Favorite Part Kakadu National Park | Just another blog post about beautiful Australia :) Today’s video let’s you travel into the heart of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory – a 3 hours drive down south from Darwin. Kakadu NP tops Australia’s list of National Parks in some categories: the largest, the most beautiful in the first weeks after a rain season and the most productive Uranium source (yes, the stuff you need for making atom bombs!). Furthermore it represents the highest diversity of native Australian animals. Last not least it’s the place where saltwater crocodiles and freshwater crocodiles meet and greet. Although we are not sure about the latter.
The park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory. It covers an area of approx. 20,000 sq km. That is roughly the size of Slovenia. The cultural and natural values of Kakadu National Park were recognized internationally when the park was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981. Human impacts during the 19th and 20th century have been significant. Introduction of domestic Asian water buffalo from Southeast Asia has resulted in damage to the fragile floodplains and wetlands. Since then, buffalo have largely been eradicated from the area so the land is now rehabilitating itself. Crocodile hunting which has been banned since 1972 made a huge impact on crocodile populations. In the 30 or so years that they have been protected, however the crocodile population has recovered successfully.
Uranium Mining has an obvious impact on the landscape, too. But only one operational uranium mine remains. Mine operators are required to completely rehabilitate the area once the operation is shutting down.
Favorite Part of Kakadu National Park
Large saltwater crocodiles are common in the Kakadu NP. Visitors are likely to see them at Yellow Water and East Alligator River. It was no coincidence that the “Crocodile” Dundee movies were shot here. Visitors are urged to exercise caution around crocodiles as they have been responsible for a number of fatal attacks. Recreational fishing is a popular activity inside Kakadu National Park. The main target species is barramundi and the most popular locations are Yellow Water, the South Alligator and the East Alligator River.
Yellow Water Cruise
A must-thing-to-do seems to be the famous Yellow Water Cruise. It will bring you within 5 meters to a salt water crocodile, and you will still feel safe. Tours start at 06:45, 09:00, 11:30, 13:15, 14:45 and 16:30. Of course the first one and the last one are by far the best because you will avoid the heat when gliding through Kakadu’s wetlands. The first trip at 06:45 includes breakfast. This one asks for AU$99 per person. Others cost either AU$90 (2 hours trips) or AU$72 (1.5 hour trips).
Where to stay in Kakadu NP
There are several accommodation options in the park, mostly found in the town of Jabiru. The most iconic one: Mercure Kakadu Crocodile (Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn), rated 7.5 by booking.com users. Launch your drone and take a look from above. The hotel is shaped like crocodile. You will be given a decent shelter for US$300 for 3 nights = $100 per night.
When visiting the National Park in 2018, we did choose the Cooinda Lodge Kakadu because it had a significantly higher rating (8.4). We didn’t regret our choice. The rooms were great, the food was delicous – not complaining.
We also found a range of services to cater to our needs. We can experienced Kakadu National Park with a licensed tour operator on day 1 and we tackled it on our own the next day. Many of the park’s sites are accessible by standard two wheel drive vehicles, but areas like Twin and Jim Jim Falls or Gunlom require 4WD vehicles.
Most popular pattern: Visitors predominantly experience Kakadu National Park via the Nature’s Way Tourism Drive – a loop from Darwin to Jabiru then onto Katherine and back to Darwin, covering approximately 900 km.
Favorite Part Kakadu National Park. By Chili and Chirp | © International Destinations | Read more about travel destinations in Australia here -> AUSTRALIA.
