Horizontal Falls

The Horizontal Falls are fast moving tidal currents that squeeze through two narrow gorges of the McLarty Range in Talbot Bay, located in the Buccaneer Archipelago. They are waterfalls ‘turned on their side’.

The Horizontal Falls are not accessible by vehicle. You can view the Horizontal Falls from the air with a scenic flight or helicopter flight from Broome or Derby. There are also tours that include the flight from Broome or Derby (some by float plane) and a speed boat ride to and through the Falls themselves. 

Tours which include the speed boat ride through the Falls run seasonally, from around March to November each year.  Scenic flight tours which include an overfly of the Horizontal Falls run year-round. 

The direction of the flow reverses according to the tides, which can reach more than 10 metres in the Kimberley. The  falls are also reversible. Each day, when the tide turns, the falls flow in the opposite direction.

Daily tidal flow through the Horizontal Falls can be more than 10m on each tide. There are spring tides and neap tides. During spring tides the water flows rapidly through the falls. During neap tides there is a weak tidal movement so those on a boat will experience a more mellow water flow. King Tides occur twice a year –between March and April and again between September and October, and at these times the difference between high and low tides is even greater. 

The most seaward opening is around 20 metres wide and the more inland gorge is around 12 metres wide.

Yes, we advise contacting the tour operator about the minimum age of children.

The flight from Broome to Talbot Bay takes approximately 1hr 15 minutes. Flights departing from Derby take approximately 40 minutes.

Tours to the Horizontal Falls are of different durations - half-day,  full-day, overnight and 24 hour stays, depending on the tour operator and tour option chosen.  

The average temperature is about 33 degrees Celsius, though cruising on the water will bring fresh air.

The Horizontal Falls are situated in the ancestral country of the saltwater Dambimangari people. The land is Aboriginal Reserve Land, reserved for the use and benefit of Aboriginal people, and they have exclusive possession native title over the area. The Dambimangari people chose the name Lalang-garram, being a Worrorra word meaning ‘the saltwater as a spiritual place as well as a place of natural abundance’, relating to the ocean in a general sense. The Lalang-garram /Horizontal Falls Marine Park was created in 2016 as part of the Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy.