Ultimate 14-Day Road Trip Itinerary | Top end of Northern Territory, Australia
The wildlife in the Northern Territory of Australia is enchanting, the open spaces and the scenery are magnificent and the people, though few and far between, welcome visitors with Outback hospitality and charm.
About one in three Territorians identifies as Australian First Nations indigenous people – the oldest surviving civilisation on Earth. Therefore, cultural insights are a must part of the agenda for any visitor.
This is the place to explore the grandeur, magic and mystery of First Nations Indiginous’ beliefs, culture and traditions. But also, it is important to learn about the complex realities these communities face in the modern life.
The Northern Territory covers about one-sixth of Australia’s total area. The climate divides the land into two parts:
– the north, called “the Top End” – lush, monsoonal, and very hot and humid.
– the Red Centre – drastically less rainfall and very hot, dry summers.
The best time of year to visit is between May and October, when the days are sunny and warm and the nights surprisingly chilly. In January, by contrast, the mean maximum temperature is 36.6°C (98°F) – not conducive to hiking.
Below you can find my budget friendly 14-day itinerary covering the top end of NT – it was done and tested by us, so any doubt you may have, feel free to leave a comment in the end of the post.
Scroll down for more in depth knowledge of what to do in each day!
Day 1 e 2 – Darwin
Day 3 – Mary River Camping Ground
Day 4 e 5 – Kakadu National Park, Jabiru and Ubirr
Day 6 e 7– Yellow water and Burrungkuy
Day 8 – Katherine
Day 9 – Katherine gorge, Nitmiluk national park
Day 10 – Day-trip driving to Litchfield
Day 11 e 12 – Litchfield
Day 13 – Darwin
Day 14 – Free day – We travel in a very intense way, with little resting time because we want to see it all! But this rhythm, is not for everyone… We understand that.
So you may wish to have a free day to add as a resting day or as an extra day in the place you liked the most. We will give suggestions of what you can do, don’t worry!
Link to Maps: Here
If you love wild places, wild things, and wonderfully bush wise people
this is the place for you!
To those on their first trip to northern territory, have a look at this post – handy recommendations of what to get and what to know before you drive into the outback!
Here it is advised pleanty of tips of what to wear and what to take with you for a trip in the australian’s wildness.
Day 1 and Day 2 – DARWIN
sightseeing and preparation for the outback road trip
Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, is a young city that has survived more than its share of catastrophes. It was bombed in World War II, then after being rebuilt it was wiped out by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Historic buildings are the last things you would expect to find in a city wiped out so many times, but visitors can tour restored 19th-century buildings that bring to mind the atmosphere of the pioneering days.
Below is a suggested list of sights to see and things to do during your stay in Darwin, with tips of where to eat and where to stay.
My TOP 3 sights to see:
– Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (10am–4pm) at Fannie Beach
– George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens (Free) – 41 hectares (101 acres) of beautiful and exotic plants
– WWII Oil Storage Tunnels
Darwin’s Markets:
- Nightcliff Market – Sunday from 8a m to 2pm
- Mindil beach sunset markets- Sunday 4 – 9 pm
- Parap Village Markets Saturday 8am–2pm (Try Mary’s Laksa)
- Rapid creek markets Saturday and Sunday 7 am – 2 pm
Historical buildings to visit:
- The old Government House opened in 1994.
- The new Parliament House
- Victoria Hotel (built in 1894),
- Former Admiralty House – now a restaurant, Char (www.chardarwin.com.au) – raised high on stilts in tropical style
- The stone building known as Browns Mart theatre dating from 1885 (www.brownsmart.com.au)
- The Ghan Train
- Fannie Bay Gaol Museum
- Darwin Waterfront
- Australian Pearling Exhibition
- Bennett Street to Woods Street – Chinese Temple
- Darwin Military Museum
- Darwin Kangoroo (15 West Ln, Darwin City NT 0800)
- Crocosaurus Cove
- Aquascene
– Above mentioned markets
– Rays patisserie and cafe
– Café central Darwin
– Darwin trailer boat club
– Stke hill wharf
– Ebb and flow Darwin
– Thrive darwin
– Kopi stop
– Sweet brew and co dining room
– Willing distillery (gin)
Cavenah hotel
Besides its historical background, Darwin is the perfect place to start your trip in NT as it is the best place for car/van rental deals (specially in middle/low season) and where you can get all the necessary items to cruise the NT outback before the adventure begins. Below you can find a list of our recommended must-have items to get beforehand.
