Roads can flood during the wet.

Dry Season in Kakadu National Park - Advantages

• Cooler temperatures
• Roads are open and not flooded. This means most attractions are accessible.
• Camping is easier as its unlikely you’ll encounter raining.
• Less mosquitos!
• Crocodiles tend to be more visible in colder weather, as they warm themselves up in the sun.

Dry Season in Kakadu National Park- Disadvantages

• The Dry season marks the busy period for tourism in the topend of Australia. This means Kakadu can be flooded with tourists.
• Pricing for tours is generally slightly more expensive.
• Waterfalls will dry up towards the end of the dry season.
• Wildlife is not as active and plentiful.
• Vegetations tends to be a lot drier and less vibrant than the wet. This also leads to bush fires.

Wet Season in Kakadu National Park - Advantages

• Low season for tourism
• Park rangers and staff have more time for you.
• Low season prices for tours and accommodation in/from Darwin and Jabiru.
• Tones of wildlife. During the wet everything is busy mating and breeding.
• The waterfalls are roaring. Although this can also lead to waterfalls such as Jim Jim closing down due to danger.
• The vegetation is green and everything is lush and refresh.
• The Topend of Australia's see more lightening to than most places in the world and this is particularly true for Kakadu. During the wet you’ll stand witness to some amazing lightning storms and thunder.

Wet Season in Kakadu National Park - Disadvantages

• Very hot and humid. This can make it very uncomfortable at night unless you have a fan or are staying in air conditioned accommodation.
• A lot of roads are flooded and unless you have a good 4WD are inaccessible.
• Because of the all the water, this is a perfect environment for mosquitoes to breed. This leads to a lot of annoying encounters.
• The wet season also marks the time for cyclones. This can cause a lot of interruptions in travel plans and tours.

These days Kakadu is easy to navigate.

Kakadu National Park has two entrances. The most common entrance for visitors is the northern side which can be reached via the Arnhem Highway and is approximately 160km east of Darwin. Most tour groups use this route as it’s the quickest and easiest way to get into Kakadu National Park.

The south entrance is usually for those who are coming from other destinations such as Katherine or Litchfield national parks. This entrance is just off the Stuart Highway where you need to turn right in Pine Creek which is located 230km south of Darwin. From the Pine Creek turn off its another 60km along the Kakadu Highway until you reach the southern entrance.

Once in Kakadu, there are many signs which can help direct you to where you want to go and many of main roads are made of solid bitumen. However, if you intend on visiting some waterfalls such as Jim Jim and Twin falls, these roads are dirt and strictly require a four wheel drive. This is perhaps where an organized tour might be a better option.
Kakadu is also accessible by air and there are many different companies that specialize in scenic flights through Kakadu which depart either Darwin or Jabiru!

However, when considering travelling in the kakadu by vehicle it is very important that you check the road and weather conditions before embarking on your journey. This is particularly important if you are travelling between the months of November and March which falls under the wet season.

Driving along an old dirt track in Kakadu

Where is Kakadu National Park you say? Despite its immense size and popularity, a lot of people still don’t know where Kakadu National Park is located!

Travellers can find Kakadu National Park in the Northern part of Australia in the Northern Territory. Its located within the Alligator Rivers region approximately 4 hours drive east from the Capital Darwin. The park covers an area of 19,804 square kilometers and is nearly 200 kilometers north to south and over 100 kilometers east to west. It's immense size makes it as big as Slovenia, half the size of switzerland and 1/3 the size of Tasmania!

Most of Kakadu National Park was actually under a very shallow seat approximately 140 million years ago. Nowadays the enormous escarpment which now runs through the park rises 330 meters above the plateau and extends approximately 500 kilometers along the eastern size of the park and into neighboring Arnhemland.

Tourism NT has launched is $800,000 Kakadu Campaign to try and inspire Australians to Visit the region.

Ubir Rock In Kakadu National Park

The minister for tourism Malarndirii McCarthy, today said that the Government is investing approx $800,000 into marketing Kakadu National Park to the domestic market of Australian Spirited travellers.

“Kakadu is beautiful and this campaign highlights its dramatic landscapes and cultural heritage, and we want our fellow Australians to come and experience all it has to offer,” said Ms McCarthy.
 
“Holidaying in Kakadu is an active experience and there are many adventures on offer,” said Ms McCarthy. 
 
