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.
Things to do in Kakadu National Park
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.
Seeing Kakadu National Park
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.
Kakadu Accommodation
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.
Kakadu Restaurants
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.