EVERYONE KNOWS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO FIND A RELIABLE YET AFFORDABLE CAR RENTAL!!
Well, we were very happy with our CamperVan from Apollo Campers. Many more options exist for car rentals in Darwin though – compare the prices and utilities provided to make a fully informed decision. Here is the information of the company we went with:
Campervans are ideal for those that are new to the Recreational Vehicle experience as they are smaller and easier to drive. They are also a good budget option as they are generally cheaper and more efficient than their larger motorhome counterparts.
Apollo has four campervans in their range: the Hitop Ultra and the Euro Mini (both self-contained featuring a shower, toilet and full kitchen), the Endeavour (the one we choose, with full kitchen) and Euro Tourer.
Check their website to see all the things that come with the campervan. Fans and mosquito nets are not included!
We recommend hiring a fan (bigger the better) and bringing a dark mosquito net that you can adjust to the back door (see picture below).
Day 3 – Mary River
Pick up the van and Drive to Kakadu National park
This is a nice stop where the Adelaide River crosses the Arnhem highway. Here you can take a break and join a cruise to see jumping crocodiles – huge saltwater crocs that rise from the water to grab the bait dangling from the riverboat.
Day 3
- Morning: Pick up the van and organise food and water supplies.
- Afternoon: Drive to Mary River. Stop for a jumping crocodile cruise.
- Do a hiking trail to Mary River Billabong
Mary River Camping Ground
Day 4 and Day 5 – Kakadu National Park: Jabiru and Ubirr
As an unparalleled outdoor museum of ancient Aboriginal art, the Kakadu National Park park is on the Unesco World Heritage List of places of outstanding universal value. Some of the paintings have been here since the era of Europe’s Palacolithic cave art.
Nineteen different groups of Aboriginal peoples live between the Wild Man and East Alligator rivers. They lease the land to the National Parks and Wildlife Service and participate in the park’s daily management, including working as park rangers.
- Bowali visitor centre: The Bowali Visitor Centre contains a wealth of information about Kakadu including a theatre, library and interpretive display. Staff are available to help you plan your visit. Open daily: 8.00 am to 5.00 pm
- Lunch time – Cahills crossing picnic area (stay at least 3 metres away from the edge!)
- During the afternoon, UBIRR walk (Check seasonal access and opening times) – sunset is beautiful!
A 1 kilometre circular track takes you past several fascinating Aboriginal rock art sites. A moderately steep 250 metre climb takes you to the top of a rocky lookout that offers superb views over the Nadab floodplain, particularly at sunset. Allow at least 1 hour.
Open April to Nov (Dry) from 8.30 am to sunset. Dec to March (Summer) from 2.00 pm to sunset. During the dry season, rangers provide informative talks about Aboriginal art and culture. This Ranger-guided walks are included in the price of your park pass.Contact Bowali Visitor Centre for more details.
Day 5
- Arnhem Land Injalak Hill tour – departs Jabiru 279$ per person (duration 8 hours only available on Tuesdays 19, Thursdays 21 or Saturdays 23 of October)
OR
- Bardedjilidji walk
- Badbong wodjmeng sandstone river walk
- Manngarre rainforest walk(dry season only)
- Yingana (the Creation Mother)
Day 4
Ubirr campground
Day 5
Jabiru campground,
Day 6 and Day 7 – Kakakdu National Park: Scenic flight, cruise Yellow water Billabong and visit Burrungkuy rock art site
Kakadu is the wildlife heaven that we can explore without disturbing its natural course too much! This is perfect for people that, like me, have a fascination by wild animals, adventure, beautiful sunrises/sunsets and amazing photography scenario. In this two days we will flight over Kakadu and Arnhem land, then drive south to Kakadu yellow water campground and visit its magnific billagong full of native outback species of birds, reptiles and even mammals. We will take day 7 to learn more in depth about Indiginous and Aboroginal Life style and teachings on how to thrive in the bush. Bare in mind that distances in between places in the outback are long!
