Kangaroo Island Shore Excursion Scenic Trail Tour
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Kangaroo Island, Australia
- 7 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Kangaroo Island lies off the coast of South Australia and is renowned for its natural reserves, coastal scenery, and native wildlife. This shore excursion visits three of the island’s most popular attractions in just one day, with port pickup and drop-off included. Take in the views from Remarkable Rocks, spot New Zealand fur seals at Admirals Arch, and admire sea lions at Seal Bay Conservation Park.
- Incredible views and wildlife sightings around Kangaroo Island
- Family-run tour company offers a more personalized service
- Delicious Aussie-style lunch included for a hassle-free day
- Time-saving pickup and drop-off at Penneshaw Cruise Port
What's Included
- LunchEnjoy a light lunch along the way
- All Fees and Taxes
- Bottled water
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup point
- Cruise Ship Port - Penneshaw
Pickup details
Please note that due to construction at the terminal, the Council has requested that we avoid parking at the ferry terminal. We will be parked on North Terrace, which is straight ahead of the Sealink Terminal. There will be information staff there to help and point you in the right direction. As there is a slight hill, for those that have difficulty walking or anyone else, there will be a shuttle operated by the Kangaroo Island Tourism Body that will be shuttling guests up to our buses from 08:30am onwards. Please try and be on a tender as early as possible as we do have a deadline with departure times as per below: Scenic Tour - 08:30am - 09:00am. (Times may vary depending on time of first and last tenders coming across from Cruise Ship) We do receive notice from the Tourism Board 24 hours prior to the ship arriving, notifying us of the times of the 1st and last tender and we work in with that. We aim to depart 1 hour to 1.5 hours after the 1st tender. If the last tender is 5:00pm then we have you back by 4:30pm. If it's 5:30pm, we aim to be back by 5:00pm but most of the time we are back by 4:30pm. Please also note that if your cruise ship is arriving late and leaving early, we will have to alter the itinerary. If running late, please contact Kylie on 0458 471 419 - Ship doesn’t dock or tender is cancelled: No refund without Trip Protection. Trip Protection available on request For total peace of mind, we recommend adding Trip Protection when you book. Trip Protection includes: Full refund of tour cost (minus admin fee per person) even if your cruise ship skips the port or tenders are cancelled. Valid for any reason — weather, illness, delays, etc. “We missed our Kangaroo Island stop due to weather. Thankfully we added Trip Protection and got almost all our money back – no hassle!” – Susan D., Celebrity Cruise Passenger How to Add It: Contact us after booking. Because you didn’t come all this way to worry about what-if’s — you came to relax, explore, and enjoy. We’ll take care of the rest. Alternatively, TRAVEL INSURANCE - We HIGHLY recommend travel insurance It is the sole responsibilty of each individual to ensure they have travel insurance that covers cancellation fees of tours. If your cruise ship does not dock or tender and notice is given within that 24 hour period, our tours are non-refundable. You will be given a 50% credit to be used towards another tour at a later date and a letter for a travel insurance claim. A lot of expenses are incurred within this period for us and we have to prepay services that are non refundable such as bringing buses over from Adelaide, which is only done for cruise ship tours, catering for lunches, ferry costs, and wages. We understand that when a cruise ship does not dock, it is out of the travellers control, likewise, it is out of our control and we have NOT cancelled the tour and you will be viewed as a NO SHOW. Kangaroo Island Trails is NOT liable for your financial loss if you choose not to have travel insurance or Trip Protection.
Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
1
Seal Bay Conservation Park
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Remarkable Rocks
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Admirals Arch
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
4
Flinders Chase National Park
4 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- At time of booking, Cruise Ship passengers must provide any Dietary Requirements otherwise you will not be provided for
- Please note that Travel Insurance is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as from time to time the captain may cancel the tenders from coming in due to severe weather or other issues. In this event, due to the expenses involved in preparing for the cruise ship tours, we do NOT offer a refund.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.3
based on 118 reviews
Anna_A, Apr 2026
very good one day cruise ship excursion>Covered all the amazing sites and natural beauty of the island in the time we had.
Phip and his wife run a great tour company.
