One handy guide with absolutely everything you need to plan your trip to Karijini National Park.
Where’s Karijini National Park?
You’ll find this pocket of paradise 1055km north of Perth in the remote Pilbara region. The nearest towns to Karijini National Park are Tom Price (72km/45 mins away) and Paraburdoo (130km/1 hour, 22 minutes away).
Do I need a 4WD in Karijini?
Nope! While 4WDs are recommended and will give you more access to explore this region, many of Karijini’s beautiful gorges and waterfalls are able to be accessed by 2WD. But always drive safely – stick to the sealed roads where possible and, if you do have to travel on a corrugated gravel road, be sure it’s 2WD-safe and take it slow. The Karijini Visitor Centre or Tom Price Visitor Centre can guide you on which roads to avoid. Learn more about how to safely drive on gravel and corrugated roads in our Drive Safe on Regional Roads post.
Is Karijini worth visiting?
Hell yes. In fact, we’d go so far to say Karijini National Park needs to be at the top of everyone’s WA bucket list. It’s an ancient part of the earth filled with mighty gorges, steep chasms that tower over 100 metres high, stunning waterfalls and cool, freshwater swimming holes. From the fiery red-brick gorges to the aquamarine water, the colours in Karijini National Park will blow your mind.
How many days should I spend in Karijini?
Five days in Karijini is fine, but we think six days is the sweet spot. This will give you enough time see a highlight reel of Karijini including the main player gorges – Dales Gorge, Hancock Gorge, Hamersley Gorge, Joffre Gorge, Knox Gorge and Weano Gorge – as well as Fortescue Falls, Fern Pool, Spa Pool, Kermit’s Pool, Mount Bruce and more. At the very least, you’ll need three days here.
What’s the first step to planning a trip to Karijini?
The first thing you need to decide when planning for Karijini is whether you want to fly or drive up. It’s a 1 hour, 45-minute flight from Perth to Paraburdoo, but you’ll need to hire a car at the airport and drive a further 1.5 hours to Karijini National Park. If you take this option, you’ll also need to secure accommodation in Paraburdoo, Tom Price or at Karijini Eco Retreat (we highly recommend the latter – more on that below). Alternatively, you can drive around 14 hours from Perth with your camping gear and grab a campsite.
Where should I stay in Karijini?
You have a few options.
The most central accommodation to the popular gorges and waterfalls is Karijini Eco Retreat. Karijini Eco Retreat is around 10km from Hancock and Weano gorges, 45km from Dales Gorge, 30km from Mount Bruce, 86km from Hamersley Gorge – and a mere seven minute walk to Joffre Gorge. You can either book an unpowered campsite, an eco cabin or an eco tent here, ranging from standard (no lights or power) to deluxe (solar powered lights and minimal power) to luxury (lights, power AND a mini fridge!).
Dales Campground is also located in Karijini National Park and is also relatively central to the hotspots. It’s right next to Dales Gorge, home of some beautiful waterfalls at Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool. Dales Campground is a camping only situation, so you’ll need to have a van, camper trailer, caravan, motorhome or tent, as well as your own water and supplies. The campground has non-flush pit toilets and a chemical toilet dump station. All sites are unpowered and, while there aren’t any showers available at the camp, they are available for a fee from Karijini Visitor Centre (just bear in mind this is 12km from the campgrounds and only available during opening hours). Bookings here are essential.
If you’re happy to stay a little further away, you can book a campsite or accommodation at Tom Price Tourist Park. This will give you the option of a few more creature comforts but will involve a longer drive in every day (Tom Price is 70km/one hour’s drive from Karijini National Park).
Free camps are also available – you can find these on Wikicamps.
What (and where) are the best gorges, waterfalls and swimming spots in Karijini?
For gorges, Dales, Hancock and Hamersley gorges are absolute must-sees. Next in line: Weano, Knox and Joffre gorges. As far as waterfalls and waterholes, you can’t miss Fortescue Falls, Fern Pool, Spa Pool, Circular Pool and Kermit’s Pool. For the best view, go the hike at Mount Bruce.
