3 day Guided Tour of Kakadu (Dry Season)
Private tours are subject to a quote
This Top End Experience will immerse you in Australia’s spectacular North. On this guided tour, you will travel through the cultural, historical and geographical landmark locations. We will delve into the stories and the natural wonders of the region. Activities include bushwalking, scenic lookouts, exploring ancient rock art sites, cultural and wildlife cruises, swimming and hearing about the cultural stories and traditions. You will see for miles over Wetlands, Savannah Woodlands, Stone Country and Escarpment. You will witness the uniqueness of our tropical ecosystems and hear how we have worked with the land and elements in the Northern Territory for centuries. Offroad Dreaming share their knowledge of combined decades of experience in the area and we have the opportunity to join specialist activities where specific cultural, geographical and historical information is a valuable addition to your itinerary.
Highlights
Day One
Camping – Mardukal | Hotel – CooindaDay Two
Camping – Mardukal | Hotel – CooindaDay Three
Return to Darwin approximately 17:00Private multi-day tour details
- National Park entry fees
- Permits
- Chilled drinking water and snacks
- Picnic lunch
- Pick up from your Darwin accommodation at the start of the tour and return to your accommodation on the last day
- Transport in a private, fully licensed, and permitted tour vehicle
- Private and public activities as per itinerary
- Guided tour of each location on your itinerary
- Breakfast except for Day One
- Dinners around the fire, except last day
- Tent
- Camping chair
- Bath towel
- Hand torch
- Purpose built off-road camping trailer
- Swag (Australian sleeping canvas covering with mattress included)
- Sleeping bag
- Pillow
- Pillow case
- Sleep sheet
- Cooking equipment
- Serveware for meals
- More spacious tents
- Stretcher to raise the swag mattress off the ground
- Dual layer swag mattress
- Eco sleeping bag
- Eco luxury bed linens
- Eco pillow
- Eco cooking equipment
- Ergonomic camping chair
- Functional and decorative lighting
- Room and breakfast is included
- Restaurant evening meal is at your own expense
- Swimwear
- Swim towel
- Walking shoes
- Refillable water bottle
- Sun hat and Sunscreen 30+
- Insect repellent
- Day pack for walks
- A light warm jumper for cool nights
- Lightweight waterproof clothing during the Shoulder Wet Season months (typically March, April, September and October)
- Luggage approximately 15kg, preferably soft bag
- Transport in well-maintained air-conditioned vehicle, with tinted windows for comfort and UV protection
- Alcoholic beverages
- Breakfast Day One
- Dinner last day
- Restaurant evening meals (unless otherwise stated)Incidentals eg fresh coffee at comfort stops
- Flights to and from Darwin
- Pre and post-tour overnight accommodation
- Travel insurance
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Destination
Our gallery
1
Day One
This first morning of your three-day Kakadu National Park expedition, your Offroad Dreaming Guide will meet you at Darwin Accommodation for a 07:30 departure. We will leave Darwin behind, as we travel East along the Arnhem Highway into the Adelaide River floodplains and wetlands region. A drive off the highway leads us to Fogg Dam, part of the old rice-growing industry established back in the 1950s. Today Fogg Dam is a wildlife conservation reserve. The dam wall is raised just a few metres across the floodplain, to retain the Monsoonal rainfall. The positioning of the wall allowed the rainwater to feed into the lower rice fields on the northern side of the wall in the earlier days. Today this makes the perfect habitat for an array of wildlife, in particular for our wetlands bird species.
We travel into Kakadu, via the Old Jim Jim Road. An unsealed road that leads us into the heart of the Park.
Upon arrival at the park, we explore Burrungkoy (Nourlangie). The rock formations here have provided shelter for the traditional owners for many thousands of years and today tell an interesting story, with evidence of long occupation and changing times captured and protected in the large rock shelters. Here, your guide leads you on an interpretive walk through the shelters and up to the Gunwardewarde lookout. The views from this lookout are quite spectacular. You’ll be in the heart of Kakadu, surrounded by the Cultural living landscapes of this vast World Heritage site.
We then take a short drive to Nawurlandja Lookout which offers amazing views across Anbangbang Billabong and towards the Arnhemland Escarpment.
After exploring the Nourlangie Area, your guide will transfer you to the Yellow Water Billabong for the sunset cruise. The colours from the sky, reflecting off the water, as the night sky changes over time are beautiful at any time of the year. The Billabong is a natural habitat for abundant bird and plantlife species and you might even spot a croc or two.
