Exceptional Kangaroo Island

Exceptional Kangaroo Island

Exceptional Kangaroo Island
5
4WD, ATV & Off-Road ToursEco ToursPrivate ToursNature & Wildlife ToursDay Trips
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Exceptional Kangaroo Island is a family-owned eco-friendly tour company on Kangaroo Island off of the coast of South Australia. We are locals who understand travellers and know you want to make the best use of your limited holiday or vacation time. We know where to find the wildlife, all the cool spots, and importantly, can share the back-story of Kangaroo Island as it is the people you meet and stories you share that really make a trip memorable. Our business has been in operation since 1986 and we focus on bringing you the best experiences our Island home offers - the wildlife encounters, rural and wilderness landscapes, fresh local produce prepared by our in-house Executive Chef, travelling in comfortable four wheel drive vehicles and hosted by our enthusiastic local guiding team. The Island is big and there are lots of choices to make so our experienced planning team can assist in co-ordinating the travel, accommodation and experience sectors to ensure you have a relaxing trip.
Kangaroo Island, South Australia, Australia
Meets animal welfare guidelines

Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023

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(47 reviews)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles476 reviews
Excellent
436
Very good
24
Average
11
Poor
2
Terrible
3

Trond H
Majorca, Spain4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Kangaroo Island is a teriffic island. The birds and animals on the island are exotic, and you can see them in their natural environment. This is so much better experience compared to go to a Zoo. The excellent guide will also give you a lot of knowledge about the Island and the rare anamals who live here. On the trip you are served exelent food too. We are very satisfied with our experience, and we had two fantastic days here!
Written 14 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review - so glad you came to visit and enjoyed our Island home
Written 16 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

evabpickens
Birmingham, AL17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
If they had more than 5*+++++ I would give it! My husband and I , with another couple are on a month long Australia/ New Zealand holiday. We booked an Exceptional Kangaroo Island tour for 2 days. Lee Berryman was our Tour guide. He was absolutely the BEST tour guide we’ve ever had anywhere! He is a true “Aussie” . He went above and beyond to make our two days so memorable. He is a local and knew the perfect locations to see kangaroos, wallabies, seas, adorable Koala Bears, the Remarkable Rocks and the National Parks. There wasn’t a site me missed. He prepared a delicious lunch and wonderful stops with picnic style coffee and tea. Kangaroo Island and Exceptional Kangaroo Island tours should NOT be missed when visiting Australia.
Written 3 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review - glad you enjoyed your time here on the Island hosted by Lee. Come back and see us again soon - I'm sure Lee has a few more great places to show you.
Written 16 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

lucymuncey
Basingstoke, UK21 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
Had 2 days with this tour company . They are incredibly professional and our personal tours were amazing . Highly recommend . Special thanks to Roberta , our guide , who made our trip to Kangaroo Island so special . A really outstanding tour company .
Written 17 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for coming to visit - I will pass your kind words onto Roberta.
Written 17 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

mtclimbr5
southern california12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
Lee was the real deal!

not only was he knowledgeable and experienced he was born and raised on kangaroo Island. His accent was more Australian than I’ve ever heard in my life. He’s kind of like Crocodile Dundee on steroids. (sorry Lee). Show me an obsessive and excellent cook who later has no qualms about picking up dried kangaroo poop to split it apart and show you it’s mostly grass. He has great stories about koalas peeing on unsuspecting tourists under their branch. He grew up doing farm work in this far away desolate and beautifully wild place. Lee is such a large character that he’s almost an extra tour of Australia himself.
Written 10 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for sharing your touring experience - come back to see us again soon.
Written 17 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Madeleine B
5 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
My husband and I did 2 full days with Exceptional Kangaroo Island on our honeymoon, as suggested by our travel agent.

