Traditions of the Top End

Arrive into tropical Darwin to a warm A&K welcome and transfer by private vehicle to your accommodation, Mindil Beach Casino & Resort, Set among tropical beachside gardens around a lagoon just moments from the CBD.

This afternoon meet your group of fellow travellers and enjoy a two hour guided city tour of Darwin. Highlights include historic Fanny Bay Gaol, Government House, Stokes Hill Wharf, St Marys Cathedral, the Botanical Gardens and the idyllic waterfront. Art lovers will relish a visit to the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT, housing an impressive Aboriginal art collection and a cleverly curated Cyclone Tracy display.

This evening enjoy a welcome dinner and drink. Stay: Mindil Beach Casino Resort (D)

This morning, meet your expert indigenous guide for a captivating immersion into indigenous culture on a private full day Litchfield experience. A true wonder of the Top End, Litchfield National Park is possibly the Northern Territory's best kept secret covering 1,500 square kilometres, of dramatic landscapes sheltering lush waterholes, misty waterfalls and monsoonal vine forests.

Get a hands-on education of bush tucker and medicinal traditions, learning of the bush resources in season. Take a refreshing walk to a picturesque waterfall, your scene for a flame-grilled lunch of ocean-caught barramundi, marinated kangaroo and crocodile eye fillet, before returning to your hotel. Stay: Mindil Beach Casino Resort (B/L)

This morning, transfer by charter aircraft to your accommodation on Mt Borradaile in the indigenous homeland of Arnhem Land.

Davidson's Arnhemland Safaris Lodge is located on an exclusive lease of 700-square kilometres of pristine wilderness in northwest Arnhem Land. Nestled against the Arnhem Land escarpment, this landscape of rugged ranges fringed by idyllic billabongs allows an immersion in unique ecosystems teeming with birdlife and crocodiles as well as bush food and medicinal plants. Valleys, overhangs and caves carved out by an ancient sea have been occupied by Aboriginal people for over 50,000 years with world-class galleries of rock art, occupation and burial sites.

Arrive to a warm welcome, before enjoying a short walk to see the famous Rainbow Serpent, where you will start to learn about the local rock art, the geology of the area and some of the local bush tucker and medicine that you walk past.

Following lunch, there is the chance to enjoy one of Davidson's included activities. Try your hand at barramundi fishing, take a walking excursion to view the magnificent galleries of Indigenous rock art, take a dip in a natural swimming hole or simply sit back and relax poolside at the lodge. Stay: Davidson's Safaris Arnhemland Safari Lodge (B/L/D)

Wake up to a strikingly beautiful landscape of rugged ranges fringed by idyllic billabongs, floodplains, paperbark swamps and monsoonal rainforests. After a leisurely breakfast, continue your exploration of Arnhem Land with your choice of the included activities available.

• Billabong Cruise Enjoy sundowners as you drift through the billabong viewing a kaleidoscope of plants and wildlife as the sun sets over the floodplains painting Mt Borradaile in magnificent colours.
• Guided Walking Tours Explore the rainforest areas, savannah woodland, or incredible catacombs with your expert local guide learning about the region's rich indigenous history and diverse ecosystem.
• 4WD Excursion Take a 4WD excursion into the savannah landscapes, woodland areas and rainforest, each with its own distinct array of flora and fauna.

Enjoy a dinner of freshly prepared cuisine amidst a relaxed atmosphere at Mt Borradaile's dining room, the social hub. Stay: Davidson's Safaris Arnhemland Safari Lodge (B/L/D)

A final morning spent at Davidson's before boarding your private plane this afternoon for the charter flight to the wildlife haven of Bamurru Plains.

Arrive to a warm welcome and transfer to your safari-style bungalow which gives you an immersion in the sights and sounds of the surrounding bush.

Situated on the edge of Kakadu National Park, Bamurru Plains has exclusive access to floodplains and savanna woodland located along Mary River.

This evening, you may like to take a river cruise in search of crocodiles, or embark on a quad bike safari before savouring a sundowner drink in breathtaking surrounds. Stay: Bamurru Plains (B/L/D)

A choice of activities is on offer today. Make your selection accordingly or simply relax and enjoy your spectacular surrounds. Bamurru has over 300 square kilometres of private concession waiting to be explored. So large is the property that there are four distinct habitats: floodplains and wetlands full of magpie geese and big crocs; stunning melaleuca forests, savannah woodlands where you might bump into brumby, buffalo, dingo and wallaby; and finally a riverine environment where the silver flashes of fish or sunbathing crocs will catch your eye as you cruise slowly by.

• Airboat Safari Ride across the floodplains by airboat. This wildlife-packed journey takes you from wide open grasslands to a lagoon surrounded by peeling paper bark trees. Feel the rush as you skim the surface at speed, then float in silence listening to the sound of nothing but the bush.
• Open Top Game Drives One of the best ways to witness the variety of wildlife in this diverse environment is on an open-top game drive, more akin to an African safari across the savannah. You'll see agile wallaby, estuarine crocodile, wild horses, buffalo and some of the 236 bird species on the property.
• Walking Safari Head out on a short drive before continuing on a guided walk, learning the Indigenous uses for the various plants and animals on Bamurru, and how wildlife can be tracked through the forest.

Return to the lodge this afternoon to enjoy canapés and sundowners on the deck before a sumptuous dinner of bush-inspired recipes.

Stay: Bamurru Plains (B/L/D)

Today a private tour of Kakadu National Park beckons. Soar over the Top End on an exhilarating flight to Jabiru. Explore the landscapes and ancient Aboriginal rock art at Ubirr, considered one of Kakadu's most famous spots for breathtaking Aboriginal art sites, in your custom-built safari vehicle led by a knowledgeable local guide.

Then embark on a cruise on the East Alligator River through wonderful pristine wilderness. Led by an Aboriginal guide, uncover the secrets and history of one of the richest biological regions in the national park.

Stop at the Bowali Visitor Centre for an engaging look at the history and traditions of the land, before arriving back at the lodge in time for drinks and canapés as the sun sets before your farewell dinner. Stay: Bamurru Plains (B/L/D)

Depart this morning after breakfast, flying by private charter to Darwin airport, where you will transfer to your onward flight. (B)