As this is a private tour, there are alternate activities which can be substituted, and we recommend setting up the priority activities in advance to ensure availability.
Day 1
Visit the Eucalyptus forest of the Cygnet Valley and learn about the ground-breaking habitat restoration programme at Cygnet Park which has turned former farming pastures back into diverse bushland.
Meet with Dr Peggy Rismiller who is the world expert on short-beaked echidnas – one of the world’s three egg-laying mammals. Over lunch, Peggy will share the results of 30 years investigating the lives of echidnas, goannas, tiger snakes and the broader ecology of Kangaroo Island.
After lunch, take a trip on the ocean with the team from Kangaroo Island Marine Adventures who assist in the citizen science conservation program ‘dolphin watch’ programme and learn about the visual recognition system used to track dolphin movement between pods.
Depending on weather conditions and the activities of any dolphins we encounter, this experience can include a snorkel with bottle-nosed dolphins in the open ocean.
Day 2
Start the day by learning about the endemic Kangaroo Island glossy black-cockatoo and the work being done to bring this large and atypically quiet cockatoo back from around 120 individuals in 1995 to some 380 in 2018.
Take a walk through the feeding habitat of these cockatoos which is also home to tammar wallabies, Kangaroo Island kangaroos, Rosenberg’s goanna, short-beaked echidna and many bird species.
Visit Stokes Bay and do a scan for shorebirds as well as explore koala habitat nearby.
Break for lunch before travelling to Seal Bay Conservation Park and take a private tour of the Australian Sea-lion colony – one of the world’s rarest sea-lions. Here you have the chance to learn about the life of the sea-lions – the threats to their survival, their feeding excursions, and unique breeding biology. You will also learn about the management actions which are in place to try to protect this iconic species.*
*At the time of writing (2 October 2026), access to the beach at Seal Bay has been temporarily paused to help protect the sea-lion colony and other wildlife from the spread of H5 bird flu. All visits are currently from the boardwalk and viewing platforms. We will restore beach access to this itinerary as soon as the precaution is lifted.
Until this changes, the experience will be as follows:
At Seal Bay Conservation Park, follow the boardwalk through the dunes to viewing platforms overlooking one of Australia’s most important Australian sea-lion breeding colonies. From this elevated vantage point, watch the colony go about its day undisturbed – pups nursing or playing in the shallows, females returning from days at sea, and old bulls bearing the scars of territorial disputes – while your guide explains their unique breeding biology and the work underway to protect them.
Day 3
Begin the day in the island’s north-west in an important private wildlife refuge with Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife. Here, gain an insight into (and take part in) the fantastic conservation work being done by Pat, Heidi and their team to assist some of the lesser-known (and often nocturnal) native animals.
Lunch is a picnic enjoyed in the bush and consists of marinated poached chicken, fresh salads, cheeses and fantastic South Australian wine, beer, soft drinks and spring water.
After lunch, travel into Flinders Chase National Park and explore the massive natural sculptures of Remarkable Rocks whose abstract forms look like a meeting of the minds of Henry Moore and Salvador Dali. Perched on the cliffs with panoramic views, this offers great photo opportunities.
A short drive away, a boardwalk leads to Admirals Arch – a coastal grotto which is home to a large colony of long-nosed fur-seals who swim effortlessly through the crashing waves. Look for seals swimming in rock-pools and resting on smooth rock ledges.
At the days end, spend some time gaining an understanding of the earliest human occupation of the Island. Discuss what our Indigenous Australians survived or even thrived on across the Island – a selection of items foraged, hunted and fished from the local environment.