Initially, we were supposed to stay only one day in Yellow water campground and just move south to Katherine, but I managed to change the trip schedule to stay one day longer, and it was worth it!
It is a perfect resting place, there is accommodation that is affordable and has a pool and, at their doorstep, there is the yellow water billabong full of life (which I admit i visited on the cruise twice at my time during my at the campground).
Day 6
- Nawurlandja lookout, Kakakdu (for a sunrise – a MUST) 20 min from Jabiru
- Scenic flight overlooking Kakakdu National Park (8am – Jabiru)
- Arrive at Kakadu yellow water campground during the afternoon
- Yellow water billabong boat cruise (at dawn, or at sunset 4.30 pm)
Day 7
- Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) rock art site
- Warradjan Cultural centre (middle of day)
- Maguk Waterfall (south of the ones above – 41 min drive)
- Gungurul lookout
- Bukbukluk lookout
- Waterfall creek falls
- or rest the afternoon in the campground pool
Day 6 and 7
Kakadu yellow water campground
Day 8 and Day 9 – Katherine and Nitmiluk national park
Nitmiluk National Park, just 30km north-east of Katherine, covers a vast area, including 13 impressive gorges carved from the ancient sandstone country which stretch for as far as the eye can see (© Tourism NT,2023). Hire a canoe and paddle along the gorges to see waterfalls, ancient Aboriginal rock art and wildlife. At sunrise or at sunset, watch the gorge move through a spectrum of colours and glowing hues on river cruise. For the more adventurous there are lost of walks you can do – Maps.me and the national park website display all trails!
Day 8
- Drive to Katherine 3h 16 from Yellow water
- Edith falls (46 min from Katherine hot springs)
- Katherine hot springs
- Baruwei walk sunset (amazing view)
- Ikoymarrwa (Lower Moline Rockhole) falls – permit required – stop at Information Bay – Mary River Ranger Station
Day 9
- Morning kayaking Katherine gorge, Nitmiluk national park
- Katherine gorge cruise
- Elsey national park (afternoon)
- Mataranka thermal springs
- Bitter springs
About 120km (75 miles) south of Darwin, off the Stuart Highway, is Litchfield National Park, which covers around 1,500 sq km (580 sq miles) of tropical savannah wilderness.
There are rocky escarpments, waterholes for swimming, water falls, patches of monsoon forest and various walking trails.
Here you can see ‘magnetic anthills;, which are found scattered like tombstones in the bush. These are neither magnetic nor anthills they’re termite mounds, often taller than people, and are always aligned north-south, to achieve internal climate control.
Day 10
- Drive to Litchfield in the morning (wake up around 6:00 am)
- Arrive to Bachelor
- Visit Bachelor Museum
- Enjoy sunset bird feeding session at the Batchelor Holiday Park and play free mini golf at the facilities.
Day 11
- visit the Magnetic termite Mounds
- Have a swim at Buley Rockhole or the nearby Florence Falls Waterhole
- Other swimming alternatives: Tjaetaba Falls
- Visit the Tolmer Falls Lookout
- stay near Wangi falls
Day 12
Day 10
Batchelor Holiday Park
Rum Jungle Tavern
Day 11
Day 12
AAOK Lakes Resort & Caravan Park (cheaper alternatives may exist)
Day 13 – Darwin (back to base)
and My suggestion of what to do in Day 14 (free day)
When it is time to come back to Darwin on day 13 and 14, we strongly suggest a visit to Tiwi islands, the island of smiles, as a last stop and perfect way to end your trip.
The Tiwi Islands comprise of two main islands – Bathurst and Melville, which are 80 km north of Darwin. Most of the residents are of First Nations descents and provide many insightfull oncultural and wildlife tours.
Alternatively, you can stay either in Darwin or explore a different area such as Dundee Beach.
Darwin has so much to do that is likely you did not covered all the things we suggeted at the beggining of our post. Review that list to find the activities you did not do and that may interest you to do now.
The markets are time bounded events that are only available in specific dates or days of the week. If you did not have the chance to visit them, we strongly suggest to see if you can fit them in your schedule now! They are super fun, free events with music concerts and filled of affordable and rich flavored foods!
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