There is so much to see and experience in Australia. From vibrant, urban Sydney to the coastal beauty of Cairns and beyond, our travellers love exploring this amazing country.
However, one very special place has risen to the top of the list on our Top Travel Experiences for 2017 list; Kakadu National Park. Kakadu National Park is a timeless place nearly half the size of Switzerland, and the best opportunity to experience living Aboriginal culture.
Here’s why this is a MUST if you’re considering travelling to Australia right now.
We have the best guides.
In destinations around the world, wherever we operate, the quality of guiding is a top priority. Here in Australia and Kakadu National Park in particular, our guides have special permission granted by traditional landowners to visit areas of the Northern Territory inaccessible to other tour companies.
Sab Lord, one of our favourite guides anywhere in the world, loves “providing a unique range of experiences not accessible by other tour companies. Meeting such a diversity of people from all over the world and helping them to understand the environmental challenges we are facing right now is what drives my passion” he recently said.
You’ll be amazed by the relationship of trust and mutual respect he has with the local Aboriginal people. This special relationship allows us to take you off the beaten track and into protected areas that have an abundance of cultural values and not so many other visitors!
Unique Opportunity to Study Ancient Art
At Kakadu National Park, you will visit the Injalak Arts and Craft Centre, which is a fabulous opportunity to meet and watch traditional local artists in action. Injalak’s artists produce authentic art inspired by ancient dreamtime stories. Images from the nearby rock art galleries are an unbroken link between the present generation of Kunwinjku people and their ancestors. This offers an intimate setting to get to know the artist and see firsthand how artworks are created.
Also, this is an opportunity to experience the breathtaking rock art galleries created over thousands of years with a traditional Aboriginal guide and to learn more about the traditional culture of the Kunwinjku people. many of Injalaks artists live and work in the community. Some of the rock art is over 8,000 years old.
Artwork available for purchase includes paintings on paper and bark, carvings, artifacts – clap sticks, didgeridoos, mimi poles and lorrkons, fibre works – baskets and grass pandanus floor mats and special edition prints.
Stunning Natural Beauty at Kakadu National Park
The views around the park are simply breathtaking. You’ll have a chance to look out across the floodplains and around the soaring Arnhemland escarpment, perhaps while having lunch or a sundowner in the shade of one of the many overhanging ledges. These sandstone cliffs run along the eastern edge of the park, up to 300 metres high in some places.
The top of the plateau is a harsh, dry place. Water drains away quickly and soil is scarce. Along the escarpment, deep gorges house tall monsoon forests – a vital refuge for animals in the drier months.
Marvel at the speargrass that lines the roads, growing over three meters high by the end of each summer. The northern part of Kakadu stretches all the way up to the sea. This is where you’ll find numerous estuaries and tidal flats.
Finally, you can also check out unique wildlife such as the antilopine wallaby (often confused with the red kangaroo) and the black-breasted buzzard (a kite that is easily identified because of the white ‘bulls-eyes’ in its wings). Some of this area’s rarer animals are more elusive, such as the endangered Gouldian finch, the vulnerable red goshawk, and nocturnal animals such as the Kakadu dunnart.
Contact us today to get started customizing your own Australian adventure!