Monkey Mia Dolphins & Shark Bay Air Tour From Perth

You see marine life from two angles: swimming with dolphins on the beach, then spotting sharks and rays from above the water.

A full-day air tour from Perth to Monkey Mia and Shark Bay combines a scenic flight along 800 km of coastline with time in the water meeting wild dolphins at their breakfast, lunch at the resort, and an aerial search for marine animals on the return flight. The tour runs 11 hours with a live English-speaking guide, lunch and snacks included, and requires a minimum of two people per booking.

Step-by-step itinerary

Flight and Dolphin Experience at Monkey Mia

• Meet at Kookaburra Air
• Fly 800km coastline to Monkey Mia
• See Monkey Mia Dolphins breakfast
• Enjoy lunch overlooking the beach
• Swim and relax at resort
• Fly back over Shark Bay spotting marine life

The Experience

The day starts at Kookaburra Air in Perth, where you board a flight that follows the Western Australian coast for almost 800 km to Shark Bay. The flight itself is the first half of the experience—you're watching the coastline unfold below rather than driving through it. Once you land at Monkey Mia, the focus shifts to the dolphins that come into the shallows at the resort for their morning feed. You wade in to meet them in the water, then have the afternoon to swim and relax at the beach before lunch.

The return flight is where the tour adds a second layer. Instead of retracing the route, you fly low over Shark Bay itself, searching for the large marine animals that live there—dolphins, dugongs, sharks, turtles and rays are all visible from the air if conditions allow. The flight gives you a vantage point you cannot get from the ground, and the timing means you're looking for these animals when you're already airborne and heading home.

Lunch and snacks are included throughout the day, and all activities—the flights, the dolphin encounter, the swim time—are part of the booking. The tour runs subject to favorable weather, which is the main variable on a day this long. A minimum of two people per booking applies, and infants can travel (they sit on an adult's lap during the flight).

What’s included

• Outbound and return flights from Perth.
• meeting the wild dolphins at Monkey Mia during their morning feed.
• lunch overlooking the beach at Monkey Mia Resort.
• snacks during the day.
• swim time at the resort.
• aerial search for marine life over Shark Bay on the return flight.
• live English-speaking guide throughout.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Kookaburra Air

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to experience Monkey Mia's dolphins in the water and then see Shark Bay's marine life from the air in a single day—the flights handle the 800 km distance, so you're not spending a day driving to get there. The four purchase options let you add a second destination (Pinnacles Desert, Hamelin Pool, Shell Beach, or a Shark Bay cruise) depending on what interests you most beyond the dolphins.

Top questions

What are the Monkey Mia dolphins, and why do they come to the beach?

The Monkey Mia dolphins are a group of wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins that have become habituated to human contact over decades and now visit the shallows at Monkey Mia Resort each morning to feed. They arrive naturally as part of their daily routine, and you enter the water to meet them during this feeding time.

How much of the day is spent flying versus at Monkey Mia Resort?

The tour runs 11 hours total. The outbound flight takes several hours, and you spend the middle portion of the day at Monkey Mia Resort meeting the dolphins, swimming and having lunch. The return flight over Shark Bay takes several hours as well, so the day is split between air and ground time.

What marine animals might I see from the air over Shark Bay?

On the return flight over Shark Bay, you may spot dolphins, dugongs, sharks, turtles and rays from above the water. Sightings depend on weather conditions and where the animals are on the day you fly, so there is no guarantee of seeing every species.

Do I need to be a strong swimmer to join this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. The dolphin encounter happens in the shallows at Monkey Mia Resort, and you can wade in at your own pace. The rest of the day involves sitting during flights and relaxing at the resort, so swimming ability is not a requirement.

What happens if the weather is bad on the day of my tour?

The tour is subject to favorable weather conditions, since both the flights and the visibility over Shark Bay depend on clear skies. If weather becomes unsafe, the operator will reschedule your tour or discuss alternatives when you book.