Berkeley River Lodge: A luxury resort on the Kimberley Coast, Western Australia

UPDATED: October 2026

There are few places left on the planet where you can visit an untouched wilderness. Berkeley River on the far north-west coast of Western Australia is one. Beyond the outback, the landscape stretches from one horizon to the other without a single sign of human habitation, save Berkeley River Lodge - and perhaps a lone sailor sheltering for the night in the safety of the river mouth. There are no roads in or out. Access is by light plane from Darwin or Kununurra and supplies arrive by barge. 

We first visited Berkeley River Lodge in June 2017. Nine years later, in August 2026, we came back. Time is measured in aeons in Australia's Kimberley region, so we weren't surprised to find that not much had changed.

Berkeley River Lodge is perched on the far north-west coast of Western Australia, in a region which has fewer inhabitants per square mile than almost anywhere else on the planet. With individual villas dotted along the cliff top, looking out either across the vast expanse of the Timor Sea or toward the magnificent gorges of the Berkeley River, you will feel like you have the world to yourself.

The gorge at Berkeley River.

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Arriving at the Lodge:

In 2017, Berkeley River Lodge was truly a place where the adventure began as soon as we stepped outside our front door.  First we had to find our way to Kununurra - a town itself so remote few Australians ever get there. Getting grid-locked in Sydney traffic and having to abandon our chauffeur-son in the middle of the road to make a run on foot for the airport departure terminal added a level of stress we could have done without. We made check-in for our 5½  hour (4,000 km/2,400 mi) flight to Broome with minutes to spare - all the while conscious of the fact that the next direct flight was several days away. 

From Broome, we flew north east for 1½ hours (900 km/560 mi) to Kununurra where we boarded a light plane for the final 60 minutes (200 km/125 mi) of our journey.  We felt like we had reached the edge of the world - skimming over the Kimberley, a vast pristine landscape carved by a mosaic of waterways reaching down from Cambridge Gulf, 

Come 2026, our light plane to Berkeley River Lodge departed from Darwin. A far easier destination to reach than Kununurra, Darwin is a 4½ hour flight (3,800 km/2,300 mi) from Sydney. From Darwin we boarded a ChartAir, 8-seater Cessna for the 80 minute hop to the lodge. This time we flew directly across the Timor Sea with very little to see apart from miles and miles of open water.  

My tips for the journey:  

Pack light! ChartAir has a weight limit of 8 kgs - soft bags only. Our bags were weighed at check-in, although surprisingly, not our backpacks, and we were able to store excess luggage at the ChartAir terminal. 

Avoid the back seat of the plane, if you can. According to our fellow passengers, it was uncomfortably cold at the back. The best leg room is in the middle row. 

Accommodation:

The rooms at Berkeley River Lodge consist of self-contained villas. While those further away from the main lodge have more privacy than those close to the lodge, none have a view which is less than breathtaking. About half the villas look out across the ocean and half look toward the Berkeley River. In 2017 we stayed in Villa 20. In late November 2025 Tropical Cyclone Fina hit the lodge destroying several of the villas, including Villa 20. Luckily Villa 19, next door, escaped the worst of the damage and we were able to stay there in 2026.

Three of the villas in 2017. Villas 19 and 20 are on the right hand side.

 

Villas further up the hill in 2026 - You can see how the vegetation was damaged by Cyclone Fina

Villa 20 after cyclone Fina

Villas 19 & 20 are furthest from the lodge, If you want privacy, ask for one of them. Their only disadvantage is the long walk for meals and excursions.  Don't underestimate the walk - you will do it again and again throughout the day, twice for each meal and then again to join excursions. The road is uphill in part and consists of red dust so pervasive your shoes will never be the same again. There is no way of contacting staff from the villas. If you want something, you have to walk to the lodge to get it.

My tip:

For isolation and privacy ask for the furthest villas. For an easy stroll to the lodge ask for a nearby villa.

The lodge staff are happy to give you a lift to your villa in one of their golf carts. While we quite enjoyed the walk during the day, a lift home after dark was always welcome.

Inside Villa 19.

The villas have outside bathrooms with side walls but no roof - showers, toilets and baths are all open to the elements. It was colder than we expected in August and the open-air bathrooms made for chilly excursions at night and in the early mornings. On the other hand if you have a yearning to feel like you are camping but don’t want to swap the luxury of a hotel room for an actual tent you'll love it - I did. David found it weird!

