Essence of the Kimberley with Kimberley Coastal Expedition

Arrive in Broome, and be transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Stay: Broome, Cable Beach Club Resort Spa

Early this morning, meet your Driver Guide and fellow travellers as you start your journey along the Gibb River to Windjana Gorge, where ancient marine fossils lay embedded in the gorge walls. Next it's on to Tunnel Creek, Western Australia's oldest cave system. Wade through the cool waters that fill the tunnel and discover a serene oasis on the other side. Later, continue to Fitzroy Crossing where you'll stay tonight. Stay: Fitzroy Crossing, Fitzroy River Lodge (B/L/D)

Travel to Danggu Geikie Gorge National Park today and explore incredible Geikie Gorge, famed for its towering walls that have been bleached white by the river when it floods. Afterwards, head to Halls Creek, before arriving at Purnululu National Park. Stay Two Nights: APT's exclusive Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge (B/L/D)

A full day has been set aside for you to explore Purnululu National Park today, starting with a walk along Piccaninny Creek. Your next stop is Cathedral Gorge, a natural amphitheatre of red rock, created by millions of years of water erosion. Tonight, end your day with an unforgettable Signature Experience. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Watch the sunset over the Bungle Bungle Range – with a glass of bubbly in hand, of course.

Today's highlight is a hike to Echidna Chasm. Venture deep into this natural cleft in the rock, which reaches up to 200 metres in height despite its narrow width. Afterwards, continue to Kununurra. Stay: Kununurra Country Club Resort (B/L/D)

A wildlife cruise on the mighty Ord River provides a front-row seat to the area's unique wildlife and flora this morning. Next it's time to travel back to Kununurra before making the journey to El Questro. Stay: El Questro, Emma Gorge Resort (B/L/D)

After a Signature Experience this morning, hike to Emma Gorge, where you might like to go for a swim beneath the waterfall. Tonight you'll be treated to views over the Cockburn Range during sunset. Stay: Home Valley Station (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Head to the beautiful Zebedee Springs and relax as you soak in the thermal pools.

At Manning Gorge, enjoy lunch in the shade of boab trees. Continue to Galvans Gorge, where a short walk leads to a waterhole. Admire the Wandjina rock art on the gorge wall before travelling to Bell Gorge Wilderness Lodge. Stay Two Nights: APT's exclusive Bell Gorge Wilderness Lodge (B/L/D)

Travel to Bell Gorge today, where towering cliffs surround a series of tiered waterholes. You might like to hike to the lower pool of the gorge and enjoy a refreshing dip in the waterfall below, or enjoy a spot of bird-watching. (B/L/D)

Venture into the  Wunaamin Range Conservation Park, then travel along the Gibb River Road to Derby, stopping at a local art centre along the way. Stop by the Boab Prison Tree before arriving back in Broome later this afternoon.  Say farewell to your Driver Guide and your fellow land journey guests, before enjoying an evening at leisure in Broome. Stay: Broome, Cable Beach Club Resort and Spa (B/L)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and have free time before transferring to your luxury expedition ship. Get to know your Expedition Team and APT Cruise Director at a welcome briefing before dinner. Stay 10 Nights: Le Laperouse or Le Jacques Cartier (B/D)

Wake to the promise of adventure at sea as the Buccaneer Archipelago sprawls out before you with its more than 800 islands, your ship charts a course for Adele Island, an important location for breeding seabirds including the lesser frigatebird and the brown booby. Led by your Expedition Team Leader, you'll board a Zodiac and skim across the turquoise waters of Adele Reef to your island destination. The reef is bursting with coral and marine life, such as reef sharks and stingrays.

Later, back aboard, cocoon yourself in your ship's refined setting and watch the amber glow of a Kimberley sunset before dinner this evening. (B/L/D)

Explore Talbot Bay Cyclone Creek. Accompanied by your Expedition Team Leader, you'll weave nimbly past the dramatic folds of rock formations, keeping a look out for local wildlife. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Today your ship cruises through to Talbot Bay, known for its massive 12-metre tides that create the unique Horizontal Falls. Subject to tidal conditions, board a zodiac with your Expedition Team to view this natural phenomenon.

Step onto dry land at Raft Point to visit an ancient Wandjina rock art site. The unique figures depicted in these artworks are ritually repainted each year, but scientific estimates date the originals as far back as 5,000 years. You'll be joined by a local Indigenous guide when available. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Depart with your expedition team to discover Montgomery Reef by Zodiac. The reef ‘rises' out of the ocean as the tidal waters cascade rapidly down into the surrounding channels. By Zodiac you'll get up close to see this natural phenomenon for yourself.

You are transported to Prince Frederick Harbour today, which is home to towering red cliffs and tangled mangroves. With its extreme tides and pristine ecosystems, the harbour is rich in wildlife including mudskippers and saltwater crocodiles. Keen birdwatchers should keep a careful eye out for kingfishers, egrets, herons and white-bellied sea eagles.

Stepping out from the sleek comfort of your ship to your trusty Zodiac, it's hard to believe you're at Australia's final frontier, this time to explore the Hunter River and Naturalist Island. As your day of discovery draws to a close, you might choose to set out on a thrilling helicopter flight to see the Mitchell Falls in all its splendour from above (flight at own expense). (B/L/D)

Here, discover paintings that display fascinating examples of first-contact art and Wandjina figures. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Approximately six kilometres from the mainland, Bigge Island is ripe for discovery today. It's well known for its Indigenous rock art, created by the Wunambal people, and you'll explore a network of caves throughout the island.

Explore this maze of islands, inlets and peninsulas, believed to have been named by explorer Lieutenant Phillip Parker King after novelist Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels. Most significant here are extraordinary examples of Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock art, estimated to have been created between 5,000 and 13,000 years ago. They can be seen in caves close to the water's edge, mainly painted on rock overhangs. (B/L/D)

This morning join your Expedition Team on an intriguing discovery. Walk across salt flats to view the wreckage of a US Air Force DC3 which crash-landed near Vansittart Bay during World War II. Later, visit Jar Island and discover the island's outstanding rock art gallery. During your exploration here, you'll see more examples of Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) paintings, dating back more than 20,000 years. (B/L/D)

Wake this morning as your ship cruises into Koolama Bay. Hear how this harbour was renamed following the Japanese bombing of the MV Koolama in 1942. Next, it's onto the King George River. Join your expedition team and jump aboard a Zodiac to meander through the river's gorge system, passing mangrove-fringed coves and sheer red cliffs. (B/L/D)

Signature Experiences:

• Anticipation builds as your Zodiac approaches King George Falls, plunging 80 metres over a towering sandstone cliff. Edge closer to this epic cascade and learn how it turns to a raging torrent during the monsoonal wet season.

Relax and ease into a full day at sea, enjoying the endless horizon. Perhaps take a swim in the onboard pool, pamper yourself in the wellness area, or head below deck to the underwater observation area for a stunning window into marine life below the ocean's surface. (B/L/D)

Arriving into Darwin this morning means it's time to say goodbye to your ship and to be transferred to the airport. (B)