Welcome to Kapalga Travel

Are you looking for that authentic Aussie-outback experience with a small group?

We are proud to provide unparalleled, participation-based outback tours that immerse adventurers in the culture, wilderness, and camaraderie of the Australian outback.

We aim to connect people with the environment, Indigenous traditions, and fellow travellers, fostering a sense of wonder and a lasting connection to the outback’s majesty.

Our dedication to safety, sustainability, and exceptional customer service underpins every aspect of our operations. We invite you to rediscover the simplicity of life and explore the vast wonders of the outback with us. 

Adam & Lucy

Participation based

Small group

Exclusive locations

Family owned

Adam Bowen

  • Adam is a bundle of energy and is always ready for an adventure! He's been exploring the Kimberley for many years and is a highly skilled guide who can travel safely in remote areas. He has a wealth of knowledge to share about the land and its culture, plus his instinct to explore can lead him to beautiful undiscovered natural treasures. His skills derive from a childhood spent outside navigating bush land, learning about plants and discovering wildlife.

    Adam began learning about birds from an early age; he grew up spending his free-time with his father who was a keen bird watcher (twitcher). His Dad’s father was a ranger in NSW and his mother’s father is an ex-prawn trawler, a champion spear-fisher and an avid plant collector. It was only natural that Adam would grow up to love the outdoors. As a kid he was always on an adventure, if he wasn’t spear-fishing he was exploring the bush and spotting rare orchids and wildlife with his father and grandfather.

    Adam first drove the Kimberley’s Gibb River Road in his late teens and was blown away by the rugged landscape, untouched watering holes and detailed rock art paintings. After working as a deckie and a pearl diver off the Kimberley coast for a couple of years, Adam decided tour guiding would be his ideal job and a great opportunity to explore the phenomenal Kimberley that he adored. With Adam’s knowledge and experience in the Australian outback he landed his first guiding job instantly, and headed off on an adventure with a truck full of passengers!

    Adam has now been travelling the Top End region for 11 years and has been a guide in the region for 10 years, and throughout this time his passion for the land has only grown stronger. He has an unbelievable eye for spotting animals; if it’s there, he’ll see it! He also has a keen interest in rock art, particularly Bradshaw rock art, one of the oldest types found in the Kimberley. Adam’s understanding of the region’s history, his respect for the land and his horticultural knowledge is second to none.

    Adam is approachable; he has a gentle nature and he is a friend to all his passengers. He’s an Australian bushman driven by his love for the Australian outback and his genuine passion to discover and explore.

Adam Utschink

  • From his early days as a teenager Adam remembers his want for travel and adventure, and it has stayed with him ever since. The Australian landscape is his first passion but his desire to explore and discover has taken him abroad on a couple of occasions.

    Adam never imagined he would eventually become a tour guide but looking back it makes a lot of sense. Driven by his enthusiasm and passion for the great Australian outback, Adam got his first taste for guiding in 2014, when he began working for a local tourist attraction close to his home town in outback northern Queensland. The following year he accepted a job in the Red Centre (Alice Springs); within a week he’d packed up his belongings and he was on the road ready for his next adventure! Although the job felt like a big leap, Adam proved himself tenfold, grasping the opportunity with both hands he enjoyed getting to know his passengers and introducing them to the local area, making sure they had a good time.

    Adam’s passion for the region is unquestionable. He lives with his partner in outback northern Queensland and has a keen interest in native flora and fauna as well as Aboriginal rock art and culture. Other interests include a breeding program for the threatened Gouldian finch and a keen interest in the recovery work being undertaken on Cape York by a dedicated grazier to save the Golden Shouldered Parrot.

    Looking back over all his adventures as a guide Adam says one tour that stands out is a 5-day Red Centre tour taking in all the highlights of Uluru, etc. The group bonded so well that all of them including Adam ended up traveling around the outback as one big happy family and they still stay in touch to this day.

Martin Burns

  • We are thrilled to have Martin work for us at Kapalga Travel; he comes with a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for the great outdoors. After traveling the world and taking tours for almost 30 years, he is enjoying bringing his knowledge and guiding expertise to Australia’s final frontier, the Kimberley region. Martin returns to Kapalga Travel in 2024 for his third year with the company.

    Martin’s spontaneity at the ripe old age of twenty-one led him to take a punt and leave his job as a lady’s shoe salesman to take his first guiding adventure running Whitsundays sailing trips. He later booked himself an around-the-world ticket and went exploring overseas before returning to Australia and eventually deciding on a trip from Adelaide to Sydney. It was on this adventure the guide running the tour spotted Martin’s potential and offered him a job! Martin hasn’t looked back since.

    Martin is a great fit for Kapalga Travel as he adores the Australian outback. Ever since he took his first land-based job through the desert to Alice Springs, he has developed a keen interest in Australia’s unique regional landscape. Martin’s passion lies in natural history and evolution such as the break-up of Gondwana and Pangaea, and the impact this had on the Australian landscape and its native flora and fauna.

    Martin loves that guiding allows him to see the world. He’s able to fulfill his passion for adventure and take like-minded people on their holidays.