Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail

My wife and I hiked the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail a few years ago, before the bushfires, and it was an incredible experience. We spent five days walking through the park and didn’t see another person the entire time. It honestly felt like we had the island to ourselves. The trail takes you through such a mix of landscapes — peaceful forests, quiet lagoons, coastal cliffs, and wild stretches of beach. Every day felt different and full of small surprises, from spotting wildlife along the track to hearing nothing but the ocean and the wind. The campsites were well set up, and falling asleep under clear, starry skies was something I’ll never forget. It’s a tough trail in places but absolutely worth it for the solitude and beauty. If you love nature, quiet, and being completely off the grid for a few days, this walk is unforgettable.

Did this trail in May 2021, and it had been quite affected by recent bushfires. Due to this you must stay at Western KI Caravan Park and have to do the trails in order, Day 1 to 5 (and you can't do multiple trails in a day, we asked!). The paths were confusingly marked in some places (or not at all), we took a few wrong turns but nothing too serious. Most days the walk would take from about 8AM-2PM, leaving a bit of time to explore KI in the evening (as there isn't much going on at the caravan park). Some fantastic stargazing there though as it is so remote! While there was many areas that were barren to walk across, you typically always have a view to the stunning coastline. I saw one echidna, many birds, kangaroos, and some wild sheep (?). I would say there is a few key landmarks each day, ie Remarkable Rocks, to keep you motivated.

Spend some time to do some of the trails. The shortest one is the heritage one,. We saw a lot of koalas and Kangaroos!

Due to the 2020 bushfires, doing the 5 day coastal trail with lodges/camps on the trail is still not possible as accommodation not rebuilt yet. However, we have just completed the slightly modified version - March 2022 - still 5 days - which was a fantastic experience. Days 1,4 and 5 have some route adjustments and days 2 and 3 are close to the original - and some of the most spectacular coastal walking you can do. We were dropped off by minibus at the daily start points and collected at the daily end points by the owner of the Western KI Caravan Park which is located just near the Flinders Chase entrance and visitor centre. Basically, if you book a cabin, site there, you can discuss with him booking doing the Wilderness Trail for an additional fee for the drop offs plus the National Park permit. He only can shuttle so many people, so it's best to discuss and book it up front. The bush has bounced back after the fires with lots of fresh growth and the grass trees were amazing. Plenty of roos and koalas about. As we are in our late 50s, just having a day pack and a proper shower and bed at night in a modern cabin was bliss! This place has worked really hard to get back up and operational after those bushfires and it was a real bonus to be able to do this remote walk in comfort and while the area is still quiet tourism-wise.

We travelled in a group of 8 mid oct. Our youngest was 4 (and as far as we know the youngest to ever complete the trail) and our eldest in the group was 74. This is not to say it was a walk in the park as she was an incredibly resilient 4 year old! The views were stunning!! The challenge was perfect. Saw: lots of seals, echidnas, goannas and the occasional swooping maggie (just grab and wave a stick you'll be right) and only one snake but it was big so that was a plus. The daily stuff drop off service at campsite ahead is advisable if you want to lean towards 'glamping' but caution not to drive some of the more hard core hikers crazy with the smell of bacon and sausages first thing in the morning. I hope the trail stays as wilderness as it will inevitably become more popular. We could have spent a day at Remarkable Rocks alone just taking crazy pics. Hiking poles i reckon you can take or leave if your balance is good. Only qualm: I think there needed to be some better signage day 4 camp to underline the importance of putting the fire out before leaving.

We had an incredible time. Amazing scenery and excellent camp sites. Definitely worth the effort.

Amazing connecting with nature on this level. I would do it again in a heartbeat

A very nice modern visitor centre with a pleasant cafe attached. There is interesting information available to read including about the 2019/ 2020 bushfires.