Horizontal Falls tour from Broome: Seaplane, fast boat & swim

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Travelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/8

Duration6h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Fly over Buccaneer Archipelago, then ride the fastest boat in Kimberley through falls

You fly from Broome to Talbot Bay on a seaplane, ride a speedboat through the Horizontal Falls at tidal speed, cruise the surrounding bays, swim in a shark-free cage while feeding fish, and eat a cooked lunch on the boat before flying back. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, and the whole experience takes about five to six hours. The seaplane has a 120-kilogram weight limit per person, which is checked at the airport before departure.

Step-by-step itinerary

Broome to Horizontal Falls adventure

Pick up from accommodation
Fly from Broome to Horizontal Falls
Board fast boat for thrill ride
Cruise surrounding bays and creeks
Swim in croc/shark free cage
Enjoy cooked breakfast or BBQ lunch
Fly low over Buccaneer Archipelago
Return to accommodation by bus

The Experience

The Horizontal Falls aren't a waterfall in the usual sense — they're tidal currents so powerful they push water sideways across a narrow gap in the Kimberley cliffs, and the whole thing reverses direction twice a day depending on the tide. You see it from the air first. The seaplane leaves Broome early, a 14-seat turboprop that climbs low over the Buccaneer Archipelago, and the pilot banks so you can see the falls from above — a thin white line cutting across red rock and blue water. Then you land in Talbot Bay, and the real part starts.

The speedboat is fast. Not leisurely-cruise fast, but 900 horsepower fast, and the skipper knows how to use it. You accelerate straight into the gap where the water is moving sideways at speed, and for maybe two minutes it's all spray and noise and the boat tilting as it cuts across the current. It's over quickly, but it's the kind of thing you feel in your chest. After that you slow down, cruise through the surrounding bays and creeks — mangrove-lined, quiet, the kind of water that looks untouched — and then comes the part that sounds stranger than it is: the shark-free swim cage. It's a large platform anchored in the water, and you can jump in and feed fish while you're in it. The cage is there because the water is genuinely home to sharks and crocodiles, but the platform keeps you separate, and the fish come right up to you. It's oddly peaceful after the speed of the falls.

Lunch happens on the boat — a cooked barramundi BBQ with tea and coffee — while you're anchored and the light is good for photos. Then the seaplane picks you up from the same bay, and the flight back to Broome takes you over Cable Beach, Willie Creek Pearl Farm, and the township itself before landing. The whole thing is about five to six hours from pickup at your hotel to drop-off, and the seaplane ride bookends it. One thing to know: the tour operator weighs everyone at the airport before boarding, and there's a hard limit of 120 kilograms per person for safety reasons on the aircraft. It's not a negotiation — if your weight is over what you declared, you don't fly that day and there's no refund. Worth mentioning upfront if it matters to you.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off, a round-trip scenic seaplane flight from Broome to Talbot Bay, a speedboat cruise through the Horizontal Falls with an experienced skipper, a relaxing cruise through the surrounding bays and creeks, a cooked barramundi BBQ lunch with tea and coffee on board, fish feeding in the marine viewing platform, and a swim in the shark-free cage. The seaplane seats 14 passengers, and all flights depart early in the morning from Broome airport.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures

Is this one for you?A good fit if you want to see the Horizontal Falls from both the air and the water in a single morning without arranging flights or boat transport yourself — the seaplane and speedboat are both included. Plan for a full half-day out, which is what makes fitting the flight, the falls, the cruise, and lunch into one trip possible.