Kangaroo Island from Adelaide: Seal Bay, Flinders Chase and the Ferry
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island, across 15 km of sea from the mainland. Every trip from Adelaide means a coach to Cape Jervis and a 45-minute ferry, or a flight to Kingscote. Comparing Kangaroo Island tours from Adelaide? Know what the island asks of a single day first.
The sights people come for sit at the far ends. Seal Bay is on the south coast, and Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch are at the western tip, in Flinders Chase National Park. Getting between them is most of your day.
Kangaroo Island in numbers
The island is bigger than most visitors expect: about six times the size of Singapore. Plan your day around the distances, not the map.
| Kangaroo Island | The figure |
|---|---|
| Size | 4,416 square kilometres, Australia's third-largest island |
| Length and width | About 155 km by 55 km |
| From the mainland | Backstairs Passage, 15 km of sea |
| Coastline | 540 km |
| People | 4,894 at the 2021 Census |
| Native vegetation | More than half of the island, about 2,250 square kilometres |
| Main town | Kingscote |
| Ferry | 45 minutes, Cape Jervis to Penneshaw |
| Flight | About 30 minutes, Adelaide to Kingscote |
Getting there: Cape Jervis to Penneshaw
- Coach to Cape Jervis: the day tours meet at the Adelaide Central Bus Station by 6:30. The 2-day tour collects you from your city hotel between 6:15 and 6:35.
- Ferry across Backstairs Passage: SeaLink runs two large vehicle and passenger ferries from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw, with several sailings a day and up to 12 return services at peak times. The crossing takes about 45 minutes.
- On the island: there is no public transport, taxi or rideshare. A shuttle meets the morning and evening ferry for Kingscote. Otherwise you hire a car or join a tour.
- Going on your own: book the ferry before your accommodation, and be at the terminal at least 30 minutes before departure.
Seal Bay Conservation Park — the sea lion colony
Australian sea lions have lived at Seal Bay for thousands of years, and they are endangered. A 900-metre return boardwalk runs through the dunes to a series of viewing platforms, and it is wheelchair accessible. The park is 45 minutes from Kingscote, on Seal Bay Road.
Seal Bay opens 9:00 to 17:00 every day except Christmas Day, with last entry at 16:00. The pups arrive any time between January and June, because the sea lions breed on an unusual 18-month cycle.
Flinders Chase: Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch
Flinders Chase National Park covers the western end of the island, 110 km west of Kingscote. Every tour to the island stops at both of its landmarks.
Remarkable Rocks
Rocks in strange shapes and golden-orange colours, on ancient rock platforms above the sea. An accessible boardwalk runs out to them, with accessible toilets at the car park.
Admirals Arch
A rock arch at Cape du Couedic, home to a colony of long-nosed fur seals. The boardwalk down is steep, with steps at the end. If you stop short, the lookouts still show you the seals and the Cape du Couedic Lighthouse.
The visitor centre
At 8125 South Coast Road, 800 m outside the park, with The Rocks Café. Park staff are on hand daily from 9:00 to 17:00.
In severe weather with damaging winds, both landmarks can close for safety. Only Telstra phones get a signal out here, and it is patchy, so download what you need first. There are no bins in the park, so take your rubbish with you.
Seal Bay and the western tip in one day?
Compare the island days by time at each sight, park fees and where they start.
Little Sahara and Stokes Bay — the 2-day stops
The day-tour itineraries do not name these stops. The 2-day tour gives each of them real time.
Little Sahara
A system of tall sand dunes covering two square kilometres, formed over thousands of years. The 2-day tour gives it an hour; sandboarding is at your own cost.
Stokes Bay
A beach on the north coast that you reach through a boulder-lined cave, coming out on white sand with rock pools. The 2-day tour stops for 90 minutes.
Which tour reaches which sight
Read down your tour's column. "Not listed" means the itinerary does not name that stop.
| Sight | Kangaroo Island full day by ferry | Kangaroo Island in a Day | Kangaroo Island 2-day wildlife tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seal Bay | Yes | 45 minutes | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Remarkable Rocks | Yes | 45 minutes | Yes |
| Admirals Arch | Yes | 45 minutes | Yes |
| Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park | Not listed | 1 hour | Not listed |
| Little Sahara | Not listed | Not listed | 1 hour |
| Stokes Bay | Not listed | Not listed | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Night on the island | No | No | A bell tent in Flinders Chase Discovery Park |
| National park fees in the fare | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Length | About 16 hours | About 16 hours | 2 days |
| Fares from | $285 per person | $291 per person | $648 per person |
Wildlife and weather by season
The island's tourism body gives these averages for each season. The Bureau of Meteorology's Kingscote station records a January high of 26.8 °C and a July high of 15.4 °C, and July has the most rain days.
| Season | Average max / min | What the wildlife is doing |
|---|---|---|
| Summer, December to February | 24 °C / 14 °C | Mating season for koalas and seals; fur seal pups at Admirals Arch in December and January; animals shelter at midday. Also the fire season. |
| Autumn, March to May | 20 °C / 13 °C | Calmer seas and low winds; banksias and heaths start to flower. |
| Winter, June to August | 15 °C / 8 °C | Joeys leave the pouch, southern right whales pass, and you can spot glossy black cockatoos. |
| Spring, September to November | 19 °C / 11 °C | Wildflowers; kangaroos and wallabies graze at dusk. |
May to October is the season for more wildlife, and the full day by ferry runs all year except Christmas Day.
One day, two days or longer
A day tour gives you about three and a half hours at the sights inside a 16-hour day, most of it on the road and the water. The island's tourism body is frank about it: you can see some of the island in a day. It suggests three days for a small taste, five for the main sights and a week to know it.
The 2-day tour is the middle way. You sleep in a bell tent inside Flinders Chase Discovery Park, and you get the north coast and the dunes as well. It is for adults 18 and over, and it refunds in full only up to 6 days before the tour, against 24 hours on the day tours.
Wherever you go in Flinders Chase, National Parks asks you to leave no trace, to support the bush's recovery. Doing the island by car instead is set out in the guide to Kangaroo Island without a tour.
Kangaroo Island: your questions
How long is the ferry to Kangaroo Island?
Can you do Kangaroo Island in a day from Adelaide?
Can you walk on the beach at Seal Bay?
Is there public transport on Kangaroo Island?
When is the best time to visit Kangaroo Island?
Do Kangaroo Island tours include park fees?
Where these facts come from
- Seal Bay Conservation Park (National Parks and Wildlife Service SA)
- Flinders Chase National Park (National Parks and Wildlife Service SA)
- Kangaroo Island tourism: getting here
- Kangaroo Island tourism: FAQs
- Kangaroo Island tourism: best time to visit
Hours and access change. Check with the venue before you travel.
Next: check the 6:30 start on the Adelaide tour map, or compare every island day on Adelaide Australia Tours.