Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island (KI) is Australia's third-largest island and one of the country's most important wildlife sanctuaries. Located 13 kilometres off the South Australian coast and accessible by a 45-minute ferry from Cape Jervis (about 90 minutes south of Adelaide), KI is home to an extraordinary density of native wildlife in pristine, largely undeveloped natural habitat.

Seal Bay Conservation Park is KI's most iconic experience. A guided beach walk takes you within metres of a colony of around 800 Australian sea lions — one of the rarest pinniped species in the world. Watching them surf, play, and nurse their pups on the beach is a genuinely unforgettable wildlife encounter.

Flinders Chase National Park, on the island's western tip, contains the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch. The Remarkable Rocks are a cluster of enormous, wind-sculpted granite boulders balanced on a coastal dome — one of the most photographed natural formations in Australia. Admirals Arch is a dramatic natural rock bridge where a colony of New Zealand fur seals lives in the spray zone below.

Kangaroo Island is one of the few places in Australia where you can reliably see koalas in the wild without searching. They're so abundant along certain eucalyptus-lined roads that you'll often spot several from the car window. Tammar wallabies, echidnas, goannas, and platypuses are also commonly seen, and the island is a birdwatcher's paradise with glossy black cockatoos, ospreys, and sea eagles.

The island's food and drink scene punches well above its weight. Kangaroo Island produces artisanal honey (from the world's oldest remaining pure strain of Ligurian bees), boutique gin distilled with native botanicals, free-range eggs, sheep's milk cheese, and some of the best oysters in South Australia. Farm-gate tastings are a highlight of any visit.

Most visitors explore KI over 2–3 days, either self-driving or on a guided tour from Adelaide. The island is compact enough to cover the highlights without rushing, but remote enough to feel genuinely wild. Dundee Adventure's KI tours include ferry transfers, accommodation, park entries, and a local guide who knows where to find the wildlife.