Kangaroo Island Itinerary: Discover the Galapagos of Australia

Australia’s biodiversity takes centre stage in the wild, untamed wilderness of Kangaroo Island.

It’s hard to stick to a strict Kangaroo Island itinerary, given the immense natural beauty that fills every inch of the South Australian island. 

This here is a land full of distractions. Not the modern kind that sucks souls into the digital abyss, but the type that pulls you out into the world and unlocks a key part of Australia’s supreme natural beauty. This is where Mother Nature cradles Australia’s precious wildlife and paints its wildest scenes. 

Matthew Flinders was a literal man. When the British explorer led his crew onto the South Australian island in 1802, he was met with an overabundance of kangaroos skipping in every direction. Hence, the name: Kangaroo Island. But the pragmatic title doesn’t quite capture the depth and breadth of Australia’s flora and fauna, making this popular tourist destination a perfect showcase of the country’s supreme physical world.  

Whether you’re a card-carrying nature lover, want to see as much Australian wildlife in one place as possible, or just want to get away from the city, here’s how to build a Kangaroo Island itinerary that makes the most of your time visiting Australia’s answer to the Galápagos Islands.

A lot of what you’ll want to see on the island is found in and around the cosy township of Penneshaw, located on the northeast coast of the approachable Dudley Peninsula. If you’re arriving by ferry, this will be your first stop on Kangaroo Island so you’ll be able to drop your bags off and set up a homebase straight away at Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge. 

There are only 38 rooms at this breezy waterfront hotel, which has been shaped towards Kangaroo Island’s bucolic lifestyle. Guest rooms have large windows and balconies, pulling in plenty of natural light while looking over the calm waters of American River Bay.

Just lying on that comfortable king bed and gazing at the natural surroundings is enough to prepare your mind for a non-stop flurry of things to do on Kangaroo Island.

Spacious, family-friendly rooms are just half of the equation here. An award-winning restaurant, Reflections, lets you taste what life is like on the island while birdlife and animals stalk around the property.

Tear through local lamb shoulder with a side of potatoes and pick through the lovely list of South Australian wines, including drops from some of Kangaroo Island’s best wineries like Bay of Shoals, Dudley Wines and False Cape Vineyards.

Yes, there are many humans on Kangaroo Island, but free-wheeling fur friends, birdlife and marine babies own this island. 

Kangaroo Island is like a walking safari; the Kruger National Park of Australia. And while you won’t find any of Africa’s mighty Big Five, you will get the widest scope of Australian wildlife in the entire country.

Get a fix on New Zealand fur seals as they seek safety on the rocky shoreline of Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase National Park, stick to the western coast to catch a rare glimpse of sooty grey Kangaroo Island dunnarts, and head to Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to find cute quill-covered, short-beaked echidnas. 

There’s more. A lot more. Kangaroo Island kangaroos bounce around popular spots like Black Swamp, Prospect Hill and Baudin Beach, little southern brown bandicoots can be spotted scurrying around open forests and woodlands, see the only wild population of platypus in South Australia around the waterholes of the Rocky River, and go dolphin and whale watching at spots like Hog Bay and Cape Borda Lightstation.

Head to the Penneshaw Penguin Centre, a 30-minute drive from your accommodation, to see colonies of Little Penguins. The smallest penguins in the world can be found at this modest sanctuary where starry night walks will have you searching for these little fairy penguin chicks with a knowledgeable tour guide.

There are around 15 breeding pairs of the tiny flightless babies waddling around, so while sightings are at the whim of nature, you’ve got a great chance at spotting the cutest things you will see in your life. Enjoy the life-affirming dopamine rush!

A self-guided safari around Kangaroo Island may be the best experience if you’ve got an extended stay on the island. But if you’ve only got a limited time to play around with, maximise your stay with visits to three of Kangaroo Island’s most popular wildlife parks. 

The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in Duncan hosts over 600 animals spanning more than 150 species of native Australian wildlife. Between all the feeding sessions and close-up encounters, you’ve got some of the best scenery on an island renowned around the world for its beauty.

You could travel the entire country just by traversing the park on a private tour, which unsurprisingly offers the best experience getting you up close to the furry little koalas Kangaroo Island locals care for daily, as well as kangaroos, echidnas, birdlife, goannas, possums and even quokkas (yes, you don’t even have to fly all the way to Rottnest Island for a requisite quokka selfie).

After the horrific bushfires of January 2020, the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park opened the Kangaroo Island Koala and Wildlife Rescue Centre. You can learn more about the devastation, care and rehabilitation of Kangaroo Island’s animals by asking staff about the centre. 

You’ll need to ring around to the western side of Kangaroo Island for the enormous Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, which carves out no less than 5000 acres of Australia’s Galapagos.

The lack of roads and predators means wildlife roam freely and thrive amongst seas of Tasmanian blue gum trees and native flora. Conservation is a religion here, and efforts have been so successful that this is one of the very few places in the country where you can witness a completely disease-free Koala colony clawing their way around with a perfect bill of health. 

Raptor Domain may sound terrifying (thanks, Spielberg), but the under-the-radar sanctuary offers a different kind of wildlife experience on Kangaroo Island. Instead of watching creatures crawl across the ground, your eyes are taken to the sky with beautiful birds of prey that have found a home here through the park's rescue, rehabilitation and research program.

Here is where you’ll find the Southern Hemisphere’s only free-flight Birds of Prey presentation, getting you up close and personal with impressive wedge-tailed eagles, nimble black kites, squeaky kookaburras and more.

• Penneshaw is also a great base for guests who want to fit some beach time into their stay. Island Beach is one of Kangaroo Island’s greatest sights, with seal pups often waddling on shore and cheeky bottlenose dolphins occasionally popping up to welcome you. 
• An entire list of Kangaroo Island animals would have you scrolling for hours. If you want to do a self-guided safari around the island then talk to staff at Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge when you arrive. They’ll be more than happy to give you a list of all the critters, birdlife and marine life you’ll see during your stay.
• Visiting all the wildlife centres is best done by building a road trip into your Kangaroo Island itinerary, passing by some of the island’s other hotspots like Emu Bay up north and Cape Gantheaume on the south coast.