# Best Things to Do in The Kimberley WA | Top Attractions & Experiences Canonical: https://bookfromowner.com.au/guides/wa/north-west/the-kimberley/best-things-to-do/ Type: ActivityGuide Location: The Kimberley, Australia's North West, Western Australia Last updated: 2026-06-01 > The best things to do in The Kimberley, Western Australia — the Bungle Bungles at Purnululu, driving the Gibb River Road, Horizontal Falls, Mitchell Falls, a Lake Argyle cruise, El Questro and Zebedee Springs, Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, Cape Leveque, the rock art and the Ord River. What each involves, who it suits, and how to do it. ## Quick Answer - Best for: Adventurous travellers ranking a Kimberley trip - Price range: Many free; flights & cruises premium - Vibe: Iconic wilderness, earned by distance - Distance: Spread across the region ## Featured Properties - The Kimberley Grande Resort: 4/5 (399 reviews) Book direct: https://kimberleygrande.com.au/ The Kimberley Grande Resort — The Kimberley - Best Western Cambridge Hotel Kununurra: 4.4/5 (40 reviews) Book direct: https://www.bestwesternkununurra.com.au/ Best Western Cambridge Hotel Kununurra — The Kimberley - Hotel Kununurra: 3.9/5 (561 reviews) Book direct: http://www.hotelkununurra.com.au/ Hotel Kununurra — The Kimberley ## FAQ Q: What is the number one thing to do in the Kimberley? A: For most first-time visitors, the Bungle Bungle Range in World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park is the standout — the orange-and-grey striped sandstone domes are unlike anything else on Earth, and Cathedral Gorge’s natural red-rock amphitheatre is a genuine highlight. If you can’t drive the rough 53-kilometre Spring Creek Track in, a scenic flight from Kununurra or Halls Creek delivers the domes from the air, which is arguably the best view of all. Horizontal Falls, the Gibb River Road gorges and a Lake Argyle cruise round out the must-do list. Q: How many days do you need in the Kimberley? A: A fair share of the region’s highlights needs at least one to two weeks, and travellers driving the full Gibb River Road typically allow two to three. The distances are enormous and the best experiences are spread across an area bigger than many countries, so a short trip means choosing one end — either the Broome/Derby west (Horizontal Falls, Cape Leveque, Windjana) or the Kununurra east (Bungle Bungles, Lake Argyle, El Questro). Trying to do everything in under a week means spending the holiday driving. Q: Can you do the Kimberley without a 4WD? A: You can see many of the highlights without driving the gravel yourself — but not by 2WD road access alone. The towns (Broome, Derby, Kununurra) are reachable on the sealed highway, and from them you can take scenic flights over the Bungle Bungles and Horizontal Falls, cruise Lake Argyle (sealed-road access), and join guided 4WD tours into the gorges and Purnululu. For the Gibb River Road, the Mitchell Plateau and the Spring Creek Track into the Bungles, you need a high-clearance 4WD or a tour. Q: Is the Kimberley good for families? A: It can be, with planning. Scenic flights over the Bungle Bungles, a Lake Argyle cruise, the easier gorge walks at El Questro, Windjana and Tunnel Creek, and cultural tours on the Dampier Peninsula all suit families. The challenges are the long drives, the heat, the remoteness and the constant water-safety vigilance around crocodiles. Many families do the icons by scenic flight and short walks rather than the full Gibb, base in Kununurra or Broome, build in rest days, and check minimum ages and walk difficulty before booking. Q: When can you do these things — what about the Wet season? A: Almost all of the overland experiences run only in the Dry season (roughly May to October), when the roads are open and the weather is comfortable; May to August has the fullest waterfalls. In the Wet (November to April), the Gibb River Road and the Purnululu access flood and close, and most inland attractions are unreachable — though scenic flights still operate and the waterfalls are at their most powerful for those who fly in to see the green, flooded landscape from the air. Q: Is it safe to swim in the Kimberley with all the crocodiles? A: Saltwater crocodiles inhabit most Kimberley rivers, estuaries and the coast and are genuinely dangerous, so swimming is only ever done where it is signed and locally confirmed safe. Many inland gorge waterholes (like Bell and Manning) are managed freshwater swims and also home to generally timid freshwater crocodiles, and the open water of Lake Argyle is managed for cruise swims. The rule is absolute: only swim where the signage and local advice say it’s safe, never assume a waterhole is croc-free, and follow Be Crocwise guidance. ## At a Glance - Best season: The Dry (May–Oct) — May to August for the fullest waterfalls and milder heat - Getting around: High-clearance 4WD for the interior; scenic flights and cruises for the coast and the Bungles - Headline icons: Bungle Bungles, the Gibb River Road, Horizontal Falls, Mitchell Falls, Lake Argyle - Main bases: Broome, Derby, Kununurra and Wyndham — long distances between them - Recommended trip length: One to three weeks for a fair share of the region’s highlights - Water safety: Saltwater crocodiles in most waterways — only swim where signed and locally confirmed safe ## Featured - 1. The Bungle Bungles & Cathedral Gorge, Purnululu — The signature Kimberley experience - Why people love it: Nothing else in Australia looks like the striped domes, and standing in Cathedral Gorge's red amphitheatre is the moment most travellers say defined their whole Kimberley trip. - Don't miss: Cathedral Gorge’s amphitheatre on foot, and the striped domes from a dawn or dusk scenic flight. - Good to know: Don't attempt the Spring Creek Track in a 2WD or most hire cars — it's high-clearance 4WD only and takes hours. If you can't drive it, fly; and avoid the Wet season entirely, when the park is closed. - 2. Drive the Gibb River Road — The classic Kimberley road trip - Why people love it: It's the drive that turns the Kimberley from a place you visit into a journey you remember — every gorge swim earned by the dusty kilometres between them. - Don't miss: Stringing the gorge swims together over a week or more — Windjana and Tunnel Creek to Bell and Manning. - Good to know: Not a soft-road drive — corrugations and crossings will punish the wrong vehicle. Don't attempt it without a high-clearance 4WD, two spares, recovery gear and the skills to change a tyre. Check it's open first. - 3. Horizontal Falls, Talbot Bay — A tidal phenomenon by air and sea - Why people love it: Seeing the tide pour sideways through the cliffs from a low-banking seaplane is the most jaw-dropping few minutes of aerial scenery in the Kimberley. - Don't miss: The seaplane flight over Talbot Bay and the Buccaneer Archipelago, with the falls churning below. - Good to know: Boat trips through the gaps are being phased out (most operators by end of 2026) at the Traditional Owners' request — don't bank a trip on running the falls. It's a premium-priced day, and seaplanes are weather-dependent. - 4. Mitchell Falls (Punamii-Uunpuu) — The Kimberley’s most remote walk-in falls - Why people love it: It's the wildest, most remote of the great Kimberley falls — the four emerald tiers feel genuinely hard-won, whether you walk in or fly. - Don't miss: The four-tiered falls from the lookout, ideally with a one-way helicopter flight for the aerial view. - Good to know: The drive in is serious, remote 4WD country — don't underestimate fuel, water and distance. The walk is long and hot with little shade; skip it in the late-Dry heat, and respect that this is a sacred site. - 5. Lake Argyle Cruise — Sunset on an inland sea - Why people love it: It's the easiest big-payoff experience in the Kimberley — a sealed-road drive, a sunset over an inland sea, and a swim off the boat with the ranges glowing red. - Don't miss: A sunset cruise with a swim off the boat as the ranges turn red over the water. - Good to know: Only swim exactly where the crew direct you — the open lake is managed for swimming, the shallows and inlets are not. Book ahead in peak Dry, and bring serious sun cover for the exposed boat. - 6. El Questro & Zebedee Springs — A wilderness park for every traveller - Why people love it: It's the one place on the Gibb where every kind of traveller is catered for — a soak in the palm-shaded thermal springs after days of dust is the universal highlight. - Don't miss: A morning soak in the palm-shaded Zebedee thermal springs, then the swim at Emma Gorge. - Good to know: Zebedee Springs is mornings-only and gets busy — go early. It's more managed and crowded than the wild gorges; if you want solitude, this isn't where you'll find it. A park pass is required. - 7. Windjana Gorge & Tunnel Creek — Ancient reef and an underground walk - Why people love it: Watching wild freshwater crocodiles from the gorge floor at Windjana and then wading a torch-lit cave at Tunnel Creek is the Kimberley's best one-two of geology and wildlife. - Don't miss: Wild freshwater crocodiles along the Windjana gorge floor, then the torch-lit wade through Tunnel Creek. - Good to know: Don't approach the crocodiles at Windjana — keep your distance and stay on the path. At Tunnel Creek, never enter if the water is high, bring a reliable torch and expect to get wet to the waist. - 8. Cape Leveque & the Dampier Peninsula — Red cliffs, white sand and community stays - Why people love it: It pairs the Kimberley's most striking red-and-white coastline with genuine, community-led cultural experiences you can't get anywhere else. - Don't miss: A community-led cultural tour, and the red-cliff-and-white-sand view at Cape Leveque. - Good to know: Some communities need permits or advance bookings and access changes — don't just turn up. Side tracks off the sealed road can be soft sand; check conditions, and respect that these are people's homes and Country. - 9. Wandjina & Gwion Rock Art — Some of the oldest art on Earth - Why people love it: Standing in front of figures painted tens of thousands of years ago, explained by the people whose ancestors made them, is the experience travellers say changed how they saw the whole region. - Don't miss: A Traditional Owner-led tour to a Gwion or Wandjina site, with the story told on Country. - Good to know: Never touch the art or visit restricted sites without permission. Don't go chasing remote sites unguided — go with a Traditional Owner or licensed cultural operator who has the permissions and the knowledge. - 10. The Ord River & Kununurra — Boab country and a paddle on the Ord - Why people love it: It's the green, easygoing heart of the east Kimberley — a cool paddle or cruise on the Ord between red cliffs and boabs, with the big-ticket flights and Lake Argyle on the doorstep. - Don't miss: A guided cruise or paddle on the Ord between Lake Argyle and Kununurra, with Mirima NP in town. - Good to know: Only paddle the managed Ord sections and take local advice on crocodiles. Never drive a flooded Ivanhoe Crossing, and don't treat the lower, tidal river as safe water. ## What travellers say - [positive] Choose, don’t cram: The happiest travellers picked three or four experiences and did them properly; those who tried to tick everything off spent the trip driving and rated it lower for it. - [positive] The icons earn their reputation: The Bungles, Horizontal Falls and a gorge swim come up again and again as the experiences that exceeded expectations rather than fell short of the photos. - [mixed] Distances and access bite: The single most common frustration is underestimating how far apart and how hard to reach the highlights are — the travellers who researched access and seasons in advance avoided the disappointments. - [positive] What a recent visitor said: - [positive] What a recent visitor said: - [positive] What a recent visitor said: