Kakadu National Park is one of the most prominent national parks in the Australian state of Northern Territory. At around 20,000km2, Kakadu is nearly half the landmass of Switzerland. Within this natural paradise lies a diverse range of landscapes including savanna woodlands, wetlands and sandstone ridges. An astonishing number of plants and wildlife (e.g. saltwater crocodiles, flatback turtles) resides here. Against this backdrop of geographical and wildlife wonders, the Aboriginal people had called Kakadu home for more than 65,000 years. In this Kakadu National Park Travel Blog, let us share with you how to best plan for your Kakadu trip. And what are the must-see attractions of the park!
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See also:
- Things to do in Darwin (Northern Territory, Australia)
- Litchfield National Park Travel Blog (Northern Territory, Australia)
- Nitmiluk National Park Travel Blog (Northern Territory, Australia)
Tip: Need helping planning your itinerary? See our blog “10-Days Itinerary for Darwin and Northern Territory“
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Kakadu National Park Travel Blog
Kakadu National Park is located an easy 3 hours’ drive (171km) southeast of Darwin. Which is the capital city of Northern Territory. The park is open year round. Though certain parts can be inaccessible due to flooding during the summer (wet) season
Other than its’ geographical and zoological aspects, Kakadu is steeped in cultural values. The Aboriginals, whom are widely recognized as the world’s oldest living culture, had resided in this region for millennia. And in the process, they managed to turn Kakadu into a massive art gallery. As evidenced by the more than 5,000 rock art sites scattered around the park.
It is with this unique combination of natural and cultural values, that Kakadu National Park was awarded dual listings in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
In the following sections, we’ll be discussing about the various aspects of planning a Kakadu trip. Plus the not-to-be-missed attractions on your visit.
*This Kakadu National Park Travel Blog is based on our Jun-2018 visit to Kakadu.
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2WD vs 4WD
For all self-drive trips to Kakadu National Park, it is important to consider if the trip will be done via 2WD or 4WD vehicles. This is because certain sections of Kakadu are only accessible via 4WD. This is specifically the case for all the waterfalls within Kakadu National Park, which are served only by gravel roads.
Before our trip to Kakadu, we took the effort to email the park rangers regarding which waterfall we could access (in winter) if visiting via a 2WD vehicle. In reply, we were advised that all waterfalls within Kakadu National Park are only accessible via 4WD tracks.
Fortunately, there are still plenty of attractions within Kakadu National Park that are suitable for those visiting in 2WD vehicles. Including the various rock art sites, cruises, guided tours, lookout points etc. Thus, if you’re only able to visit via a 2WD vehicle (like us), do not let this be a deal breaker. Kakadu is definitely still worth visiting!
Insurance coverage for rental vehicles
Do note that if you’re renting a vehicle for your visit, most car/campervan rental companies’ insurance will not cover your vehicle on unpaved (gravel) roads. This holds true even if you’ve rented a 4WD vehicle.
Based on our experience, only a select few car/campervan rental companies would have insurance for off-road driving. And even in these handfuls of companies, some might have clauses in their insurance specifying that certain roads (e.g. in Kakadu) are excluded from their coverage.
Thus, it is paramount that you check with your car/campervan rental company to ensure that the specific unpaved road that you’re planning to travel on is indeed covered in the insurance policy.
Click here for high resolution photos
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Renting Cars vs. Campervan
We assume most folks are aware of the common pros/cons for renting cars vs. campervans (e.g. driving speed, comfort, safety, convenience, cost). In this section, we’ll talk about 2 aspects that are particularly relevant to renting in the Northern Territory. (If you’re new to campervans, refer to our blog about campervans here)
#1: Limited Mileage
If you’ve done your research, you’ll noticed that most car rental companies operating in Northern Territory will only include a daily mileage of 200km. This is unlike car rentals in other parts of Australia where unlimited mileage is more common.
With the long distances associated with most attractions and national parks within Northern Territory, it is common for renters to exceed this limit. So be aware while planning your trip.