Camping only - While you are enjoying the tranquil guided cruise through the waterway, your guide is preparing dinner for your return. Tonight you will have a wholesome campsite dinner and spend your first-night camping under the stars.
Hotel only - Your Guide will meet you upon the cruise return, to transfer you to the hotel restaurant, for dinner. The hotel restaurant provides a selection from the buffet and A’la Carte menu choices (the evening meal is at your own expense)
Overnight camping: Mardukal Campground
Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner & morning and afternoon snacks
Overnight Hotel: Depending on availability at the time of booking
Meals Included: Lunch & Morning and afternoon snacks
2
Day Two
This morning, after breakfast, we head into the Mary River region of the Park. Driving further South, along the Kakadu Highway we’ll meet an unsealed road that leads us to the Yurmikmik walking trails. The walk into the gorge is strewn with rocky boulders that fell into place during times past. A little scrambling is required before arriving at an Oasis, that is Motor Car Falls. The seven-and-a-half kilometre return walk from the Car park (approx one hour each way), takes us through a valley in the southern hills and basins of open savannah woodlands and into a vibrant, picturesque rock pool, with dense monsoonal vegetation and deep swimming pools. Motor car Falls is one of Kakadu’s spectacular spots, with its crystal clear cooling waters, which are naturally set in amongst the vast rock face which towers above.
We will enjoy a freshly prepared picnic lunch by the falls, loading up on renewed energy, before we make our way back along the clambering track to the vehicle.
This afternoon we head to the tranquil waters of Maguk (Barramundi Gorge). Travelling south, we follow the Kakadu Highway before turning onto an unsealed road that will lead us to Maguk, one of Kakadu’s most magnificent swimming holes. The road takes us through a tall stand of eucalypt woodlands before the terrain opens up to a landscape dotted with the spectacular Cathedral Termite Mounds. The road winds through the surrounding landscape stopping only when we get to the parking area of Maguk. This active walk through to the waterfall and plunge pools, a two-kilometre return walking trail, leads us through the paperbark and monsoonal forest and out along the rocky creek bed. Finally, we reach the stunning, pristine waterhole, which is perfect for swimming. We’ll have plenty of time here to swim, relax and explore the beautiful surroundings.
Camping only - Tonight you will have a wholesome campsite dinner and spend another night camping under the stars.
Hotel only - The hotel restaurant provides a selection of buffet and A’la Carte menu choices (the evening meal is at your own expense)
Overnight camping: Mardukal Campground
Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner & morning and afternoon snacks
Overnight Hotel: Depending on availability at the time of booking
Meals Included: Lunch & Morning and afternoon snacks
3
Day Three
After enjoying our breakfast, we will pack up and get the vehicle ready for our evening return to Darwin. We begin our Drive heading North through Kakadu, turning into the East Alligator River region. Here you’ll meet your Bininj Guide who will share a cultural perspective of this impressive river system. We join the 09:00 Guluyambi cruise, along the East Alligator River, which divides Kakadu and Arnhem Land. You will hear the stories of how generations have worked with the waterways and still do up to this day. You will be shown cultural skills, some of which are still relevant to those living in the Region today. And after pulling the boat up on the banks of Arnhem Land, your Bininj Guide will invite you to walk onto the land in Arnhem Land and will put on a cultural demonstration for your group when you get there. Arriving back at the boat ramp, we will take the short 10-minute drive to the picnic benches at Ubirr Rock for a freshly prepared buffet lunch.
This afternoon we have time to explore the multi-level collection of rock art shelters, scattered throughout Ubirr Rock. Your Offroad Dreaming Guide will share their creation stories and share the historical knowledge, we have collectively learned about the works. As we climb through the varying levels of rock, we head to the very top, where 360’ views over the Wetlands are available to us. The climb can be tricky for some, but definitely worth the effort, when you feel the vastness of the terrain and can visualise the different seasons and elements playing their part in creating this living platform that again hosts an abundance of life, unique to the Northern Territory Wetlands Region. For those in your group, who prefer to stay on level one, there is still plenty of art to see and your Guide can point out the best shady spots, for you to relax and enjoy the views.
Mid-afternoon we begin our journey back to Darwin, relaxing and sharing our own stories of the last three days. An early evening return to your Darwin accommodation finishes our time together.
