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!

How to get to Kakadu National Park

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.

Park maps with marked points of interest and destinations

For more details about the map of Kakadu National Park, check out: https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/plan/getting-around/

What you can do at Kakadu

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:

• Motor Car Falls/Yurmikmik Walks: This is a series of interconnected walks. The Boulder Creek walk is a 2km return (moderate). The Yurmikmik lookout walk is a 5km return (moderate), and Motor Car Falls is a 7.5km return (moderate). Kurrundie Falls is an 11km return, but you need a permit to walk here (difficult).
• Ubirr Aboriginal Art Walk: Kakadu offers ranger-guided walks for this fascinating feature of the park. Ubirr is accessible throughout most of the year. However, if the roads to Ubirr are flooded, you can still take a cruise to the site. Check the Kakadu access report for more information before your trip.

Camping Information

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: 

• Alligator Billabong: no camping facilities, no alcohol allowed, no defined camping areas, free
• Anbinik Kakadu Resort campground: 15 peaceful campsites available for caravans/campervans/tens with their own toilet & shower, has a swimming pool, restaurants, and shops close by as it’s located among the tropical gardens of Anbinik Kakadu Resort, booking required in advance 
• Bilkbilkmi (Graveside) gorge campground: no facilities provided, free, permit required (apply here), challenging campsite to get to (3 hours/60km 4WD track), no alcohol permitted
• Bucket Billabong campground: popular with locals for fishing, no facilities/designated camping areas, free, no alcohol permitted, 
• Burdulba: pit toilets, basic picnic facilities, fire pit, bring your own drinking water, no alcohol permitted
• Cooinda campground and caravan park: set within the grounds of Cooinda Lodge resort, 300 sites offered (100 powered sites, 200 unpowered sites), facilities provided, access to Cooinda Lodge pool/restaurants/bars/shops
• Djarradin (Muirella Park) campground: ideal for fishers/wildlife observers/centrally-located base camps, no alcohol permitted, showers, toilets, picnic facilities, fire pits, on-site campground manager, bring your own drinking water
• Four Mile Hole campground: no facilities, bush campsite, 4WD essential
• Gungurul campground: pit toilets, basic picnic facilities, fire pit, bring your own drinking water, no alcohol permitted, abundance of wildlife
• Gunlom campground: showers, toilets, picnic facilities, fire pits, on-site campground manager, bring your own drinking water, no alcohol permitted
• Jarrangbarnmi (Koolpin) gorge campground: permit is required to camp here, pit toilets, basic picnic facilities, fire pits, bring your own drinking water, alcohol is not permitted
• Jim Jim Billabong campground: pit toilets, basic picnic facilities, fire pits, no alcohol permitted, bring your own drinking water
• Kakadu Lodge campground: 200 spacious caravan camping grounds, several facilities nearby, minutes away from Jabiru’s town center
• Kambolgie campground: no alcohol allowed, pit toilets, basic picnic facilities, fire pits
• Karnamarr campground: showers, toilets, picnic facilities, fire pits, on-site campground manager, bring your own drinking water, no alcohol allowed
• Maguk campground: no alcohol allowed, pit toilets, basic picnic facilities, fire pit, bring your own drinking water
• Malabanjbanjdju campground: pit toilets, no alcohol allowed, fire pits, basic picnic facilities
• Mardukal campground (one & two): alcohol is permitted, showers, toilets, picnic facilities, fire pits, on-site campground manager, bring your own drinking water
• Merl campground: showers, toilets, picnic facilities, fire pits, on-site campground manager, bring your own drinking water, no alcohol permitted
• Red Lily Billabong campground: bush camp with no amenities, no alcohol allowed
• Sandy Billabong campground: pit toilets, fire pits, basic picnic facilities, no alcohol allowed, bring your own drinking water
• Two Mile Hole campground: bush camp with no amenities, no alcohol permitted, bring your own drinking water

