Eco-Luxury at Sal Salis
Sal Salis is one of my favourite Australian Eco-Luxe retreats set in beautiful coastal wilderness, allowing you to unplug and tick-off two major ‘bucket-list’ items: swimming with whale sharks and humpback whales.
Travel has become such an everyday part of our lives that we need to differentiate our personal travel from our work or ‘duty’ travel. My four top tips for doing just that are:
Travel to a wilderness location
Focus on nature, focus on yourself and take things slow
Disconnect from the digital world – no mobile phone, no internet, no Netflix!
Stay in accommodation that is unlike anything you are ever going to live in, somewhere that is a little magical, a little bit whimsical, a little bit movie set!
To me, Sal Salis is the perfect blend of the above and it is also the place to tick-off two major ‘bucket-list’ items; swimming with whale sharks (April to July) and swimming with humpback whales (August to October).
Sal Salis also ticks the box when it comes to location. This tented camp (15 x Wilderness Tents & 1 x Honeymoon Tent) sits on the white sand dunes of the Cape Range National Park and overlooks Ningaloo Reef. Both places are World Heritage Listed and are magnificent natural jewels that are virtually unknown, even to most Australians.
The Cape Range is an ancient landscape of limestone ridges, winding gorges, karst cave systems and pristine beaches, giving way to stunning turquoise waters. The visual contrast between the semi-arid landscape and sub-tropical waters make it one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.
On guided walks of the Ranges you are likely to see rock wallabies who live in the sheer rock walls and make an appearance at dusk and dawn to feed along the cliff tops. Around the camp at Sal Salis keep an eye out for echidna, osprey, bungarra (sand goanna), dingo, wedge-tail eagles, emus and euros.
Off shore Ningaloo Reef stretches for 300km from Exmouth Gulf in the north to Red Bluff in the south. Ningaloo is one of the longest and most pristine fringing reefs in the world, with amazing snorkelling opportunities just a few metres from the beach. Ningaloo boasts extraordinary biodiversity and is home to 500+ species of fish and 200+ species of coral. Then there are the turtles, whale sharks, humpback whales, manta-rays, dolphins, dugongs and occasionally orcas that pass through – often within site of Sal Salis. I love to have my breakfast at the bar counter that skirts the main lodge deck, it is a great vantage point from which to watch a humpback breach as you sip on a coffee.
Sal Salis is a founding member of Luxury Lodges of Australia – but this is ‘luxury’ of a different type. It is the luxury of being in a remote and pristine location, of being one of a privileged few to be staying in the Cape Range National Park.
At Sal Salis you sleep under canvas, but the beds are exceptionally comfortable and the sound of the waves lapping on the beach is blissful. You have your own en suite bathroom, but it is a true eco-bathroom with limited shower water and a composting loo. The chefs whip up delicious meals and there is a great array of West Australian wines and spirits to try, all is shared communally with other travellers. So too are the guided activities, hosted by young and passionate marine biologists, zoologists, artists and yoga instructors. This is the kind of place that attracts optimistic and earthy souls.
It has attracted me on several occasions and I realise that the thing I love most about Sal Salis is that the simplicity of the camp in some way reflects the simplicity of the environment. It is all we truly need, there is a calmness to it all, a serene beauty, and it provides us with the chance to step outside our everyday and instead focus on nature and ourselves.
TRAVEL PLANNING
My personal favourite whale shark & humpback whale swim operator is Live Ningaloo as they take small groups only and have a fabulous crew.
Let me talk you into a microlight fight over this coastline – it is totally awesome!
Sal Salis is a fabulous place for families to spend time together and children aged 5 years and above are welcome.
Sal Salis is 1300kms north of Perth and is best reached via the daily Qantas flight to Exmouth Learmonth Airport.