Kakadu National Park · Unofficial operator’s manual
Practical planner
Decision tree by time / season / heat · three fee systems · packing · crocodiles · official Parks Australia
links. Print this page or save as PDF from your browser.
Verify before you go. Fees, gates, 4WD roads, swim status and closures change. Always check
kakadu.gov.au, the
Kakadu Access Report,
Bowali Visitor Centre (08 8938 1120) and
roadreport.nt.gov.au.
Facts on this sheet were checked 13 Sep 2026 against the Access Report stamp
11 Sept 2026, 2:24 pm Darwin. This is an independent unofficial guide — not Parks Australia,
not Traditional Owners, not NT Government.
Never merge the three fee systems into one “Kakadu entry fee.”
A. Kakadu park pass (7-day Parks Australia product — not Uluru, not the NT Parks Visitor Pass).
B. Camping at park sites (separate, first-come on most sites). C. Overnight / remote walk permits beyond
standard day walks. This planner never sells the pass, camping or permits.
Closed 2026 — do not plan them as open: Jim Jim Falls, Twin Falls, Karnamarr / Garnamarr,
Barrk Marlam and Budjmi lookout (cyclone damage, upgrades, Traditional Owner safety request). Expected
discussion of reopen is the 2027 dry season — still [VERIFY]. Barrk Sandstone Walk is closed at Traditional
Owner request (Nanguluwurr is a different, shorter walk). Maguk is listed Open with ongoing crocodile management
(enter water at your own risk — Access Report 11 Sept 2026). Jim Jim / Twin stay closed 2026.
pool). Gunlom is open with risks — high-clearance 4WD; no bottom-pool access or swim.
1. Before you leave home
Status & weather
Access Report checked this morning (not last week’s screenshot)
NT Road Report checked for Arnhem / Kakadu Highways
One day shape chosen — Ubirr sunset or Burrungkuy morning + Ubirr or Yellow Water or one southern 4WD site
Park pass purchased or NT-resident proof ready
Heat forecast read — walk at first light in tropical summer
Someone knows your plan and finish time
Emergency+ installed; offline maps downloaded
Packing (day pack)
Water 1 L+ per person per hour · electrolytes
Sun hat + SPF50 + long sleeves
Sturdy shoes — Ubirr lookout / Burrungkuy steps
Insect repellent
Phone + power bank · screenshot Access Report + pass
Headlamp if finishing Ubirr after sunset
Sat messenger / PLB for remote or southern 4WD
First-aid; tell someone if you leave the sealed spine
2. Pick one section (they are not the same afternoon)
Ubirr + East Alligator (sealed)
Late-afternoon galleries and Nadab sunset lookout. 2WD most of the year when Magela Creek allows.
Allow 1–1.5 hours on the circuit + lookout
Cahills Crossing viewing platforms listed open — water can sit over the crossing [VERIFY]
Do not stack Burrungkuy the same evening (Burrungkuy gates 7 pm)
Headlamp for the walk back after sunset
Burrungkuy / Nourlangie (sealed)
Morning cultural circuit. Gates 7 am–7 pm. Indoor / shade reset at Bowali or Jabiru after 11 am in heat.
Anbangbang or Nawurlandja as the optional second short stop
Barrk Sandstone Walk is closed — do not treat Nanguluwurr as a back door onto Barrk
Ranger talks are included in the park pass — use them
Pairs with Ubirr sunset, not with a southern 4WD add-on
Yellow Water / Cooinda (sealed)
Cruise + Warradjan + Bowali. Shade and interpretation when heat or energy fails a walk day.
Confirm cruise times with the operator the night before
Access Report: pontoon open; extended boardwalk beyond the pontoon closed
Do not stack Ubirr sunset unless you have a written clock
Fuel and a store at Cooinda — not at Mary River Roadhouse
Southern 4WD (status-critical)
One site as the whole day. High-clearance 4WD. Not a 2WD hire-contract afternoon.
Maguk: listed Open with crocodile risk — 4WD; not a Darwin add-on; not a hotel-pool swim
Gunlom: open with risks; no bottom-pool swim; lookout is a separate decision
Jim Jim / Twin / Garnamarr: closed all of 2026
If the Access Report is closed or “target date,” switch to the sealed day
3. Day-shape decision tree
Late afternoon onlyUbirr galleries + Nadab sunset. Optional Cahills platforms. Skip Burrungkuy the same evening.
One full day (cooler / dry, sealed)Burrungkuy morning + Anbangbang or Nawurlandja + Ubirr sunset. No southern 4WD add-on. Heat after 11 am is indoor time.
Wetlands / shade dayYellow Water cruise + Warradjan + Bowali. Confirm cruise times. Do not invent a Jim Jim “if we still have light.”
Heat / tropical summerWalk at first light. Stop by 11 am or avoid 2:30–6:30 pm. Carry 1 L+ per person per hour. Long exposed walks are off the plan.
4WD + Access Report openOne southern site as the whole day. As of 11 Sept 2026 Maguk is listed Open with crocodile risk; Gunlom has no bottom-pool swim. [VERIFY] road and swim status the morning you go.
Darwin – Kakadu – Katherine (multi-day)Sealed spine only: Darwin, Jabiru / Ubirr / Burrungkuy, Cooinda / Yellow Water, then Katherine / Nitmiluk. Nitmiluk is a different land manager and fee system.
