- How big is Kangaroo Island?
- Can I see it in a day?
- What do most people want to experience?
- How do I get to Kangaroo Island?
- How big are the planes which fly to Kangaroo Island?
- Can you pick me up from an Adelaide Hotel to get to the airport?
- Can I take the ferry to the island and tour the same day?
- Can you recommend an experience for me?
- Can you recommend a place to stay?
- Can I organise any of my accommodation or transfers?
- Can I see penguins on your tours?
- What is the group size of your tours?
- What is the difference between share and private tours?
- I have mobility difficulties can you arrange something for me?
- Is Kangaroo Island a good destination for children?
- Can I book direct or do I have to go through an agent?
- Do you have a cancellation policy?
- Do tours operate every day?
- What about luggage limits and storing excess if I fly to the Island?
- I have special dietary needs - are you able to cater for me?
- What are the start and finish time of tours?
- Do you offer travel insurance to cover unforseen cancellations?
- Given I have to prepay for my visit, how secure is my money?
- What about the fine print? What are the booking terms and conditions?
- Who am I dealing with? Who owns the business?
- Ask a question.
Q. How big is Kangaroo Island?
A. Kangaroo Island is larger than most people think. At its longest point the island is 150 kilometres or just under 100 miles long. Its widest point is 55km or 34 miles across. This makes it as large as Bali, Puerto Rico or Long Island New York.
Q. Can I see it in a day?
A. You can see SOME of it in a day, but we recommend longer to get a better feel for the islands. Our tours include a combination of the Island's icons as well as places of interest only a local can show you. For a comprehensive overview of the Island take one of our package tours, which can include 1 to 3 days of touring. Package options can be found here. Most guests who visit for just one day leave disappointed that they did not allow more time. If one day is all you have available we will do the best to give you a memorable experience - our tours meet the morning flights and connect with the evening departures.
Q. What do most people want to experience?
A. After 20 years of touring we have found that most of our guests come to Kangaroo Island seeking a similar range of experiences. That is to:
Observe wildlife in their natural habitat,
Meet friendly local people and like-minded visitors,
Share good food and wine in a relaxed outdoor setting,
Get away from the crowd,
Participate in quality environmental interpretation and,
Discover the social culture and history of the island.
Q. How do I get to Kangaroo Island?
A. There are several daily air services from Adelaide and a ferry service operates out of Cape Jervis. We can arrange packages including travel from Adelaide if required. A majority of our guests choose to fly. Our tours meet the mid-morning Regional Express flights from Adelaide. If you wish to travel by sea then our recommendation is that you come over on day one and then start touring the next day. We can meet the morning ferry on private charter but not on share touring.
Q. How big are the planes which fly to Kangaroo Island?
A. Regional Express operate Saab 340s (34 passenger twin engine turbo-prop) with a two pilot configuration and a flight steward in the passenger cabin. Air South have a range of aircraft available for private charter. Regional Express have regular scheduled flights and Air South offer a reliable private charter service.
Q. Can you pick me up from an Adelaide Hotel to get to the airport?
A. Yes we can arrange this. However, it is an additional service and not included in our usual packages as most people find it quite convenient to get a taxi.
Q. Can I take the ferry to the island and tour the same day?
A. Not unless you are taking a private tour. Time, distance and logistics mean than only those people travelling by air or who have spent the night on the island will be able to join a tour that day.
Q. Can you recommend an experience for me?
A. Yes – we have 3 full day tours which can be selected independently or combined as part of a package with accommodation and/or travel. Click the links for packages or full day tours. We operate these tours daily except for Christmas day and each provide some flexibility in terms of themes followed or topics interpreted, depending upon the interests of the group. You might note that some tour operators visit more locations in a day but we have chosen quality over quantity.
Q. Can you recommend a place to stay?
Download Accomodation Overview pdf 1.2 MB
Yes - We have a choice of bed and breakfast, deluxe farm stay, or hotel accommodation for our share touring packages.
Boutique bed and breakfast
Correa Corner
Wanderer’s Rest
Deluxe farm stay
Stranraer Homestead
Fillmores’s Lombardy
Hotel
Kangaroo Island Lodge
Aurora Ozone Seafront
On a private charter package this can be expanded to include LifeTime Private Retreats, Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat and the exclusive Southern Ocean Lodge.
If you have an alternative accommodation in mind we can arrange this - private charter gives more flexibility in terms of Kangaroo Island accommodation used.
Q. Can I organise any of my accommodation or transfers?
A. It is possible for you to arrange everything independently but you will have to check with us to ensure that your arrangements fit logistically. You may find it easier to allow us to arrange your accommodation and transfers, which will save you time and give you peace of mind.
Q. Can I see penguins on your tours?
A. Given that Little Penguins work very long days and only come ashore after dark you will need to book a nocturnal tour, which we can arrange. This may mean that you will have to stay at one of our preferred accommodations, or at least at a location from which we can pick you up. Start times vary due to change in seasonal length of day but it is always after dinner in the evening.
