NT Waterholes 1-Week Road Trip + FREE Map

Day 1: Berry Springs, Wangi Falls

• Distance: ~120km
• Drive time: ~1.5 hrs

Leave Darwin and head south towards Litchfield National Park, but first, stop by Berry Springs.

This is a natural swimming spot about 40 minutes from Darwin, with spring-fed pools, picnic areas and shady lawns. It’s super popular, so try to get there early.

Then, keep driving to the iconic Litchfield National Park, where you’ll spend the next 2 nights.

Once you’re in Litchfield, head straight for Wangi Falls, probably the most popular waterfall in the park.

It’s a gorgeous double waterfall with a massive swimming hole, plus a café and picnic areas nearby!

It won’t be the quietest spot in the park during the day, so we’d recommend hanging around until after the day visitors leave and enjoying the golden hour there.

Litchfield is one of the easiest weekend escapes from Darwin, here’s the full itinerary if you’re keen!

Where to stay in Litchfield?

There are a few campgrounds in the park, but we’d lean towards Florence Falls Campground if you’re on a 2WD.

It has a specific 2WD campground, and it’s more central to the spots you’ll be visiting tomorrow – Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole. Plus it has plenty of facilities.

Wangi’s campground is good too, it’s 2WD-friendly as well if memory serves.

If you’d rather stay just outside the park, Litchfield Tourist Park is a good dog-friendly option with a pool and café, about 45 minutes from the main falls.

Day 2: Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole

Start your day with Florence Falls, our favourite swimming spot in the whole NT!

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It’s a stunning double waterfall with a deep pool at the bottom, surrounded by monsoon forest that gives the whole area a jungle feel.

You can take the 160-step staircase straight down, or walk the 1km Shady Creek trail through the forest for a more scenic approach.

It’s one of the most popular spots in Litchfield, so go early if you want a quieter swim!

Then, head to Buley Rockhole! You can walk there from Florence if you’re keen.

Buley Rockhole is a series of natural rock spa pools, some deep, some shallow, so there’s something for everyone.

It’s a favourite with locals too, so expect company in peak season.

Day 3: Nitmiluk, Katherine Hot Springs

• Distance: ~280km
• Drive time: ~3 hrs

On your way out of Litchfield, swing by the Magnetic Termite Mounds for a quick stop. Some of these mounds are over 100 years old and up to 8 metres tall!

From there, continue the drive down to Katherine, towards Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge.

Nitmiluk Gorge is actually a series of 13 connected gorges, and paddling through them is one of the best things you can do in the NT.

The scale of the place doesn’t really hit you until you’re down at water level between the cliffs, it’s genuinely one of the most peaceful experiences we had on our trip!

So we 100% recommend booking a kayak tour if you can. There are a few options available:

• Half-day tour: This is the one we did and it was incredible. It covers the first couple of gorges, a good option if you’re short on time or don’t want a big physical day.
• Full-day tour: Pushes further into the gorge system, with a short portage between sections.
• Overnight tour: The most immersive option, camping within the gorge itself. We’d pick this one if we could do it again!

Book this early in the trip if you can. Tours like this are weather-dependent, so if it gets cancelled, you’ll get a second shot when you pass back through Katherine!

Once the tour’s done, head to Katherine Hot Springs for the rest of the afternoon.

It’s free, right in town, and an easy way to cool off. Despite the name, it’s not really “hot”, more pleasantly warm and crystal clear, with a boardwalk connecting several pools.

You can easily spend the whole day here, as there are picnic areas, BBQs, toilets, and a playground. We even packed some lunch so we could pop in and out, 100% recommend!

Katherine is worth a road trip of its own, and you could do it over a weekend! Here’s our recommended itinerary from Darwin if you’re keen

Where to stay in Katherine?

We stayed at Discovery Parks Katherine and would recommend it, it’s a short drive from Nitmiluk Gorge, felt safe and quiet, and has both cabins and caravan sites.

For easy walking access to the hot springs themselves, Riverview Tourist Village is a solid dog-friendly option.

And if you feel like splurging after the canoe tour, Cicada Lodge is the fancy pick. It’s inside the park and has a pool and a restaurant.