In contrast, all the campervan rental companies in the state still offer unlimited mileage for their vehicles. As such, if you’re extremely concerned with the potential mileage of your trip, it might be better off renting a campervan.
#2: Accommodation cost
For an area as vast as Kakadu National Park, accommodation options are actually quite limited. Usual resort/hotel styled accommodations numbered slightly more than a handful in the park. Thus, be prepared to pay top dollar for your stay and book well in advance. Especially so for the peak winter (dry) season.
This brings us to the point of renting a campervan for your Kakadu trip. As far as accommodations (and meals) are concerned, visiting Kakadu via a campervan and staying in campgrounds is one of the cheapest and most interesting way to explore the park.
There are about two-dozen campgrounds scattered across Kakadu National Park. Each with varying level of facilities. Ranging from commercial campgrounds with full-fledged amenities, to bush camping sites with no facilities and only accessible via 4WD tracks.
It is usually not required to make bookings for the campgrounds (even for commercial ones). However, do ensure that you arrive early on the day to take a site. This especially so during the peak seasons.
In general, commercial campground fees are slightly higher in Northern Territory as compared to other states. This holds true for the commercial campgrounds in Kakadu National Park. During peak season, get ready to pay above $50 per night for a family of 3 on a powered site.
Having said, staying in a campervan (and commercial campground) is still much cheaper compared to regular resort/hotel accommodations in Kakadu.
Review: Kakadu Lodge (commercial campground)
For our trip, we opted to stay at Kakadu Lodge. This commercial campground is one of the better ones in Kakadu National Park. In addition, it is conveniently located in Jabiru, thus allowing convenient access to the nearby petrol station and supermarket.
The campground has a big pool and good facilities. There are plenty of shades on the grass lots. Ablution blocks are well spaced, simple and clean. However, this does mean paying around $50-$55 per night for a powered site for 2 adults and 1 child. (Note: Bookings at Kakadu Lodge are only required for rooms/cabins. No bookings required for camping.)
Link to Kakadu Lodge (Disclosure: The links to Kakadu Lodge are affiliated links. It will cost nothing to you, but we do receive a small fee if you book through these links. This small fee will go a long way to help us maintain this blog.)
Setting up our tent at Kakadu Lodge
Summary: Cars vs Campervans
Since most campervans are 2WD, it again triggers the concerns of 2WD vehicles as in the previous section. Thus, consider all the elements mentioned in the above two sections and decide which is the best mode of transport for your Kakadu trip.
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Why we choose a rental 2WD Campervan
While planning for our Jun-2018 trip, we had initially tried to look for a 4WD rental that has insurance coverage for the off-road tracks in Kakadu National Park. However, it quickly became clear to us that such rentals are hard to come by, or that the costs are prohibitive.
As such, we decided to forgo the waterfalls (which requires 4WD access) and instead focus on the 2WD accessible attractions within Kakadu National Park.
Having a relatively cheap 2WD campervan (and staying in commercial campgrounds) allowed us to save on accommodations. And equally important is that we could cook our meals in the campervan and thus save on our meals. Last but not least, with our campervan on unlimited mileage rental, we do not have to fret over our travelling distance.
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Park Pass and Visitor Centres
Park Passes are required. They could be purchased online or from the visitor centres and selected accommodations in the area.
Park passes are valid for 7 days, and can be extended free for up to 14 days. The rates vary across seasons, with the summer (wet) season (Nov-May) generally cheaper.
Example: Kakadu Park Pass for Dry Season 2018 (May-Oct)
Adult (>16yrs) $40. Child (5-15yrs) $20. Family (2 adult, 2 child) $100.
There are two visitor centres in Kakadu National Park; Bowali Visitor Centre and Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
– Bowali Visitor Centre: Located 5 minutes’ drive from Jabiru town.
– Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre: Located in Cooinda, near to Yellow Water Cruise.
