Dolphin Sanctuary Kayak Tour Adelaide
Description
Join us on a guided kayak tour and paddle where only kayaks can go. Explore peaceful mangrove lined creeks, glide past shipwrecks and keep an eye out for resident dolphins, migratory birds and other marine life along the way. All this only 25 minutes from Adelaide CBD. Whether you’re a seasoned paddler or trying kayaking for the first time, our friendly and knowledgeable guides will ensure you feel confident and safe on the water. All equipment is provided, with tours suitable for adults and children over 10+ (Children 10-15 must be with a parent/adult in a double kayak and must be able to paddle) Participants don’t need any prior kayaking experience, and we travel at a comfortable pace to accommodate reasonable fitness levels. This is a unique and special destination and an absolute must do when visiting Adelaide. Please note departure times are varied due to tide times and it is essential that you arrive 15 minutes prior to departure time.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Travel through Port Adelaide and on to Garden Island for our departure point. It is essential that you arrive 15 minutes prior to start time.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Essential: Arrival time is 15 minutes prior to start time
- Children 10-15 years of age must be in a kayak with a parent/adult and must be able to paddle
- Children under 10 are not permitted to participate
- Not recommended for travelers with shoulder problems
Reviews(391)
Wonderful day on the water. Saw loads of dolphin activity. It was also very informative. Our guide Jacob was such a delightful young guide. great insight into the region and the dolphin behavior. Great 1/2 day tour.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you had such a wonderful day on the water and enjoyed seeing so much dolphin activity, it’s always a highlight 🐬 It’s great to hear you found the tour informative as well. Thanks again for joining us, and we hope to see you back on the water again soon! 🛶🌿
Great tour, many dolphins, great wrecks. Our guide Paddy was knowledgeable, explained well, kept the groups together, and he definitely knew where to find dolphins, We had one swimming right under our kayak.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled you had such a great tour and enjoyed the dolphins, shipwrecks, and everything the sanctuary has to offer. Having a dolphin swim right under your kayak is an incredible experience and one you won’t forget in a hurry! 🐬 Paddy will be delighted to hear your kind words. His knowledge, guidance, and ability to keep the group together while sharing the area's unique wildlife and history are things we’re very proud of. Thanks again for joining us, and we hope to see you back on the water again soon! 🛶🌿
A wonderful experience for being so close to the animals! The guide was very professional and considerate for everyone. We had a great time!
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re really glad you had such a great experience being close to the wildlife and enjoyed your time out on the water. 🐬 It’s great to hear your guide made the tour feel professional, considerate, and enjoyable for everyone. Thanks again for joining us and we hope to see you back on the water again soon! 🛶
Took our son for his birthday. Loved it was fabulous. We saw a dolphin so added bonus. And the guides Liam and Mark were great and very knowledgeable.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you chose to celebrate your son’s birthday with us, what a special way to mark the day 🎉 It’s great to hear you enjoyed the experience and even got a bonus dolphin sighting 🐬. Liam and Mark will really appreciate your kind words about their knowledge and guiding. Thanks again for joining us, and we hope to see you back on the water again soon! 🛶
An excellent morning paddle. Our guide Liam was super friendly, knowledgeable, encouraging and relaxed. Our group of four had a mix of experience levels but that did not matter at all and we all loved it. Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for your excellent review! We’re really glad you had such a great morning on the water and that the mix of experience levels in your group still made for a fun and relaxed outing. That’s exactly what we aim for. Liam will be thrilled to hear your kind words, he’ll really appreciate the feedback. Thanks for the recommendation, and we hope to see you back on the water again soon! 🛶🐬
Great to paddle in the mangroves and see dolphin. Mark was an excellent guide - knew a lot about the animals and plants!