Food:

The food was one thing which had improved over the years. In 2017 we found it disappointing. In 2026 it was equal to the standard of any other luxury resort. Breakfast and lunch were served inside and dinner outside on the veranda. The tables all sat six people, which we found challenging since everyone else seemed to have come to the lodge in groups of four or six. The staff were however happy to make up smaller tables inside on request.

My tip:

Although there was no choice of meals at dinner, the staff seemed happy to cater for special requests.

The setting moon was stunning. If you are at the lodge during a full moon, check the BOM for the time the moon sets. The view of the moon from the verandah is magical.

Inside tables

Outside tables

Lodge Excursions:

Upon arrival we were given a daily schedule with activities every morning or afternoon. Some days had both. The excursions are why you come - apart from the fabulous views, there is very little to do at the lodge itself.  There is a lovely pool and you can walk down to the beach - but you cannot swim in the ocean. If the crocodiles don't get you, the sharks or the stingers will!  

My tips:

Berkeley River Lodge is not a place for the very old or infirm. David and I are in our late 60's and reasonably fit. Most of the guests were around our age or slightly younger.

You will be given a list of excursions with dates and times when you arrive. You can ask to receive the list by email a few days before. That way you stand a better chance of being able to rearrange the schedule if you want. We particularly didn't want to do the helicopter flight on the same day as either the hike or the boat cruise, because we knew we would be quite tired after these.

A spa treatment for each of us was included in the price. David has never had a massage in his life and didn't want to start so we arranged for both treatments to go to me. 

Berkeley River Lodge - main building

The Helicopter Tour:

I mention this first, because it is the one tour I cannot wholeheartedly recommend. The helicopter tours are arranged by Berkeley River Lodge and conducted by Truenorth Helicopters. There are four excursions to choose from: An expedition to Mitchell Falls, a sunrise tour, a sunset tour and a heli-fishing tour. They are all expensive - very expensive. 

We took the Golden Hour, sunset tour. This is the most popular - but at $1300 (AUD) each, it was not worth the cost. The tour goes for about four hours and consists of four separate flights, with flight time of roughly 45 minutes in total.  The first and longest, at about 20 minutes, lands at a rock art site. The next three flights land next to a waterhole where we were able to swim, on top of Mount Casuarina to watch the sunset and then back at the lodge. They are all very short - 10 minutes or less. The last flight is especially short - just a hop.

The Bell 407 helicopter seats six guests - one at the front with the pilot, and five in the main cabin, where two guests face backwards. Although three face forward, one unlucky person gets stuck in the middle. I read somewhere before we went, that the pilot would ensure every guest got a chance to sit in the better seats. That didn't happen! Our pilot left it to the guests to organise themselves, with the result that David got a very poor experience. He sat in the middle seat twice and once in a backward facing seat. He sat up front once, on one of the short hops. Even the window seat, where I was able to sit for each leg, didn't have the best view. Almost everything the pilot pointed out was on the other side of the helicopter.  The pilot made no effort to ensure we all got to see everything, except once when he gave both sides a view of King George Falls.  Even if he had been pro-active in ensuring everyone got a chance at the better seats, the fact that only two of the flights were a reasonable duration made an equitable distribution impossible.  For this reason alone, I would never take the helicopter tour again.

Waterhole landing

Although I don't think it was worth the cost - there were highlights and not having done the helicopter flight in 2017, I was glad in 2026 to see what we missed. The Bradshaw Art, is captivating - all the more so because Bruce, our guide on the river walk in 2017, was highly knowledgeable about its mysterious origins, leaving me with a life-long fascination for what is some of the oldest rock art in the world. Unfortunately our helicopter pilot in 2026 seemed to know very little about the art and gave us nothing more than a general description. 

The waterhole where we swam was serene - if not as stunning as the main waterhole nearby.  A resident freshwater crocodile with a fascination for tourists has put the main waterhole out of bounds.  Our last stop - on top of Mt Casuarina, as the sun went down, was the highlight. The whole world felt, for those few minutes, like it was our own.

Bradshaw (Gwion Gwion) Art - see my description of the Creek Walk/Hike below for more information.

My tips: 

Be pro-active about getting a good seat on the first or second flights. They are the only two of any reasonable length.

Don't hold your phone or camera close to an open window. A guest, sitting opposite me, went to take a photo through a small open window and his phone was sucked out with such force he had no chance of holding on to it. I heard later, his was not the first 'lost forever' phone at Berkeley River Lodge.  

Although the water-hole swim is lovely, it was very slippery getting in and out. Be aware that this makes the experience less enjoyable.

King George Falls from above. There is more water earlier in the season.

