![\"Rock](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Rock-Art-Ubirr.jpg\")
See superb rock art at Ubirr. (Image: Tourism NT\/Helen Orr)<\/p><\/div>\n
Our driving loop from Darwin<\/a> covers about 1100 kilometres, not counting detours off the main route. We recommend a minimum of seven days. You don\u2019t have to be Crocodile Dundee to tackle it. In fact, all the highlights are accessible on surfaced roads (although some might close in the wet season). And you don\u2019t have to pitch a tent if that\u2019s not for you. You can hire a campervan in Darwin, or book accommodation along the way. So what are you waiting for? Keep an eye on bouncing wildlife, check your petrol gauge, and get going.<\/p>\n Witness a breathtaking sunset at Ubirr. (Image: Tourism NT\/Jonathon Clayton)<\/p><\/div>\n Only a half-hour drive from Darwin, the urban sprawl dwindles and red earth takes over. Turn off at Humpty Doo onto the Arnhem Highway and you\u2019ll begin to feel the outback\u2019s immensity. Pause at Fogg Dam Conservation Area<\/a> for a short walk among abundant birds, and perhaps your first glimpse of a crocodile snout. Stop at the Purple Mango Cafe & Brewery<\/a> in Marrakai for tasty wood-fired pizzas and a locally brewed beer in a cosy bush setting.<\/p>\n Stop at the Purple Mango Cafe & Brewery in Marrakai for tasty wood-fired pizza. (Image: Tourism NT\/Nick Pincott)<\/p><\/div>\n Consider leaving the highway in the Mary River region, where paperbark woodland, wetlands and carpets of water lilies collide to provide spectacular home to more than 200 bird species in vast flocks. Various companies offer wetland cruises<\/a> and barramundi fishing charters<\/a>. Our top tip? A sunset excursion by airboat. Sea eagles perch on dead trees, brolgas dance, kingfishers spark and the evening explodes in orange.<\/p>\n A sunset excursion by airboat is a must-do activity. (Image: Tourism NT\/Shaana McNaught)<\/p><\/div>\n Kakadu\u2019s service centre, Jabiru, is 250 kilometres from Darwin. Bowali Visitor Centre<\/a> provides insight into the national park\u2019s history. Nearly all of Kakadu\u2019s main sights are accessible along tarred roads, but do check conditions if you\u2019re tackling 4WD tracks. Campgrounds range from reasonable to rugged bushland, or you can opt for accommodation such as Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel<\/a>, Anbinik Kakadu Resort<\/a> or Cooinda Lodge Kakadu<\/a>.<\/p>\n The famous Mercure Crocodile Hotel in Kakadu.<\/p><\/div>\n Count on several days to appreciate the national park<\/a>. Kakadu features stacked rock, escarpments, waterfalls, glassy billabongs, abundant wildlife and superb rock art. On your first day, head to Ubirr\u2019s rock shelters, emblazoned with paintings of kangaroos and fish. Views of Kakadu\u2019s floodplains from the escarpment are magnificent at sunset.<\/p>\n Views of Kakadu\u2019s floodplains from the escarpment are magnificent at sunset. (Image: Tourism NT\/Geoffrey Reid)<\/p><\/div>\n The adventurous could drive onwards into Arnhem Land in the dry season, but you\u2019ll need serious 4WD skills and a Northern Land Council permit<\/a> to explore one of Australia\u2019s most remote frontiers. Otherwise, head southwest from Jabiru on the sealed Kakadu Highway for similar landscapes and cultural connections.<\/p>\n The Maguk waterfall flies under the Kakadu radar, but has brilliant waterholes cupped in red rock. (Image: Tourism NT\/Shaana McNaught)<\/p><\/div>\n Burrungkuy<\/a> (or Nourlangie) has an extensive gallery of rock art. Another must-do is a Yellow Water cruise<\/a>, which is most impressive at dawn and dusk. You\u2019re bound to see crocodiles, and the birdlife is magnificent.<\/p>\n Another must-do is a Yellow Water cruise, which is most impressive at dawn and dusk. (Image: Tourism NT\/James Fisher)<\/p><\/div>\n Our top tip next morning would be Maguk Waterfall<\/a>, though it\u2019s only accessible with a 4WD. (The road is unsealed so check the conditions before setting out.) The waterfall flies under the Kakadu radar, but has brilliant waterholes cupped in red rock. You will also need to set off early to complete the 7.5-kilometre-return walk to Motor Car Falls<\/a>, a picturesque plunge pool surrounded by tropical forest.<\/p>\n Motor Car Falls is a picturesque plunge pool surrounded by tropical forest. (Image: Tourism NT\/Jarrad Seng)<\/p><\/div>\n The entire drive from Jabiru back onto the Stuart Highway takes a little more than two hours. That brings you to Pine Creek, where you can stretch your legs by looking around the former gold-rush town, old telegraph station and Railway Museum<\/a>. Katherine, only an hour\u2019s drive further south, marks your furthest point from Darwin.<\/p>\n Edith Falls is a significant cultural site of the Jawoyn people Nitmiluk National Park\u2019s edge, and a lovely spot for a swim or hike.