Top Adelaide On the Water

Get active while enjoying the great outdoors and spotting wildlife on this kayaking tour to the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary. Paddle through ancient mangrove forests and keep a lookout for the dolphins that pass through. Learn about the animals and their habitat from your naturalist guide. No kayaking experience is necessary and the pace will be slow but moderate fitness is recommended.

Enjoy a relaxing half-day cruise on the Murray River aboard the paddle wheeler “Captain Proud.” Learn about the river’s history, culture, and ecosystem from the live commentary. Look out for birds and wildlife, including kangaroos, pelicans, galahs, and cockatoos. Feast on a two-course lunch while watching the world go peacefully by.

Enjoy a guided kayaking tour from Adelaide that gives you the chance to see the Port River dolphins up close. Receive a kayaking lesson from the expert guide, then set out for the Garden Island Ships’ Graveyard Maritime Heritage Trail and the dolphin sanctuary. Travel in a small group with a maximum of 14 people, winding through mangrove-lined waterways to see native wildlife and scuttled ships. Learn about the region from the informative guide on this family-friendly tour.

Take an exhilarating 45-minute boat ride from the Granite Island Causeway to Seal Island and Wright Island to look for seals, sea lions, and bottle-nose dolphins, and hear the history of whaling in Encounter Bay.

Enjoy pristine views of the Coorong National Park as you sightsee in style and comfort on this 3.5-hour catered river cruise. Learn about the waterway’s man-made barrage and lock system, and uncover the ancient history of the region’s Aboriginal people as you cruise along the Murray River. Disembark for a guided walk, where you will see the Great Southern Ocean skimming the white-sand beaches of Younghusband Peninsula.

Travel from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, one of Australia’s most popular wildlife destinations, on this activity-filled day trip by ferry and coach. On the island, discover its natural attractions and local animals, from Vivonne Bay and Seal Bay Conservation Park to the Remarkable Rocks, Flinders Chase National Park, Admirals Arch and more. Spot wallabies, echidnas, fur seals, koalas and, of course, kangaroos.

Explore the Adelaide Hills and the town of Hahndorf on a half-day tour from Adelaide. Your driver takes you through historic villages that dot the Mount Lofty Ranges and stops in Hahndorf for the afternoon. Includes afternoon tea or beer tasting, air-conditioned transportation, on-board commentary, and pickup and drop-off at select hotels.

Discover the best food and wine of the Barossa Valley on a full-day tour from Adelaide or Glenelg. Have time for wine tastings at four or five wineries throughout the day as you pass through villages such as Lyndoch, Tanunda, and Angaston. Your guide discusses the options with the group and tailors the day to your interests. You'll also stop at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop in Nuriootpa, and end the day with sweeping views from Mengler Hill.

Combine a food-tasting tour with views from Mount Lofty on an Adelaide Hills culinary tour. This multi-stop tour includes all transportation, eliminating the need to rent a car, and stops at some of the region's top food producers as picked by your foodie guide. Focus on the scenery on your journey through the countryside, stopping to taste cheese, chocolate, and wine. A delightful German style lunch with a glass of beer or wine is included.

Taste local wine at the best wineries in McLaren Vale on this small-group tour from Adelaide, with all transportation provided. Appreciate the wine samples without the worry of having to drive. Experience the scenery of your sojourn through the Fleurieu Peninsula. Lunch is included with a glass of wine. Groups are limited to 10 for an intimate experience.

Explore the Barossa Valley on a full-day wine tasting tour that includes visits to four wineries, a delicious lunch, and stops at the Whispering Wall, the town of Tanunda and Mengler's Hill Lookout. Visit renowned wineries such as Chateau Yaldara, Peter Lehmanns, Rosenvale Wines and Wolf Blass to taste a variety of wines from both new and established producers. Your knowledgeable guide shares behind-the-scenes facts about the valley with your small group, giving you insight into the legendary winemaking region. (Selected wineries may vary)

Spend a day in Barossa on this wine and food tour from Adelaide. Home to some of South Australia’s most renowned wineries, the region also produces countryside culinary delights like cider, baked goods and jam. You’ll visit both big and small wineries, for tastings of varietals like shiraz, plus check out local businesses like Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop and enjoy a 2-course lunch with wine at Lambert Estate. You will be travelling with a guide, who shares information about winemaking in the region.

Explore the highlights of the Onkaparinga Hills, McLaren Vale, and Glenelg on this half-day small-group wine-tasting and discovery tour from Adelaide. Start your trip with a drive through the Onkaparinga Hills on your way to McLaren Vale, where you’ll enjoy wine tastings at a couple of hand-selected wineries with the option to add a cheese platter (at own cost), before taking the scenic route back to Adelaide via Glenelg.

