As this Short Break departs at 6.30am, accommodation will need to be pre-booked for the previous night.

Day 1: Darwin - Kakadu National Park

Travel via Adelaide River and the Marrakai Plains deep into Kakadu National Park. Take a guided walk at Nourlangie Rock where your Driver Guide will lead you on a walk to view the rock art galleries. After lunch, join your local guide on a cruise of Yellow Water Billabong. Search for saltwater crocodiles and the colourful range of birdlife for which this region is renowned. Visit the Warradjan Cultural Centre to view the informative displays depicting the traditions of the Aboriginal people in Kakadu.

Day 2: Kakadu National Park - Darwin

This morning join your Driver Guide to explore the World Heritage Area of Ubirr, where you’ll climb up through the ancient Aboriginal rock art galleries, believed to be 20,000 years old, to the lookout for the view over the surrounding wetlands. Join the Guluyambi Cruise along the East Alligator River. An Aboriginal guide will provide an insight into their culture, including local mythology, the river’s abundant food chain, as well as bush survival skills. With special permission of the local people, you are able to go ashore in Arnhem Land. Visit the Bowali Visitor Centre before returning to Darwin.

Day 3: Katherine

Katherine Gorge is a network of thirteen gorges carved from billion-year-old sandstone country by the Katherine River in Nitmiluk National Park. Aboriginal culture is strong in the area and there are many Aboriginal rock art sites dotted throughout the park. It is a haven for nature lovers, with its rugged landscapes, dramatic waterfalls and lush gorges providing an abundance of flora and fauna. Leaving Darwin we travel south through tropical country, passing former WWII airstrips en route to Adelaide River. We make a short stop at the Adelaide River War Cemetery, a site dedicated to those killed in the air raids in Darwin in the 1940s. Continue to Edith Falls, where there is time for a refreshing swim in the paperbark and pandanas fringed waterhole beneath the falls (conditions permitting). After your included lunch, we join a 2 hour scenic cruise through Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park, with a chance to see freshwater crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the river and many interesting species of birdlife. Our cruise of the first two gorges takes us past sheer rock walls and requires a short walk to reach the second gorge. Enjoy a drive back through the township of Katherine, the hub of the region’s cattle and farming industries. Travel via Pine Creek, an historic gold mining town, to our evening stop where you may purchase dinner at Emerald Springs (own expense) before returning to Darwin.

Day 4: Litchfield National Park

Leaving Darwin, we follow the Stuart Highway via the township of Batchelor to Litchfield National Park. Visiting the main falls of the Park, you have the opportunity for scenic and interpretive bush and monsoon vine forest walks. View Florence Falls before making your way down the stairs to the plunge pool below with an opportunity to swim. We then visit Tolmer Falls for a magnificent view of the water cascading down to the deep waterhole below. Venture to Wangi Falls for another opportunity for a swim in the large crystal clear pool and an optional steady climb through the rainforest to the top of the falls. During the day we stop for a picnic lunch. It is a great day also for taking many interesting photos, including the amazing stand of Termite Mounds. Return to Darwin early evening, where your Short Break concludes.

As this Short Break concludes at 8:30pm, you may like to pre-book accommodation for tonight.

Please Note:
- In April & November-March, if weather conditions preclude access to the East Alligator region, alternative touring will be arranged on Day 2.

Planning to travel between May and October?
We have a dry season itinerary available: see tour DG45 (Overnight in Katherine instead of Darwin on Day 2)