Perth to Exmouth road trip: our guide and itinerary

• Day 1: Perth - Cervantes
• Day 2: Cervantes - Carnarvon
• Day 3: Carnarvon - Exmouth
• Day 4: Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Reef
• Day 5: Exmouth - Coral Bay
• Day 6: Coral Bay
• Day 7: Coral Bay - Denham (Shark Bay)
• Day 8: Francois Peron National Park
• Day 9: Shark Bay - Kalbarri National Park
• Day 10: Kalbarri National Park
• Day 11: Kalbarri National Park - Perth

Day 1. Perth to Cervantes

200 km

After buying all the supplies we needed, we said goodbye to the only big city on the west coast and set off on our road trip through fabulous WA. Stops: Lancelin Dunes: These white sand dunes are just 128 km from Perth. For A$10 you can rent a board for 2 hours. The scenery looks impressive! We got a late start and didn't have time to stop, but we could see them from the road. Pinnacles Desert: After another 82 km of driving you reach the Pinnacles Desert. We got there just before sunset and watched it right there. We recommend it 100%. You can do the route by car, but we also suggest walking through this incredible desert, surrounded by limestone rocks that formed 25,000 years ago. Some are up to 5 meters tall. Entrance fee A$15, but it's included in the national park pass.

The last stretch to Cervantes takes 20 minutes. Since it was getting dark, we decided to sleep at a free campsite we found on WikiCamps. But if you have time, we suggest driving another 30 minutes to sleep at one called “Sandy Cape Recreation Area”, right on the beach.

Day 2. Cervantes to Carnarvon

700 km

This was a long day. We set off very early and stopped only to enjoy the incredible HUTT LAGOON. But if you have time, our recommendation is to stop first at:

Jurien Bay: 40 km from Cervantes. At this beach you can swim with sea lions! To do it you have to book a tour, which costs around A$100. We didn't know about it, so we didn't do it, but we think it must be an incredible experience! The beaches also have super white sand and amazing water! If you decide to go for it, we suggest staying the whole day and sleeping here.

Back to our itinerary:

Hutt Lagoon: We drove 320 km and reached the famous pink lake, yes!!! The best time to visit is between 10:00 and 14:00, when the color looks most intense. The shade comes from an alga in the lake that, at a certain temperature and salinity, secretes a red pigment that colors the water and is a source of beta-carotene.

At the southernmost end there's less water, and you can walk on ground covered in pink salt. Then you can keep driving and stop along one of the tracks to go in and get a closer look at the part with water. We also suggest going to the Gregory side.

Once we'd finished admiring this natural beauty, we hit the road again. Our next destination was Exmouth, and since we couldn't get there that same day, we stopped to sleep at a campsite on the way: WOORAMEL ROADHOUSE.

Day 3. Carnarvon to Exmouth

370 km

We reached Exmouth after noon. We took the chance to go to the supermarket, buy snorkels and rest for a while on the beach in Exmouth town.

Quobba Blow Holes: Where the ocean crashes against natural caves! It's a really nice thing to see. We didn't go because it meant a 70 km detour and we didn't have time.

Exmouth: A small town steps from Ningaloo Reef and Cape Range National Park, with some of the most idyllic, unspoiled beaches in all of Australia.

That night we slept steps from the beach at a campsite in the national park. We booked it online on the WA parks website. We suggest booking well ahead, since everything tends to sell out.

Before going to sleep, we watched the sunset from the yard where we ended up parking!

Day 4. Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Reef

0 km

We spent this day enjoying the fabulous beaches and coral that WA has to offer! It's impossible to put into words what this place is like. Best of all, the beaches are so long that you can find yourself practically alone in this paradise.

The beaches we liked most in the park:

• Turquoise Bay
• Oyster Stacks
• Osprey Bay
• Sandy Bay

Day 5. Exmouth to Coral Bay

153 km

After reaching the northernmost point of our road trip, we started heading back south, and our first stop was:

Coral Bay: An amazing place for the beach and for snorkeling! It's still part of Ningaloo Reef, and it's incredible how just walking along the shore you can already spot a turtle or small manta rays.

You can also take a tour to snorkel and swim with giant oceanic manta rays. We did it, it cost us A$170 per person, and it was incredible! Not only did we swim with a huge manta ray, we also snorkeled and saw a group of more than 10 reef sharks swimming beneath us!

Day 6. Coral Bay

0 km

We took the snorkeling tour on Ningaloo Reef, swam with manta rays, and saw turtles, reef sharks and hundreds of fish and corals. It was incredible, and we recommend it 100%. The tour lasted all day and cost A$170.

Day 7. Coral Bay to Denham (Shark Bay)

550 km

Like every day, by 6:30 am we were already having breakfast. We had a long day ahead, so we set off very early.

Hamelin Pool: It stands out as one of the few places in the world where marine stromatolites live. These structures are formed in the water by microorganisms, and they've been on Earth for more than 3.5 billion years. They're the direct descendants of the oldest form of life on the planet. Incredible, right?

Shell Beach: This beach is covered in shells. It runs for 60 km and is 7 to 10 m deep, which is just incredible! It's one of only two beaches in the world made entirely of shells. The salinity of the water let the cockle multiply unchecked, since its natural predators couldn't adapt.

Eagle Bluff: A coastal path with really beautiful views.

Little Lagoon: Just 5 km from Denham, and the scenery is beautiful! This lagoon was once a landlocked salt flat that the sea flooded thousands of years ago.

We slept at a campsite in Denham, but if you'd like, you can also sleep in FRANCOIS PERON NATIONAL PARK.

* We should point out that we didn't go to see the dolphins at Monkey Mia, because we don't agree with feeding animals to get them to come close to people so they can be pawed at.

Day 8. Francois Peron National Park

108 km

One thing we knew we wanted to do no matter what was visit this incredible national park. The only catch: you can only get in by 4×4. Tours cost around A$200 per person, expensive but worth it. Since there were 5 of us, we decided to rent a 4×4, which worked out much cheaper.

This national park has mind-blowing scenery! It's all covered in red sand, and once you reach the coast the water is blue and the sand white, but the dunes stay reddish.

From the national park entrance it's 50 km to Cape Peron, the tip of the park.

The roads are sand and it's not very hard to get stuck, so we suggest following all the instructions and recommendations in the park. It happened to us, and our engine overheated too, all at the same time. On top of that it's very hot, and there's nothing around for kilometers. Luckily another car came by with someone who knew what they were doing. They helped us let some more air out of the tires, and we got going again. Above all, be patient and don't panic. Ideally, set off very early in the morning, since temperatures climb a lot by midday, and go first to the farthest point in the park, Cape Peron, then stop at the other spots on the way back.

The entrance fee is A$15 per vehicle, but it's included in the Park Pass for Western Australia.

Day 9. Shark Bay to Kalbarri National Park

380 km

We used this day to see the national park's attractions away from the coast, such as:

• Nature's Window
• Z Bend Lookout
• Ross Graham River Trail

We suggest bringing comfortable sneakers, sunscreen, a bottle of water and a hat to keep the sun off.

The entrance fee is A$15 per vehicle per day, but it's included in the Park Pass for Western Australia.

Day 10. Kalbarri National Park

0 km

We spent this day exploring the coastal area and resting a bit.

• Blue Holes
• Pot Alley
• Mushroom Rock
• Eagle Bay

Day 11. Kalbarri to Perth

570 km

The end of this incredible adventure! The Coral Coast left us fascinated, with mind-blowing scenery, beautiful beaches and amazing underwater life.

In total we covered 3,000 km