If two plans both look appealingPick the shorter one. You can always do less once you arrive. You cannot invent cooler hours after 11 am.
4. Three fee systems (keep separate)
A. Park pass — 7-day Kakadu entry. Not Uluru. Not the NT Parks Visitor Pass.
Published planning figures [VERIFY live on kakadu.gov.au/plan/passes/]: Dry 15 May–31 Oct adult $40 / child
$20 / family $100 / concession $30. Tropical summer 1 Nov–14 May: $25 / $12.50 / $65 / $19.
Official June 2026 announcement: visits 1 Jul–31 Oct 2026 charged at tropical-summer rates
($25 adult etc.). NT residents free with proof. Buy only at
book.parksaustralia.gov.au/passes/kakadu/
or listed official outlets including Bowali and Cooinda Lodge.
B. Camping — park sites are a separate system from the pass. Most are first-come. Example
published figure (Mardukal): adult $15 / child $7.50 / family $38 — others [VERIFY] on
official camping.
Water is often not potable. This site never sells the booking.
C. Walk permits — standard day walks (Ubirr, Burrungkuy, Nawurlandja, Gunlom lookout when
open) are in the park pass. Overnight / remote camping outside designated areas needs an extra permit —
permits page.
5. The clocks that fail the day
Access Report & roads
Screenshot the Access Report on Wi-Fi the night before and re-check the morning you leave
Arnhem + Kakadu Highways listed Open (11 Sept 2026) — still check NT Road Report
Ubirr can lose its road at Magela Creek in the wet
Target dates (mid-August Maguk etc.) are not opening dates
Heat, gates & fuel
Burrungkuy gates 7 am–7 pm — do not invent a late gallery stop after Ubirr sunset
Fuel at Jabiru, Cooinda or Pine Creek — no shop/fuel at Mary River Roadhouse
Heat exhaustion is a real Kakadu injury. Indoor midday is a successful day
6. Southern 4WD (only when the Access Report says so)
Jim Jim / Twin / Garnamarr / Barrk Marlam / Budjmi: closed for all of 2026. Do not navigate
there as an open destination. Do not follow a pre-2026 itinerary.
Maguk (Barramundi Gorge): Access Report 11 Sept 2026 — listed Open. Crocodile management
ongoing; enter the water at your own risk; traffic management on the Maguk road. 4WD. Residual risk remains.
Gunlom: open with risks. Gunlom Road high-clearance 4WD only. Strictly no access or
swimming in the bottom plunge pool. The lookout climb is a separate decision — stay inside fences.
Two Mile Hole: closed this year due to roadworks. Kungarre walk still Closed.
Do not stack Maguk and Gunlom “because the map looks close.” Many 2WD hire contracts prohibit unsealed roads.
7. Communications
Connecting Kakadu listed coverage: Jabiru, Cooinda, Bowali, Gunlom campground, Gungurul, Mary River Ranger
Station, Northern Information Bay, Burrungkuy rock-art site, Maguk campground (2 km from the falls). Remote
country still has none.
Triple Zero (000) needs a signal. Download Emergency+ before you leave town.
Treat a satellite messenger as a planning note for southern 4WD and any walk off the sealed spine.
Screenshot the Access Report, park pass, Bowali hours and NT Road Report on home Wi-Fi.
8. Alerts snapshot (13 Sep 2026 — not live)
Official Access Report stamp: 11 Sept 2026, 2:24 pm Darwin. Re-check the morning you drive.
Jim Jim / Twin / Karnamarr / Barrk Marlam / Budjmi — closed all of 2026.
Maguk — listed Open with ongoing crocodile management; enter water at your own risk; 4WD; traffic management.
Gunlom — open with risks; high-clearance 4WD; no bottom-pool access/swim.
Barrk Sandstone Walk — closed at Traditional Owner request. Nanguluwurr listed open (separate walk).
Arnhem + Kakadu Highways listed Open.
Cahills Crossing — open with risks; water over the crossing.
Yellow Water boardwalk — pontoon open; extended walk closed.
Guratba/Gimbat and Bilkbilkmi listed Open (Bilkbilkmi: 4WD + official permit).
Kungarre and Badbong Wodjmeng still Closed. Two Mile Hole Closed (roadworks). Four Mile Hole Open with risks.
Bowali — 9 am–5 pm (11 Sept 2026 listing).
Park pass 1 Jul–31 Oct 2026 at tropical-summer rates ($25 adult etc.).
9. Safety non-negotiables
Assume saltwater crocodiles in almost all waterways, all year. Stay 10 m+ from the edge. Obey signs. Be Crocwise.
Swim only in a designated, officially surveyed plunge pool that is signed open on your date. Residual risk remains.
Safest swim is a hotel / Jabiru pool. Gunlom bottom pool is no-access. Maguk Open still means residual crocodile risk.
Walk early. Stop in heat. Heat exhaustion is a real Kakadu injury.
Bininj/Mungguy Country — stay on formed paths; do not touch rock art; respect ranger and Traditional Owner guidance.
Do not fly a drone without the official permit process.
Emergency: call 000. This PDF cannot help with rescue. Bowali 08 8938 1120 in opening hours.