<\/p><\/div>\n First, turn off the highway for paperbark-fringed Leliyn<\/a> (Edith Falls), a significant cultural site of the Jawoyn people Nitmiluk National Park<\/a>\u2019s edge, and a lovely spot for a swim or hike. Our suggestion here is the 9-kilometre return hike to Sweetwater Pool<\/a>, where you can enjoy a more remote, secluded dip.<\/p>\n Enjoy a more remote swim at the Rocky Top Pool of Edith Falls. (Image: Tourism NT\/Katie Goldie)<\/p><\/div>\n Katherine itself has a good range of accommodation if you aren\u2019t camping. Otherwise, the big attraction is just 20 minutes from town and has campgrounds and bush camping where you can watch wallabies and bowerbirds hop. Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, also part of Nitmiluk National Park, is actually a series of 13 gorges framed in great crumbling red cliffs, and is best admired from a kayak or sightseeing boat \u2013 though a helicopter ride is fabulous, too.<\/p>\n Spend the day exploring Nitmiluk National Park, paddling through the gorges.<\/p><\/div>\n Katherine back to Darwin is 317 kilometres, but you won\u2019t want to rush it. Take a break at the town of Adelaide River and hop aboard a jumping-crocodile cruise. The sound of massive jaws snapping on chunks of buffalo will have you leaping out of your chair, too. Then check out the town\u2019s Second World War cemetery and Railway Heritage Precinct.<\/p>\n Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, a landscape of otherworldly beauty.<\/p><\/div>\n Another great stop on the Stuart Highway just before Darwin is Berry Springs Nature Park<\/a>, where the cooling blue-green woodland pools call out for a swim. Nearby Territory Wildlife Park<\/a> gets you close to the critters you spotted more distantly in the wild. It\u2019s also your chance to see nocturnal animals such as ghost bats and quolls.<\/p>\n Berry Springs Nature Park, where the cooling blue-green woodland pools call out for a swim. (Image: Tourism NT)<\/p><\/div>\n Before you get that far, though, you must absolutely detour at Batchelor to Litchfield National Park<\/a>. Although its near enough to Darwin to be reachable on a day trip, hurrying through would be a big mistake. This place is magical and, once day visitors have departed, its silence and beauty are haunting. Litchfield\u2019s red termite mounds are magnificent when they glow at sunset, and the stars are staggering at night.<\/p>\n Visit Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park.<\/p><\/div>\n Landscapes range from monsoon rainforest to sandstone escarpment. Litchfield is, however, best known for its waterfalls, a superb sight during the wet season, and one of the few places in the region open year-round for swimming. Double-barrelled Wangi Falls<\/a> has easy access but, if you have a 4WD, our top tip is to get off the more beaten track to Tjaynera Falls<\/a> or Surprise Creek Falls, and into another brilliant corner of the Top End.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" See three of Australia\u2019s best national parks by following this stunning Top End outback itinerary from Darwin. The Top End is every adventurous traveller\u2019s notion of outback Australia: big skies, bold landscapes, termite mounds, ancient rock art and the thrill of crocodiles. Everyone should see Kakadu at least once in their lives, but Litchfield and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":221907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"article-deals.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[818],"tags":[6322,5805,4576,1513,4773,4394,4567,4628],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Ubirr](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sunset-Ubirr.jpg\")
Darwin to Kakadu: outback adventure begins<\/h2>\n
![\"](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Purple-Mango2.jpg\")
![\"Airboat](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Airboat-Tour-Wetlands2.jpg\")
![\"Mercure](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Crocodile-hotel-460x400.jpg\")
Kakadu National Park: outback icon<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Ubirr](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sunset-Ubirr-3.jpg\")
![\"Maguk](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Maguk-2.jpg\")
![\"Yellow](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Yellow-River-Billabong-Cruise-4.jpg\")
![\"Motor](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Motor-Car-Falls.jpg\")
Kakadu to Katherine: land of grand canyons<\/h2>\n
![\"Edith](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Edith-Falls-1.jpg\")
![\"Rocky](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Rocky-Pool-top-Edith-Falls.jpg\")
![\"Nitmiluk](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/AE_NorthernTerritory_Dec-2.jpg\")
Katherine to Darwin: last leg to Litchfield<\/h2>\n
![\"Nitmiluk](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Katherine-Gorge.jpg\")
![\"Berry](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Berry-Springs.jpg\")
![\"Wangi](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Litchfield.jpg\")