Wilderness Tents

Eco-luxe in the Great Outdoors
Hidden in the dunes overlooking the pristine beach, Sal Salis brings a touch of eco-luxe style to this remote and beautiful wilderness. Designed to blend with the environment, Sal Salis’ spacious wilderness tents sit on raised platforms and offer wonderful views of the natural surrounds and the ocean beyond, as well as comfortable beds and an eco-en suite bathroom.

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Sal Salis provides a unique and natural place from which to explore and take in the extraordinary environment and wildlife that surrounds it. Imagine waking to the song of birds as you catch a glimpse of kangaroos grazing among the dunes, or the spectacle of breaching whales as you tuck into breakfast or enjoy a morning swim in Ningaloo’s crystal-clear waters. Sal Salis ensures an exclusive experience that is both intimate and personal.

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Your spacious, airy tent is an oasis of comfort that allows you to take in the sounds of the surrounding bush and nearby ocean. The handmade jarrah beds are fitted with quality cotton sheets giving you an incredible night’s sleep drifting off listening to the sound of the ocean.

Nightly Accommodation Rates Include:
All meals, alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks from a select open bar, National Park fees, use of kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and all snorkel gear including wet-suits as well as Sal Salis guided wilderness activities: guided walks in the Cape Range National Park, reef snorkels, kayaking and kayaking snorkels.

(Please be aware that all activities are tide & weather dependent. They do not need to be pre-booked).

Experiences 

Swim with the World’s Largest Fish
Each year between mid-March and July these slow-moving, gentle, filter-feeding giants migrate past Ningaloo Reef. The world’s biggest fish can grow to lengths of 12 metres or more and has a healthy appetite in order to sustain its immense size. Fortunately for most sea-dwellers (and for us) they feed primarily on plankton and krill, taking in huge gulps of water and filtering out their microscopic meal.

Whale sharks are found in tropical and warm oceans world-wide and can live to almost 70 years. Snorkelling alongside their huge 1.5 metre-diameter mouths is a once in a lifetime experience! Ningaloo is one of the only places in the world whale sharks appear regularly in large numbers, with over 235 individuals recorded. Each year scientists photograph the whale sharks as they pass through our area and some have been identified as having visited Ningaloo for 17 years and counting.

 Sal Salis offers whale shark swims with select local partners and you can expect an up-close-and-personal view of these gentle giants. Your whale shark experience begins with us transferring you to Tantabiddi Boat Ramp (about 25 minutes’ drive) where you will meet your experienced skipper and crew for the day.

 Morning tea is usually served as you motor out into the Indian Ocean to begin the search for the whale sharks, this is aided by a spotter aircraft that relays sightings to our skipper. The crew will help you get kitted out in wetsuits and snorkel gear; they will also provide a thorough briefing.

During the course of the day your crew will keep an eye out for turtles, dolphins, dugongs, rays and sea birds and there is usually time for a snorkel at the back of the Reef. A delicious lunch featuring fresh Western Australian produce is provided.

Whale Shark swims are available from mid-March – 31 July each year and they do need to be pre-booked as the boats do fill up months in advance. Our reservations team will book your accommodation and assist with booking your whale shark swim experience.

Swim Humpback Whales
Every year between August and October, the magnificent humpback whales swim through the waters of the Ningaloo Marine Park. We used to revel in seeing these creatures in the ocean from our camp, but since 2016 you can now experience a swim right alongside them. We can report it as being a truly ‘transformative’ experience … for all nature lovers, this is ‘bucket-list-stuff’ at its very best!

Humpback whales are one of the larger baleen whale species and adults’ range in length from 12 to 16 mtrs. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is well known for breaching and other surface behaviours. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time; parts of this song are audible to human ears in the water.

From June to November, an estimated 30,000 humpback whales migrate along the Ningaloo Coast on their way to and from their breeding and birthing grounds in Exmouth Gulf and sheltered waters north as far as the Kimberley.