The River Cruise: 

The river cruise travels along the Berkeley River to Casuarina Falls. This is crocodile country and we were warned to be on the look out for saltwater crocs sunning themselves on the rocks, or waiting for their next meal in the camouflage of the river-bank vegetation. You won't have to wait long for your first sight of one of these prehistoric monsters. In 2017 we saw six. In 2026 we saw fewer crocs, but still enough to make the trip worthwhile.

This saltwater monster was hidden in the mangroves near the river.

As the mangrove-lined banks begin to give way to red-rock gorges you can clamber out of the boat to explore the rock pools and rivulets, and have a quick swim.

 

The rock pools were beautiful and, on the river cruise at least, blissfully crocodile-free.

The boat then enters a series of gorges with orange-red sandstone cliffs towering above the river on both sides. This is the Kimberley region I had come to see and I wasn’t disappointed.

At Casuarina Falls, as far as it can navigate, the boat pulls in for a picnic lunch on the natural seats of a rock ledge.

A rock wallaby we saw in 2026.

The Creek Walk/Hike:

Somewhere between 2017 and 2026, the Creek Walk became the Hike. It was the same excursion, but with a new name. According to a couple of the guides, there was a period when injuries were a problem, and I suspect the new nomenclature was designed to highlight the difficulty level. The walk requires a moderate level of fitness. The first part, involving a scramble up rocks and boulders to the top of the gorge, is challenging. If you have any problems with balance, don't attempt it. 

With warnings about the difficulty level ringing in my ears, I almost chickened out. At 69 and 68, we are almost a decade older in 2026 than our previous visit, and though normally reasonably fit, a series of minor health issues had keep me too sedentary for too long.  But - the creek walk had been a highlight of our 2017 visit and one of our main reasons for returning, so I gathered my courage and joined the excursion. I am so glad I did. Once again the walk/hike was the highlight of our stay.

Scrambling down the rock face - it is more precipitous than it looks!

Berkeley River runs along a plateau at the top of a gorge. From the top, the view is breathtaking.

The view from the top of the Gorge

Once at the top of the gorge the walk leads upstream along the creek. From time to time there are rock pools large enough to cool off with a short swim. Saltwater crocodiles don’t climb, so you are safe from the prospect of becoming reptile lunch - and freshwater crocs, which can inhabit the pools, are less aggressive. 

 

Some of our group negotiating a tricky section.

A highlight of the walk are the pockets of Bradshaw Rock Art (also known as Gwion Gwion art). Named after Joseph Bradshaw who first discovered the art in 1891, and found only in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, little is known about its origins. The paintings may have been created by ancestors of today’s aborigines, however the elaborately ornamented figures bear little resemblance to modern Australian aborigines, leading to the theory that they were created by another race of people entirely. If Bradshaw Art does pre-date modern aborigines then it may be some of the earliest rock art on earth. Other names for Bradshaw Art are Gwion Gwion rock paintings, Kiro Kiro or Kujon.

Bradshaw Art

The Beach Drive:

The beach drive leaves in the mid-afternoon and takes in the sunset, complete with a stop for drinks and nibbles. On the way Matt, and in 2026 Bruce, kept up a running commentary on the local area. It was lots of fun and a great opportunity to catch the scenery in the soft late afternoon light.

I took this on the beach drive in 2017 with my little point and shoot. I think it came out pretty well given that I don't pretend to be a photographer.

The Fishing Tour:

We are not fisherman - but having skipped this tour in 2017 we decided 2026 was our year to try it.

We caught lots of fish - but apparently bream don't count (something about them not tasting as good as the southern varieties). Every single fish was thrown back. Perhaps it was a form of recycling, with the same fish getting caught and released again and again. 

Other fishing tours came back with tales, and photographic proof, of river giants caught, cleaned and cooked for dinner by Berkeley River Lodge's chef. 

We did, however have a fun few hours, enjoying the river and its stunning scenery.

David and Robbo fishing

The Bush Drive

The Bush Drive was the only 2026 tour which hadn't run in 2017. The Kimberley bush is hardly scenic, but its raw untouched isolation makes the drive worth doing.  The intended highlights of our bush drive were seeing, and swimming in, the Kapok Pools, having morning tea under a 200 year old Boab tree and catching sight of local birdlife.

