With 65,000 years of knowledge passed down by Kakadu’s indigenous people, this unique, majestic, and beautiful archaeological world heritage site is the perfect spot to visit in the Northern Territory. Visit Kakadu National Park for waterfalls & rock pools, alluring landscapes & interesting wildlife, and ancient rock art.
Kakadu National Park is a park filled with rich history and culture. The site is home to the Bininj and Mungguy Aboriginal people for over 65,000 years, the oldest living culture on Earth. The park features wetlands, waterfalls, rock-pools, canyons, mountains, and ancient rock paintings (unique to the area). Kakadu has several walking trails ranging from easy to difficult, and the most famous/best-ranked trail is Ubirr Aboriginal Art Walk. The walk passes through several of Kakadu’s Aboriginal art sites and leads to a charming lookout of the Nadab floodplain. During the wet season, storms rage in, and lightning illuminates and highlights the horizon. The Ubirr Aboriginal Art Walk is a 1km circuit with a 250m climb to the lookout. Make sure to check out Motor Car Falls, Nourlangie and its ancient shelters, Koolpin Gorge, and the several species of birds at Mamukala wetlands. At Mamukala wetlands, you’ll be amazed and fascinated by the magpie geese, kites, comb-crested jacanas, cormorants, willie wagtails, purple swamp hens, finches, and kingfishers that inhabit these wetlands. At Motor Car Falls, discover one of Kakadu’s hidden gems with a 7.5km return hike. The Yurmikmik walks allow you to venture out to the falls. Do these sites interest you? Come visit Kakadu National Park for more!
From Darwin, take the A15 and merge onto National Highway 1. Then, turn left onto Arnhem Highway or State Route 36.
Ubirr Aboriginal Art Walk: From Darwin, Ubirr’s car park is 287km away (about a 3 hour car ride). Take National Highway 1 in Holtze from the A15, then follow Arnhem Highway/State Route 36 to Arnhem Highway/Oenpelli Road in Kakadu. Follow the Arnhem Highway/Oenpelli to Ubirr.
Motor Car Falls: Motor Car Falls is 316 kilometers away from Darwin. Get on National Highway 1 in Holtze from the A15. Follow National Highway 1 to Kakadu Highway/State Route 21 in Pine Creek. Continue on Kakadu Highway/State Route 21. Finally, drive to Gimbat in Gulung Mardrulk.
For more details about the map of Kakadu National Park, check out: https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/plan/getting-around/
You can do all of the following activities in the park: birdwatching, croc spotting, fishing and boating, ranger guided activities, visiting rock art, and walking. Here’s a list of the most popular activities:
Camping is available all throughout Kakadu National Park, and visitors are supposed to camp in designated areas only. Camping fees apply and are payable on-site. The on-site campground manager will collect your fees there. Some sites are free however. The camping areas and facilities are listed below:
West Alligator Head campground: pit toilets, basic picnic facilities, fire pits, no alcohol permitted, bring your own drinking water
Maps for these trails are available at https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/do/walks/.
Agile wallaby: Agile wallabies are commonly found throughout Kakadu National Park. They are yellowish-brown and have a white cheek stripe. Agile wallabies are found in groups called “mobs.” Males are larger than females significantly. Be on the lookout for these creatures and do not feed them! Their scientific name is Macropus agilis.
Crocodiles: Kakadu National Park is home to about 10,000 crocodiles, which is 10% of all crocodiles in the Northern Territory. There are two types of crocs in Kakadu: saltwater and freshwater crocodiles. Freshwater crocodiles have narrow snouts and a single row of four large bony plates behind their head. Saltwater crocodiles have broader snouts and no bony plates. Their scientific names are Crocodylus porosus (saltwater crocodile) and Crocodylus johnston (freshwater crocodile).
File snake: File snakes are commonly found in water as they are aquatic. File snakes love to feast on Kakadu’s catfish, and they can commonly be seen with catfish barbs sticking out of their skin as they digest the food. The Bininj and Mungguy cultures often hunt file snakes during the dry season from August to October. Their scientific name is Acrochordus arafurae.
Flatback turtle: Flatback turtles are found on Field Island (Gardangal) and beaches near West Alligator Head. Its shell is a flattened dome and is olive-green/gray in color with a cream underside. Females are larger than males, and its scientific name is Natator depressus.
Flying fox: Flying foxes are actually not foxes at all–they’re large vegetarian bats! Flying foxes stay together in large & noisy colonies in mangroves, paperbark forests, and monsoon rainforests. Kakadu is populated by two different species of flying foxes: the black flying fox and the little red flying fox. Their scientific names are Pteropus scapulatus (little red flying fox) and Pteropus alecto (black flying fox).
Leichhardt’s grasshopper: These grasshoppers are named after explorer Ludwig Leichhardt and are a staple of Kakadu National Park. They are mostly located on pityrodia bushes, which are located around the Arnhem Land escarpment. Leichhardt’s grasshoppers are also super colorful, and their scientific name is Petasida ephippigera.
Northern brown bandicoot: These cute animals have brindle fur, pointy noses, round ears, and short tails. They are nocturnal and live in Kakadu’s woodlands. Bandicoots live solitary lives. Their scientific name is Isoodon macrourus.
Wallaroos: There are three types of wallaroo living in Kakadu National Park. The black wallaroo has black fur, the common wallaroo (or euro) has reddish-brown fur, and the antilopine wallaroo has greyish/red/brown fur. The antilopine wallaroo is the most common in Kakadu National
Park. Black wallaroos are seen around Burrungkuy (Nourlangie). The common wallaroo is seen in rocky hills and scree slopes, whereas the antilopine wallaroo is found grazing in grassy areas throughout the park. Their scientific names are Osphranter bernardus (black wallaroo), Osphranter robustus (common wallaroo/euro), and Osphranter antilopinus (antilopine wallaroo).
Please do not feed any of the animals at Kakadu National Park! Thanks!
From AUD$159.00 Duration: 30 Minutes (approx.) Location: Jabiru, Northern Territory Product code: 30min JAB1 Best seen from the
From AUD$259.00 Duration: 60 Minutes (approx.) Location: Jabiru, NT Product code: 60min JAB1 Enjoy aerial views over the
From AUD$899.00 Duration: 7 Hours (approx.) Location: Eaton, NT Product code: DWNC1 Kakadu is dual-listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its
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