At the heart of the Pilbara, just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, you will find the rich red layered cliffs of the ancient Karijini National Park. Western Australia's second-largest National Park. A once-in-a-lifetime destination, Karijini lies in WA’s Pilbara region and is often a part of extended tours across the North-West.
One such tour includes Adventure Tours Australia’s 10-day safari loop from Perth to Karijini, return. The locally operated The Flying Sandgroper, also offers multi-day tours amongst the national park, making sure you don’t miss any of the key attractions such as Junction Pool Lookout, Kalimina Gorge, and Fortescue falls. You can self-drive to the park, fly into Paraburdoo Airport or take a coach to one of multiple stop-offs surrounding the park (late-night drop-offs only).
This National Park welcomes the adventurer, explore her treasure trove of stunning waterfalls; ancient gorges eroded over billions of years; fern rimmed emerald oases and breath-taking picturesque scenery year-round, but it's best visited over our late autumn, winter and early spring months as the temperatures can get extremely hot in summer.
Karijini National Park. Image by Tourism WA
Accommodation in Karijini is limited, so book your trip in advance! There are glamping facilities at Karijini Eco Retreat, next door to Joffre George or tourist parks in the nearby town of Tom Price and Juna Downs.
Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga are the traditional custodians of the land, the word Karijini is the Banyjima name for the Hamersley Range.
Karijini provides a habitat for a wide range of native fauna and vegetation from the red kangaroos, emus, rock-wallabies, and echidnas to various species of reptiles, birds and the rarer bilby and Pilbara ningaui.
Region: North West, Pilbara
Nearest town: Tom Price, 49.3km
Established: 1969
Area: 6274km2
Highlights: Dales Gorge, Fern Pool, Junction Point and Oxer lookouts, Hancock Gorge, Hamersley Gorge, Hamersley Range, Joffre Gorge, Mount Bruce
Experiences: Swimming, Camping, Walking and Hiking Trails