Anything I've missed? Any activities you want to add? Let me know how you'd change this itinerary...
Fly to
Darwin, pick up a car from the airport and relax with three nights in self contained accommodation. In Darwin, take a dinner cruise on the Harbour, a tour of the city itself, and maybe even a few hours
fishing.
From Darwin, drive to
Kakadu, going on the
Jumping Crocodiles Cruise on the way into Kakadu. Three nights in Kakadu. Spend one of your days in Kakadu doing your own touring, then the next day, an organised tour to Jim Jim and Twin Falls. You cannot access Jim Jim and Twin falls with a hire vehicle - the companies don't let their 4WDs down this road, however there are tours which will take you there that actually commence in Kakadu - so that's a good option.
On the day of your own touring in Kakadu, I highly recommend the
Yellow Waters Cruise on the Yellow Waters Billabong. The 6.45 am cruise is the best one in my opinion. Whilst it's an early start, it's well worth the weary eyes! The billabong is at its best during this time of the day, when the animals are just starting to rouse for the day and are making the most of the animals who have decided to sleep in - it's a truly majestic sight - also plenty of crocodiles!
After
Kakadu, drive to
Katherine and spend two nights. This will give you a full day to experience Katherine Gorge and kayaking. If you head out early enough you can experience a few of the different gorges rather then just the first one (there are 13 in the system). If a full day isn't quite your cup of tea, do a cruise up the gorge then hire a kayak after the cruise.
The next day, drive through to
Mataranka. It's only 100km from Katherine, so you can either do it as a day trip and visit the Thermal Springs
(read Ashlee's review here), or you can spend the night there. The accommodation is relatively basic, but it does suffice for the night.
Back to Katherine where you can spend another night. Get a good nights sleep, then head north to Batchelor, the township for accessing the
Litchfield National Park. Two nights in Batchelor is required to do it justice
(read my colleague Aisling's review of Litchfield here!). Batchelor itself is only a small town, but the National Park really demands at least a day to explore.
From here, consider Lake Bennett Wilderness Resort for a few nights of R&R. It's situated on the man made Lake Bennett which is usually croc free (regular inspections take place), so it's ok for swimming. They also have a plunge pool if you prefer. In addition you can hire a canoe and go exploring. It's really just a nice place to stop and have a break on your holiday!
From there, it's back into
Darwin for two or three nights at the end (a chance to do a little more exploring or more fishing perhaps?), then back home with a lot of excellent memories!
Anything I've missed? Any activities you want to add? Let me know how you'd change this itinerary... We haven't even started on the Tiwi Islands and
Arnhem Land yet!
Do you have any holiday ideas for visitors travelling to the Top End? Comment below to share your outback holiday ideas!!