When imagining an Australian adventure, a few icons usually come to mind. Awe-inspiring Uluru in the red desert heart of the country. Sydney Opera House’s gleaming opal sails. Spotting the real life Nemo and friends on the Great Barrier Reef. Yet, if you’re willing to go off the beaten track, Australia has so much more to offer. Sal Salis, a luxury safari-style glamping resort in Western Australia’s remote Cape Range National Park, is one such exclusive offering.
Accessed usually by a short drive from Learmonth airport, or an adventurous 1,200km roadtrip following the coast from Perth, by the time you reach Sal Salis any civilisation or cell service will be long behind you. As we arrive at the designated meeting point within the National Park, it truly feels like we are at the very edge of the world.
We are soon collected by a cheery Sal Salis host in a golf buggy, the perfect vehicle for bouncing over the sand dunes. The enclave of the camp appears as we roll over the hill, and I am immediately struck by the feeling that if we ever have luxury lodges on Mars – it will look a little something like this. The main lodge appears first, housing the dining table set for a select few guests, looking out to the reef, with thirteen tan safari-style tents peppering the white sand alongside. The camp almost blends into the landscape, with nothing else for miles but endless stretches of sand and sparkling turquoise sea.
We get settled in our tent, inspired by those you might find on a South African safari. There is no air-conditioning here, but the breeze flows through the raised tent and provides enough cooling to sleep easily in very comfortable beds. The bathroom is open-air, but as comfortable as any you might find in a city hotel. There is no doubt that Sal Salis offers a different kind of luxury – no AC, no butler service, and certainly no wi-fi. But, if you’re open to it, you might find something even more rare – the chance to utterly disconnect.
As the sun sets below the horizon, we enjoy delicious canapes and Australian sparkling before joining our fellow guests for dinner. Guests from across the globe soon become fast friends over tales of the day’s adventures. Hiking Mandu Mandu Gorge, snorkelling the 260km-long fringing reef, spotting the rare black-footed rock wallaby that calls Cape Range home. All exciting tales, but one legend dominates the conversation. The main attraction that pulls travellers to this remote region – the chance to swim with the whale sharks as they make their migration.
From March to October, around 400 whale sharks make their way past Ningaloo, with up to 30,000 humpbacks joining from June. Ningaloo Reef is one of the few places in the world where you can swim with these gentle giants, along with the chance to spot manta rays, turtles, dolphins, dugongs and seabirds, as well as over 500 species of fish.
Our whale shark swim is on our departure day, and we are a mix of nerves and excitement, not sure quite what to expect. Boarding the boat, the atmosphere is a little on edge. For all the efforts Sal Salis go to to ensure a whaleshark interaction, there’s always the slim chance they might elude us. Luckily, as most guests are, the spotter plane alerts us within an hour or so of a nearby pod. As the boat heads toward them, the guides prepare us for our first jump – they have the choreography down to a fine art. Seated on the edge, flippers and goggles on, poised to jump on their call.
We get the signal the whaleshark is close and in we jump, plunging into the depths. Any nerves are immediately forgotten in front of the spectacle of the enormous creature swimming right in front of us. The whale shark glides effortlessly past, and each time (we enjoy five opportunities to dive in total) I can’t resist swimming along for as much as I can manage, chasing just a second longer of sharing the ocean with these incredible animals. At the end of the day, celebratory prosecco in hand, I’m exhausted, but absolutely thrilled.
Leave a Reply