Geoffrey_M, Apr 2026
The itinerary was changed midstream. We did not see the rocks which is why we booked our trip. I have tried to let the provider know but they do not provide a link.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your comments and I am extremely sorry to hear of your disappointment. Please note that 3 buses were all doing this same tour and for some reason, this particular tour guide decided to take it upon himself to change the itinerary. The other 2 buses did the tour as per the itinerary. The tour was suppose to go to Flinders Chase and do Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch as this has been our signature tour for over 10 years for the Shore Excursion Scenic Tour. The tour guide was given instruction by myself that morning in person and the itinerary was reinforced to him as follows:
Seal Bay Conservation Park
Flinders Chase Visitor Centre
Remarkable Rocks
Cape Du Couedic
Admirals Arch
Rainy Creek - Koala Spotting
Pennington Bay
Back to Penneshaw
This is the same itinerary we always do.
Please note, that I am extremely disappointed in this particular tour guide and I do not take this lightly, so please be assured that your complaint has been taken seriously and after careful consideration about this matter, we have decided that this particular tour guide will not be doing these tours again. Its not ok to change the itinerary without seeking permission or discussing this with management.
If you ever do decide to come back to Kangaroo Island, please reach out to us as we would love to offer you a 50% discount to come on a full day tour with us.
Donald_T, Mar 2026
Full day, lots of natural beauty. Courteous and knowledgeable guide. Maybe too much driving from place to place.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much! A pleasure to have you with us for the day.
SharonElizabeth_R, Mar 2026
It was a great day, however our driver had the wrong time for us to be back at port., so we missed one stop.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Sharon, thanks so much for your review. Yes, the cruise liners consistently update us during the day regarding departure times. This is often based on weather, tenders etc, so sometimes our guides have to adapt accordingly.
Peter_L, Jan 2026
Unfortunately Viator regularly does not give an accurate pick up point of their tours. We were getting off the cruise ship tendor and Viator said the bus would be right there. This was not true. The pick up point is about a 15 minute walk always going left till you hit a small beach. The volunteer guides when asked where this company bus was located sent us to the wrong pickup spot. It took us half an hour to find the right pickup spot on our own. Other passengers had the same problem and by the time everyone found the bus we left an hour and a half late! This ment that we had to skip going to the famous national park because we ran out of time. This is not the first time I have had a problem finding the right pick up spot with Viator. I wish they would be more accurate. The staff and tour were otherwise great!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Peter, thanks so much for the positive feedback regarding our staff and tour. It was a pleasure to have you with us. It is disappointing though that the feedback is not reflected in your rating.
Just to clarify with readers of the review as to the pick up point. The tour operator is quite thorough in ensuring clear directions. An email is sent 7 days in advance with pick up instructions. The message is sent through the Viator private message portal with an entire map attached, and forwarded to your direct email. Our apologies if you were not able to navigate the Viator message portal.
Linda_S, May 2025
The driver/guide was enthusiastic about history and wildlife on the island. Since KI is so large, choices had to be made on what to visit within our time limit and he allowed us to guests/passengers to make some of them. There was a lot of driving time getting from one place to another. We were able to see some kangaroos and koalas which were the highlights of the tour.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. We really appreciate you making the choice to travel across the island with us. It is indeed a remote trek, and a worthwhile one!
Kenneth_R, Mar 2025
Please know that if you are on a cruise ship and the weather doesn't permit you to do this tour, this company will not refund your money (canceled 20 hours before tour). Although I should say they pick and choose who they refund as our friends on the cruise got fully refunded with the exact same tour and same ship, same circumstances. After many emails they still refused to refund us! Side note* we booked many tours with them over our 23 day cruise. Very disappointing and it will be our last tour booked with this company!
