Duration:4 Days/3 Nights
Availability : Requested
Departure Location: Darwin, Australia
Destination Location: Darwin, Australia
Min Age : 8
Max People : 21
Hike through swathes of monsoon rainforest and woodland in Litchfield, cooling off with dips in rock holes and waterfalls; search for crocs by boat in the Mary River Wetlands; learn about the ways of Kakadu’s original inhabitants during a cultural interpretive walk; visit the historic gold-mining town of Pine Creek and drift through the Katherine River by boat or canoe.
Day 01 – Darwin to Mary River, via Litchfield National Park
Day 02 – Kakadu National Park: Ubirr & Barrmundi Gorge
Day 03 – Kakadu to Katherine
Day 04 – Katherine Gorge to Darwin
Inclusions
Flush with waterfalls, swimming holes and some pretty gigantic termite mounds, Litchfield National Park encapsulates all that’s wonderful about the Top End. We’ll start off here checking out Florence Falls and the Buley Rockholes, then break for a picnic before travelling on to Wangi Falls for a final swim and leisurely stroll through monsoon forest. Leaving Litchfield, it’s on and into Mary River National Park. The species of saltwater crocodile found in Australia are the biggest in the world, and the Mary River wetlands are absolutely full of them. See how many you can spot on an afternoon river cruise. All tents are twin-share and come with a proper bed.
In giving Kakadu National Park World Heritage-listing, UNESCO described it as a ‘living cultural landscape with exceptional natural and cultural values’. Indigenous people have lived here for more than 50,000 years, to which the ancient rock paintings of Ubirr can attest. Your guide will explain the significance of these artworks during an interpretative cultural walk that finishes on a rocky escarpment overlooking the Nardab floodplain. In the afternoon we head to either Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) or Gunlom Falls (seasonal choice). Swimming spots don’t get a whole lot more inviting than either of these spectacular sites.
Given that Kakadu covers approximately the same amount of land as Slovenia, the
sky’s a pretty good place to see it all from. This morning you’ll have the option of
taking a scenic flight over the billabongs, bushlands and floodplains that make up
this ruggedly beautiful region. After a stop in at the Bowali visitors centre we head for
the historic gold-mining town of Pine Creek which offers a very different side to
Australian history. Back on the road again, there’s time for a dip in Edith Falls before
pulling into our private campsite near Nitmuluk National Park.
Back in the day (ok, it was 23 million years ago), the Katherine River flowed all the way from Arnhem Land to the Timor Sea. These days, the waters have subsided significantly: the Katherine River now flows along hemmed in on both sides by cliffs 70 metres high. It’s the highlight attraction of Nitmiluk National Park though, and you’ll have the opportunity to cruise through it by canoe or boat. Following lunch, we visit a private property next to an indigenous art gallery for some coaching in the ancient arts of boomerang throwing, fire making and traditional painting. Then it’s back to Darwin where the adventure winds up.
