Things to do in Kakadu National Park: Australia’s greatest wilderness
Kakadu National Park is one of the most extraordinary places in Australia, and possibly one of the most extraordinary places on Earth. It’s a World Heritage-listed wilderness encompassing 19,804 square kilometres — an area larger than Slovenia — in Australia’s Northern Territory, about 250 kilometres east of Darwin. It contains Aboriginal rock art sites dating back at least 20,000 years, some of the most important wetlands in Asia-Pacific, an ancient floodplain landscape that has barely changed since the last ice age, and wildlife in densities that will astonish visitors coming from more densely populated parts of the world.
Kakadu is dual World Heritage-listed: for its natural values and for its cultural values — specifically, the extraordinary living cultural landscape created and maintained by the Bininj/Mungguy people, the Aboriginal custodians of the park who have continuously occupied this country for more than 65,000 years. Understanding that context fundamentally changes how you experience the park. You’re not just visiting a nature reserve; you’re a guest in one of the oldest continuous human cultures in existence.
Here’s everything you need to know about what to do in Kakadu — from the rock art sites and waterfalls to the wildlife cruises and cultural experiences.
📋 TL;DR — the quick version
- 🎨 Best rock art: Ubirr and Nourlangie (Burrunggui) — accessible and genuinely magnificent Aboriginal rock art sites.
- 🐊 Best wildlife: Yellow Water Billabong cruise — saltwater crocodiles, birds of every description, and a sunset that will stay with you.
- 💧 Best waterfall: Twin Falls or Jim Jim Falls — remote, spectacular, accessible only in the dry season.
- 🦆 Best wetlands view: Mamukala wetlands boardwalk — thousands of magpie geese at the right time of year.
- 🚗 Getting there: Drive from Darwin (3 hours to the park entrance) or fly to Jabiru. A 4WD is needed for some sites.
- 📅 Best time to visit: Dry season (May–October) — roads open, waterfalls accessible, heat manageable.
- ⏱️ How long to spend: Minimum 2 days; 3–4 days to do the park real justice.
🎨 Rock art sites: Kakadu’s most profound experiences
The Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu represents one of the most significant concentrations of rock art in the world. There are more than 5,000 recorded sites within the park, with images spanning more than 20,000 years of continuous artistic tradition. The art records the people’s spiritual beliefs, their relationships with the animals and plants of the landscape, and — in some of the older sites — animals that are now extinct. Visiting these sites with an understanding of their cultural significance transforms what might otherwise be a historical curiosity into a genuinely profound experience.
🖼️ Ubirr
Ubirr is the most visited rock art site in Kakadu and arguably the most accessible great rock art site in Australia. The main gallery contains x-ray paintings — a distinctive local style that depicts animals with their internal organs and bone structure visible — of fish, turtles, and kangaroos alongside human figures and the Namarrgon (Lightning Man), one of the most powerful spirits in Bininj/Mungguy cosmology. The paintings here span multiple periods, with some images painted over earlier ones, creating a visual record of artistic and cultural change across thousands of years.
From the main gallery, a short climb to the Ubirr lookout provides a panoramic view across the Nadab floodplain that is one of the great natural views in Australia. At sunset, this lookout is extraordinary — the entire floodplain turns gold and orange, magpie geese fly in enormous flocks across the sky, and the escarpment glows behind you. Allow two hours at Ubirr minimum, and go in the late afternoon to catch the sunset.
🖼️ Nourlangie (Burrunggui)
Nourlangie — known to the Bininj/Mungguy people as Burrunggui — is a massive sandstone outlier rising from the surrounding woodland, and the rock art at its base is arguably even more dramatic than Ubirr. The Anbangbang Gallery contains some of the most celebrated images in the entire park — Namarrgon the Lightning Man, his wife Barrginj, and the Anbangbang rock shelter paintings that include a large, striking depiction of Namargon with lightning arms and legs. The surrounding landscape — enormous red-orange rock formations, pandanus palms, and woodland — provides an extraordinary context for the art.
The full Nourlangie circuit walk is 1.5 kilometres and takes about 1.5 hours at a relaxed pace with time to read the interpretive signage. Do this walk. The signage, written in collaboration with Bininj/Mungguy custodians, provides context for the art that significantly deepens the experience.
👉 Book Kakadu National Park guided tours from Darwin on GetYourGuide →
🐊 Yellow Water Billabong: the ultimate Kakadu wildlife experience
Yellow Water Billabong, in the southern part of Kakadu near the town of Cooinda, is the most productive wildlife-watching location in the park and one of the best in Australia. The billabong is a permanent body of water in a landscape that dries out significantly during the dry season, which concentrates wildlife around it in extraordinary densities. Boat cruises run multiple times daily, and every single one I’ve done has delivered memorable sightings.
Saltwater crocodiles — the largest living reptile species on Earth, capable of reaching six metres in length — are present in significant numbers at Yellow Water. Seeing them in their natural habitat, motionless on a bank or sliding silently into the water, is one of those genuinely primal wildlife experiences. The birds are equally impressive: hundreds of species use the billabong, including the iconic jabiru (black-necked stork), sea eagles, pygmy geese, brolgas, and an extraordinary variety of herons and egrets. During the late dry season, large flocks of magpie geese — sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands — move through the wetlands.
The sunrise cruise (departing around 6:15am) and the sunset cruise (departing around 4:15pm) are the most atmospheric, with soft light that makes photography extraordinary. The midday cruise is the least recommended. Book ahead — Yellow Water cruises operate through Cooinda Lodge and fill up well in advance during peak season (June–August).
