DESCRIPTION
Itinerary
Day 1: Crab Claw Island
Pass By: Darwin, Darwin, Top End, Northern Territory
Pickups starting at 600am. We head straight to the action at Top End Safari Camp, owned by Aussie celebrity, Matt Wright. Here you go on airboat tour through famous Sweet’s Lagoon, as well as a larger houseboat cruise. You will witness the massive rescue crocs being fed before being flown over the floodplains in a helicopter. Tonight, we camp at a scenic campground on the shore. We have an easy start to the tour and share dinner out as a group.
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 2: Batchelor
Stop At: Litchfield National Park, Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory
Today we head into Litchfield National Park. Litchfield is a stunning park in the NT’s north-west, rich with stunning waterfalls that plunge into magical swimming holes! We pull in to check out and swim at Wangi Falls & Buley Rockhole and pass by some amazing & very picturesque termite mounds! Tonight, we camp just on the outskirts of the park.
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 3: Kakadu NP
Stop At: Kakadu National Park, Kakadu National Park, Top End, Northern Territory
This morning we head east into the world-famous, Kakadu National Park! On the way to camp, we’ll check out the stunning Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) Rock Art. We camp for 2 nights giving us time to explore! Tonight we have a special treat for you!
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 4: Kakadu NP
Stop At: Kakadu National Park, Kakadu National Park, Top End, Northern Territory
With an early start (no tent pack down today), we head to Ubirr Rock to see incredible rock art and walk to the lookout in the cool. We will swing by the famous Cahill’s crossing and then head back to camp to the incredible Warradjan Cultural Centre. To finish the day, we head out on Ngurrungurrudjba (Yellow Water) for a sunset cruise and to see crocs, buffaloes and birds play in a wetland paradise!
Duration: 1 day
Stop At: Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Boat Ramp, Kakadu NT 0822, Australia
Scenic, wildlife spotting boat cruise.
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 5: Katherine
Stop At: Nitmiluk Gorge, Gorge Road Nitmiluk National Park, Katherine, Northern Territory 0852 Australia
A nice cruisy day today, we head south out of Kakadu and over into Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge National Park. On our way there we will pull into historic town, Pine Creek. We’ll also check out one of the stunning local waterfalls. This afternoon we will set up camp early and have some time in the afternoon to do one of the local hikes in Nitmiluk NP. It can be very hot, so timing your walks is critical; early morning and late afternoon are best.
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 6: Katherine
Stop At: Nitmiluk Gorge, Gorge Road Nitmiluk National Park, Katherine, Northern Territory 0852 Australia
This morning you will have time for some more walks in the cool of the day. We will pop into town in the heat of the day to do some shopping. We finish the day off with a 3.5-hour Nitmiluk Gorge cruise while enjoying a setting sun and a 3-course meal! Cruising through the gorge, we can hear all the wonderful sounds of the local wildlife.
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 7: Mataranka
Stop At: Top Didj & Art Gallery, 363 Gorge Road Entrance to the site is on the corner of Gorge and Jaensch Road, Katherine, Northern Territory 0850 Australia
Today we visit Top Didj Cultural Experience & Art Centre. Here we have a unique cultural tour! A local Traditional Owner will guide you through creating a painting of your own. You will also learn how to throw a spear under his careful tutelage! We head off to Mataranka this afternoon and will setup camp early! We are here for 2 nights. This will be a good chance to do washing and reset. Tonight, we camp right near the natural, and stunning Bitter Springs.
Duration: 1 day
Stop At: Bitter Springs, Martin Road Elsey National Park, Mataranka, Northern Territory 0852 Australia
Soak your body in warm, turquoise waters while slowly floating 100m from bridge 1 to bridge 2.
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 8: Mataranka
Stop At: Elsey Cemetery National Reserve, Old Stuart Hwy, Mataranka, Northern Territory 0852 Australia
Today will be a nice, slow day! This morning we will visit the Elsey Cemetery & Homestead (an immaculate replica), based off the 1982 film ‘We of the Never Never’. From here we can stroll down to Mataranka Springs for a dip. We will return to camp and put our feet up for the day. From camp you can stroll down the road and soak your body in the hot thermal pools!
Duration: 1 day
Stop At: Mataranka Thermal Pool, 642 Homestead Rd Elsey National Park, Mataranka, Northern Territory 0852 Australia
Thermal pools
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Elsey National Park, Mataranka, Northern Territory 0852 Australia
Elsey Homestead from ‘We of the Never Never’.