We did the Island Life Tour and the Flinders Chase tour. We had wanted to do them in that order but upon arrival, found that the company swapped our days to maximize how many people they could put on each tour van. That makes sense. However, on that first day (Flinders Chase tour), they packed every seat full in an older van that was way too squished and had poor visibility out the windows. We could hardly see out and my husband got really claustrophobic for the first couple hours until we were able to get out and switch him around with other passengers to fit better.

One of the other women on our tour complained about the experience to the guide who said they haven’t been able to get a new van since covid and they’re received this complaint from other groups before. The company knew it would be a very unpleasant experience, and yet proceeded with accepting as many reservations as they did.

Additionally, the Flinder’s Chase Tour specifically was a TON of time riding around in the van versus being out seeing and doing things. It’s tough because we wanted to visit the landmarks on the island and those take time to drive to, so we understand that a good amount of time in the van is necessary, but when we got there it was like we’d get out for a few minutes and wander around, then go back in the van. I can see how that would be desirable for the other folks on our tour who were all retirement age and older. But for us, who are in our 20's and enjoy being active and maximizing our time spent in each place we travel to, this tour was frustrating and disappointing, especially for how much we spent on it.

The 2nd day for the Island Life Tour was better. We had a newer van that was bigger with better visibility out the windows and less people packed in it. Much more comfortable. We spent more time outside looking at animals and learning about our surroundings.

If I were to do Kangaroo Island again, I would rent a car so that we can have much more flexibility and our ability to get around the island would not be so limited. We could have seen all of the landmarks but also be able to spend more time outside walking/hiking. I probably still would have done the Island Life Tour because it was great to have a guide to educate us. But for the landmarks that we saw on the Flinder’s Chase Tour, we could have googled information about what we were looking at and had the same/better experience.

I want to mention that after the first day, we were told the company owner could call us to rectify the situation, but we never received a call. That is the primary reason I feel compelled to leave this review.

Overall, I do still believe the Exceptional Kangaroo Island is the best touring option on the Island (as we heard that from a few local people), but encourage them to prioritize the customer experience (which should result in more profit over time) over maximizing short term profits. I understand that small companies are still hurting from covid, and specifically KI companies who are still recovering from the fires, and that I do not have visibility to their business strategy; these are my 2 cents.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review.
Written 13 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to review our services. My apologies that we did not meet your expectations - our team work hard to provide the best experience possible. The logistics of the Island are what they are - the Flinders Chase trip is by definition a lot of time in the vehicle as it is a long way from most of the accommodations. We too are frustrated by the supply lines for new vehicles - I am constantly trying to get updates on new vehicles. We have been in business for over 34 years and try to maintain a solid customer focus. As far as giving you a call - my apologies for not knowing you were expecting a call - that slipped through the gaps somehow. I appreciate your acknowledging that we are still gearing up post-fire and Covid - demand has been solid and our Island team work hard to deliver exceptional experiences.
Written 17 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Charlie b
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
We had a really fun day the bikes were superb. Very comfortable and we saw wonderful flora and fauna
Lunch was to die for
Throughout the day our guide Mike was excellent
Wine tasting and gin tasting was great way to finish the day
Written 5 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for joining our fun e-bike trip - it is great exploring private properties and backroads on two wheels. I will pass on your kind words to Mike.
Written 17 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Robert D
Brooklyn, New York2,718 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
I was picked up when I arrived at Kangaroo Island airport and enjoyed a small group tour of the island. (I had wanted to do an overnight tour, but the second day was fully booked.) There were only five people on my tour and our guide was excellent.

Among the animals we saw on Kangaroo Island were several koalas and kangaroos, as well as several species of birds. It was nice to visit some remote spots that were off-the-beaten-path. A highlight of the day was the opportunity to walk on the same beach as the Australian sea lions. Lunch was lovely with grilled whiting and salad.

