Hike in Kakadu National Park

Welcome to Darwin! You won’t need to venture far to find plenty of things to keep you entertained before your tour starts. Go shopping for First Nations art, check out the (free) Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory or discover Australia’s war history at World War II oil storage tunnels along the waterfront. Your tour begins with a 6pm Welcome Meeting in the lobby of the Travelodge Resort Darwin where you will meet your leader and the rest of your group. You may like to have dinner at a local restaurant to get to know each other and celebrate the start of your adventure.

Set off after breakfast for the drive to Fogg Dam where spectacular wetlands can be seen throughout the year, along with water pythons, birds, crocodiles, turtles and other wildlife. From here, we’ll drive to Kakadu National Park with a photo stop at the entrance of the park and a picnic lunch before we reach Ubirr which is widely regarded as one of the world’s most outstanding rock art sites. After you have viewed the paintings, which include depictions of some of the first interactions with non-Aboriginal people, we’ll check into our comfortable motel with shared bathroom facilities which is owned and operated by the Djabulukgu Association which represents the Traditional Owners of Northern Kakadu and parts of Western Arnhem Land. (B/L)

Kakadu National Park has one of the world’s highest concentrated areas of rock art. After breakfast we’ll take a short drive to Nourlangie to see the famous painting of Namarrgon, the lightning man, who is said to control the spectacular wet season lightning storms, and view the rest of the site which is reminiscent of a traditional art gallery with multiple rooms (caves) featuring different styles of art. Climb to the top of the Kunwarddewardde Lookout and see the sun hitting the distant rocks of the Arnhem Land escarpment and turning it bright red. We’ll also stroll around Anbangbang Billabong, a peaceful billabong surrounded by bird life, and enjoy the view from the Nawurlandja Lookout and visit the Bowali Visitor Centre to learn more about Kakadu. (B/L)

After breakfast, sit back and relax on the drive from Jabiru to Gunlom Falls where we will hike to the top of the falls and enjoy the view with plenty of time to swim in the pristine swimming hole. From here, it’s a 2.5 hour drive to the town of Katherine where we’ll check into our tropical resort. Since we’re in the Northern Territory, it should definitely be warm enough for you to enjoy an evening swim in the pool. (B/L)

This morning we’ll take a two hour cruise through Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge where the Katherine River carved its way through ancient sandstone cliffs more than 20 million years ago and natural horizontal bands define the surrounding cliffs created by layer upon layer of sediments. Stop at the first gorge to view a rock art site before motoring to the second gorge where the Jawoyn people believe the rainbow serpent ‘Bolung’ lives in the deep green pools. You’ll also have time to walk to the Baruwei Lookout and/or do the Baruwei Loop Walk before the drive back to Katherine for a relaxing evening at the resort. (B/L)

After breakfast, drive to Litchfield National Park where waterfalls cascade from escarpments into plunge pools and there are deep prehistoric-looking forests and thousands of six-foot-high termite mounds. During the wet season, four major waterfalls thunder from the cliffs into rock pools. During the dry season, the waterfalls flow more gently, making the waterholes perfect spots for swimming. We’ll take a walk around the Magnetic Termite Mounds then drive to the start of the Greenant Creek Walk where we’ll enjoy a swim at the Tjaetaba Falls plunge pool before driving onwards to Wangi Falls for another dip. From here, we’ll drive to Darwin where your tour ends at approximately 6pm. No accommodation is provided tonight but if you would like to spend more time here, we can book additional accommodation for you (pending availability). (B/L)