5 Day 4WD Top End Tour

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Departs:	Darwin 6.30am. Tue, Thu & Sat. May - Nov Only.
Group Size:	9 - 14 max
Vehicle:	4WD
Accomm:	Bush Camping
Price:	$765 AUD ($750 with YHA, VIP or Student card)
Pay on Tour:	Sleeping Bag $15. Local Payment $90

Tour Itinerary

Katherine Gorge

The 5 Day 4WD Top End tour explores Kakadu, Litchfield and Katherine Gorge in Northern Australia, in a small group with a maximum of 9 passengers. Accommodation is bush camping in a swag around the campfire at minimal facility campgrounds. It’s a backpacker tour with plenty of adventure. These are amazing wilderness destinations full of waterfalls, rivers, swimming, crocodiles (not at the same time) and Aboriginal Culture.

The Safari spends 1 day at Litchfiled, 1a day at Katherine Gorge (full day canoeing) and 3 days in Kakadu. Visiting all the main spots like Jim Jim Falls, Twin Falls, Barramundi Gorge, Nourlangie Rock, Wangi Falls & Tolmer Falls plus plenty of other spots of like, Marrakai Floodplain, White Lily Billabong, Corroboree Billabong, Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Ubbir Rock.

National parks visited on this safari include Kakadu National Park, Litchfield National Park & Nitmuluk (Katherine Gorge)

Hikes include hiking to top of Twin Falls (7km) Jim Jim plunge pool (2km) plus a selection of other walks throughout the safari and a private boat cruise on Corroboree Billabong.

Aboriginal culture is very strong in Northern Australia; the safari visits the Warradjan Aboriginal cultural centre and Nourlangie Rock, one of the best places in the world to view indigenous rock art. Your guide will also discuss with you the many aspects of this rich and varied culture.

Day 1, 5 Day 4WD Top End Tour

Day 1, Litchfield

Litchfield. Pick-up from your accommodation at 6:30am. Our first stop for the day is an Exclusive Aboriginal Cultural delight as you are given a hands-on tour conducted by Aboriginal Traditional Owners from Biliru Tours and Cultural Experiences. Passengers will get the chance to interact with Aboriginal People and have a go at Traditional fire lighting and spear throwing at a moving target (pretend Wallaby). Passengers will also recieve a Traditional Larrakeyah "Welcome to Country" spoken in Aboriginal and listen to information presented by Traditional Owners about their culture.

Next we head south from Darwin towards Litchfield National Park. Our first stop for the day is at the picturesque Florence Falls for a refreshing swim after completing a short walk through the surrounding monsoon rainforest.

From Florence Falls you will find many of the waterfalls in Litchfield are close by which means that there are no long hauls in the tour vehicle for the rest of the day. Swim in the crystal clear rock pools of Buley Rockholes before a short drive to the famous Wangi Falls for a quick swim.

The viewing area at Tolmer Falls provides you with the perfect location to watch the falls descending from a narrow gorge into a beautiful plunge pool.

We hold a Special Permit that allows us to access the Upper Tolmer Falls area with our groups, so after a scenic bushwalk you can swim in a secluded location at the top of Tolmer Falls.

Our company also holds a permit to access Upper Sandy Creek Falls which can be substituted by the guide to replace some of the above crowded destinations. As we leave Litchfield National Park we pass by floodplains scattered with hundreds of Meridian Termite Mounds and we make a brief stop to learn more about the inhabitants of these amazing structures.

We drive south from here and make our way to an overnight bush camp near Katherine after a day full of swimming, adventure and great scenery. (Lunch, Dinner)

Cultural Experiences
Florence
Buley Rockholes
Wangi Falls
Tolmer Falls
Upper Tolmer Falls (Permit Area)
Upper Sandy Creek Falls (Permit Area)
Meridian Termite Mounds
Camp: Bush Camp
Walking: approx 4 -7 km

Day 2, 5 Day 4WD Top End Tour

Day 2, Katherine Gorge

Katherine. Jump into your canoes (own expense $30) after breakfast and spend most of the day exploring this region. Today can be taken at your leisure or be an extremely active adventure - the choice is yours.

