Darwin to Kakadu Weekend Road Trip + FREE Map

We spent over a week in Kakadu, and while Chris prefers Litchfield, Kakadu was Bec’s favourite of the two.

It’s an epic spot for a weekend packed with nature, wildlife and Aboriginal culture, with places like Jim Jim Falls, Ubirr, and Burrungkuy all worth making time for.

Kakadu is massive though, so the route really matters. You also need to plan around whether you’re visiting in a 2WD or 4WD, otherwise you’ll lose half the weekend driving between spots!

So if we only had a weekend, this is the itinerary we’d follow. We’ve included options for both vehicle types, plus a bonus Monday if you can take the extra day off.

Screenshot of a map with coloured pins and a route showing all the different things to do on a road trip from darwin to kakadu, in the northern territory — Click to open the full interactive map in Google Maps

Road trip snapshot

Distance: ~800km return from Darwin
Drive time: ~8 hours total across the weekend
Areas covered: Jabiru, Cooinda/Yellow Water, Cahills Crossing and Ubirr, Maguk, Burrungkuy (Nourlangie). Optional: Jim Jim Falls, Anbangbang Billabong and Mamukala Wetlands
Best time: Dry season, roughly June to October, when the park is open
Vehicle: 2WD covers Jabiru, Cooinda and Ubirr, but you’ll need a 4WD for Maguk and Jim Jim Falls
Pet-friendly: No, pets aren’t allowed in Kakadu National Park
Good for: Anyone wanting to see rock art and crocs, and feel like you’re on a big adventure in a single weekend

Jim Jim Falls, Kakadu (Dry Season)
Moline Rockhole

⚠️ ALWAYS be croc wise in the Top End. Never assume water is safe simply because there’s no warnings, stick to designated areas, follow all signs and ranger advice. More info here.

Day 1: Darwin to Jabiru (Friday)

Distance: ~255km
Drive time: ~3 hours

This first leg is a bit long, so today focus on getting into the park right after work and settling in, proper exploring starts on Saturday.

And make sure to sort these things out before going on the road:

Purchase the Kakadu park pass if you’re not an NT resident.
Double-check if the places you want to visit are open (you can do so here. The park can experience closures even in the middle of the Dry, locals call it “Kakadon’t” for a reason!

If you reach Kakadu early enough, we recommend heading straight to Ubirr for sunset before checking into your accommodation.

The view over the floodplains is unreal, and it’s often considered the best sunset spot in the NT!

Where to stay in Kakadu?

We recommend staying in Jabiru as it’s the easiest base for Kakadu, with hotels, a supermarket, and petrol. It’s also a short drive from Ubirr.

There are a couple of great stays there, but Mercure Kakadu Crocodile is the best one in our opinion. It has great prices, an excellent restaurant on site, and it’s in the shape of a croc!

There’s also Cooinda Lodge. It’s more budget-friendly, but it’s in Cooinda, which is a 40 min drive from Jabiru and deeper inside the park.

There are several National Park campgrounds too if you’re set up to camp!

The Northern Territory guide

Red Centre to the Top End

Uluru, Kakadu, and every waterhole worth the detour, mapped so you can just point the bus north and drive.

180+ pins with campsites, waterholes, hikes, and more
12+ done-for-you itineraries (2WD and 4WD)
All your trip in one place and available offline

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Day 2: Jim Jim Falls (4WD) or Yellow Water (2WD) > Ubirr (Saturday)

Distance: ~180-280km
Drive time: ~2-4 hours

Today’s itinerary depends on the type of vehicle you have:

4WD – Jim Jim and Twin Falls

This is one of our favourite swimming holes in the NT! It’s absolutely epic, but it’s a full day mission, so we only recommend it if you’ve got the time.

Hike into Jim Jim Falls
Jim Jim Falls (Dry season)

You need a high-clearance 4WD and the track in is rough and sandy. Then you have to do a 1km walk through the rainforest and over rocks to get to the falls.

The reward is insane though! You’ll see these massive red cliffs with one of the best plunge pools we’ve ever been to. We could even see little barramundi swimming below us.

The iconic Twin Falls are also close by It’s a 6km return walk that takes ~5 hours, which takes you to the top of the escarpment for epic views of the gorge.

We haven’t done it yet, but we’re told it’s very challenging so bring good shoes and LOTS of water.

Check out our full guide to Jim Jim Falls for more details!

2WD – Yellow Water Billabong Cruise and surroundings

We recommend starting your day doing the iconic Yellow Water Billabong Cruise! It was an unforgettable highlight for us.

The cruise takes you through the wetlands near Cooinda, with heapsss of birdlife and salties in the wild. It honestly feels a bit like a safari, but very NT.

You’ll see so many crocs that halfway through the tour you might be done taking photos of them LOL.

We reckon it’s still the best wetland cruise in the Top End, no exaggeration.

