Hello, visiting Darwin for the first time and bringing some guests.6 days. We all don't like camping type safaris so want to see the national parks/river cruises/city sights etc in one day coach tours, each day departing Darwin hotel. Is a one day coach trip to Kakadu National Park (about 14 hrs long including travel time by coach) enough time to see the best of this large park? Will we regret we didn't allocate 2 days and stay overnight? Also which is a better crocodile experience -Crocosaurus Cove or Crocodylus Park-mainly want to see reptiles as there is a reptile fanatic in the group. Thanks for any advice.
Darwin for 6 Days - Kakadu One Day Coach Trip Enough?
momov3 on 26/04/2015 - 20:16
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Thank you, will remember that. And now consider 2 days at Kakadu. Litchfield is defintiely a one day tour in our itinery, therefore can we get away with 1 day Kakadu, I wonder. As for markets, there are shopaholics in the group what more can I say!
I think your idea of the coach trip to Kakadu if you only want one day is probably the best. I assume they will take you to Ubirr and maybe one other place (twin or Jim Jim?). There is quite a lot more to see.
I think maybe hiring a car and driving to litchfield is better. You don't need a 4wd to see the main places here and its really easy to get to. Plus you could do a side trip on the next day to the croc jumping tours (http://www.jumpingcrocodilecruises.com.au) - from memory I think the afternoon one is the best as it is a smaller boat.
I have only been to the Crocodile Cove but I highly recommend Territory Wildlife park - however would need half a day.
As per the above post - would recommend Mindil Beach, Trailer Boat Club for dinner, Darwin Waterfront for a swim in the lagoon (if this interests you), Parap Markets (Saturday).
Shopping - Goodluck - theres not much to buy in Darwin. haha.
Some of you will definitely regret not camping out overnight/ doing a two day journey. Particularly the reptile fanatic. Re the croc experiences, there's two main things to do that are excellent. One is going out on a boat at night time, down a river full of massive 'salties' (4 metres-plus), while your guide spot-lights them (and other wild-life). You will get within a few feet of these enormous beasts if you do this. The other involves the much smaller, "Johnson's River' crocs. These guys don't eat people, so in certain parts of Kakadu you can float down a beautiful river on a lilo, and whatch as they peel of the banks into the water you are in (or stay on the bank, or whatever), before your very eyes. A truly fantastic experience.
I did a two-day safari-type thingy in the late 80s that included both these experiences, and it was the best 'nature' experience I've ever had in Australia. I can't imagine that you'd be able to do the 'night-time salty-spotting' without doing an over-night camp-out. And re the Johnson's river croc river experience, I recall it was a fair distance from 'salty territory', so again, unlikely you'd be able to 'slot that in' to a part of a day trip.
So I reckon you should absolutely consider doing a two-day 'safari'/ camp-out thing. Note that you won't exactly be 'roughing' it over night, in any way shape or form. There will be plenty of amenities at the sleep-over point, and the night you will share together will be a real night to remember; it will, I suggest, be the highlight of the trip for most, and any who are buggered/ just want to hit the hay will be able to do so in perfectly adequate comfort.So that's my advice; to my mind, it would be an incredible waste of an opportunity to go to Kakadu and NOT to at least a two-day safari.
Hey thanks. Now I shall seriously consider that and since there are amenities (that was my main worry). The nighttime croc spotting thing sounds crazy, that's in my plan if I do 2 days.
You're going to have a great trip to Darwin - perfect weather, great people, fantastic relaxed pace, awesome and completely under-rated food scene, and some amazing scenery and natural beauty. There's loads to see and do and 6 days may end up being a bit tight to squeeze everything in, but that just means you'll need to plan a second holiday to the Top End! :-)
As most others have suggested, 2 days in Kakadu is well worth it. Litchfield is easy enough to see in a day, but Kakadu is a different beast - the park is massive. An overnight stay will allow you to see much more during the day, plus experience the evening/dawn sights (don't miss Ubirr at dawn/dusk). The safari someone mentioned sounds pretty good particularly if you have a local bush guide, although having lost a friend to a croc attack in the area, I'd personally be avoiding floating down any water in Kakadu, no matter how 'safe' a local claims it is. Yes, the freshies are harmless, but Kakadu is prime salty territory and you won't always know they're there. If you're not up for camping, there are couple of good hotel options in Jabiru (just search Trivago, etc.), and you'll be very comfortable.
Litchfield is highly recommended, but avoid NT public holidays if you can (not sure of your dates) as pretty much all of Darwin will descend upon the waterholes on those days. This is a fantastic day trip (bring your swimmers), although again there are accommodation options if you don't want to squeeze it in. Either way, you're able to pay all major attractions in the park a visit in a day if you leave Darwin early enough, with time to spare for a swim or two.
Both Crocosaurus and Crocodylus are excellent. Crocosaurus is smaller as it's a CBD tourist attraction, but the large croc tanks are impressive, you can go for a swim with them in the "cage of death", and there's a great small reptile section where you can get hands on with native reptiles. Crocodylus is a 20-30 min drive out of the city so it's much larger, and has other large animals as well as crocs. It's a bit older and more rustic than Crocosaurus, but it's a functioning farm so there are plenty of crocs on show. You will possibly get to hold a juvenile salty here, but there are limited other reptile options.
As someone else suggested, the Territory Wildlife Park is very good too (it's an hour or so drive, and is a shadow of its former self), and if you want to get up close with a wild salty there are plenty of jumping croc cruises a short drive out of Darwin.
Personal recommendation: hire a car/van for the stay, stay overnight in Kakadu, drive to Litchfield on a day trip, squeeze in a croc cruise somewhere, and definitely do at least one of the wildlife attractions mentioned. Having your own transport will put you much more in control, and with only 6 days you'll want to see as much as you can. You'll still have time to take in a bunch of Darwin city attractions too (sunset at Mindil, Mindil Markets, al fresco meals by the sea, etc. - these are musts).
I hope you have a fantastic trip!
Thanks very much. There's a lot of good advice here. Unfortunately, I am the only AU licensed driver in the group, the other is a L teen (no no) and only one of the rest has a foreign license and not game to drive in alien territory. I'm not sure I want to do the long drives by myself, so we will still have to go via day coach trips and find a 2 day Kakadu safari.
Will we regret we didn't allocate 2 days and stay overnight?
Yes, I think you will.
Most ppl will tell you a trip to Litchfield National Park is just as good.
Make sure you see the sunset over the Arafura Sea at Mindil Beach in Darwin. (And try and get to the markets if u like markets).
Strike up a conversation with service personnel or english back packers.
Visit the library in darwin; amazing.
Eat el fresco.
Eat tappas and/or baramundi at the marina.