple of echidnas, two stone-curlews with their babies and even a small varano!
During the daily trip, we had a couple of moka coffee breaks, accurately prepared in the well-organised trunk, and had a light bbq lunch cooked by Luca in a beautiful spot with Snelling beach view.
Highly recommended!



He took us to the standard sites of the sea lion colony at Seal Bay and Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks at Flinders Chase national park.
However, because he has a smaller, 4WD Mercedes bus, he could take us to a lot of places off of the main road:
• which is where we saw lots of wildlife, including kangaroos, many koalas, including 2 who were no more than 10-15 feet away and 1 of the most beautiful birds we have ever seen - a blue wren.
• several beautiful and often secluded beaches.
If you’re going on a big tour bus, you’ll never be able to go to those places.
He prepared wonderful BBQ lunches with wine (Luca is Italian after all????- no worries, he did not touch a drop.)
The cost of AUD$375 (US$225) for a private tour (with no more than 6 people) is well worth it.

He took us to the standard sites of the sea lion colony at Seal Bay and Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks at Flinders Chase national park.
However, because he has a smaller, 4WD Mercedes bus, he could take us to a lot of places off of the main road:
• which is where we saw lots of wildlife, including kangaroos, many koalas, including 2 who were no more than 10-15 feet away and 1 of the most beautiful birds we have ever seen - a blue wren.
• several beautiful and often secluded beaches.
If you’re going on a big tour bus, you’ll never be able to go to those places.
He prepared wonderful BBQ lunches with wine (Luca is Italian after all????- no worries, he did not touch a drop.)
The cost of AUD$375 (c. US$225) per person for a private tour (with no more than 6 people) is well worth it.








I took my parents from the uk along with me and they loved it!
Thanks so much Luca.
Jess, Jane and Paul
X

I took my parents from the uk along with me and they loved it!
Thanks so much Luca.
Jess, Jane and Paul
X










Who else would you find grilling Rib-eye steaks for lunch? Incredible
Thanks so much, Luca!




