June 1, 2018
3am wake up calls are not fun, especially the second night of the trip when your body clock is very off! But we were leaving the wonderful Crown Towers Perth for another exciting destination.
The airport was full of miners in uniforms headed out for 2 weeks of work. They were dressed in blue and yellow uniforms and I think a few had orange instead of yellow. We spoke to a bunch of them and asked about their work.
The flight was an easy 90 minutes and wow what a change in climate! Everything was orange, brown, red and arid, a pretty barren looking landscape set against a dark blue ocean. It was definitely striking.
Exmouth has some of the clearest turquoise waters on Earth and the world’s largest Fringing Reef, Ningaloo Reef-a UNESCO World Heritage site. Exmouth is a great place to visit due to its underwater paradise for divers, snorkelers, game fishing, whale watching and the big three-Whale Shark, Manta Ray and Humpback Whale.
We dropped our bags at the hotel, Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort and went out to explore Exmouth.
Ningaloo Safari Tours picked us up at our hotel and we boarded a covered float/pontoon type boat for an Eco Safari. We toured around Cape Range National Park, a beautiful water filled gorge with steep weathered walls of many different shades of orange, red, brown and black. Set against the water, it made a beautiful landscape. We spotted a lot of wildlife that was well camouflaged in the walls. Lots of wallaby, osprey, egret, bats, and more. You had to have a sharp eye to find them.
We had a very nice lunch on the beach. Meats, cheese, vegetables and rolls. But the best were the local Exmouth prawns! They were cold and cooked in their shells so you had to peel them but well worth the effort.
We were at Turquoise Bay, on of the most beautiful beaches in the area and also great snorkeling. Some of us sat on the beach, some swam and some snorkeled. The snorkeling was very close to shore so it was easy and there was even a turtle! After lunch we were all swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean and enjoying the day.
We did a site inspection at a beachside eco-luxe camp resort called Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef. It’s nestled in the dunes of Cape Range National Park with stunning views of the Indian Ocean and the Bush.
We saw so many kangaroos too!!
On the way back to Mantarays we stopped at Vlamingh Head Lighthouse for some beautiful 180 degree views of the coast.
Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort is full service Resort on Sunrise Beach, in fact it is the only Resort on the beach. The grounds are stunning with impressive palm trees, a big pool, rocky landscape and the backdrop of the water. There is a restaurant that has great food for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus a full service bar that is both indoors and out. The sunrises and sunsets are so colorful and the look of the landscape reminds me of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
After a long day it was nice to have dinner at our resort. Many of us ordered the local seafood choices and were very happy with them.
We slept well in our two bedroom units with balconies that have sweeping views of the grounds and the water. Good night Exmouth.