Outback Kakadu Tour

Kakadu is undoubtedly one of the last great secrets of outback adventure travel, although its popularity is growing rapidly as word spreads about its magnificent, unspoilt natural beauty.

Kakadu is located in Top End of Australia's Northern Territory, in a tropical region closer to Asian cities such as Jakarta and Singapore than to southern Australian cities. Temperatures in Kakadu hover around a comfortable 30 degrees C (85 degrees F) all year. Like most tropical areas, Kakadu is not characterised by 'summer' and 'winter' seasons but by what Top-Enders call 'wet' and 'dry' seasons. These should be taken into consideration when planning an outback tour to Kakadu as road conditions and access vary according to season. Wet season flooding can occur from November to April, and may cause temporary closure of routes to some of the more spectacular but remote Kakadu destinations.

Kakadu National Park cover over 6000 square kilometres, and comprises several distinct habitat types. The plateau habitat is characterised by a rugged sandstone formation which rises to a height of 250 metres from lower land to the north and creates some of the most spectacular scenery in the park. The escarpment extends for over 600 kilometres and is the site of several major waterfalls and deep gorges.

The lowlands habitat is characterised by a vast eroded plain with a numerous rocky outcrops to the north of the escarpment. The floodplain habitat is found to the north of the plateau and receives the full force of wet season monsoonal rains from November to March, when the region becomes a vast expanse of water. In the dry season the Kakadu floodplain is characterised by permanent billabongs. This area of Kakadu is famed for waterlilies and edible lotus lilies.

The tidal flats habitat is found in coastal salt water areas characterised by mangroves and rainforest which can survive on sandy saline soils. Finally, Kakadu's southern hills habitat is found in the south of the park where the headwaters of the South Alligator River run through stony woodland country.