Its an island that feels like a giant country town, quiet and peaceful even during its busiest periods, with plenty to fill your days with. In just a couple of days you'll feel like a local here.
People of the Ramindjeri, Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Barngalla Nations were all believed to inhabit the island around 16,000 years ago, before rising sea levels later caused it to separate from the mainland of South Australia.
It's thought that the original First Nations inhabitants left Kangaroo Island around 2000 years ago, although its not known why they left.
Deceptively large, Kangaroo Island is 155km long and 55km wide, which means it can actually take a while to get between different places around the island. In fact, it takes two hours, 20 minutes to drive across the whole island, from Cape Willoughby in the east to Flinders Chase National Park at the western end of the island.
With unique and wonderful places to explore on every corner of the island, KI is likely to have you coming back again and again to soak up its relaxed holiday vibe and explore more of its iconic natural beauty.
If there's only one beach you visit on Kangaroo Island make it Vivonne Bay. With the most epic blue water, perfect swimming conditions, a wooden jetty that's ideal for fishing, and stunning views of the coastline as you drive down to the beach, it's one of our favourite spots on the island.
Things to do
Explore Flinders Chase National Park, home to some of KI's most beautiful natural attractions.
Remarkable Rocks stand tall on a granite cliff, having been formed over 500 million years of wind, rain and pounding waves. They stand in unique shapes at the end of the park, overlooking the ocean and are a beautiful spot to come for the sunrise.
Just down the road, Admirals Arch was also formed from thousands of years of erosion and is now home to hundreds of local seals that you can see below, soaking up the sun.
Hold on to your hat as you walk down the boardwalk to Admirals Arch, as it can get extremely windy here.
Hop your way across some of the beautiful beaches that make up the KI coastline.
Vivonne Bay, on the southern coast, is a breathtaking spot to admire the coastline, with bright blue water contrasted by the red dirt road and bushland that surrounds it.
Stokes Bay, on the north coast, is a beach hidden behind a walking path that will take you quite literally through the rocky cliffs that surround it, before you pop out to a beautiful beach dotted with warm rockpools, but be aware there is a rip here and the beach is unpatrolled.
Emu Bay, also on the north coast, is the perfect beach for beach driving, a long, flat stretch of hard sand, where you can always find a spot to yourself.
It's a great place for a beach barbecue or picnic, spending your day running in and out of the water.
Meet the locals at Seal Bay Conservation Park on the south coast, home to Australia's largest colony of more than 1000 wild sea lions. Jump on an early morning guided tour, as this is often when they're most active, to watch them emerging from their burrows and heading down to the water for their morning swim and sunbake.
It's a great place to watch the young ones playing and chasing each other and surfing the waves back into the shore.
For more wildlife encounters head to Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, not far from the national park exit on the way to Vivonne Bay, where the koalas roam freely between the gumtrees, snoozing and looking after their babies.
The koalas here are free to come and go as they please.
You can also often see kangaroos jumping around the lawns of the sanctuary, particularly as the sun begins to set.
To get your adrenaline pumping, head to Little Sahara, where you can grab yourself a sandboard or toboggan and go sliding down the towering sand dunes.
After a couple of times it can be a real mission to get back up to the top (they are super tall), but the speedy ride down is always worth it.
You can also pre-book a buggy tour to explore the surrounding environments, including the coastline, and spot wildlife.
Pop into some of KI's unique spots, like the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery for tours and eucalyptus lollies and gifts; the Island Beehive to learn about Ligurian Bees for which KI is a sanctuary; or Kangaroo Island Wool where you can take an interesting mill tour and visit the new shop.
The summer months from December to February are the most popular times to visit KI, when the weather is warmer and there are more sunny days.
However, the whole island, including accommodation and ferry transfers can often be booked during these times, so make sure you lock in everything in advance.
The shoulder seasons of spring and autumn are also great times to visit, with the slightly cooler weather allowing hiking and exploring to be a little more comfortable.