One of the Kapok Pools

The 200 year old Boab tree

 As it turned out, very little went to plan. Luckily Raegan, our guide, must have been a comedian in a past life so the drive was literally one laugh after another. First, David and I were almost left behind. I admit we were a bit slack about being in the right place at the right time, but on every other tour guides would seek out unpunctual guests. This time there was a mix-up in numbers, with Raegan believing he had to account for four guests rather than six. The tour began with the Land Cruiser safari vehicle pulling away steadily from 50 or 60 metres ahead of us while David and I ran down the road  frantically waving and shouting. We weren't too worried. All the guides had walkie-talkies. I am confident, someone would have driven us to join the group had Raegan not heard us and stopped. Raegan told us later he suffered much good-natured ribbing from other staff about losing guests.

Then our vehicle, inaptly named 'Conan', broke down - not suddenly or dramatically, but bit by bit with strange grunts and groans whhich became progressively more distraught. Conan's painful progress was accompanied by a running, laugh-a-minute commentary by Raegan, urging the vehicle on like a faithful steed. Finally, with one last giant wheeze, Conan refused to go a metre further. 

One of our group was a farmer - from the Australian school of 'you can fix anything with fencing wire and duct tape'. A quick look under the vehicle and he diagnosed the fault as fatal - to this drive at least. While David mentally calculated how long the 2 km walk back to the lodge might take, Raegan whipped out his walkie-talkie and had a back-up vehicle on its way. 

Diagnosing the problem!

It turned out that Conan's drive shaft had lost 3 of its 4 bolts. We stopped with the shaft clinging precariously to its last remaining bolt. 

With Conan abandoned by the side of the track, we walked a few hundred metres back to the shade of the Boab Tree where we were soon rescued. The rest of the drive was uneventful - bird spotting, swimming in one of the Kapok Pools and learning some of the secrets of the ancient landscape. 

Berkeley River Lodge is so remote it has mechanics on staff. Conan was back at work, lined up with the other safari vehicles within a couple of days.

What you won’t get at Berkeley River Lodge:

Berkeley River Lodge is a wilderness lodge. Being in a remote location in the midst of breathtaking scenery is the whole point. I would return in a heartbeat but the isolated location does require some concessions. Among the things you can’t do and shouldn’t expect are:

• Room service – the rooms are serviced daily but don't expect meals or other refreshments to be delivered, nor is there a phone or intercom with which to contact reception. Come to think of it, there isn't an actual reception desk either. If you need the staff for any reason you have to go looking for them. There was always someone manning the bar.

• Surf the net or talk on your mobile phone – there is limited (very limited) wifi in the main lodge and none at all in the villas. There is no mobile phone reception.

• Swim in the surf – remember those saltwater crocs we saw on the river cruise. Swimming in either the ocean or the river is likely to be fatal - better too not to walk too close to the edge of the water.

My tips for your stay:

• Pack a light jacket for the evenings. The days are warm but the evenings can be chilly.

• Pack a decent pair of walking/hiking shoes and comfortable shorts.

• Leave the high heels at home. You won't be able to wear them on the red-dirt roads which connect the villas to the main lodge.

• If you have mobility issues, ask for a villa close to the lodge. 

• Pack an eye mask. The curtains don't even come close to keeping out the early morning sun. Alternatively you can embrace the dawn and enjoy the beautiful sunrise each morning.

If Berkeley River Lodge is not for you but you want to see the Kimberley, there are lots of tours available at GetYourGuide and Viator - have fun exploring!

Click on the links below for my other posts on the Kimberley Region - 

• Amalia Gorge: Would you go swimming with a crocodile?

• Zebedee Springs and Chamberlain Gorge

• Willie Creek Pearl Farm and the Perfect Pearl

• Emma Gorge: There is something you need to know.

• El Questro Station Bungalows: The best kept secret in the Kimberley

Click on the links below for posts on the Coral Coast and  south-west of Western Australia, from Perth to Esperence:- 

The Coral Coast
• The Abrolhos Islands Fly & Flipper Tour
• Where to stay in Geraldton: Mantra Geraldton
• Hutt Lagoon: A pink lake you can drive to
• Pinnacles and Stromatolites: Ancient formations and living fossils


The South West: Perth to Esperance

• Springtime tulips at Araluen Botanic Park, Western Australia
• Wildflowers in Western Australia: Kings Park, Perth
• Fraser Suites, Perth - a review
• The National ANZAC Centre, Albany
• Albany Harbourside Apartments and Houses
• 7 things to do in Amazing Albany
• 2 Weeks in Western Australia: A road trip itinerary

For my other Western Australian posts (Perth to Esperance) click - here.

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Note: David and I received a media discount during our stay at Berkeley River Lodge in 2017.  All opinions are our own. We did not request or receive a discount in 2026.