After spending a wonderful couple of hours enjoying stunning Seal Bay, it was time to hit the road again and explore a few more of Kangaroo Islands most noteworthy attractions. A pleasant 20 minute drive north-west of Seal Bay brought me to the incredibly special Little Sahara.
Little Sahara is a naturally occurring inland sand dune system near Vivonne Bay, which covers around two square kilometres of land. The spot is well known for being utterly gorgeous, but it is even more well known for being a sandboarding hot spot!
Despite loving a good adrenaline rush, I am the least coordinated person on the planet, and as such, prefer to limit my thrill seeking to activities where my safety lies with the coordination of other people and not myself – bungee jumping is my personal favourite. As a result, sandboarding seemed like a recipe for disaster that I was not gonna play with – so I limited my Little Sahara exploration to what I could do on two feet. Despite my caution I still had a few close calls! Tumbling face first down these sand dunes would not have been fun, and the threat of such an occurrence was ever present.
However, if you are more coordinated than I am (basically, if you don’t walk like a newborn giraffe trying to take its first steps) and sandboarding seems like an awesome way to spend a day – you have a few options.
If you are a beginner in the art of sandboarding, a regular sandboard will be a great fit. KI Outdoor Action hire out these boards for $37 for one hour (with the second hour free) or $47 for the entire day.
If you are a slightly more experienced sandboarder, a performance sandboard will likely serve you better. These boards are available at the same cost as the standard boards.
Lastly, if you want some thrills and spills but aren’t quite sure about boarding, trying out a toboggan may be a perfect alternative! All you have to do is sit down, push yourself off and enjoy the ride! Toboggans are available for the same cost as sandboards. For more information and to book – check out KI Outdoor Action by clicking here.
I love this next shot – the people in the background emphasise how big these inland dunes really are.
These dunes are home to some seriously pristine sand – check out how perfectly white and unspoilt they are!
After I was done risking life, limb and dignity on these sandy slopes, it was time to head on to another famous spot – Admirals Arch.
Admirals Arch is a naturally formed rock bridge near Cape du Couedic Lighthouse in Flinders Chase National Park. Located on the most south-west tip of the island, there is a lot more to see here than just an arch.
The drive from Little Sahara to Flinders Chase National Park takes about 50-60 minutes. Though the driving isn’t particularly tricky, the concentrated populations of Aussie wildlife require a little extra concentration. It isn’t uncommon for a kangaroo or wallaby to bounce in front of cars as they cross roads, and as such, the risk of a car crash is very real. The rates of crashes on KI are not particularly high, but this is likely a result of careful and cautious driving – as well as avoiding night drives where possible.
Once you arrive at the entrance to the National Park, before going off exploring it is required that one acquire the appropriate permit. These permits can be purchased from the Flinders Chase Visitor Centre which is open 9am to 5pm every day – except Christmas. For more information – click here.
Once you have your permit – you can jump back in your car and get ready to see some truly amazing geological features.
First up, park your car near the Cape du Coedic lighthouse (snap the obligatory picture) before heading off on the boardwalk down to Admirals Arch. I visited the arch at the wrong time of day (I do not recommend late afternoon – lighting would be better at sunrise) and as such, it didn’t completely blow me away.

What did excite me however, was the colony of gorgeous New Zealand Fur Seals that hang out on the rocks below and around the boardwalk.
These seals are much smaller than the Australian Sea Lions, have a much darker coat and unlike sea lions, have cute little visible ear flaps!

Once you are done grinning from ear to ear in the general direction of the adorable seals, it’s time to make your way to what is arguably the most famous landmark on Kangaroo Island – the Remarkable Rocks.
Also located within the Flinders Chase National Park, just a stones throw away from Admirals Arch, the remarkable rocks are exactly what they sound like – a few rocks that look truly, well, remarkable!
These granite boulders have spent the last 500 million years being beaten by water, rain and wind and as a result, they now exist in some seriously otherworldly looking formations.
Visitors can walk right up to these rocks, and appreciate their beauty from both up close and afar. But be careful! On a windy or stormy day you wouldn’t want to get too close to the edge – a rogue wave could be disastrous!
If one is pushed for time, Little Sahara, Admirals Arch and the Remarkable Rocks can easily be visited in a day, but if you have the time to spare, doing it over a weekend would be even better.