💧 Waterfalls and swimming holes
Kakadu’s waterfalls are among the most dramatic in Australia, but most require either a 4WD vehicle or a significant walk to reach — which means they stay far less visited than their quality would suggest. The main falls are only accessible during the dry season (roughly May–October), when the 4WD tracks are passable.
💦 Jim Jim Falls
Jim Jim Falls drops 150 metres into a deep plunge pool surrounded by towering sandstone walls. Reaching the base requires a 4WD vehicle to drive the Jim Jim Track (about 60 kilometres of unsealed road from the Kakadu Highway), followed by a 1-kilometre scramble over boulders that requires reasonable fitness and sure footing. The effort is rewarded with one of the most spectacular natural amphitheatres in Australia — a circular sandstone gorge, crystal-clear water, and, during peak season, a waterfall that fills the entire gorge with a roar you can hear half a kilometre away. In the late dry season (September–October), Jim Jim often reduces to a trickle or stops entirely.
💦 Twin Falls
Twin Falls is reached via the same Jim Jim Track but requires an additional boat transfer across the gorge pool (operated commercially during the dry season). The falls drop in two parallel streams — the “twin” formation — into a long, sheltered gorge. The gorge beach at the base is one of the most remote and beautiful swimming spots in Australia, with sandy beaches, warm, clear water, and sheer sandstone walls rising on all sides. This is a full-day excursion from Jabiru or Cooinda but one of the most memorable experiences available in the entire park.
💦 Gunlom (Waterfall Creek)
Gunlom is in the southern part of Kakadu and is reached via a sealed road, making it more accessible than Jim Jim or Twin Falls. The main plunge pool at the base of the falls is large and excellent for swimming. Above the falls, a steep 1-kilometre walk leads to a series of natural infinity pools at the top of the escarpment with views across the entire southern Kakadu floodplain that are genuinely extraordinary. The infinity pools at Gunlom are one of Kakadu’s most photographed locations — and the reality is even better than the photos suggest.
👉 Book a Kakadu 4WD adventure and waterfall tour on GetYourGuide →
🦆 Wetlands and wildlife watching
Beyond Yellow Water, Kakadu has several other excellent wildlife watching locations that are worth building into your itinerary.
- Mamukala Wetlands. A 3-kilometre walk around a freshwater wetland near the Arnhem Highway, with a bird hide and elevated viewing platform. During the dry season, the concentration of magpie geese, jacanas, herons, and other waterbirds can be extraordinary — at peak season you can see thousands of birds from the viewing platform without walking more than 500 metres. This is an undervisited location relative to its quality.
- Bowali Visitor Centre and surrounds. The visitor centre itself has excellent displays on Kakadu’s ecology and cultural history, but the walk along the creek adjacent to the centre is also productive for wildlife — freshwater crocodiles bask along the banks, and the surrounding woodland has good bird watching.
- Jabiru township area. The small town of Jabiru (the only town within the park) has a lake adjacent to the township that is an excellent location for crocodile watching and birdwatching at dawn and dusk. Kakadu airport road at dawn is a reliable location for wallabies, dingoes, and various bird species.
📅 Best time to visit Kakadu
Kakadu has two distinct seasons, and they create dramatically different experiences. The dry season (May–October) is when most visitors come: the roads are open (including the 4WD tracks to Jim Jim and Twin Falls), the heat is manageable (25–35°C rather than 35–42°C), the humidity is low, and the waterhole wildlife concentrations are at their peak. This is the recommended time for a first visit.
The wet season (November–April) transforms the park into a flooded, dramatic, and extraordinarily lush landscape. Most 4WD tracks close, many roads become impassable, and the park becomes almost entirely inaccessible beyond the main Kakadu Highway. But the wet season has its own extraordinary character — enormous electrical storms building over the escarpment each afternoon, the floodplain filling with water and migratory birds, and a green intensity to the vegetation that doesn’t exist in the dry season. Experienced travellers who return to Kakadu in the wet season consistently report that it’s a completely different and often more emotionally powerful experience.
💡 Essential tips for visiting Kakadu
- Get the Kakadu National Park pass. Entry to Kakadu requires a pass, currently $40 per person for a 14-day vehicle-based pass. It’s purchased online or at the park entrance. Do not attempt to enter without one — rangers check.
- Book accommodation in advance. Kakadu has limited accommodation — mainly camping, caravan parks, and a handful of lodges at Jabiru and Cooinda. In the peak dry season (June–August), everything books out. Cooinda Lodge and the Jabiru Aurora Kakadu Resort are the main options; book months ahead for peak season.
- Never swim in crocodile country without checking. Not all of Kakadu’s waterways are safe to swim in. Some — like Jim Jim Plunge Pool and Gunlom — are considered safe during the dry season because the water level drops and freshwater conditions prevail. Others, particularly any tidal or estuarine water, may contain saltwater crocodiles and are never safe. Check at the Bowali Visitor Centre or with rangers before entering any water.
- Hire a 4WD vehicle. The most spectacular experiences in Kakadu — Jim Jim Falls, Twin Falls, and several remote rock art sites — require a 4WD. Hire companies operate from Darwin; booking ahead in peak season is essential. A standard 2WD vehicle can access the main sealed roads and most of the major sites, but you’ll miss the best of the park.
- Do a guided tour if it’s your first time. Kakadu is immense and complex, and an Indigenous-led guided tour changes the experience completely. Bininj/Mungguy guides bring knowledge about the landscape, wildlife, and cultural sites that no guidebook can replicate, and their presence at rock art sites is actively encouraged by the traditional custodians of the park.
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