Book your Yellow Water Cruise ahead of time in peak dry season, the early morning slots sell out fast! Book it HERE.

Then, head to Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, one of the 2 visitor centres in Kakadu (the other one is Bowali, near Jabiru).

Warradjan is more focused on the history of Aboriginal people in Kakadu and the spiritual side of the region.

We’d 100% recommend going if you want to understand Kakadu properly, not just as a beautiful place but the meaning it has for the Traditional Owners.

2WD – Cahills Crossing

Cahills Crossing has a reputation as one of the best places in Australia to watch saltwater crocodiles hunt, and it lives up to it.

It’s a famous river crossing and from July to Oct/Nov, salties gather here in massive numbers to feed. You can see the whole show safely from one of the 3 platforms available.

But please be VERY careful there. You might see a local driving their car across, or a wild person fishing near the edge. Please DON’T do that, it’s incredibly dangerous.

2WD – Ubirr rock art site for sunset

Ubirr, just up the road from Cahills Crossing, is one of the best rock art sites in the WORLD.

It’s also one of the top sunset spots in the NT, so if you couldn’t go there yesterday, don’t skip it today.

It’s an incredible place, you can really feel there’s an ancient power there!

There are galleries with 1,000+ years old rock art. Take your time checking them out and reading the signs, before heading to the lookout for sunset.

It will get busy around sunset, but it’s 100% worth it.

Day 3: Burrungkuy and surroundings > Mamukala Wetlands > Darwin (Sunday)

Distance: ~330km, including the drive home to Darwin
Drive time: ~.3-4 hours

Burrungkuy, also known as Nourlangie Rock, is one of Kakadu’s most famous rock art areas, and one of the most moving stops we did in Kakadu.

It was once a home and shelter for Aboriginal people, and the paintings here share stories from thousands of years ago.

There’s a 1.5-hour loop through the art site, take it slow! It’s worth your full attention.

Make sure you finish with Gunwarrdehwarrde Lookout too. The view over the escarpment is unreal, especially around sunrise or sunset.

Then you could swing by Anbangbang Billabong, which is next to Burrungkuy. It’s a beautiful wetland area, great for birdwatching.

Mamukala Wetlands

On your way back to Darwin, consider stopping here! It’s one of the best birdwatching spots in all the Northern Territory.

You can see kites, jacanas, cormorants, kingfishers, and hundreds of other bird species. But the best time to go is from September to October, when thousands of magpie geese gather there.

There’s also a 3km return walk if you want to explore further. It’s flat and easy, but it’s still Kakadu, so bring water and don’t do it in the worst heat of the day.

From there, it’s a 2.5-hour drive back to Darwin.

Bonus: Maguk / Barramundi Gorge (4WD)

If you’re on a 4WD and can squeeze out an extra day, definitely head to Maguk. It’s one of the best swimming holes in Kakadu!

It’s hidden within a monsoon rainforest, with a year-round waterfall and an epic plunge pool to enjoy.

The only way in is by 4WD though. Then you have to walk a bit from the carpark to get to the waterfall, it’s about 2km return (~1.5hrs).

There’s also a hidden upper section which you can swim in, a short walk away from Maguk Falls. We didn’t find out about that till later! If you go, check it out and let us know how it was.

Planning your weekend road trip

Best time to go

Dry season (May to November), is pretty much the only time you can do this weekend road trip. The park is closed the rest of the year due to flooding.

Jim Jim Falls and Maguk both close in the wet, and some years they stay shut well into the dry, so check the Kakadu Access Report before you commit to either.

We don’t recommend going in November, though. That’s when we visited and the heat and humidity were really oppressive, it was a nightmare for camping.

So if you have no choice but to go in November, definitely pay for a hotel room with good air con!

What to pack

Your Kakadu Park Pass, preferably bought online before you leave Darwin
PLENTY of drinking water, it gets hot fast on the walking tracks
Insect repellent, the mozzies at Yellow Water and Mamukala are relentless around dusk
Sturdy walking shoes if you’re going hiking
Extra fuel or a full tank leaving Jabiru if you’re heading out to Maguk or Jim Jim

FREE map of this Darwin to Kakadu weekend road trip

Open the free Google map

Top tips

Time Cahills Crossing around high tide if you can, that’s when the crocodiles gather to hunt mullet moving through the causeway.

If this weekend leaves you wanting more Top End waterfalls, our Litchfield waterfalls guide is a good one to bookmark for next time!

FAQs

Can you do Kakadu in a weekend?

Yes, a weekend is enough to cover the main highlights, but we’d recommend 3-4 days to see most things without rushing.

Do you need a 4WD for Kakadu?

No, places like Yellow Water, Ubirr, Cahills Crossing, and Burrungkuy are on sealed roads. But you need one if you want to see the waterfalls – Jim Jim, Twin Falls, Motor Car, Moline rockhole…