Unforgettable Horizontal Falls Tours to Choose From

From the sky or the sea, these Horizontal Falls tours need to be on your bucket list.

There are several ways to explore the mighty Horizontal Falls, but how to pick the best Horizontal Falls tours? The good news is, there’s something for everyone depending on budget, time to spare and preferred way to travel. Here, we discuss all your options.

Kimberley Day Cruise — See Horizontal Falls fall from the air, or from water level.

Horizontal Falls Scenic Flight tours

To really understand the majesty and soak in the colours of The Kimberleys, your best option is by air. While all boat tours will also include a seaplane ride into the area, many Horizontal Falls tours will pick you up from Broome or Derby, soar you over and around the falls and back again. Expect incredible views, and incredible ease (you don’t even need to get out of the plane).

1. Broome Aviation

As the longest-standing aviation company in Broome (operating since 1982), Broom Aviation has its Horizontal Falls tours down pat. They currently offer six different day tours out of Broome, starting from $750 for an adult, all flying you over the top of the falls in a small plane.

The main benefit of choosing one of these tours is that you’ll get to see a lot of other nearby highlights on the same flight: Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, Mitchell Falls, Windjana Gorge, the Bungle Bungles and more all make appearances on different itineraries. Some places even included a short time on the ground to explore further.

Broome Aviation horizontal falls tours — Get a bird’s-eye view with Broome Aviation.

2. Fly Broome

This family-owned scenic and charter flight company is also based out of Broome and offers a half or full-day Fly The Falls tour , starting at $745 for adults. The half-day tour will fly over the top, but the full-day tour also includes a Cygnet Bay Sea Safari. You’ll also enjoy a Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm tour and view Cape Leveque, Beagle Bay, the Lacepede Islands, James Price Point and more from above.

Horizontal Falls tours — Enjoy the view from the best seat in the house.

3. Air Kimberley

Choose from seven different scenic flights that take you over the majestic falls with Air Kimberley . With prices starting from $730 per adult, different options will also see you flying over Willie Creek Pearl Farm, stopping in at the Ardyaloon Trochus Hatchery and Aquaculture Centre, enjoying a bottle of sparkling as the sun goes down or even driving along one of the most remote Kimberley tracks through ancient Livistona Palm forest in an airconditioned 4WD.

Air Kimberley Horizontal Falls tours — View the falls then stop in scenic surrounds to enjoy a bottle of sparkling and nibbles.

4. Frontier Tours

Flying might be the best way to see the falls, but flying over this natural wonder in a helicopter is the pinnacle. It might be louder, but your view will be far less restricted. Frontier Tours offers six tours from around two to about eight hours, including a flight over Horizontal Falls, as part of the itinerary. The Horizontal Falls Discoverer departs from either Broome ($2,639pp) or Derby ($1,799pp) and Montgomery Reef & Horizontal Falls Discoverer from Broome ($3,089pp) or Derby ($2,249pp) both include landing in Talbot Bay and taking a boat tour through the falls, as well as lunch.

KAS Helicopters, Broome, Horizontal Falls tours — Flying over this natural wonder in a helicopter is unmissable. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Horizontal Falls boat tours

While the view may be more encompassing from above, to truly understand the might of the currents that make Horizontal Falls what it is, getting on the water is the best way to go.

1. Kimberley Day Cruise

While most Horizontal Falls tours will at least involve a flight of some kind, Kimberley Day Cruise offers something slightly different. Its full-day tour, departing Broome (for a 12-hour day) and Cygnet Bay (for an eight-hour day), will take you on an expedition vessel through the Kimberley region towards Talbot Bay, and right up to the falls. You won’t get to zoom through them as you can on jetboat activities offered by some other tour providers, but you can enjoy the natural beauty of these vibrant blue waterways. Starting at $1,075, the tour includes a four-course breakfast and a seven-course degustation lunch.

Kimberley Day Cruise dining — Dine on a four-course breakfast and a seven-course degustation lunch.

2. Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures

Get the best of both worlds when you take a half-day tour (starting from around $895 per person) with the region’s longest-running Horizontal Falls tour operators. Flying out of Broome, Derby or Cygnet Bay, catch a seaplane into Talbot Bay and relax on their main pontoon before jumping in a jetboat and zooming through the rushing tides of the falls themselves. The tour also includes a cruise through the wider area, a gourmet lunch of locally sourced Barramundi, a swim with sharks from the marine viewing platform and coach transfers to and from your original accommodation.

seaplane and jetboat with Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures — Get the best of both worlds on a half-day tour with Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures.

Horizontal Falls overnight tours

The only tour provider offering overnight stays is Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures. They have two options, depending on your budget. The first includes a stay in an air-conditioned cabin on board the houseboat (also in Talbot Bay). On top of the day trip offerings, you’ll get extra speedboat rides through the falls at different times of day, a helicopter ride, sunset appetisers and (BYO) drinks, dinner and breakfast. Prices start from $1215 per person.

The second is a luxury option aboard the newly refurbished Jetwave Pearl in the secluded nearby Cyclone Creek. To get the full guide on what to expect, read our tour review here.

cheese plate on Jetwave Pearl, Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures — Stay overnight with Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures.

For more insider tips and unforgettable experiences, read our guide to the Kimberley.

Discover the perfect road trip stopover between Perth and wine country.

