Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park has a feeling and a beauty unlike anywhere else on earth. With its sandstone escarpments looming up from the plain, its secret waterholes and lily-strewn waterways, its teeming birdlife and ancient rock art, it's a place that will get a hold on something old in your soul.
It's Australia's largest national park, clocking in at a mindboggling 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres). In that vast space shelters a staggering multiplicity of fauna, including dingos, wallabies and saltwater crocodiles. There's plants and animals here that are found nowhere else in the world, and a number of endangered species.
Make sure to take a cruise along one of the numerous park rivers - cruising along the Alligator River will allow to discover amazing birds and see crocs up close safely. Yellow Water near Cooina is a good starting point for sunrise cruises, usually the best time of the day for wildlife viewing.
Practical Info
Most tourists visit the park in late July, during the dry season, when most of the park is accessible and animals gather in large numbers around shrinking waterholes. In the wet season, which lasts from October to March, waterfalls and rivers swell and it becomes difficult to move around. However, if you're here at this time of year and have some cash to splash, try taking a light plane ride over the torrential waterfalls.
You can take in Kakadu on a tour or, if you have your own car, do it independently. Be sure to stop into the Bowali Vistor Centre on the way in to plan your trip with the experts. This can be a dangerous environment for the unprepared.
The park is run jointly by the Australian government and the traditional owners of the land - the Bininj in the north and the Mungguy in the south. Visitor centers within the park give an insight into traditional culture, which has been going in Kakadu for at least 50,000 years.
Tours & Tickets
Kakadu, Nourlangie and Yellow Waters Tour with Optional Return Flight to Darwin
Discover the magic of Australia's Kakadu National Park on this full day trip from Darwin. Cruise along the famous Yellow Waters, while looking out for ... Read more
Location:
Darwin, Australia
Duration: 13 hours (approx.)
2-Day Kakadu National Park Yellow Waters Cruise, Aboriginal Art Sites and Arnhem Land Tour from Darwin
Experience Kakadu National Park, an area of great natural beauty and sweeping landscapes on this 2-day trip from Darwin. Cruise the Yellow Waters, where ... Read more
Location:
Darwin, Australia
Duration: 2 days (approx.)
3-Day Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land Explorer Tour from Darwin
Enjoy a three-day trip exploring the highlights of the Top End including the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park. Watch out for crocodiles and an ... Read more
Location:
Darwin, Australia
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
3-Day Top End Highlights Including Kakadu and Katherine
See all the highlights of northern Australia’s remarkable Top End on a three-day tour of Kakadu and Katherine. This Northern Territory adventure takes you ... Read more
Location:
Darwin, Australia
Duration: 3 days (approx.)
