The Wild Encounters of South Australia

Arrive in Adelaide, where fast-track assistance through immigration and customs leads into a private transfer to Sequoia Lodge in the Adelaide Hills. Overlooking the beautiful Piccadilly Valley, this intimate retreat provides a serene introduction to South Australia. Spend the remainder of the day at your own pace, perhaps soaking in the Artesian Hot Pools, joining a guided wildlife walk in search of kangaroos, koalas and wallabies, or ending the evening beneath the Southern Hemisphere stars.

Fly by private charter to Kangaroo Island and immediately begin exploring with your private guide. Search for koalas and abundant birdlife in the Cygnet Valley before continuing towards the white sands of Stokes Bay, keeping watch for kangaroos, tammar wallabies and echidnas. At Seal Bay, go beyond the conventional visitor experience with specialist access focused on endangered Australian sea lions, including insight into non-invasive monitoring and conservation work. Afterwards, settle into Southern Ocean Lodge for a three-night stay overlooking the island’s spectacular coastline.

Discover Kangaroo Island through Southern Ocean Lodge’s collection of guided experiences. Walk the dramatic clifftops around Hanson Bay, seek out koalas and kangaroos at Hanson Bay Sanctuary, or venture underground among the limestone formations of Kelly Hill Caves. The day can be personalised further with private hikes, nocturnal wildlife encounters, visits to local producers, art experiences or guided encounters with birds of prey. Alternatively, embrace a slower rhythm with self-guided trails, time beside the lodge pool or a restorative spa treatment.

Journey into the island’s rugged west, exploring Flinders Chase National Park with your private guide. Heathland, woodland and dramatic coastline create rich habitats for kangaroos, wallabies and native birdlife, but today’s experience goes deeper than wildlife viewing alone. Join ecologist Heidi Groffen from Land for Wildlife for privileged access to an active research site, learning how habitats are recovering after bushfires and how endangered species such as the Kangaroo Island dunnart and southern brown bandicoot are monitored. Examine trail-camera imagery and gain first-hand insight into the island’s continuing conservation work.

Depart Kangaroo Island by private charter for Port Lincoln, gateway to the marine wilderness of the Eyre Peninsula. Meet your private guide and begin a full-day exploration of Coffin Bay, taking in expansive views across Boston Bay and Lincoln National Park before heading deeper into the coastal landscape. Visit a working oyster farm to collect freshly harvested oysters directly from the water, then continue into Coffin Bay National Park for a hands-on shucking experience paired with a curated gin tasting. Finish at South Point Beach House, your private beachfront retreat for three nights.

Travel to Baird Bay for an exceptional marine encounter, entering the water to swim alongside wild Australian sea lions and bottlenose dolphins in their natural environment. The curious sea lions of Jones Island are renowned for their playful underwater behaviour, while resident dolphins add another dimension to the experience. Back on land, turn your attention to the dramatic Great Australian Bight coastline, exploring the ancient limestone formations and sweeping clifftop viewpoints of Talia Caves and Cummings Monument before returning to your private beach house.

Spend your final full day around Port Lincoln exploring the wilderness of Lincoln National Park. Travel by 4WD across towering sand dunes and rugged coastal terrain, watching for emus, offshore ospreys and the elusive Rosenberg’s goanna before pausing for an Australian-style picnic overlooking the water. Later, walk beneath ancient eucalyptus trees in search of wild koalas within a restored homestead environment also supporting more than 160 native bird species. Return to South Point Beach House for a special chef-prepared dinner celebrating your time on the Eyre Peninsula.

Board a private charter flight from Port Lincoln into the ancient landscapes of the Flinders Ranges. Your destination is Arkaba, a 60,000-acre private wildlife conservancy dedicated to restoring and protecting this remarkable outback ecosystem. Settle into the historic homestead and spend the afternoon absorbing the immense scale and stillness of the surrounding ranges. As evening approaches, gather around the homestead table for dinner, marking a dramatic transition from the marine wilderness of the Eyre Peninsula to the rugged interior of South Australia.

Explore Arkaba’s vast conservancy with specialist guides, travelling by open-top 4WD across ridgelines, rocky ranges and creek beds in search of kangaroos, emus, wallaroos and abundant birdlife. Look towards the Elder Range for yellow-footed rock wallabies and spend time quietly observing wildlife from the seasonal hide. Guided walks provide deeper insight into the region’s geology, pastoral heritage and ambitious conservation programme, while an optional helicopter flight offers a spectacular aerial perspective over the natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound.

Enjoy a final morning surrounded by the rugged beauty of the Flinders Ranges before departing Arkaba. Fly by private charter back to Adelaide, where the journey concludes. Over ten days, the route has connected four distinct South Australian environments — the Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, the marine-rich Eyre Peninsula and the ancient Flinders Ranges — with wildlife encounters complemented by specialist guides, active conservation projects and some of the state’s most exclusive wilderness retreats.