Where to play and stay at Ningaloo Reef

Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef is a fantastic holiday destination for families. Ningaloo has more than 500 tropical fish species inhabiting the 300-kilometre-long reef, living in and around more than 250 species of coral. In 2011 the Ningaloo Coast was recognised internationally for its outstanding natural beauty and inscribed on the World Heritage list. Ningaloo is one of the few places in the world where you can easily access the reef right off the shoreline. It’s the perfect place to spend long blissful days exploring pristine nature and meeting wildlife.

The best things to do in Ningaloo

Ningaloo has incredible snorkelling spots, glass bottom boat rides, eco-tours, beaches to spend the day at, educational exhibits at the Ningaloo Centre in Exmouth. Turquoise Bay in Cape Range National Park has a handful of coral bommies (columns of coral reef) close to shore. The bay’s shallow and calm waters are a great place to snorkel right off the shoreline.

Whale Sharks

Each year, from March to August, hundreds of whale sharks gather at Ningaloo Reef to feast on plankton, krill and small fish, and visitors with a permit get a chance to swim alongside these gentle giants. Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish, sometimes reaching up to 20 metres in length. Swimming with them can make you feel incredibly small. Insignificant almost. While their movements are slow and graceful, these giant fish are exceptionally fast. For the best chance at seeing them, there are a number of whale shark swim companies operating out of Ningaloo.

Whale shark tour with Three Islands Whale Shark Dive

This tour starts with a snorkel, followed by hot chocolates for the kids before setting course for the outer reef. When swimming with whale sharks, guests are to form a single straight line behind the guide, while looking all around to watch the whale sharks that appear. You may also see the manta rays, dugongs and turtles that live on the reef. Three Islands Whale Shark Dive is a marine eco-adventure tour company that specialises in whale shark and swimming with humpback whales on the Ningaloo Reef.

Keep reading:

• 12 incredible Western Australia holiday destinations
• Top locations for wildlife encounters with kids

Birds Eye View scenic flight

Ningaloo’s rich turquoise waters lie at the feet of an arid and rugged range. Birds Eye View offer flights in a trike-like microlight with an open cockpit. Fly over the eastern side of Cape Range National Park for views of deep canyons and gorges carved into the limestone range. Above Ningaloo Reef, on the western side of the cape, you can spot tiger sharks, eagle and manta rays, and loggerhead turtles gliding peacefully through the lagoon. Over the outer edge of the reef, you can see whale sharks and pods of orcas slicing through the water.

Coral Bay

Swimming in the crystal clear water at Coral Bay will have you surrounded by fish almost instantly. You can float along with the current too – kids will be so excited by the aquatic wonderland here.

Manta ray tour

There are four species of sea turtle found in the waters of Ningaloo: the loggerhead, green, hawksbill and leatherback. On a manta ray tour with Ningaloo Marine Interactions, you’ll pass too many to count as well as a friendly loggerhead.

Swim with humpback whales

A must-do when visiting Ningaloo between June to November is swimming with humpback whales. As many as 30,000 humpbacks pass through Ningaloo during this time.

Coral Bay Ecotours

With a maximum of seven people per tour, only five persons in the water at once and no swimming with mothers and calves, Coral Bay Ecotours offers an eco-friendly, intimate humpback whale swim. You’ll often hear the sound of whale song before the majestic creatures appear. These ‘composers of the seas’ are known for their peculiar vocalisation. For those interested in jumping in the water with them, just remember: the movements of the humpback whales, like all animals, are not guided by human expectations and they are not always present. The tour also includes a relaxed snorkel through the reefs, spotting golden trevally, mud crab, dolphins, dugongs… the list goes on.

Kayak Yardie Creek

You can kayak up Yardie Creek to spot elusive black-footed rock wallabies. As well as osprey nests nestled into cliff faces and sites with evidence of human life dating back 32,000 years. The traditional owners of this land, the Jinigudira of the West Thalandji people, have forged life in synergy with the land and sea. For visitors to this remote region, it is a rare privilege to share it and learn their stories.

Ningaloo Reef accommodation

The Ningaloo Coast stretches from Red Bluff, near Carnarvon in the south, to the Muiron Islands, near Exmouth in the north. The stunning coast is dotted with fantastic campgrounds managed by WA’s Parks and Wildlife Service. Yardie Homestead Caravan Park is the closest to the entrance to Cape Range National Park. It is great if you’re after camping comforts or have four-legged travellers onboard. Exmouth Ningaloo Caravan & Holiday Resort is a great base in Exmouth and is conveniently located across from the skate park, pump track and aquarium.

Ningaloo Reef Resort in Coral Bay has magical views overlooking the Indian Ocean and is just metres from the sand. While Sal Salis in Cape Range National Park has 16 ultra-luxe glamping tents on the shores of the reef.

It’s easy to see why Ningaloo Reef is considered one of the best places in the world to witness mega marine life. This wild, untamed, and remote world is so full of contrast, yet so intertwined that we leave with the desire to return, and an even greater spur to help protect this unique ecosystem.