Itinerary
Tour day-by-day
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Day 1 (Mon): Cruising the River and Cultural Walk
At 11am meet your Murray River Safari guides at the Hotel Renmark's function room. Your guides will provide a brief introduction to the Murray River before you board our pontoon cruiser and begin a 25km cruise upstream though old growth redgum and red ochre-coloured cliffs that flank the river.
You'll start familiarising with river country with keen eyes scanning the tree lines for Koalas. There are abundant opportunities to spot birds including Australian Pelicans, Australasian Darters, Black Swans and Yellow-billed Spoonbills.
You'll be welcomed to your luxurious houseboat accommodation where you'll enjoy lunch and settle in before setting off on a cultural walk, through river country. The evening is spent on the houseboat admiring the cliff colours at sunset from the top deck or in the spa, enjoying the harmonious calls of Whistling Kites soaring above, before your guides prepare a dinner paired with local wines to complete the day.
“The Rainbow Bee-eaters are fascinating and you can set your clock by them. They arrive from northern Australia in the first week of October and stay until the first week in April. They come here to breed and dig out tiny tunnels in the sandy cliffs found on either side of the river valley. They build their nests inside those tunnels.” Tony Sharley - Founder & Guide
After dinner, take an optional nocturnal walk, stargazing at constellations in the night sky, spotting Brush-tailed Possums for an important citizen science project and occasionally Tawny Frogmouths.Accommodation: Houseboat
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Day 2 (Tue): Sunrise Experience, Kayaking & Regent Parrots
Rise before the sun to hear the birdsong and walk a gentle slope to the rim of the Murray River valley for a spectacular sunrise. Watch the vibrant colours of the river come to life, and spot busy Rainbow Bee Eaters catching insects. After breakfast, meet your canoe guide for a morning paddle through incredibly picturesque meandering creeks and serene backwaters that make up the Riverland Ramsar Wetland of International Significance.
This provides a perfect opportunity to silently approach wildlife on the river's edge, with Western Grey Kangaroos, cormorants, darters, ducks, Rainbow Bee-eaters, Yellow Rosellas and Mallee Ringnecks all sighting opportunities. Quiet paddling is a great way to spot a goanna on a tree or a spectacular sacred kingfisher.
Arriving back at the houseboat, you'll start a two-hour houseboat cruise upstream to Chowilla Creek. As you cruise upstream, relax and enjoy the view as lunch is prepared by your guides.
After lunch you'll explore on foot the forests and wetlands at your new location watching and listening carefully for noisy flights of Regent Parrots. Retire early after a long day capped off with local fare.
“We spend the bulk of our time in the Riverland Ramsar wetlands, which is home to more than 180 species of birds. We can see migratory water birds, local black swans, ducks, honeyeaters, and several species of parrots including the vulnerable Regent Parrot, and raptors including the Wedge-tailed Eagle. Two of our smallest birds, the Red-capped Robin and the Mistletoebird, are celebrated when sighted because of their brilliant red plumage.”Tony Sharley - Founder & Guide
Accommodation: Houseboat
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Day 3 (Wed): Outback Lakes Tour & Migratory Birds
Awake to the glorious dawn chorus and aromas of fresh coffee to awaken you from a restful sleep on the river. You will enjoy a hearty breakfast whilst peering out at the sunlight radiating on the cliffs and spectacular reflections across the mighty Murray.
After an early breakfast, you'll set off on a driving tour of the great ephemeral lake system on the outer floodplain where spectacular birdwatching includes migratory waders that have travelled from the northern hemisphere, thousands of ducks, pied stilts, red-necked avocets, spoonbills and musk ducks. Expect to see blue-bonnets, emus and their chicks, and magnificent red kangaroos as we drive across country between the lakes.
White-winged Fairy-wrens, White-winged Trillers, Swamp Harriers and Whistling Kites may also be spotted in this area and an occasional Wedge-tailed and White-bellied Eagles may visit.
We return to find the houseboat in a new location opposite the spectacular Bunyip Reach Cliffs above lock 6. Take in the sunset from the top deck spa with sundowners, before a locally-focused three-course meal completes this epic day.
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Day 4 (Thu): Houseboat Cruise & Farewell BBQ
After breakfast and an optional stroll on the riverbank, we cruise leisurely down river and transfer through lock 6, on the way to our final mooring and departure point. We celebrate our experience over a BBQ lunch at the Wilkadene Woolshed micro brewery, before farewelling the river and returning to the Hotel Renmark at 2pm.
Houseboat Accommodation
The houseboat is your lodge-based accommodation, moored in spectacular locations. Your bedroom room offers stunning views of the river and you can watch from your bed as pelicans fly by. In the evenings, relax in the houseboat lounge and share stories with your fellow travellers as your guides prepare a superb nightly meals.
Murray River Safari tours operate on our new luxury houseboat High River and feature ensuite bedrooms.
Houseboats are the perfect option for ecologically-minded travellers, maintaining a low impact activity on the river system. Groups abide by a ‘leave no trace’ policy and all waste is taken onshore to be composted, recycled or disposed of appropriately.
Likely Wildlife Encounters
Every Safari group will see Red and Grey Kangaroos, Emus, 50+ species of birds including Parrots and Pelican.
Most Safari groups also see Koalas, Rakali, 70+ species of birds including Kookaburras and Cockatoos.
Some Safari groups also see Goannas, Blue-Tongue Lizard, Emu Chicks, 90+ species of birds including Eagles.
Lucky Safari groups can also see Echidnas, Turtles, Emus swimming across the river.
Crocodiles are not found in South Australia and the Murray River is safe for kayaking and water activities.
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Tour details
Shared Group Size: Maximum of 10 guests, with two guides accompanying guests on the Safari.
Pick-up and Drop Off Point: Safari journeys depart and return to the Renmark Hotel
Pick-up and Drop-off Time: Approximately 11am on Day 1 and 2:00pm on Day 4.Recent Awards
WINNER Hall of Fame & Winner South Australian Tourism Award Ecotourism 2022 • 2019
WINNER South Australian Tourism Award Ecotourism 2022 • 2021 • 2018 • 2017
SILVER Australian Tourism Award Ecotourism 2021 • 2017How you'll be making a positive impact
We have aligned our sustainability vision with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Citizen Science with Murray River Trails
Murray River Trails contributes observations of flora & fauna via iNaturalist, the world’s leading global social biodiversity network. This platform allows our team to create research-quality citizen science data that enables a more detailed picture of our national biodiversity, and assists bodies such as the CSIRO, ecologists and other decision makers to deliver better outcomes for the environment and our species.
Championing Environmental Flows for the Murray River
Murray River Trails have established the Murray River Trails Fund, to raise money for organisations at the forefront of improving the region’s biodiversity, river floodplain health and status of threatened species in the region. Up until the 1920s, the rivers flowing in the Murray-Darling Basin, made up of Australia’s most famous two rivers, were unregulated.
Solar-powered Houseboat
Murray River Trails launched their new ‘High River’ vessel in 2022. Measuring 24 metres long, 8.5 metres wide, the vessel is fixed with 52 solar panels generating an impressive 20 kilowatts, with no need for diesel motors as found on standard commercial houseboats.
Red-filtered Flashlights for our Nocturnal Beauties
White torches or spotlights can significantly disturb our marsupials, due to the greater sensitivity of their pupils to light compared with humans. Murray River Trails use and share with guests the importance of using red-filtered spotlights.