If you ever find yourself in South Australia, make sure to make a detour to wild and wonderful Kangaroo Island – you definitely won’t regret it.
T H E L O W D O W N
Getting to Adelaide: International flights arrive into Adelaide from numerous major airport hubs including Doha and Dubai
Flying to Kangaroo Island: REX Airlines fly direct from Adelaide to Kingscote, click here to book
Ferry-ing to Kangaroo Island: SeaLink Ferries sail from Cape Jervis to Kangaroo Island, click here to book
Car Rental: Budget car rentals have two locations on KI, click here to learn more
Little Sahara: Visiting the sand dunes is free, but boarding on them will cost you a fee, click here for info
Flinders Chase National Park: For opening times and camping details, click here
Threads: My maxi skirt is by Tigerlily Swimwear and my top by H&M
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 lens
Don’t forget to add me on Snapchat and Instagram – @wwellend – for more foolishness and travel adventures!
Finally, if you enjoyed reading this post, please share it via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest! <3
Beautiful scenery! Great shots!
Thank you so much! KI is such a gorgeous island 🙂
I enjoyed the pictures. Some of those rocks made me think of works by Dali. 😉
Great to hear – always lovely to hear that people like my photos 🙂 Thank you for reading!
thoses rocks look super cool ,thanks for inspiring me ; definitely planning a visit there
Awesome to hear!
Nice pictures.thank you for sharing your experiences. I recently started a travel blog you can visit http://www.travelfivesenses.wordpress.com.
Comments are welcome
I will be sure to check out your blog! Thanks for reading 🙂
I enjoy your posts, I have traveled all over the U.S. but Have never left the country although someday I would like to. I guess for now at least I can see some of the world through you.
I hope you get to go exploring overseas some day soon 🙂 Until then, I will happily bring you along on all of my adventures!
Beautiful pictures
Thank you! 🙂
Wonderful and quite place!
It certainly is a gorgeous little island!
Great post and very informative! I’ll choke back to this if I Visit the area!
Awesome – great to hear!
those sand dunes look incredible!
Aren’t they amazing! Such a lovely little surprise 🙂
I would be fascinated by both the dunes and Admirals Arch, for several hours.
They certainly are special spots 🙂
Absolutely stunning!
Thank you! <3
Look at those rocks! Shall put it on my bucket list 🙂
Awesome to hear! It is well worth a spot 🙂
Australia and New Zealand are places I’d like to visit some day. Until then I’ll enjoy the sites through your eyes.
Hopefully some day soon! I am yet to visit NZ (despite it being so close) hopefully I can get there in the near future!
Beautiful scenes mixed with drama in others – one of theses days . . . and I live in OZ!
Where in Oz?! Get your butt to KI this summer haha!
WOW! The photos are breathtaking, the blues are perfect.
Thank you so much Adriana! I love when people like my pictures 🙂 KI is certainly a gorgeous place!
Kangaroo Island looks spectacular! Thank you for taking the time to write and share your photos. The sand dunes remind me of southern Utah here in the US. Now you have made me really want to see Australia. Thanks so much I love your stories.
You have made me want to visit Utah! I hope you get down to Aus one day very soon 🙂
I would totally love to visit Australia. And yes Utah has some pretty cool scenery. The southern deserts are spectacular, but visit in spring or fall so you don’t bake in the summer. 😃
Those photos are so beautiful! I don’t know if I would try sand boarding either 😀 The rock formations with a blue sky backdrop look gorgeous! Is swimming possible/allowed in the area?
Absolutely! There are beaches surrounding the entire island – most of which are good for swimming! However, I’d be wary of swimming anywhere near a colony of sea lions or seals… sharks are probably not too far away!
Such an informative post. I am from Canada and I was not aware of Kangaroo Island off the coast of Australia. A fitting name when mentioned you have to be cautious you do not hit one while driving.
Stunning pictures…the rock formations, sand dunes and seal colonies are really tremendous! 🙂
Awesome! Thank you so much! Any plans to get down to Aus in the near future? If so, a visit to KI would definitely be worth your while!
Amazing shots and beautifully described, loved this post a lot.
Wow I had never even heard of Kangaroo Island or Little Sahara! This has to go on my bucket list now! Your pictures are absolutely stunning. Also thank you so much for following my blog!