You can drive to Kakadu from Darwin, preferably on a four-wheel-drive vehicle for when the going gets rough, fly on light aircraft to the town of Jabiru which is located within the national park, or take one of any number of safari tours.
There is now no park-use fee to enter Kakadu National Park. Camping fees may apply in certain designated areas.
A good place to start your discovery tour of Kakadu is at the Bowali Visitor Centre which is on the Kakadu Highway two-and-a-half kilometres from Jabiru close to the junction of the Kakadu and Arnhem Highways. This junction is 120 kilometres from the park’s north entry gate at the western edge of Kakadu.
Two views of the park
It is interesting to know that the Bowali Visitor Centre provides a display which shows how Kakadu may be viewed: through the Kukburlerri (Aboriginal) or Guhbele (non-Aboriginal) view.
The Bowali Visitor Centre display helps guide visitors to an understanding of the park and to an insight into Aboriginal concerns.
Go on one of the walking tracks in the area to start your exploration of this really magic land.
Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock
From the Bowali Visitor Centre you may want to proceed to Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock. Particularly if you only have a day to visit Kakadu, these places are must-visit sites.
Here, the 50,000 years of Aboriginal habitation have left their history in rock art galleries with sprayed hand stencils, drawn hunters and etchings of events in the Dreamtime which is for Aborigines the time of creation.
Creation beings Namarrgon the Lightning Man and Ngalyod the Rainbow Serpent are depicted in rock drawings as are fish, birds and animals in X-ray style which show their skeletal structures.
Escarpments and falls
Awesome sandstone escarpments rise in the east, to as high as 200 metres, and some of the spectacular Kakadu waterfalls — such as Jim Jim Falls, Twin Falls and Gunlom — are in the area.
Thus, not only does the spirit of the Dreamtime imbue the land, but natural geological formations are a spectacle to behold.
Kakadu is a magical place in the Wet — gushing falls, verdant greenery — although some of the roads then become rivers and an airplane or helicopter may be the way to go.
Plan your own safari
Kakadu is so large and there is so much to discover that you may need to plan your own Kakadu safari for what you want to see and what regions of the national park you want to visit.
There are a variety of Kakadu water and river areas — the Alligator River, the Yellow Water Billabong, Mary River, the many falls and gorges — all with an amazing variety of flora and fauna, some of them dangerous.
Be particularly wary of Kakadu water areas where the deadly saltwater crocodile may have its haunts. The salties, unlike the freshies, may attack without provocation.
Listen to visitors' tales
If you can't go on your own Kakadu safari, you could opt for safari tours originating from Darwin.
Whichever way you decide to explore Kakadu further -- to the sandstone cliffs, the falls and the billabongs or get deeper into the rainforest jungle — be sure to take whatever precautions are necessary for safe travel.
Talk to the park rangers and listen to the stories that earlier visitors tell.
Next page: Bowali Visitor Centre