Regardless of how one purchase their park passes, we strongly recommend a visit to the visitor centre at the start of the trip. Reason is that the park rangers have the most updated knowledge of the road/weather conditions and general situation (e.g. controlled burning) in the park. And thus, could offer recommendations on the most appropriate activity/attraction.
This is especially so if one is visiting Kakadu in a 2WD vehicle or during the wet season. Many of the popular attractions (e.g. all waterfalls) in Kakadu National Park can only be accessed via 4WD vehicles (and only during certain season/weather). Thus, a check with the park rangers at the visitor centre could potentially save you from unwanted incidents on the tracks/roads.
Tips:
-This website shows the daily status of the various attractions in Kakadu National Park.
-Bring along your water bottles to the visitor centres. Water dispensers are available to refill your water supply. It saved us the trouble of boiling/buying water.
Ranger guided activities
Other than access to the park, the park pass includes all ranger guided activities (e.g. guided tours). For the updated list of ranger guided activities, refer to this link.
You are not required to make bookings for the ranger guided activities. Simply show up at the designated start point of the respective activity 10 minutes prior to the stated time.
To get the most out of your visit and learn more about the fascinating cultural/geographical aspects of Kakadu National Park, we recommend taking up a few of these guided activities. It was a pity that we couldn’t join the activities during our Jun-2018 trip due to time constraints. This is something that we’ll surely not miss on our next trip to Kakadu.
Click here for high resolution photos
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Attractions in Kakadu National Park (for 2WD access)
The following is the list of attractions that we explored while in Kakadu National Park (Jun-2018). Park rangers had suggested this list at the start of our visit. The list is especially suited for those travelling in 2WD vehicles and has only 2-3 days to explore the park. Do not miss these attractions on your trip!
Ubirr (Rock Art site)
Undoubtedly one of the most popular sites in Kakadu National Park. Easily accessible via paved roads, Ubirr is famous for its Aboriginal rock art sites, which dates back thousands of years.
More impressively, visitors can easily climb to the top of its sandstone escarpment to have a glorious view of its golden sunset. Which is casted over an expansive landscape of unblock wetlands below. This is surely one of the best sunsets we’ve seen. And this alone is worth our trip to Kakadu. Do not miss this in your Top End trip!
More pictures of Ubirr
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Cahills Crossing, East Alligator (Erre) River
A popular fishing site, Cahills Crossing is a submerged river crossing over the East Alligator (Erre) River. Crocodile sightings are frequent in the area. There is a viewing platform next to the crossing and offers great view of both the river and crossing.
The viewing platform offers visitors the interesting sight of local vehicles fording the river. One can even see the remains of two abandoned vehicles slightly downstream from the crossing. A testament to the hazardous nature of the river.
Bardedjilidji Walk
A short drive from Ubirr and Cahills Crossing. Bardedjilidji is a relatively short 2.5km looping walk thru interesting sandstone formations. Part of the walk might be inaccessible during certain season.
Click here for high resolution photos
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Anbangbang Rock Shelter (Burrungkuy/Burrunggui)
A sandstone escarpment with overhanging rock shelters and art sites. The lower section of the escarpment is called “Anbangbang”. While the top of the escarpment is called “Burrungkuy/Burrunggui”.
This area is frequently called “Nourlangie Rock” by mistake. The word “Nourlangie” is derived from “Nawurlandja”. And “Nawurlandja” is actually another escarpment a short walk to the east. Thus, early non-aboriginal visitors to the area mistakenly call the Anbangbang Rock Shelter as Nourlangie Rock.
Anbangbang Rock Shelter has a number of interesting Aboriginal rock art sites. Including depictions of the dangerous spirit of “Nabulwinjbulwinj” and the Lightning Man “Namarrgon”.
At the far end of the tracks is the “Gun-warddehwardde” Lookout point. The climb is easy. And the lookout point offers great views of the entire sandstone escarpment.