West Alligator Head campground: pit toilets, basic picnic facilities, fire pits, no alcohol permitted, bring your own drinking water

Camping etiquette

• Alcohol is not allowed in most of Kakadu National Park due to cultural reasons
• Pay camping fees on-site
• Most campgrounds are first come, first serve
• Bring your own water supplies

Variety of trails & difficulty, length, etc. (scroll to the bottom of each page for a map of the trail)

• Anbangbang Billabong walk: easy, 2.5km loop 
• Bardedjilidji walk: easy, 2.5km loop
• Bowali track: easy, 4km return track
• Bubba wetlands walk: easy, 4km loop
• Bukbukluk lookout walk: easy, 0.4km return track
• Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) main gallery and shelter walk: easy, 1.5km return track
• Kungardun walk: easy, 2km loop
• Kungarre walk: easy, 3.6km loop
• Mamukala wetlands walk: easy, 3km return track
• Manngarre rainforest walk: easy, 1.5km loop
• Mardukal Billabong walk: easy, 1km loop
• Yilikadjarr walk: easy, 3.8km loop
• Kubara pools walk: easy to moderate, 6km return track
• Nanguluwurr art site walk: easy to moderate, 3.4km return track
• Ubirr walk: easy to moderate, 1km loop
• Badbong Wodjmeng sandstone river walk: moderate, 6.5km loop
• Budjmi lookout walk: moderate, 1km return track
• Maguk walk: moderate, 2km return track
• Nawurlandja lookout walk: moderate, 0.3km one way track
• Twin Falls gorge walk: moderate, 2hr return track
• Jarrangbarnmi walk (Koolpin Gorge): moderate to difficult, 2km return track
• Jim Jim plunge pool walk: moderate to difficult, 1km one way track
• Mirray lookout walk: moderate to difficult, 2km return track
• Barrk Marlam walk: difficult, 6km return track
• Barrk sandstone walk: difficult, 12km loop
• Twin Falls plateau walk: difficult, 6km return track

Maps for these trails are available at https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/do/walks/.

Brief info on travelling with family & pets

• Pets are not permitted in Kakadu National Park

What to pack for this park’s visit?

• Sunglasses
• Insect repellent
• long/light clothes
• Sunscreen
• Camera & phone
• Water (lots of it)
• Hats
• Healthy snacks
• walking/sturdy shoes
• Binoculars
• maps

Day trip information (Accommodation? Where to park?)

• Indoor accommodation: Anbinik Kakadu Resort, Aurora Kakadu Lodge Caravan and Camping Park, Cooinda Lodge, Hawk Dreaming Wilderness Lodge, Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel
• Outdoor accommodation: camping & caravan parks are available throughout Kakadu
• Places to eat: Anbinik Restaurant, Barra Bar and Bistro, Escarpment Restaurant and Bar, Kakadu Lodge
• Parking: park at any hotel/restaurant/campsite car park
• Check the Kakadu National Park website for pre-visit information

Safety advice

• Take lots of water with you – drink at least four liters of water a day
• Wear the proper footwear (should be sturdy)
• Please follow directions from park rangers at all times
• Some roads in/out of Kakadu are 4WD only – be cautious when traveling on slippery roads
• No COVID-19 restrictions in the Northern Territory – still recommended to wear a mask in Kakadu National Park
• Maintain a safe distance from the water’s edge in all swimmable areas
• Never swim alone
• Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of heat-related/heat-caused illnesses
• Be crocwise! Crocodiles can be found all over Kakadu National Park so always be on the lookout
• Check out the Kakadu National Park website for more safety advice.

Some common animals that can be spotted at Kakadu National Park include: 

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!

• Stay on public roads and marked walking paths
• Camp in designated campgrounds only
• Stay behind barriers to protect and preserve rock art
• Do not feed or disturb wildlife–it can be dangerous
• No pets are allowed in Kakadu National Park
• Light fires in provided fireplaces only, keep the use of firewood to a minimum
• Obey all warning signs posted by park rangers and guides