Q. What is the group size of your tours?
A. Our minimum group size for share tours is 2 people and the maximum is 12. If we have more than 6 people on tour a second guide joins the tour.
Q. What is the difference between share and private tours?
A. Share tours are those where you will share your day with a small group. It means that the itinerary is set. Private tours allow you or your group to tour by yourself and the opportunity to design your itinerary to suit your interests. A higher price is charged for a private tour.
Q. I have mobility difficulties can you arrange something for me?
A. We can accommodate most mobility difficulties; depending on the level of mobility it may be necessary to take your tour on a private charter basis and Occupational Health and Welfare legislation limits the total weight any one person can lift to 25kg (55 lb) so if substantial lifting is required an able bodied companion must accompany anyone requiring such assistance.
Q. Is Kangaroo Island a good destination for children?
A. Children love Kangaroo Island! However experience has shown it is difficult to run a tour that entertains small children as well as an adult group seeking a natural history experience. As a result, if any children in your party are under 6 years it will be necessary to take your tour on a private charter basis. On private charter the length of the day can be adjusted and activities designed to include more child focused activities.
More Information on KI for Kids tours.
Q. Can I book direct or do I have to go through an agent?
A. We have travel partners in many locations in many countries. Please give us your city and country and we can make a recommendation if you want to deal with someone locally. This means you can plan with someone in the same time zone, currency and you are covered by consumer protection legislation which operates in your home area. If you are making all of your travel plans independently you can book with us directly however if we receive an enquiry from one of our partners and then you contact us direct we would refer you back to them to complete the arrangements. Refer to the booking and enquiry page and please click here to view all of our booking terms and conditions.
Q. Do you have a cancellation policy?
A. Yes - our cancellation policy is:
a) For cancellations made more than 7 days prior to departure - you must pay a fee of 10% of the tour price;
b) For cancellations made more than 48 hours but less than 7 days prior to tour departure - you must pay a fee of 50% of the tour price;
c) For cancellations made less than 48 hours or for non-appearance to commence the tour - you must pay a fee of 100% of the tour price.
Q. Do tours operate every day?
A. Tours operate every day of the year with the exception of Christmas Day as some of our destinations are closed - this is also an important family holiday for most Australians.
Q. What about luggage limits and storing excess if I fly to the Island?
A. Both Regional Express have a luggage limit of 14 kg (33 lb) per person. Excess can be stored for a fee of $5 per bag (multiple bags with a max 20 kg (45lb) per bag) with Regional Express. Once on the Island luggage is usually taken on board the tour vehicles for the arrival day and also departure day. Any larger bags are often stored securely at our office only two minutes from the airport if space becomes an issue.
Q. I have special dietary needs - are you able to cater for me?
A. We have our own Chef on the team and he prides himself on being able to provide the same high level of dining experience regardless of your requirements. We regularly provide for vegan, no red meat, low fat, gluten free and kosher meals. What is of course important is clearly communicating your needs in advance - once we are out in the bush there is a limit to how well we can dream up a special dietary solution on the spot!
Q. What are the start and finish time of tours?
A. Depending upon logistics on the day we usually collect guests from accommodations and often on to the airport. Generally accommodation pick-ups are around 9.00 am and to the airport by 10.00 am. At the end of the day we connect with the departure flights with a 6.00 pm check-in.
Q. Do you offer travel insurance to cover unforseen cancellations?
A. Yes we are able to provide cost effective travel insurance for the entire experience from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island and return. There is a simple form to complete - just email us on the link below.
Q. Given I have to prepay for my visit, how secure is my money?
A. As well as a a tour operator we are a licenced travel agent (licence number TTA173830). As part of the conditions of our licence there are two key customer protection safeguards: firstly we have a dedicated trust account where money paid in advance is set aside and only transferred to our general account once services have been provided. This means if you have to cancel, subject to the cancellation policy, your funds are always available. The second safeguard is that we are participants in the Australian Travel Compensation Fund which provides an industry-wide protection for customer funds in the event of a participating travel agent going out of business.
Q. What about the fine print? What are the booking terms and conditions?
A. Like any business we have a suite of responsibilities towards our staff, our community, the environment in which we operate and of course to you as our customer. There are also responsibilities you take on as a traveller and all of these are outlined in plain language without jargon. We are also fair-minded so if you think some of this is unreasonable please tell us and we will review it. These conditions are meant to be just and provide clarity and protection for us both.Download terms and conditions pdf 51 kB
Q. Who am I dealing with? Who owns the business?
A. Exceptional Kangaroo Island is a family-owned business. We (Craig and Janet Wickham) are long-time residents of the Island with 2 children and a passion for sharing the Island with guests. Together with our small but experienced holiday planning team and enthusiastic guides we can put you in touch with the best the Island offers. For a little more information follow this link About your hosts.
What questions have we missed out on? The following will generate an email to us – or if you have a full enquiry please click here.