Allow around 1-2 hours for this 1.5km loop
More pictures at Anbangbang Rock Shelter
Click here for high resolution photos
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Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Wetlands (via Yellow Water Cruise)
The Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Wetlands (billabong) is part of the South Alligator River. And can only be explored via the Yellow Water Cruise. Which runs daily cruises of 90 or 120 minutes, plus sunrise/sunset trips.
The cruise captains (guides) will offer informative commentary of the wildlife and landscape in the wetlands. It is the perfect opportunity to view the wildlife in the park up close, including the massive saltwater crocodiles.
Unlike most other crocodile cruises in Northern Territory, there is no feeding of crocodiles (or other wildlife) during the cruise. Thus, maintaining the natural state of the wetland and its inhabitants.
The Yellow Water Cruise is one of the two “authentic” cruises promoted by Kakadu National Park. The other being Guluyambi Cultural Cruise along the East Alligator River (near Ubirr). Which as its name suggest, is more focused on the culture of the Aboriginals and their interaction with the river and its wildlife.
Both the cruises (Yellow Water Cruise and Guluyambi Cultural Cruise) charges similar rates for similar duration cruises. As we’re on a budget, we can only take up one of the two. And we opted for the Yellow Water Cruise (sunset cruise) as we wanted to focus more on the wildlife in the park.
The cruise was excellent with our guide extremely knowledgeable and interesting. Throughout the cruise, the guide managed to locate a good number of birds and land animals. Plus, a couple of enormous saltwater crocodiles. Surely a worthwhile activity to undertake while you’re in Kakadu!
More pictures of Yellow Water Cruise
Click here for high resolution photos
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Kakadu National Park Information Booklet
The following are the various attraction regions within Kakadu National Park. These are scanned images from the park’s information booklet. The booklet can be obtained from the park rangers at both of the visitor centres.
Kakadu National Park Map
Jabiru Region
Key sites: Bowali Visitor Centre, Jabiru Town
Jabiru is the main town in Kakadu National Park. Though small, it has the most basic tourist related amenities and services (e.g. supermarket, petrol station, post office).
Money Saving Tip! Surprisingly, the supermarket in Jabiru is of reasonable size and stock up relatively well. However, as to be expected, the prices here are noticeably higher than in major towns. As such, do stock up on your groceries and basic needs before your trip to Kakadu.
East Alligator (Erre) Region
Key sites: Ubirr Rock Art, East Alligator (Erre) River, Bardedjilidji Walk, Cahills Crossing
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Nourlangie (Burrungkuy) Region
Key sites: Nourlangie (Burrungkuy), Anbangbang Billabong
Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Region
Key sites: Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Wetlands (Yellow Water Cruise), Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre (visitor centre)
Mary River Region
Key sites: Gunlom Falls (4WD recommended)
Note: The trio waterfalls of Gunlom Falls, Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls are extremely scenic and popular. However, access is strictly via 4WD and in dry season. Do not miss these if you’re visiting in a 4WD and during the correct season.
Access Road to Gunlon Waterfall
Access Road to Gunlon Waterfall
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Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls Gorge Region
Key sites: Jim Jim Falls (4WD access only), Twin Falls (4WD access only)
Note: The trio waterfalls of Gunlom Falls, Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls are extremely scenic and popular. However, access is strictly via 4WD and in dry season. Do not miss these if you’re visiting in a 4WD and during the correct season.
South Alligator Region
Key sites: Mamukala Wetlands, Gungarre Walk
Related posts:
- 10-Days Itinerary for Darwin and Northern Territory
- Things to do in Darwin (Northern Territory, Australia)
- Litchfield National Park Travel Blog (Northern Territory, Australia)
- Nitmiluk National Park Travel Blog (Northern Territory, Australia)
- Litchfield National Park to Darwin Self-Drive Time-Lapse
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- 11 Great Places to visit in Sydney
- Exploring Western Australia (Best of Perth & Fremantle)
- Exploring Western Australia (Highlights beyond Perth)
- Motorhome & Car Rental (Western Australia)
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