For those who are keen, we will aim to canoe to the end of the 3rd gorge. For those who are less keen, you can spend some time relaxing once we reach the 2nd gorge and be picked up on the return journey.

After canoeing, we make our way to the evening campsite. Today is a great day full of awesome scenery, Aboriginal Art sites, waterfalls, birds and adventure. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Katherine Gorge - Full Day Canoeing
Art Sites
Waterfalls
Camp: Minimal Facility Campground
Walking: approx 1 km
Canoeing: approx 10-12 km

Day 3, 5 Day 4WD Top End Tour

Day 3, Nourlangie Rock Art

Kakadu. Our first highlight today is a stop for a swim at Moline Rockhole, one of our permit areas. This beautiful waterfall is located in the very southern end of Kakadu and is perfect for cooling down.

Next enjoy the picturesque surroundings of Barramundi Gorge where you can spend some time exploring, rock climbing, relaxing or swimming in the waterfalls, the choice is yours.

After lunch we make our way to the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, where you can wander amongst hands on displays and learn about the local clan groups and their lifestyles.

A cultural experience awaits you at Nourlangie Rock, one of the most famous rock art and cultural sites in the world. The rock art concentrated in this area is magnificent, depicting mainly wildlife and Dreamtime stories and ranging in age from 20,000 years old to as recent as 40 years.

Our safari camp permit in this region allows us peaceful camping only 30 minutes drive from Jim Jim falls. Our permit allows us to permanently select the best location in the campground for our groups which ensures that we always have a spot, even during peak season. In the evening you can spend some time stargazing under the southern skies. (Breakfast, lunch, Dinner)

Moline Rockhole - Permit Area
Barramundi Gorge
Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre
Nourlangie Rock
Camp: Garnamarr Campground (Safari Camp)
Walking: approx 5 km

Day 4, 5 Day 4WD Top End Tour

Day 4, Twin Falls & Jim Jim Falls

Kakadu. This morning we make our way to Twin Falls where you will get to enjoy an informative boat cruise with an Aboriginal Guide up Twin Falls Gorge (own expense $10) with an Aboriginal Guide up Twin Falls Gorge. After a short walk down to the end of the gorge, you reach a beautiful white sandy beach at the base of Twin Falls…simply spectacular.

For the active hikers you get to take a return walk (7km) to the Top of Twin Falls which offers some magnificent views down the gorge and swimming in rock pools at the top of the falls.

From Twin Falls we make our way to the mighty Jim Jim Falls. A swim in the plunge pool at the base of Jim Jim Falls is sure to wake you up for the day as you cool down in the refreshing water. To reach the plunge pool, a 1km scenic walk through monsoon rainforest is taken and has excellent lookouts over Jim Jim Falls.

Take your time to admire the awesome sight of the sheer cliff faces that surround you from the base of the gorge. Our safari camp permit in this region allows us peaceful camping only 30 minutes drive from Jim Jim falls and ensures that tomorrow you will wake up to the sound of the birds instead of the crowds. We camp for the evening next to a large billabong and after a candle lit dinner in the heart of Kakadu, you can have a go at playing the didgeridoo (Breakfast, lunch, Dinner).

Twin Falls
Jim Jim Falls
Camp: Minimal Facility Safari Camp
Walking: approx 9 km

Day 5, 5 Day 4WD Top End Tour

Day 4, Cruise the Mary River

Kakadu. We start today by viewing various displays on Kakadu at the Bowali Visitor Centre before heading north to Ubirr rock. At Ubirr Rock you will see some fantastic art sites and learn more about Aboriginal lifestyle and culture. A short climb to the top of Ubirr Rock will reward you with a 360 degree view over floodplains and the Arnhemland Escarpment - a spectacular sight.

Leaving Ubirr rock behind us, we head down the Arnhem Highway and drop into Mamukala Wetlands which offers the bird enthusiast a small paradise at various times of the year. What better way to finish the day than by sitting back and enjoying our private crocodile and wildlife cruise on Corroboree Billabong, a part of the Mary River system.

You are bound to see plenty of wildlife and usually a lot of crocodiles on a 1.5 hour cruise that won't leave you disappointed. Return to Darwin in the early evening. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)