Thanks so much for your lovely review! We’re really glad you enjoyed paddling through the mangroves and were lucky enough to see dolphins, always a special highlight 🐬 It’s fantastic to hear Mark made the experience even better with his knowledge of the local animals and plants. We’ll be sure to pass your kind feedback on to him. We’d love to welcome you back for another paddle in the future! 🌿🚣♂️
Was a nice experience even though no dolphin spottings were made during our tour. Lots of cool marshes and even some shipwrecks to see. My only tip would be to try and go with a friend. I booked solo and was paired up with the son of a family doing the tour. Sadly he wasn’t interested at all in paddling, so I ended up carrying an extra person around which was a bit of a downer. That aside I would have given the tour 5 stars.
Thanks so much for your review! We’re really glad you enjoyed the marshes and shipwrecks, and that you still had a great overall experience out on the water. 😊 Dolphins are always a special highlight when they appear, but as they are wild animals, sightings can vary from day to day. We’re sorry to hear your paddling pairing wasn’t ideal on the day, that’s not the experience we aim for, and we appreciate you sharing that feedback as it helps us improve how we manage mixed groups. We’re grateful for your kind words and hope to see you back for another paddle in the future! 🚣♂️🌿
It was a nice calm day on the water but not what I expected. What the description does not say is that it is not guaranteed you will see dolphins (we saw only one for a split of a minute and possible only for some kayaks due to no-move policy around animals). So if dolphins are your main reason for going, think twice. Another issue was that the guide did not have a mic that connects to the visitors. This meant that while being spread while kayaking, most of the time you could not hear what he was describing or explaining. You just miss out on the interesting stuff. Finally, while the photos show several shipwrecks, we only visited two closest wrecks (there was no kayaking through the arched metal wreck as per photos). Overall a poor reflection of what’s been advertised.
Hi Simone, thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed the calm conditions on the water, but we’re sorry the experience didn’t fully meet your expectations. Dolphin sightings are never guaranteed as we are visiting wild animals in their natural habitat, and while we do sometimes have close encounters, they can be brief and vary from tour to tour. We appreciate this wasn’t made clear enough and will review how we communicate these so expectations are better set up front. We also hear your point about the guide not having a microphone. We understand how important it is to be able to clearly hear commentary while spread out on the water, and we’ll look into ways to improve audio clarity during tours. Regarding the shipwrecks, water conditions and group safety determine which sites we’re able to access on the day, and this can sometimes mean we’re unable to visit all advertised features or kayak through certain sections. That said, we understand how this could feel disappointing if it differed from what was expected. We appreciate your honest feedback as it helps us improve the experience for future guests. If you’d be open to it, we’d also be happy to discuss your experience further directly.
Great exercise and a beautiful place to kayak. The mangroves were really healthy and so good to see and the Dolphins were gorgeous. We got to see around 7 or 8 as we paddled around the area with a great guide
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re glad you enjoyed the exercise and the chance to explore such a beautiful area! The healthy mangroves really are something special 🌿 Seeing 7 or 8 dolphins while paddling is amazing 🐬, and we’re thrilled you had such a great experience with your guide. Thanks again for joining us, and we hope to see you back on the water again soon! 🛶
This was a great experience and I'm really glad I went! You can either drive or get an uber/taxi there as public transport doesn't reach Garden Island, but it's well worth it. I saw some dolphins out on the water before we even got started! I did a self-guided tour which, even if you don't have kayaking experience, is easy to navigate and the guides go through a quick tutorial/intro to kayaking before hand so I felt confident going out on the water. Saw a few more dolphins (including a mother and calf!), the impressive shipwrecks, and really enjoyed going into the mangrove creeks. If you're interested in joining an organised tour they looked great as well. Great value for money and a fantastic way to spend the morning!
Thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful review! We’re really glad you had such a great experience and felt confident heading out on the water after the intro, that’s exactly what we aim for. 🛶 Seeing dolphins before you even got started, including a mother and calf, is incredibly special 🐬, and it sounds like you made the most of everything the sanctuary has to offer from the shipwrecks to the mangrove creeks. We also appreciate you sharing helpful tips for future visitors about transport and the different tour options. Thanks again for joining us, and we hope to see you back out on the water again soon!
