Kakadu is Australia’s largest national park, a vast swathe of land in the Northern Territory‘s Top End that encompasses more than 20,000 square kilometres of World Heritage-listed wilderness and holds over 65,000 years of Indigenous history.
It’s a jaw-dropping landscape of gorges decorated with ancient rock art, waterfalls that thunder over the edge of the escarpment and floodplains that stretch from horizon to horizon.
The countryside changes with the seasons, and what you see depends on when you go. During the monsoon or wet season (December through to March or April), the wetlands swell with water and millions of migratory birds, including jabirus and dancing brolgas swoop across the floodplains. In the drier months, you can swim in plunge pools above waterfalls and explore the park by vehicle and hiking trails. No matter what time of year you visit, Kakadu is full of unforgettable experiences you won’t find anywhere else on Earth.
There are so many things to do in Kakadu National Park. Explore this watery world by cruise, gliding through the lily-pad flecked waters of Yellow Water Billabong, for instance, or delving deep into culture on the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise on East Alligator River. There are an abundance of hiking trails and magnificent you can walk, and in the dry season, you can even cool off with a refreshing swim beneath a pristine waterfalls. We’ve put together a short guide to what you need to know before going to Kakadu National Park, and the best time to visit.
Check out our curated list of the best things to do in Kakadu, along with the top tours to help you make the most of your visit.
Kakadu is not only steeped in natural beauty – it also holds 65,000 years of Indigenous history. Choosing which tours to do in ...
Before planning your trip to the Northern Territory, consider these amazing activities for your Kakadu bucket list…. Kakadu Nat...
The six Indigenous seasons of Kakadu inflect the cultures, traditions and Dreaming stories held within the ancient landscape. Unl...
Roaming with buffalo, cruising with crocs and gliding with some 280 bird species that live here in this watery world: a safari thr...
Delve deep into one of Australia’s most fascinating and remote regions on this epic road trip through Kakadu and Arnhem Land. Â...
Kakadu National Park is a mini-world that’s better explored on foot than on wheels, and better swum inside than feared from the ...
We’ve put together a short guide to what you need to know before going to Kakadu National Park, as well as the best time to visit. Kakadu is a place to look, listen and feel the Country, and the landscape changes dramatically with the seasons. In the wet, for instance, the waterfalls are at their most impressive and the National Park becomes a haven for birdwatchers (Kakadu is home to one third of Australia’s bird species). In the dry, the days are perfect for hiking and you can even swim in some of the blissful natural pools. Regardless of when you visit, Kakadu is truly miraculous to behold.
There’s no shortage of great tours on offer in Kakadu, but a do-it-yourself driving adventure holiday is pretty hard to beat, sa...
Myth has it that Kakadu is best visited during the calm and cloudless dry season. But intense weather seeds surprise, adventure an...
Wet season or dry season? Kids or no kids? Walk or drive? Kakadu Tours or self guided? These are just some of the most frequent ...
Northern Territory photographer Tracy Ryan has a knack of capturing the majesty of Kakadu, in all its seasons and moods. Here are...
The accommodation options in Kakadu National Park run the gamut, from a croc-shaped hotel to wild-luxury lodge with Champagne on arrival (hello, Bamurru Plains). We’ve put together an accommodation guide for where to stay in Kakadu.
If you don’t mind roughing it a little, there are more than 25 designated campgrounds in Kakadu, ranging from commercial caravan parks to remote bush camping sites. We’ve compiled a camping guide here.
Camping in Kakadu National Park is guaranteed to be a thousand-star experience. Visiting Kakadu National Park is a nature lover'...
Airboats, chilled towels and champagne - Bamurru Plains Lodge is just one of two luxury accommodation options on the outskirts of ...
The driving route from Darwin to Katherine via Kakadu and Nitmiluk national parks is a popular one. But it does require a little ...
Australian Traveller looks at the remote camping outpost of West Alligator Head in NT's Kakadu National Park. When it comes to ca...
Kakadu’s lodges and hotels all have licensed restaurants, and you don’t need to be a guest to eat there. There’s is also a café at the Bowali Visitor Centre in Jabiru. If you’re camping, you’ll need to stock up on food and drink in Darwin or Katherine before you hit the road. Jabiru has a small supermarket for essentials, but no takeaway alcohol is available. You’ll also need to carry your own drinking water if staying outside the commercial caravan parks.
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