Is Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Worth Visiting? The Answer May Surprise You

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It was blowing a gale when we arrived at our campsite in Denham, 30 minutes down the road from Monkey Mia.

It was so bad that the pole that holds up the canvas roof over the girl’s bed in the camper trailer snapped. The Jayco strikes again.

It wasn’t welcoming, like the gentle, soothing breezes we thought we were going to find at the coastal destination of Monkey Mia in Western Australia, and it had us thinking “is Monkey Mia worth visiting?” or should we pack up and go home.

We’re used to bad weather and annoying circumstances on our travels, and rarely let it dampen our experience of a place.

But the truth is, Monkey Mia was not the experience we were anticipating.

What brings people to Monkey Mia is the warm weather, blue skies, sailing on calm water, and lots of wild dolphins. It’s known for being idyllic with red sand dunes, white sand beaches and lots of wildlife.

And sure, the weather wasn’t on our side, but that didn’t stop us from trying to discover why it’s one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Coral Coast, on the Peron Peninsula.

In this guide, we’ve shared our reasons why Monkey Mia didn’t grab us and what you need to know about visiting.

Is Monkey Mia Worth Visiting? No, Here’s Why

Okay, so we weren’t lucky when we visited, but if you were to ask me whether Monkey Mia is worth visiting, I would argue no.

That’s not to say that it’s not beautiful, it’s just that there were places on the Coral Coast that we enjoyed more.

We loved Ningaloo, the gateway to the Ningaloo Reef, Coral Bay where we swam with manta rays, and the Kalbarri which has incredible cliffs and rock formations.

But for Monkey Mia…it just wasn’t wow for us. Here are some of the reasons why…

1. Too windy

It was the first time in months we wore jumpers. On the morning we went to visit the Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins at Monkey Mia Beach, we even put beanies on the girls. It was freezing.

I think the wind scared away the dolphins too. But, crowd numbers were down so we had decent viewing opportunities.

2. Overcrowding

Feeding the dolphins at Monkey Mia Reserve can sometimes draw crowds of up to 700 strong visitors. I just couldn’t imagine!

They all hustle for space at the water’s edge to watch as the dolphins swim up and down with one eye up wondering what the hell all these legs and…