Western Australia punches above its weight when it comes to coastal hot spots, but no other town or city has seen a tourism boom quite like Mandurah. Named Australia’s Top Tourism Town in 2023 , it’s the relaxed, beachside break you’ve been searching for. And it’s perfectly placed, sitting between Margaret River and Perth, as it’s just a 55-minute drive from Perth’s CBD. Which is why we’ve put together your ultimate Mandurah guide.

Aerial view of Mandurah. — Plan your perfect coastal escape to Australia’s Top Tourism Town of 2023.

The best things to do in Mandurah

Wetlands and rivers, ocean and inlet; Mandurah’s laid-back lifestyle centres around the aquatic. Its waterways cover twice the ground of Sydney Harbour – measuring some 134 square kilometres in total – and form a unique environment for oceanic and estuarine flora and fauna to thrive.

In the city’s estuary lives perhaps the region’s most famed inhabitants – a resident pod of 100 bottlenose dolphins – and the inlet’s silty bottom is home to the prized blue manna crab. Spot the former breaching and playing on an hour-long dolphin cruise through the channels, or try your hand at catching the latter by wading through the estuary’s shallows with a scoop net in hand.

While swimming at the circular Kwillena Gabi Pool, chance encounters with the local wildlife aren’t uncommon. The sheltered estuarine pool takes its name from the traditional custodians of the land, the Bindjareb people, and directly translates to ‘dolphin waters’. Jutting out of the eastern foreshore, it’s enclosed by a ring of net-free floating pontoons, which allow the dolphins to swim freely through the attraction.

If that’s a little too close for comfort, book a kayak tour with Down Under Discoveries . The dolphins have been known to cruise beside the paddle-powered crafts, which are a fun, family-friendly way to explore the city’s inner waterways.

Dolphins swimming in Mandurah. — Watch dolphins glide by as you explore Mandurah.

You don’t have to be on the water to appreciate the coastal city’s aquatic beauty, with 600 kilometres of cycleways and scenic walking trails traversing Mandurah’s estuary, inlet and coast.

Follow the 30-kilometre coastal trail and you’ll come face to face with one of Thomas Dambo’s headline-making ‘Giants of Mandurah sculptures, Santi Ikto, along the way. There are five sculptures around Mandurah in total, hidden among gum-filled reserves or sitting sentry over the water.

Head to the Mandurah Visitor Centre to pick up a map to pinpoint their exact location and download the traveller’s companion to learn more about the sights along the way. Or join a three-hour e-bike tour from The Bike Kiosk and you’ll stop by two of the giants – Santi Ikto and Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone – as you sightsee central Mandurah.

The towering Santi Ikto, one of Thomas Dambo’s iconic Giants of Mandurah. — Meet Santi Ikto, one of the legendary Giants of Mandurah.

Where to eat in Mandurah

Mandurah’s culinary scene reflects its laid-back lifestyle, with large, honest meals and locally brewed beer. After visiting Lake Clifton’s 2000-year-old thrombolites, head to the peppermint and gum-shaded beer garden at Thorny Devil Brewery . Tuck into a platter of house-smoked meats and an ale pulled fresh from the tanks. Closer to town and right on the waterfront is Boundary Island Brewery ; here, woodfired pizza, pub-style seafood dishes and easy-drinking brews are centre stage.

On a Murray River Lunch Cruise , the focus is as much on the environment around you as the food you’re filling up on. Help yourself to the colourful salads and freshly cooked meats on the buffet as you meander up the winding, jarrah tree-lined waterway, stopping at the heritage Cooper’s Mill for a quick walking tour along the way.

Keep your eyes trained on the Creery Wetlands as you pass – you’ll spot much of the region’s migratory birdlife, and, as always, might see the playful bottlenose dolphins in the inlet.

The most memorable meals aren’t necessarily always the fanciest, and lunch aboard a self-skippered Mandurah BBQ Boat is a testament to that. All food and beverage prep is left up to you as you cruise through the canals, sausages and steaks sizzling away on the central hot plate.

If seafood is more your kind of fare, board the Wild Seafood Experience , where dolphin cruise meets long table lunch. Eight courses of crab, crayfish and scallops await.

A table filled with plates of crab, crayfish, and scallops. — Dine on the water with eight courses of ocean-fresh fare.

Where to stay in Mandurah

With so many waterways comes abundant waterside stays. Like the self-contained Seashells Mandurah on the shores of Comet Bay. The calm, oceanic outlook from the one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and villas is as close to Maldivian as Mandurah gets. Families especially enjoy the property, bouncing between the protected cove and the beachfront pool for endless hours of fun.

The Sebel Mandurah , just a hop, skip and jump from the Mandurah Ocean Marina, has a different outlook entirely, overlooking the estuary and lively foreshore on the other side. It’s also within walking distance of the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre , cinema and a swathe of waterfront bars and eateries.

But you can’t get any closer to the water than on a vessel from Mandurah Houseboats . You don’t need a skipper’s ticket to hire one, nor do you need comprehensive boating experience; just a full driver’s license and your undivided attention during the pre-departure tuition will do. Then you’re free to take to the estuaries and tributaries for a few nights of peaceful rest, surrounded by the very element that makes Mandurah so special.

A houseboat cruising in Mandurah along the river — Captain a houseboat to explore Mandurah at your own pace.

Plan your next WA getaway in Mandurah.

Unforgettable Horizontal Falls tours to choose from