We recommend exploring Karijini in these “chunks”:
Day 1: Dales Gorge (this includes visits to Fern Pool, Fortescue Falls, Circular Pool).
Note – we suggest going down the staircase to Fortescue Falls, heading to Fern Pool, then looping back through Dales Gorge and exiting up the gravel steps. You can then follow the outer rim walk in 15 minutes back to the carpark. Why? It’s much easier – and safer – to climb down an actual staircase than navigating steep gravel rocks like a mountain goat!
Day 2: Knox Gorge and Joffre Gorge.
Day 3: Hamersley Gorge (this includes exploring Spa Pool to the right, plus the waterways that flow 2km through the Gorge to the left).
Day 4: Weano Gorge and Hancock Gorge (this includes a class 5 walk to Kermit’s Pool).
Day 5: Mount Bruce hike.
How to I get to Karijini?
Qantas flies from Perth to Paraburdoo most days. Car hire is available from Paraburdoo airport.
If you drive, the fastest route is via National Highway 95. Given it’s a 14-hour humdinger, you may want to plan an overnight stop at Meekatharra, around 8 hours from Perth. We’ve heard Commercial Hotel Meekatharra offers friendly vibes and a decent meal or the Meekatharra Accommodation Centre has cheap, no-fuss camping options.
Hot tip: Consider hiring a van from Camplify so you can add a roadtrip.
When’s the best time to visit Karijini?
Winner winner, chicken dinner: April to October
Karijini’s weather is glorious from April to October. The days are sunny and warm and range from the mid 20s to mid 30s. The waterfalls gush strongly from April but may get drier by September and October. But bear in mind the water temperature here is freezing, even when the weather is warm and sunny. Watch out for hyperthermia!
Not recommended: December to February
Temperatures start getting close to the 40-degree mark by November, and usually exceed it by December. It’s also the wet season in this region – flash flooding can occur, which can make the gorges very dangerous.
Will I get mobile phone coverage in Karijini?
You’ll get 4G Telstra and Optus reception near Karijini Eco Resort, but it’s patchy everywhere else and non-existent in most of the gorges.
Can I get a decent coffee in Karijini?
There’s only one place to get a coffee in Karijini National Park and that’s at Karijini Eco Retreat. Thankfully, it’s a decent brew.
Where can I eat out in Karijini?
Again, there’s one choice and one choice only for eating out in Karijini National Park. Outback Restaurant at Karijini Eco Retreat is open from April to October, before closing over the summer period. It has a small but surprisingly high-brow menu as well as an impressive and very well-priced wine list. They also have a takeaway menu that makes killer burgers. Top tip: Make sure you reserve your table well ahead of time – the Outback Restaurant tends to fill up fast.
What are the top tips for visiting Karijini National Park?
- Bring reef shoes! It can get incredibly wet and slippery while exploring the gorges and these will give you good grip. Quality hiking sandals make an excellent alternative.
- Pack a pool noodle or inflatable. Freshwater is freezing and feels heavy and dense. You will tire in it more easily and may need a little assistance reaching the waterfalls.
- If you’re reallllly not a fan of ice cold water (and you seriously have to be mindful of hyperthermia in these waterholes), bring a wetsuit.
- Remember, there’s no petrol station in Karijini National Park! The nearest petrol pump is in Tom Price, so plan your petrol wisely.
- Also stay mindful of food supplies. The nearest Coles supermarket is in also in Tom Price. Stay stocked up!
- Red dust sticks hard. Don’t bring your best bikini (you’ll be bum shuffling down a lot of rocks) and leave your good Turkish towel at home. Everything, and we mean EVERYTHING, gets coated in red dust here.
- Bring some magnesium supplements with you – your calf muscles get quite a workout going up and down those gorges and the magnesium helps with muscle soreness.
- It gets super cold here at night. Bring some warm PJs, toasty socks and a beanie.
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