Kangaroo Island Tours from Adelaide
Hours, prices and access verified by the Adelaide Australia Tours team — last checked 2026-09-17.
Kangaroo Island tours from Adelaide take you by coach to Cape Jervis and across on the ferry to Penneshaw, then round the island's sights with a guide. You choose one long day, or two days with a night on the island.
Kangaroo Island tours: the day and the 2-day
★★★★★ 4.6 (1,408 reviews · 16 hours)
From AdelaideLunch included
Coach from the city bus station, the ferry from Cape Jervis, then Seal Bay, the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch with a two-course lunch. National park fees are in the fare, and you are back in the city at about 22:40.
From $285 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★☆ 4.4 (786 reviews · 16 hours)
From AdelaideLunch included
Coach and ferry to Penneshaw, then Seal Bay, Admirals Arch, the Remarkable Rocks and an hour at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park. Check in at the bus station by 6:30. Lunch is included; gratuities are not. Coaches take up to 48.
From $291 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (84 reviews · 2 days)
From Adelaide or PenneshawLunch includedAdults 18+
Two days, with Stokes Bay, Little Sahara, Seal Bay and a night in a bell tent near Flinders Chase. Park fees and four meals are in the fare; sandboarding is extra. Adults only, and refundable up to six days out.
From $648 per person
Full refund up to 6 days before the tour; later cancellations carry a fee.
The ferry day with lunch and park fees paid
Coach and ferry from Adelaide, Seal Bay, the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, a two-course lunch and the national park fees, in one fare.
Check availability
What a Kangaroo Island tour from Adelaide is
A Kangaroo Island tour does the whole journey for you. A coach takes you from Adelaide to Cape
Jervis, about an hour and a half's drive, and the ferry crosses to Penneshaw in 45 minutes. On the
island, a driver-guide takes you along the south coast to Seal Bay and on to Flinders Chase
National Park, then back to the ferry.
The island is large: 4,416 square kilometres, about 155 kilometres long. So the day tours run
about 16 hours, and roughly three and a half of those are spent at the sights. The 2-day tour adds
Stokes Bay, the Little Sahara dunes and a night in a bell tent in Flinders Chase Discovery Park.
Fares run from $285 to $291 a person for the day, and $648 for two days.
Seal Bay beach access is paused. As of 17 September
2026, National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia has paused access to the beach at Seal
Bay to protect the sea lion colony. The park stays open, with a roaming guide on the boardwalk.
The tours still list a guided beach walk, so ask your operator what runs on your date, and read
Kangaroo Island from Adelaide for the park itself.
Why choose a Kangaroo Island tour
The coach, the ferry and the park fees in one fare
You book one seat and turn up at the bus station. The ferry is in the fare, and so are the national park fees on the full day by ferry and on the 2-day tour.
No driving on island roads at dawn and dusk
The park service and the island's tourism body both ask drivers to take care at dawn and
dusk, when animals cross the roads. On a tour, the early and late hours are the driver-guide's
job.
A guide at Seal Bay and in Flinders Chase
Your driver-guide gives live commentary between the stops, which include the Remarkable Rocks
and Admirals Arch at Cape du Couedic, known for its long-nosed fur seals.
The island in the time a short stay allows
The island's tourism body says you can see some of it in a day. A day tour fits the famous south
coast into one long day, without a night on the island.
Kangaroo Island tours vs going on your own
The alternative is to take a car across on the ferry and drive yourself. Here is how that
compares with a tour.
| Day tour | 2-day tour | On your own |
|---|
| Getting there | Coach and ferry, in the fare | Coach and ferry, in the fare | Drive to Cape Jervis, book the ferry |
| Time on the island | About 3.5 hours at the sights | About a day and a half | As long as you stay |
| Nights | None | One, in a bell tent | Your choice |
| Park entry | In the fare on the full day by ferry | In the fare | Paid to the parks |
| Meals | Lunch | Two lunches, a dinner, a breakfast | Your own |
| Fares | $285 to $291 a person | $648 a person | Ferry, car and park fees |
Check availability from $285
With one free day, a tour is the simplest way to see the south coast and still sleep in
Adelaide. South
Australia's tourism commission suggests two to three nights on the island, and self-drive is what
it recommends for those. Kangaroo Island without
a tour covers the ferry, the car and the park entries step by step.