“The campaign also features eye-catching imagery and footage of Kakadu with its stunning natural attractions and extraordinary wildlife.
 
“These are showcased in a 45-second television commercial and run in a series of print and online advertisements designed to inspire more Australians to visit Kakadu.”

Television commericals will be aired on such channels as Channel 9 and 7, SBS, 7 Two, Discovery and National Georgraphic channels. Not only this but print advertisements will be running is many major newspapers and magazines. Some of these include the Good Weekend, Weekend Australian, The Age and Sunday Life.

When visiting Kakadu National Park there is always the question of where to start from. Many travellers choose to start their camping safaris from Jabiru ( inside Kakadu itself ), Alice Springs or Darwin. 
On the most part, Darwin is by far the best strategic location for tourists to embark on a Kakadu Tour; Heres why:

1. Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory and has a international and domestic airport. This make it extremely accessible to/from anywhere in the world.
2. It's a booming city and offers a large range of services catered to travellers such as accommodation, hospitals, information and various travel options.
3. Most operators conducting Kakadu tours live and conduct business from Darwin. If your looking for a tour this is the best place to find great deals and cheap tours.
4. There are also many hostels that offer competitive prices on tours around this area.
5. If your a light traveller who is ill prepared for a camping safari, although most Kakadu tours provide camping equipment, Darwin is the perfect place to stock up. Darwin has many out door leisure shops that can provide high quality and affordable products.
6. Darwin is predominately a tourist town. Meeting and making friends with other travellers here is easy and can provide great company for a potential Kakadu tour.

These are just a few tips to help you plan your next big adventure here in the Northern Territory. If you have any enquiries about Kakadu or Kakadu tours, don't hesitate to contact us on info@territoryexpeditions.com.au.

Kakadu National Park Maps can be easily found on the NT governments website; Department of Environment and Heritage. 

This map is perfect for visitors and those wishing to do a Kakadu Tour or who are planning to. You can see everything needed to plan a kakadu tour including all the roads, driving distances, boat ramps, camp sites, waterfalls and facilities.

Click here to view the Large map of Kakadu National Park. This has been setup so it will open up on a new window.

Here is a small version of the above map created by Google Maps. This is handy as it shows most major attractions that are frequented by travellers. You can also select certain regions to explore. This is an interactive map.

For those serious about travelling on a Kakadu Tour and want some information, you can't go past this booklet created by the Department of Environment and Heritage. This little visitor guide of Kakadu National Park provides all the basic knowledge for the area along with some great safety procedures, destinations and maps. Its free and can be downloaded and printed. Click here for the Kakadu National Park Booklet and Map.

If your planning a Kakadu tour and you need more details for your trip, feel free to email the Bowali Visitor Centre in Kakadu National Park. These guys are the experts when it comes to Kakadu and can answer anything regarding Kakadu.

Some of the maps above need Adobe Acrobate Reader in order to view it. If you dont have it installed on your computer please get it here for free. 

Described by many to be one of Australia's greatest Highlights and cultural icons, Kakadu National Park is a boiling pot of all things natural. Kakadu is home to more than 1700 plant species, 280 bird species, 117 different reptiles and 10, 000 different types of insects which together occupy an area of approximately 19, 804 sq km. Roughly the size of Poland! Kakadu National Park is also home to the aboriginal people who for the last 40, 000 years have lived and occupied this land. This ancient legacy still remains through aboriginal rock art, old rock shelters and recovered tools and ochre quarries. Today Kakadu Park is co-ordinated and jointly run by both the Australian government and the traditional Aboriginal people. The park is sited on the world heritage list and has had no extinctions of plants of animals for over 200 years.

Kakadu National Park is great destination for travellers and locals alike and is considered to be an outdoor adventure and cultural destination. It's located only three hours away from Darwin and is filled with large waterfalls and river systems, rugged four wheel drive and bushwalking tracks and areas for which fans can park and set up camp for the night. 

Kakadu is particularly famous for its reptiles specials. The most popular and dangerous of these is the Australian Saltwater Crocodile which are considered the largest in the world. The large reptiles can be found patrolling the waterways throughout much of Kakadu. 
Frill-necked lizards are also very common along with Goannas which are rich to the area as well. Kakadu is also home to a large number of water phythons and other snake species for which some are high venomous such as the King Brown or Deaf Adder.