Day 4-5: Mataranka and Bitter Springs

• Distance: ~120km
• Drive time: ~1.5 hr

These two days involve a short drive south to Mataranka, home to two of our favourite thermal pools in the NT – Mataranka Thermal Pool and Bitter Springs!

Mataranka Thermal Pool is the more famous of the pair.

It has concrete edges and steps rather than a natural creek feel, but the water is sooo clear that snorkelling feels like looking through glass!

There’s also a resident peacock that likes to make an appearance near the carpark.

Then there’s Bitter Springs, our personal pick.

There’s also a section upwards with little caves, we saw long-necked turtles inside! 

Then you can drift downstream on a floatie and let the soft current take you to the other end of the swimming hole. It’s a long relaxing drift, highly recommended.

Where to stay in Mataranka?

Honestly, you could drive back and forth from Katherine and keep things simple.

But the area is so beautiful, we recommend staying at least one night if you can!

We loved staying at Bitter Springs Cabins and Camping. It’s within walking distance to Bitter Springs itself, with cabins and campsites.

There’s also Mataranka Homestead if you’d rather stay closer to Mataranka thermal pools.

Day 6-7: Leliyn (Edith Falls), Katherine

• Distance: ~460km across 2 days
• Drive time: ~5 hrs

Leliyn is a beautiful area in Nitmiluk NP, with waterfalls and a couple of natural pools connected by a hiking trail.

It’s on the opposite side from Katherine Gorge so they’re pretty much separate trips, that’s why they’re on different days.

There’s a big lower pool right near the carpark, which is easy but can get crowded in peak season. The upper pools are much quieter and, in our opinion, worth the extra effort.

To reach them, you’ll need to do the 2.6km Leliyn Loop, which takes you past two lookouts with views over the waterfalls and the Edith River.

There’s also a basic campground near the lower pool if you’d rather split your Katherine nights and spend one out here instead.

Then, squeeze in one last swim at Katherine Hot Springs before heading back to Darwin.

Add-on: Kakadu (4WD only)

• Minimum stay: 3-4 days
• Extra driving: ~650km
• Best time to visit: May to October
• Highlights: Jim Jim Falls, Barramundi Gorge, Gunlom Falls, Yellow Water Billabong Cruise

We’d only add this one if you’ve got a high-clearance 4WD. Kakadu’s best swimming holes sit at the end of rough, sandy tracks that a 2WD simply can’t handle.

Instead of driving straight back to Darwin from Katherine, detour onto the Kakadu Highway near Pine Creek.

Best waterholes in Kakadu:

• Jim Jim Falls, one of the best swimming holes in the whole NT if you’re up for a full-day 4WD mission.
• Maguk (Barramundi Gorge), a short walk through monsoon rainforest to a clear plunge pool
• Gunlom Falls, the famous natural infinity pool at the top of the falls
• Take the Yellow Water Billabong Cruise while you’re there! Can’t swim, but it’s a bucket-list experience in Kakadu.

Also make sure to visit Ubirr or Burrungkuy for Aboriginal rock art, and stick around Ubirr for sunset!

If you don’t have the right vehicle but still want to see it, there are day tours to Kakadu from Darwin!

Here’s a full Darwin to Kakadu road trip guide if you’re keen, this place deserves a road trip of its own.

Planning your road trip

Best time to go

The dry season (May-October) is pretty much the only time to do this, as it’s when the parks are open and safe for swimming.

They’re closed outside these months due to the wet season. The summer rains bring flooding and lotsss of saltwater crocodiles.

If you can, aim for the shoulder months of May or September. You’ll still get everything open, but with smaller crowds than the peak July-August period.

What to pack

• Swimmers and a quick-dry towel
• Snorkeling gear and a floatie for Mataranka and Bitter Springs
• Reef shoes or old thongs for the rocky creek beds at Buley Rockhole
• A dry bag or waterproof phone pouch for the Nitmiluk Gorge canoe tour
• Reusable water bottles and an esky, servos and shops are spread out between stops
• An NT Parks Pass if you’re not an NT resident
• Offline maps downloaded ahead of time, phone reception drops out for long stretches (our NT guide can be downloaded for offline access!)

FAQs