What you get, and what you don't
- Transport: the return coach to Cape Jervis and the ferry to Penneshaw on every
tour, with hotel pickup on the full day by ferry and on request on the In a Day tour.
- Park entry: the national park fees are in the fare on the full day by ferry
and the 2-day tour.
- Meals: a two-course lunch on the full day by ferry, and lunch on the In a Day
tour. The
2-day tour includes two lunches, a dinner and a breakfast.
- Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park: an hour there on the In a Day tour. No fare
includes holding a koala.
- Not included: snacks and drinks, gratuities, sandboarding at Little Sahara on
the 2-day tour, and the ferry if you join that tour at Penneshaw.
Or two days, with a night near Flinders Chase
Stokes Bay, Little Sahara, Seal Bay and the Remarkable Rocks, four meals and park fees paid, for adults, refundable up to six days out.
Check availability
Planning a Kangaroo Island tour
- Start early. The day tours meet at Adelaide Central Bus Station on Franklin
Street, and one asks you to arrive by 6:30. The 2-day tour collects from city hotels between 6:15
and 6:35.
- Book it first. Ferry services are occasionally disrupted by weather, so put
the island early in your stay and leave room to move it.
- Check the total. The full day by ferry carries a $5 per person fuel
surcharge for bookings from 29 April 2026.
- Pack light and clean. Honey products, bees and unwashed potatoes may not go to
the island.
- Choose your season. The ferry operator names May to October as the best time
for wildlife. The ferry does not run on Christmas Day, and neither does the full day by
ferry.
- Cancellation: the day tours refund in full up to 24 hours ahead. The 2-day
tour refunds in full up to 6 days ahead, and later cancellations carry a fee.
Who should choose something else
- If a 16-hour day sounds like too much. The Cleland Wildlife Park day stays in
the Hills, 20 minutes from the city, with kangaroos and koalas and two hours in Hahndorf. Find it
with the other Adelaide day tours.
- If you mainly want dolphins. The Port River, north-west of the city, has them,
and the Adelaide boat tours cruise or paddle there.
- If you want beaches and quiet time. Stay two or three nights and drive
yourself, or take the 2-day tour.
- If you are under 18. The 2-day tour is for adults, so a family books a day
tour instead.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see Kangaroo Island in a day?
Yes. The coach and ferry days run about 16 hours, with Seal Bay, the Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch and lunch on the island. The 2-day tour adds Stokes Bay, Little Sahara and a night in a bell tent at Flinders Chase.
How early does the Kangaroo Island tour leave?
Early. The coach days meet at Adelaide Central Bus Station on Franklin Street, and one asks you to arrive by 6:30. The 2-day tour collects from city hotels between 6:15 and 6:35.
Does the Kangaroo Island fare include the ferry?
Yes on the day tours, which run by coach to Cape Jervis and ferry to Penneshaw. On the 2-day tour you can also meet the group at Penneshaw, but then the ferry ticket is yours to buy.
Is the Seal Bay beach walk running?
Not at the moment. On 17 September 2026 the park had paused beach access to protect the sea lions, with a roaming guide on the boardwalk instead. Ask your operator what runs on your date.
Is there a fuel surcharge on Kangaroo Island tours?
On one day tour, yes. Its operator adds $5 per person per day for bookings from 29 April 2026, so check the total at checkout.
Can children go to Kangaroo Island on a tour?
The 2-day tour is for adults 18 and over. The day tours state no minimum age, but they run about 16 hours, so ask the operator before you book for a young child.
Can I hold a koala on a tour?
No tour fare includes it. The Cleland day includes park entry and a guided visit, and Cleland Wildlife Park sells its koala experiences separately.
What is the cancellation policy?
Every tour here refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead, except the 2-day Kangaroo Island tour. That one refunds in full up to 6 days before, and later cancellations carry a fee.