The best places to camp from Darwin to Kakadu and Katherine

The driving route from Darwin to Katherine via Kakadu and Nitmiluk national parks is a popular one.

But it does require a little planning ahead – including knowing where to pitch your tent. We did the hard work for you: here are the best campsites from Darwin to Kakadu and Katherine.

Warm nights, bright stars, and the rush of nearby waterfalls – camping in the Top End is paradisiacal fare for summer-loving campers.

From May to September, the tropical dry season, rain is off the agenda; and that means camping without a tent fly and enjoying open access to the skies. With the city lights in your rear view mirror, set out from Darwin and explore these idyllic NT campsites.

1. Best places to camp from Darwin to Kakadu (Jabiru)

Mary River

The Arnhem Highway, linking Darwin with the gateway town to Kakadu National Park, carries you across five of the Top End’s eight rivers. Mary River National Park sits roughly at the halfway point along this journey.

If you are in the area at the right time, join an airboat tour of the lush Mary River wetlands, a thriving microcosm of Top End wildlife, birds and fish. Image Courtesy Tourism NT / Steve Strike

Camp at Couzen’s Lookout, where sunset views stretch across a river system teeming with birdlife, crocs, paperbark trees and lotus flowers.

Cost: $3.30 per adult, per night

Facilities: campsite only, but the nearby Shady Camp has toilets and showers

4WD required: yes

Ubirr

One kilometre north of Jabiru you’ll pass the turn-off to Ubirr, one of the most evocative rock art sites in Kakadu.

Sunset looking from the top of Kakadu’s Ubirr rock art site is a must

Merl Campground sits three kilometres from the main rock formations, and is a great base for bushwalking along the East Alligator River and seeing the sun descend over the stone country of Arnhem Land.

Cost: $15 per adult, per night

Facilities: toilets, showers and picnic tables

4WD required: no

2. Best places to camp from Kakadu (Jabiru) to Pine Creek

Maguk

Travel south along the highway to visit Maguk, a larger swimming hole tucked behind a rolling trail of rocks and black wattle.

The Maguk waterhole can be serene or for the more adventurous. Image courtesy: Dillon Seitchik-Reardon

The campsite is set in a quiet nook, one kilometre shy of the pools. After you’ve plunged inside Maguk’s sparkling emerald waters, follow the walking trail leading to a serene series of rock pools set above the main swimming zone.

Cost: $6 per adult, per night

Facilities: pit toilets and picnic tables

4WD required: yes

3. Best campsites Pine Creek to Nitmiluk (Katherine)

Umbrawarra Gorge

At this stunning and secluded gorge, red cliffs rise above a small sandy beach. The water here is crystal clear – but be sure to visit early in the dry to see the nearby creek flow (and keep an eye out for rock art on the gorge walls, too).

The Umbrawarra Gorge National parks are a series of isolated gorges with steep craggy red cliffs. The first gorge is well known (and loved) amongst rock climbers. Image Courtesy Tourism NT / Lachlan Gardiner

The Umbrawarra Gorge campsite – close to a tin mine site from the early 1900s – is small and sits one-kilometre back from the waterhole. Take the picturesque walking trail to the gorge early in the morning to maximise your tranquillity levels.

Cost: $3.30 per adult, per night

Facilities: barbeque and toilet

4WD required: yes

Nitmiluk National Park

Camp beside a cavernous gorge at Smitt Rock in Nitmiluk National Park, where red-tailed black cockatoos soar in the sky and a rambling track leads to a swimmable pool.

The spectacular sky as seen from the camp site at Smitt Rock, Nitmiluk National Park.

This is another of the Top End’s most jaw-dropping sites, but you’ll need to devote serious puff to getting here – namely, a 24-kilometre return walk along Nitmiluk’s Southern Walks trail.

Looking down at Smitt Rock during the day, Nitmiluk National Park. Image Courtesy Tourism NT / Shaana McNaught

Cost: $3.30 per adult, per night

Facilities: toilet only

4WD required: no

4. Best campsites Nitmiluk (Katherine) to Darwin

Douglas River Esplanade Conservation Area

Travel along the Stuart Highway and take the scenic route north of Hayes Creek, following Oolloo Road until you reach Douglas River Esplanade Conservation Area.

A top pick for families with young kids, these shallow thermal hot springs feature quiet pools tucked inside a thicket of wattle and melaleuca trees.

The relaxing thermal pools of Tjuwaliyn (Douglas) Hot Springs Nature Park are a hit with all travellers. The springs are an oasis in the middle of the dry woodland, attracting birds and wildlife. like bandicoots, quolls and flying foxes. Image Courtesy Tourism NT / Nathan McNeil

Stroll along the river and picnic on the sandy banks. Nine campsites nudge the surrounding bushland, and a small store sells supplies.

Cost: $6.60 per adult, per night

Facilities: toilet only

4WD required: yes

Litchfield National Park

One hundred and forty kilometres further north lies Litchfield, home to an abundance of achingly pretty waterfalls and swimming holes. The most iconic of these is Wangi Falls.

Breathtaking Wangi Falls at sunset in Litchfield National Park near Darwin in the Northern Territory.

Its campground has all the comforts, including wi-fi. Take the two-kilometre loop walk past a colony of fruit bats for views of the sparkling green lower pools, then pull out your swimwear and lounge beneath the twin falls.

An aerial of Wangi Falls, including the visitor centre and camping facilities at left. Image Courtesy Tourism NT / Dan Moore

Near to the smaller of these streams you’ll find a plunge pool thought to be a traditional fertility site for Litchfield’s Aboriginal people. Other waterholes with camping facilities worth a look in Litchfield include Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole.

Cost: $6.60 per adult, per night

Facilities: showers, toilets, cooking facilities and barbecues

4WD required: no

For more information on things to do in the NT, visit our Ultimate guide to the NT page and the official Northern Territory website.