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Hi Kenneth,
We’re sorry to hear that you’re disappointed with the cancellation policy. However, we’d like to clarify a few points. At no point did refund your friends, we asked you to further clarify who they were by sending us their names, but you have not. We have not refunded anyone on this tour so you are incorrect. We fully understand that cruise ship cancellations are frustrating for all, and we have done our best to assist, including sending credits to everyone including yourselves for 50% of the tour cost and a letter to support your travel insurance claim. Our cancellation policy, which is clearly stated before, during, and after booking, advises guests to obtain travel insurance to cover unforeseen cancellations, including those due to cruise ship schedule changes. When a cruise ship cancels within 24 hours of the tour, we suffer a significant financial loss as we have already prepaid services that have been put in motion, including bringing buses over from the mainland to the island which in itself is a huge expense. As soon as we were notified, our staff went into action to notify everyone on the tour and to provide letters for their travel insurance. Unfortunately, we can’t force people to take travel insurance, but as clearly stated, we do HIGHLY recommend it. While we understand your frustration, we have been transparent with our policies from the outset, and we have done everything we can to assist in this unfortunate situation. It is quite normal within the tourism industry to have a non refundable policy within 24 hours, including accommodation providers, airlines and other tour operators. Our advice to you, is please do your homework in future, read the T&C's and GET travel insurance. If you can't afford travel insurance, then you can't afford to travel. Fortunately, the majority of people on your cruise ship in the same situation have been extremely gracious and understanding. We also realise that people like to double dip, claim on their travel insurance plus try and force travel companies to refund them. Sorry, but that's not on!
Ao_L, Feb 2025
The best tour I’ve ever gone on, I think the guide was Peter and he explained so much abt the island that if you came alone the experience would not be the same. He explained the history down to the beginning, the animals and the invasive animals, and there was so much more that I learnes that I otherwise would not have, like about the lighthouse at the far end of the island and how they built it out of pressure because of the shipwrecks, or the whiskey ships that crashed on the shore. There is just so much information that you would not learn without going on this tour.
it was very thorough and way more worth it than the excursions on the cruise ship which were just like to one place and the excursions on the cruises were very expensive, and my parents who went on it said that the cruise tour was very rushed because the driver was rushing to pick up other tours. For this tour though they just picked up a small group and we had a very thorough experience on the island
We saw kangaroos and echidnas and a lot of the more far areas that the cruise ship excursions didn’t go to. It was very worth it and I highly recommend booking this before it’s booked out
The lunch was also nice and we got to see a lot of seals at admiral’s arch, and of course flinders chase
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you! We really appreciate you taking the time. We love how much you got out of the tour and your time with Pete. It is always a pleasure to introduce our guests to the island and what it has to offer. Such a unique part of Australia and we love that you loved it too!
Denise_G, Feb 2025
If you want to see Australian wildlife out in the wild, this is a fantastic tour. Of course, there were no guarantees since they are wild, roaming free, but our guide Pete did a fantastic job trying to find the animals. He did not disappoint and we got to see everything! Kangaroos, koalas and sea lions. He was very informative and provided a lot of information and history about Kangaroo Island as he drove us around. We really enjoyed the tour and there were only 12 of us in a small bus, which was super nice. As we were all off a cruise ship, he was very aware of the time and made sure he got us back in time to make the ship. I would recommemd this tour to anyone who wants to see wildlife and only has a day to visit this beautiful place.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
This is amazing, thank you so much for taking the time to share this review.
maureenvickers, Feb 2025
Excellent. Tour was adapted to what the group wanted, and to ensure we got back to the ship tender in time..
We saw kangaroos, and koalas, good commentary when we were in the road.. Saw all the sea Lions right down the steps at seal beach.
Guide was Pete and he was great!
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you! We loved having you with us and it's a pleasure to introduce our guests to this unique part of Australia.
Thomas_H, Feb 2025
We were in a full-sized coach. There was no tour guide, just the driver who gave the occasional unintelligible comments through a horrible pa system.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Hi Thomas, we are so sorry that this was your experience. This is a very rare reaction so we apologise for that.
Cindy_S, Feb 2025
Loved this island as it’s a different experience, with the wildlife, the incredible rock formation and the splendour of the island as a whole. Would well recommend a visit, get to see plenty of kangaroos along the way.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you! We agree, it is such a unique experience and it's a pleasure to introduce it to newcomers.
Nicole_W, Dec 2024
Watching the seals frolic in the sea at the Admirals Arch.
Seeing the bush returning to life with greens, reds and lush regrowth after the fires of 2023.
The passion of our tour guide Joel - his knowledge and familiarity with the Island's native flora and fauna.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you so much for sharing this. It was an absolute pleasure having you with us for the day!
Gillian_S, Dec 2024
Joel was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating to our group. He was personable and made the experience so enjoyable.
Lunch was delicious too!
I'll definitely book again if I'm back again!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Amazing! Thank you so much, it means so much to us to know that you had such a great time. And we would have you back again for sure!
AndresRudmik_R, Dec 2024
This was a great experience! One of our best tours. Our guide took us all the way to the other end of the island where we saw seals, interesting rock formations, and a lighthouse. She also took us to 2 spots where the koalas and the kangaroos were in the wild! We got amazing photos at each place.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you so much! We love when our guests get to meet the amazing wildlife.
Richard_S, Dec 2024
Long day of driving to see a few nice, scenic sites. Good driver, very informative. Comfortable small van. Light box lunch provided.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience. So true, its a vast, remote and unique island. Pleasure introducing you to it!
Jeanne_D, Dec 2024
Great day exploring with Joel. He was prompt, polite, and friendly. Just enough commentary while traveling. Lunch was good and correspondence prior to the tour was great, very responsive.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thanks so much! It was great having you with us.
Martha_E, Dec 2024
Fabulous time with an excellent tour guide. We saw it all: Admiral’s Arch, Seal Bay, Remarkable Rocks, koalas and kangaroos! It was a perfect day!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Awesome! Glad you got to see all the great scenic parts on the island. Thanks for touring with us!
Sandra_W, Dec 2024
Seeing 4 koalas in the one tree. Did not think that we should wait nearly an hour in the bus for one straggler. Maybe should consider filling one bus at a time and sending them off especially in the Summer months.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thanks for you reviewing your experience.
Anonymous, Dec 2024
The tour operator was very accommodating.
The information shared was good and the sites were beautiful.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you!
Adam_D, Oct 2024
The Aussie guide was very knowledgeable and funny. It would have been rated 5 stars if we didn't have to cut the day trip short to get back to the cruise ship in time for departure. Would have like to spend more time at the sightseeing locations.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you so much! We hope that our tour experience was top notch and apologise for the cruise ship rescheduling. Unfortunately that is something out of our control and as per disclosures, we promise to have you back in time in order to avoid personal travel disruptions.
Jon_H, Oct 2024
Seeing the splendor of the island, the koalas, the kangaroos, the seals and eucalyptus farm were all terrific.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you!
Streamside2000, Apr 2024
So glad we saw such a unique place like Kangaroo Island! Unfortunately, we had a terrible guide that certainly diminished the experience. This tour company should NOT use Paul as a guide if they want to have satisfied customers. Also, they need to rethink how they do lunch!!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! We would love it if you got in touch with us to explain why you were so dissatisfied at ash@kangarooislandtrails.com.au
This is certainly not feedback we get very often so we would love the opportunity to address it and therefore improve.
George_A, Apr 2024
Everything was amazing .Kylie the organizer and our driver was excellent hung around to get the last 4 people on board rearranged the tour slightly due to time restrictions but we saw very thing we needed. Lunch was very good
Thank you Kylie and Phil the husband who we originally was scheduled to tour with.
Great couple
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thanks so much! It was an absolute pleasure to have you with us.
Peter_O, Feb 2024
Remarkable Rocks and Seal Bay were great.
Tour guide was excellent. Very informative and interesting.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you! Remarkable Rocks and Seal Bay are certainly two very special gems on the island. Thanks for choosing to spend your day with us.
Annadelle_G, Feb 2024
Nikki was the best tour guide! We’ve learned a lot about Kangaroo Island and its inhabitants just listening to Nikki and her love for the place. We visited all the tourist spots that we wanted to see on the island. And that Çhicken pasta salad was the best lunch on a hot day! Will definitely recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you so much! We really appreciate you taking the time to review your experience with us.
Suzanne_E, Feb 2024
Kangaroo Island Trails and Nikki Rodman gave us an absolutely phenomenal day, packing so many experiences and excellent commentary into an 8-hour tour!! Recommend most highly!