Apart from Reptiles, Kakadu is a huge playing field for large amounts of waterbirds such as pelicans, egrets, herons, ducks, eagles, brolgas and geese. All these birds eat and breed around the flood plains. Many Kakadu Tours operate on these waterways making them great viewing points for bird life. A photographers dream!

It is believed by the aboriginal people that Kakadu National Park was created and shaped by their spiritual ancestors during the Creation Time. These spiritual ancestors travelled across the country creating landforms, animals, plants and also the Bininj/Mungguy (Aboriginal People). They also established laws in which to live, language, kinship and ecological knowledge to help the Aboriginal people of Kakadu live and look after their land.
The name “Kakadu” derives directly from the Aboriginal language of Gagadju which was one of many languages spoken in the northern end of the park during the twentieth century. Although Gagadju is no longer spoken there are still descendants of this language group still living in Kakadu National Park.

Many people who wish to travel to Kakadu National Park generally fall into the debate of whether to self drive or do a Kakadu Tour. This has always been the case, and although doing a self drive holiday to Kakadu can be rewarding, there are many reasons why travellers should consider doing a tour instead.  

Safer

Adventure! This is one of the core goals of young travellers who flock to Australia every year to explore its wide open spaces, unique landscapes, wildlife and vegetation, as well as its cultures. However, where there is adventure always comes a little danger! 
Unfortunately Kakadu has seen its fair share of human tragedies in the past for various reasons. This isn't a surprise given the harsh environment of the Park through its extreme weather patterns, poor conditions of certain roads, crocodiles and the sheer size of Kakadu itself. 
A Kakadu tour, although it cant promise 100% protection from these, is the safest way to travel. Having an experienced and knowledgable tour guide along with all the right equipment and transportation will not only give you peace of mind and safety but will also let you enjoy Kakadu without all the worries. Most Kakadu tour operators alo carry satellite phones on board incase of serious emergencies. 

Cheaper

Such things as car hire, food, fuel, insurance, camping fees and equipment can make any camping trip expensive. If you don't have your own 4WD already, then its probably cheaper to go with a Kakadu tour. They will provide everything, you just need to bring yourself and some bare essentials. Not only that, but your also saving wear and tear on your own gear.  

Fun

As mentioned before, having a tour guide is a huge benefit. Kakadu National Park is roughly 3.2 million acres in size. Navigating around can be hard and its easy to waste time and fuel. A tour guide is great for knowing exactly where to go, when to do it and how long its going to take. You'll get the most out of Kakadu as well as seeing all the attractions that are worth seeing. 

Groups

One of the great things about travelling is the people you meet and freinds that are made. Kakadu tours are no exception. Most small tour operators carry 9 people on board maximum. This is a great size for a camping tour and spending 2-3 days in Kakadu and sharing the experience with other travellers is a very bonding experience and a great way to make friends for life!

Vehicle

Many of the roads in Kakadu, particularly the ones that lead to some of the more popular waterfalls such as jim jim falls are 4WD only. This means that unless you've got a 4WD your car may not be suitable for the journey and many car hire companies wont allow their vehicles on these roads.
Having a 4WD is extremely important during the wet season ( Oct - Feb ). Much of the park is under water which means the roads are as well. Roads that were once solid dirt tracks are now muddy and prone to bogging. Being on tour with a tested and well prepared 4WD and emergency equipment is invaluable and is highly recommended for travellers venturing to Kakadu during the wet.

For information on Kakadu Tours

 Kakadu National Park is still Open!

Due to the closure of Jim Jim Falls, Twin Falls and Barramundi Gorge, Territory Expeditions has decided to bring forward the Green Season program. This means that we are now doing the 3 Day Litchfield/Kakadu tour.

Kakadu has experienced unseasonal rain and now all the falls are full of fresh cool water. It is hot out there so this itinerary allows you to still experience the aboriginal culture of Kakadu national Park, whilst being able to cool off with a refreshing swim.

Kakadu National Park covers a massive area of land. The wet season is famous for fantastic thunder storms and rain and large amounts of wildlife that appear during this time. This gives us an opportunity to explore large areas of Kakadu that come alive during the wet season.

Road conditions change regularly. We have access to the latest road updates and can inform our guides on these conditions. Due to this our itinerary can change at the last minute, without notice.