Look for dolphins off the coast of Adelaide on a dolphin-spotting cruise from Glenelg, a seaside town just south of the city. As you glide across Holdfast Bay by catamaran, keep your eyes peeled for some of the thousands of dolphins who live in these waters.

Cruise from the Granite Island Causeway to Seal Island and Victor Harbor on a 1.5-hour marine wildlife tour. Look for seals, sea lions, sea birds, dolphins, and migrating southern right whales (seasonal) around Seal Island, Wright Island, and the Waitpinga Cliffs.

Paddle the afternoon away while your instructor leads you to where the river port dolphins play at the Adelaide Dolphin sanctuary. The peaceful waters will lead you to Garden Island and Torrens Island. Besides the pods of dolphins that will greet you, you’ll also see shipwrecks, and be guided down inlets over 1k deep through the mangroves.`

Sail off into the sunset with a drink in your hand on this relaxing cruise along Adelaide’s beautiful coastline from Glenelg. Departing from Marina Pier, this catamaran sightseeing trip offers a great view of the sunset over the ocean. As dark sets in and the stars come out, you’ll cruise back to shore, watching as the twinkling lights illuminate the city skyline.

The Kayak Tour explores the Dolphin Sanctuary and Mangrove Forest, just 30 minutes from the Adelaide CBD. Here you find one of Adelaide's "secret spots", it is an area of surprising beauty. The sheltered mangrove lined creeks are home to a fascinating array of marine life, birds and the Port River Dolphins. All this makes for a sensational adventure and kayaking is the most environmentally sensitive way to explore and interact with the dolphins. Small-groups of no more than 12 people make this a personal experience. Perfect for the whole family, enjoy an up close look at the native wildlife and wrecked ships as your guide tells you tales of this mysterious area.

Kayaking is one of the best ways to explore the Coorong National Park—it’s an 86-mile-long (140 kilometers) peninsula of protected saltwater lagoons and sand dunes. This tour provides the equipment and know-how to explore the park’s protected areas without impacting the national ecology. It’s also longer than most other tours of its kind and provides lunch, which means you can concentrate on enjoying yourself on the water.

Take a surfing lesson at Middleton Beach, located in South Australia just outside of Adelaide. Your qualified surfing instructor teaches the basics of how to surf or assists you to refine your existing skills. Choose a morning or afternoon lesson that includes the use of a high-quality surfboard, rash top, sunscreen, and wetsuit.

A unique ecofriendly kayak experience – Join in the only guided kayak tour of the River Torrens. The River Torrens, also known as Karrawirra Parri, is the most significant stretch of inland water for Adelaide. Get a glimpse of the iconic Adelaide Oval – Adelaide Oval is an iconic landmark and is home to many sporting events including AFL and cricket, along with festivities and concerts held in Adelaide. Spot the wildlife – The river is home to an abundance of wildlife both in and on top of the water. Spot the various fish species as they swim past your kayak or perhaps keep and eye out for some wildlife on the banks of the river, including waterfowl, pacific black ducks and black swans. Admire the city surrounds and parklands – The river runs past the city and through the Northern parklands. You will kayak past some of the local's favourite walkways and bike tracks, sporting areas and parks along with the parklands that are regularly used for annual festivals and cultural events.

Hop aboard a traditional paddle wheeler, the PS Murray Princess and set sail for a scenic 3-night cruise on Australia's longest river. Glide along the serene Murray River, past dramatic gorges, historic towns and native wildlife like kangaroos, wombats and tortoises. Hop off along the way to visit Murray Bridge, tuck into delicious local cuisine and enjoy a small-boat wildlife safari around the backwaters. This tour includes on-board accommodation, all meals and round-trip transfers from Adelaide.

Set sail from Adelaide for a 4-night adventure, cruising down the Murray River on a traditional paddle wheeler. Get a real taste of rural Australia as you spot wombats and koalas along the riverside, tuck into a hearty Aussie barbecue and watch a sheep shearing demonstration. Stop off along the way to learn about Australia’s aboriginal heritage at the Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park, tour the Swan Reach Museum and visit the Native Wildlife Shelter. This tour includes on-board accommodation, all meals and round-trip transfers from Adelaide.

Enjoy lunch on the water aboard this intimate donut-shaped boat on Adelaide’s Riverbank. Bring your own food or purchase a cheese and meat or veggie platter. A table setup or barbecue grill is included, along with local soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. The buoys are easy to navigate; no boating license required.