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you so much! We are really happy to know that you enjoyed your experience with us. We agree, Nikki is a fantastic guide. We really appreciate you recommending the tour. Thank you!
pesnyder, Jan 2024
Because it wasn't sunny, our driver took us to a road where we saw dozens of animals. Lunch was a bit late, but good. She was great
reneelimenidis, Jan 2024
Very misleading. No mention of losing all money payed if the cruise ship tenders are not running to get you on the island. I would have understood losing 50% but to lose 100% for absolutely no fault of our own. No mention of any of this in the booking process or letting customers know that this tour often doesn’t go ahead because of poor sea conditions to get passengers onto the island.
I would have booked appropriate travel cover if I had known how unlikely the tour was to go ahead. My advice to others would be to book when you arrive and know that you will be able to stand on Kangaroo island or take out appropriate cover to cover yourself for it not going ahead. Tour company is making very good money taking 100 percent from its customers and they don’t have to do a single thing. Extremely disappointing for the money my family has lost at no fault of our own. At least be upfront and provide the information to your customers so they can make more informed choices.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Once again, We are so sorry that your cruise ship didn’t tender. Unfortunately, it affects not just the passengers but the tour businesses also. There are a lot of expenses incurred preparing for a cruise ship tour, for eg bringing buses over from the mainland on the ferry which is a costly exercise, prepaying a number of things including all lunches, wages for staff etc. Many of the tour companies are small family run businesses in an isolated area. For this reason we recommend all travellers have travel insurance for unforeseen events like this. You were offered a letter for your travel insurance claim which is your responsibility to have whether you are booked on tours or not. If a person does NOT have travel insurance, we then offer a $100.00 credit to be used at a later date. We also do make it clear on all booking platforms that tenders not coming across due to severe weather does happen occasionally and we do NOT offer refunds and highly recommend travel insurance. Everyone has free will to book or decide not to. Some people don't read the conditions and skim past that then when this happens, they take it out on the tour operator making all sorts of threats. We're sorry you feel this way but recommend in the future that you read the terms and conditions. If we could take a screenshot and paste it here to show you the recommendation that is definitely there and that you have obviously missed it, we would, so please fellow travellers, read the conditions properly. You also don't lose 100% as we do offer a $100pp credit to be used towards another tour in the future. Also, Kangaroo Island has roughly 40 cruise ships per year that dock, out of that there are usually about 3 that don't tender due to bad weather so that tour does go ahead 95% of the time. It might also be nice for you to have responded to our messages that we sent to you as soon the cruise ship made that decision, as we sent messages along with letters for travel insurance claims and have not heard back from you so if you had contacted us, like every other passenger did, you would've found that we would've sorted something else out for you.
Kind Regards,
The team at Kangaroo Island Trails.
Brad_A, Jan 2024
Tour was cancelled from cruise ship so never got there no compensation as I thought I will give the tour company a better cut than give it to cruise ship so on that book through cruise ship
Couldn't even give a part payment back ordinary greedy company in my view buyer beware
Response from Host, Jan 2024
We are so sorry that your cruise ship didn’t tender. Unfortunately, it affects not just the passengers but the tour businesses also. There are a lot of expenses incurred preparing for a cruise ship tour, for eg bringing buses over from the mainland on the ferry which is a costly exercise, prepaying a number of things including all lunches, wages for staff etc. Many of the tour companies are small family run businesses in an isolated area. For this reason we recommend all travellers have travel insurance for unforeseen events like this. You were offer a letter for your travel insurance claim which you declined. If a person does NOT have travel insurance, we then offer a $100.00 credit to be used at a later date. We also do make it clear on all booking platforms that tenders not coming across due to severe weather does happen occasionally and we do NOT offer refunds and highly recommend travel insurance. Everyone has free will to book or decide not to. Some people don't read the conditions and skim past that then when this happens, they take it out on the tour operator making all sorts of threats. We're sorry you feel this way but recommend in the future that you read the terms and conditions. If you had contacted us civilally, instead of been abusive, you would have been told that because your excess was so high, a 50% refund had been processed.
Kind Regards,
The team at Kangaroo Island Trails.
Likely to Sell Out
From $180.86
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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