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 9: Limmen NP
Stop At: Limmen National Park, Nathan River Road, Borroloola, Northern Territory Australia
We have an adventure ahead of us today, with some rough dirt roads ahead in Limmen NP. Time permitting we will check some sites in Elsey NP on the way out of town. Closer to camp we will visit Roper Bar, the famous crossing point of Leichardt’s overland party in 1845.
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 10: Borroloola
Stop At: Borroloola, Borroloola, Top End, Northern Territory
Nudging deeper into Limmen NP today, we pull into Lomarieum Lagoon nice and early to do a little wildlife & bird spotting. A stunning lagoon filled with water lilies, it bares resemblance to many of the lagoons in Rinyirru (Lakefield, Qld) & Kakadu National park. We pass Towns River Crossing. We then visit the gorgeous Butterfly Falls to coold down! Our last stop of the day is the stunning sandstone formations that make up the Southern Lost City and hike around the loop track. We have a couple hour drive after taking us across some more rough roads to Borroloola.
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 11: Hell’s Gate
Stop At: Outback Queensland, Outback Queensland, Queensland
Before leaving town we will pop into the shops in town. We cross two beautiful rivers today; the Calvert & Robinson Rivers and will stop at one for lunch. Later today we make camp at the popular Hell’s Gate. Time permitting, we might take a peek at Hell’s Gates as the sun sinks into the horizon. Tonight, we will treat ourselves after a big day and head to the station house for dinner!
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 12: Boodjamulla NP
Stop At: Boodjamulla National Park, Boodjamulla National Park, Queensland
Today we weave our way through some more stunning outback & station roads towards Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park & Adels Grove. We should have some spare time this arvy to either jump in the kayaks or go for a hike! This place is breathtaking!
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 13: Boodjamulla NP
Stop At: Boodjamulla National Park, Boodjamulla National Park, Queensland
Today we have a few exciting activities up our sleeve. We start the day by heading an hour south to the world-famous Riversleigh Fossil Site #4. Here we take a short, easy walk through the fossil trail. David Attenborough is quoted as saying this site is one of four of the most important fossil deposits on the planet. Whilst the fossils aren’t huge, the sheer number of fossils here has helped describe and fill in many gaps in our archaeological understanding.
Heading back to Lawn Hill, you will have plenty of time to hire a kayak near camp and paddle up the gorge to the first set of falls. There are some stunning walks here, including Indarri lookout, a perfect point to view the cascades from above. In the afternoon you will have free time for hiking or kayaking. On the day we may shuffle these depending on what works best.
Duration: 1 day
Stop At: Riversleigh Fossil Fields, Boodjamulla National Park, Queensland Australia
Exploring fossil area Site D.
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 14: Burketown
Stop At: Burketown, Burketown, Queensland
We drive a short way into Burketown, checking out the old bore on the way into town. We will continue to explore town and the museum afterwards and head around town to see some of the historic sights and set up camp. This afternoon we will be treated to either a river cruise or a salt pan drive (depending on the wet season), finishing with a stunning sunset.
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 15: Leichardt Lagoon
Stop At: Normanton, Normanton, Queensland
This morning, we take turns at getting in the air over Australia’s largest aggregate salt pans! We then head east and visit Camp 119, the northern-most point of the ill-fated Burke & Wills expedition. We’ll do some sightseeing around Normanton and use the shops here. Tonight we camp at a nice quiet camp outside of Normanton.
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 16: Undara
Stop At: Undara Volcanic National Park, Mount Surprise, Queensland QLD 4871 Australia
This morning we cover some distance, heading east across the Savannah Way. We’ll pop into a few sites on the way inc. the old Blackbull Railway Station, to discover some of the amazing history of this rail line from “nowhere to nowhere”, built in the late 1800s. Later this arvy we will pull into Undara Volcanic National Park. This evening we will head out together and enjoy a final meal as a group!
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 17: Cairns
Stop At: Undara Volcanic National Park, Mount Surprise, Queensland QLD 4871 Australia
Our last day has arrived, but not without another incredible experience. Early birds can head up the hill from camp to watch the sunrise over the vast plains of Undara. This walk is an easy 1.5 km return walk. At 8am we explore the majestic Undara Lava Tubes with excellent interpretation from a local Savannah Guide. After the tour we will head back to Cairns, stopping on the way for a quick bakery lunch. Hold back the tears if you can, but there will be tissues on board! Drop offs today can be expected around 5pm.
Duration: 1 day
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