Exceptional Kangaroo Island also booked a shuttle bus to the ferry terminal after my tour. I caught the evening ferry to the mainland and then had a two hour bus ride to Adelaide. It was a long, but enjoyable day.
Written 27 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for reviewing your time here on Kangaroo Island with us. Keep travelling!
Written 17 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Mnbugs
Lleida, Spain2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
We are an older couple from the US. We visited Kangaroo Island in September of 2023. We had a private tour for two days through Extraordinary Kangaroo Island with Mark Watson as our guide. The experience was outstanding across the board - pleasant accommodation, comfortable transport, interesting lunch stops and so on, but the highlight was Mark and his amazing knowledge and skill. It was hard to believe we could see so much in just two days. We are especially interested in wildlife, especially birds, and we saw at least 40 species of birds, about one on every page of the nice bird identification booklet he gave us. Many were common birds that were exciting to us foreigners, but many were also shy or rare species we would never have found on our own. Mark seems to know them all personally and knows where to find them. We also saw lots of other wildlife, some rare and some common. He even found an echidna along the side of the road and we were able to watch it feeding. Amazing that he can drive briskly along a dirt road and spot a small slow-moving camouflaged creature. He’s a very good driver, and very patient and friendly. He covered a lot of ground quickly, but without making us feel rushed. He’s great with wildlife, but also very knowledgeable about the history and geography of the island. We enjoyed every minute and felt it was an excellent value.
Written 15 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your comprehensive review. You certainly chose the right tour given your specialist interest in our birdlife and we are pleased that you enjoyed Mark as your host. He combines a high level of knowledge and skill with a calm and friendly disposition and we know we are lucky to have him on our team. I will pass on your kind words. Happy birding, Craig
Written 20 November 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kathryn
New Hampshire54 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
We took two full day tours with Exceptional Kangaroos; one with Lee and one with Franck. Both were excellent and gave us a very clear overview of the Island. Lee shared his long-term experience as a native of KI, he has a fascinating background and provided great information. We saw the spectacular Remarkable Rocks, Admiral's Arch and koalas in the trees. Franck was equally informational, and, on his tour, we went to Seal Bay to get up close to the Sea Lions. It was magical and Franck taught us all about their habits. We also visited Stokes Bay where Franck led us through a tunnel of rocks, the only access to the beach. It was stunning. He took us through a field to a hidden spot where there was a covered picnic area and grilled some delicious fish, potatoes and halloumi. On both days, we had lovely lunches, white linens and wine.
I highly recommend the tours...be aware that there is a lot of driving time, but it is well worth it.
Written 8 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review and for giving potential travellers the heads up about the size of the Island and the driving time. We struggle to convey just how large the Island is. Hopefully the conversations and storytelling make the journey interesting and set you up for the next experience. I will pass your kind words on to Lee and Franck. Keep travelling!
Written 13 November 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

C-S-TravelersFromCA
Sacramento, CA171 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
Cannot rave enough about the two one-day tours we booked, Island Life and Flinders Chase Focus. Both were truly exceptional and first-class.

We had different guides for each tour - Lee and Franck, respectively. They both provided thorough and fascinating information about KI, its history, the sights and wildlife. They both took us to spots off the beaten path, where we could see wildlife. The Remarkable Rocks (Flinders Chase) were truly - remarkable! The freshly prepared and delicious lunches were served on a white tablecloth, with cloth napkins and real dishes. And wine - as well as a selection of other beverages. In addition, they provided gluten free food for my husband (celiac), including at morning tea.

We were especially fortunate to be the only ones to have booked Flinders Chase Focus on that date, so it ended up being a private tour. And Franck was great at accommodating our last-minute request to enable us to leave a bit earlier to catch an earlier ferry.

Communication with the company prior to the tour was excellent and they provided many helpful suggestions, including transportation information, recommended tours based on our interests, and other logistics. The caliber of these tours made KI one of the highlights of a 5-week trip to Australia & NZ.
Written 1 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your comprehensive review - and the fact that you enjoyed the touches provided by the whole team - the reservations crew, catering and guiding. Our team takes pride in offering an integrated experience so it is pleasing to see you appreciate the full suite of services.
Written 6 November 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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Exceptional Kangaroo Island - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)