I have just finished a trip to Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide in South Australia, a small island on the Southern Ocean with the purest air in the world. The closest neighbor to KI is Tasmania to the Southeast and Antarctica to the due South. The next land mass west is South Africa.
KI has 4,800 human inhabitants and an estimated 20,000 koalas, abundant KI Kangaroo populations, fur seals and sea lions, echidnas, wallabies, goannas, Tasmanian devils, and birds. The landscape is stunning, with beautiful beaches, coastal rock formations, most recognized of which are the Remarkable Rocks and the stalactite-covered Admirals Arch. Although 98% of Kangaroo Islands’ national park was destroyed by wildfire which began in December 2019, the land has rebounded in a fantastic way.
Named within the top ten places to travel in 2023 by the New York Times, you will need to book early to find a spot on this coveted island, as the charming homestead properties are small and book up fast and the few hotels are nothing to go on about. A new offering for those who wish to self-drive are four refurbished container pods with amazing views, just 30 min outside of Kingscote; there are also affordable airbnbs for groups of 6 or more. For those with a larger budget the much-anticipated reopening of Luxury Lodges’ Southern Ocean Lodge, (after a complete rebuild from the devastation of the fire), is anxiously awaited this May. Wine, gourmet restaurants, fabulous hiking trails, abundant wildlife and stunning beaches are reasons to settle into KI for at least a few days.
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