
Fast boat ride
Fast boat ride to and from (Njulbitjlk) Bare Sand Island
Fast boat ride to and from (Njulbitjlk) Bare Sand Island
Guided turtle nesting viewing with our permitted guides.
Dinner and a complementary drink included.
Your ticket price includes the Njulbitjlk permit fee and a contribution to Austurtle for Sea Turtle Research.
$ 359 per participant
Group Charter Prices available
Turtle Tracks tours operate seasonally in line with the lunar cycle. Check out booking page for the next available tour date.
Please note: This adventure is not suited to children under the age of 8. A medium level of fitness is required to participate in this tour. The MV Olive Ridley and the MV Flatback are fast open boats exposed to the elements. This tour is not advised for people who are pregnant, or who have existing neck or back injury, or any mobility issues. Sea Darwin reserves the right to cancel or vary trips subject to weather or sea conditions.
Tours depart at either 4pm or 4am (for sunrise tours). Tour length is dependent on turtle activity. For evening tours return times are between 10:30pm and midnight.
Tours depart and conclude at:
Dock 2
Stokes Hill Wharf
Darwin 0800
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"I'm a reptile fan and this was the experience of a lifetime: watching turtles dig their nests and lay their eggs, then following them back to the water. We were particularly lucky on this trip that three females were already busy digging when we arrived an hour or so before sunset, so we were able to watch in daylight. Our skipper Captain Jim and our guides Ella, Sam and Louise were knowledgeable and friendly, and the turtles were treated with the proper respect. It's a long boat ride (though comfortable) and it's expensive, but worth it a hundred times over. "
Margaret, from the UK
Leaving Stokes Hill Wharf on one of our fast boats at 4.00 pm and on a date especially picked around the lunar cycle, your cobwebs will be blown away as Darwin Harbour and the Darwin cityscape fade into the distance. With the warm breeze on your face and the smell of salt in the air, you will loose yourself in your thoughts as you skim over the tropical, turquoise water of the Timor Sea. The Captain and crew will always have their eyes peeled for marine mammals and reptiles, as you journey past historic Charles Point Lighthouse into Bynoe Harbour, arriving at remote Njulbitjlk (Bare Sand Island) in time for the sun set.
With the permission of the Kenbi Traditional Owners, we will take you ashore to explore the island's beach with our "Team Turtle". With their marine science backgrounds and their passion for sea turtles, you will be treated to first hand knowledge about the Flatback and Olive Ridley turtles, who visit the island to nest.
As day turns to night, you will also hear about the island's unique war history and its importance to the Kenbi Traditional Owners. The Bare Sand Island sunset is something to behold, and at this point we take time to quietly experience the end of the day on this special little island at the Top of Australia. As the sun sets we'll all keep scanning the shore line for the first head to pop up from the sea.
The date you travel on Turtle Tracks will be especially chosen with tide and moon conditions aligned for nesting turtles at sunset. Nature dictates on this tour, and you might be lucky to have a nesting turtle on the island when we arrive, or one plod up the beach shortly after, however there might be times when the turtles come up later after the sun has set.
Note that nesting turtles or hatchlings cannot be guaranteed on any tour, although in 2022 100% of our guests experienced a turtle encounter.
The timing of your turtle watching, and your dinner, and your departure back to Darwin, is entirely up to the turtles! Sometimes you'll get really lucky and you might come across hatchlings making their journey from their nest to the sea. Whatever the turtle timing is, we guarantee that this tour will give you memories to last a lifetime.
Turtle viewing on this tour is guided, and a medium level of fitness is required to participate in this tour. The tour may involve beach walking for up to 1km. Our guides are trained and have permits in accordance with Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory's Marine Turtle Watching Policy