We can organise a Humpback Whale Swim experience with our local partners. Your day will begin with the 25-minute transfer from Sal Salis to Tantabiddi Boat Ramp. Once onboard you will be kitted out with a wetsuit & snorkel gear; enjoy morning tea as you motor out of protected waters and into the Indian Ocean.

The whales are easy to spot as they breach, lunge, slap the water and blow. They will continually move so swimming is required during the interaction; you will need to be a confident swimmer, able to snorkel and swim freestyle. The whales are found in the open ocean so you may be swimming in current and swell.

In addition to swimming with humpback whales, the spotter plane will be searching for opportunities to interact with whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, dolphins, dugongs and sea birds. Depending on the day you may return to the calm waters of Ningaloo Reef for lunch & snorkelling. Return to camp will be in the mid-afternoon.

Humpback whale swims are available from August to 31 October each year and they do need to be pre-booked as the boats do fill up months in advance. Our reservations team will book your accommodation and assist with booking your whale shark swim experience.

Guided Gorge Walks
Our daily activities are decided on based on the weather and tides, so we often suggest hikes and walks in the National Park first thing in the morning, or later in the afternoon to avoid the hot sun. Our guides will take you out into the National Park to explore these beautiful, ancient gorges and ranges.

Mandu Mandu Gorge
Mandu Mandu Gorge is located 2km behind camp and is a step back in geological history with fossil bearing limestone formations and spectacular views back to the coast and over the Ningaloo Reef. The history of 30,000 years of human habitation in this area is slowly unfolding from studies of artefacts, middens and rock shelters found among the Acacia trees, spinifex, kurrajong and rock fig.

Records have been found of two, possibly three Aboriginal groups occupying the Ningaloo Coast, with the Jinigudira people thought to have inhabited the areas along and adjacent to the northern end of Cape. Evidence of the historical Aboriginal occupation is found throughout the Cape Range, with over 100 sites being identified and the Baiyungu people still have a strong presence in the area today.

Walking through the gorge provides an to spot the black-footed rock wallaby – these timid creatures tend to seek shelter on ledges along the gorge walls resting during daylight hours and coming out to feed later, in the cool of the night.

Yardie Creek Gorge
Walk along the top of the spectacular multi-coloured Yardie Creek Gorge, looking out for black-footed rock wallabies, honeyeaters and emus while learning about the formation of the range and the adaptations the flora and fauna have made in order to survive in such an arid environment. At the top of the Gorge are some great photo opportunities with breath-taking views of the creek and out to the ocean.

This interesting ecosystem supports sturt desert pea, succulents and lemongrass as well as sturt mangrove areas that provide roosting sites for pied cormorants, eastern reef egrets, crested pigeon and gallahs, while the sheltered waters are a sanctuary for many marine animals like shovelnose rays and turtles.

Kayaking
Once our guides have checked the tides and weather, they will prepare the next day’s activities. One of these is normally a kayak trip across the Ningaloo Reef.

Hop in your kayak and you’ll find an array of colourful reef residents – fish, sea turtles, reef sharks, rays and corals. Kayaking is the perfect way to explore the reef, and you will be shown how to do so without interference to the ecosystem.

Our guided kayak-snorkels on the reef take you further off shore where we drop an anchor in the sand to snorkel some of the deeper lagoons. The lagoons in the Reef are some of the best snorkelling spots, they showcase the life-cycle of the reef as well as marine life interaction. Look out for soft corals, sponges, wobbegong sharks and hundreds of marine fish. Between August and October, you’ll see humpback whales migrating along the coast, just metres beyond the Reef.

Experience a Star Studded Night at Sal Salis
Whilst our daytime activities are the main drawcard for our guests, something special happens at camp as the sun sets. If you’ve never seen a truly dark sky; you have no idea just how amazing the night sky is. We are located in a designated Dark Sky area, where uninterrupted views of the milky way will astound you. We keep lighting to a minimum, dining by candle light and giving guests a lantern to find their way back to their tents; so you can really experience the stars and the Milky Way in all their glory. So beautiful, you won’t want to go to sleep!