Arnhem Land weather — what is it like each month?
Go May to OctoberWarm every month; the dry season is when the day trips cross.
Warm every month, and the dry season, roughly May to October, is when to go. At Jabiru, in Kakadu, the nearest weather station to West Arnhem Land and where the Arnhem Land day trips pick up, days average 32°C in June and July and peak at 38°C in October. The dry brings almost no rain: 1mm in June and 2 to 3mm in July and August. These are the months the day trips cross into Arnhem Land at Cahills Crossing. December to March is the green season, with 356mm in January. A day at Injalak Hill is from $345, and Minkinj Valley from $305, with the permit included.
Checked on 28 October 2026.
Arnhem Land never gets cold. What changes through the year is the rain, and the rain decides when you can cross into it. Our trips go into West Arnhem Land, over the East Alligator River at Cahills Crossing from Kakadu, and the nearest weather station is at Jabiru, inside Kakadu, the town where the Arnhem Land day trips pick up at 8:30am. Its figures are below.
Month by month at Jabiru
| Month | Day | Night | Rain | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°C | 25°C | 356mm | The wettest. The green season at its peak |
| February | 33°C | 25°C | 352mm | The country at its greenest |
| March | 34°C | 25°C | 302mm | Still green, starting to ease |
| April | 35°C | 24°C | 86mm | Drying out, with the country still green |
| May | 34°C | 22°C | 16mm | The dry begins. Rain down to 16mm |
| June | 32°C | 20°C | 1mm | The driest and among the coolest. Ideal for the rock art climbs |
| July | 32°C | 19°C | 3mm | The coolest nights, 19°C |
| August | 34°C | 19°C | 2mm | Dry and clear |
| September | 36°C | 22°C | 13mm | Still the dry, warming up |
| October | 38°C | 24°C | 40mm | The hottest month, and the end of the dry |
| November | 37°C | 25°C | 136mm | The rain returns and the country turns green |
| December | 35°C | 25°C | 231mm | The green season begins. Storms most afternoons |
Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Jabiru Airport (station 014198), in Kakadu National Park, from 49 years of records. It is the nearest station we hold to West Arnhem Land, where our trips go; there is none inside Arnhem Land itself.
What each season is for
The dry. May to October
- The season the Arnhem Land days runcrossing the East Alligator River at Cahills Crossing.
- Almost no rain: 1mm in June, 2 to 3mm in July and August.
- The most comfortable days of the year32°C in June and July, with nights down to 19 to 20°C. The best weather for the climb to the rock art galleries at Injalak Hill.
- October is the hottest month at 38°C, and still mostly dry at 40mm.
The green season. December to March
- 231 to 356mm of rain a month, and the country at its greenest.
- Cahills Crossing floods in the wet, so these are the months for Kakadu itself, which stays open with its waterfalls at their best.
So when would we go?
- June to Augustfor the coolest days, the driest weather and the easiest climbing on Injalak Hill.
- May, September or Octoberfor the dry either side, with the day trips running.
- December to Marchfor Kakadu's green season, and come back for Arnhem Land in the dry.
The trips
| Trip | What you see | Group | Effort | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Arnhem Land & Injalak Hill | Injalak Hill: rock art with a traditional Aboriginal guide, on unformed paths with no handrails | Max 16 | — | $345 |
| 1 Day Arnhem Land & Mikinj Valley | Minkinj Valley: rock art beneath a towering escarpment, visited with special permission | Max 17 | — | $305 |
| 5 Day Kakadu, Litchfield, Katherine & Arnhemland | Kakadu, Litchfield, Katherine Gorge and Arnhem Land, around 1,400km over five days with park fees included | Max 24 | — | $1749 |
The two day trips leave Darwin at 5:15am, pick up at Aurora Kakadu at 7:50am and Jabiru at 8:30am, and include a picnic lunch, the park fees and Arnhem Land entry. Effort is rated 1 to 5 on each trip's own page. Prices update on their own.
For how the permit works and which day to pick, see which Arnhem Land trip should you pick, and for the park next door, Kakadu weather by month.
1 Day Arnhem Land & Injalak Hill from $3451 day1 day, Injalak Hill rock art with a traditional guideView trip
1 Day Arnhem Land & Mikinj Valleyfrom $3051 day1 day, Minkinj Valley, with special permissionView trip
5 Day Kakadu, Litchfield, Katherine & Arnhemlandfrom $17495 days, 4 nightsPrivate Safari Camp5 days. Kakadu, Litchfield, Katherine and Arnhem LandView tripPeople also ask
- Which Arnhem Land trip should you pick?
- Can you visit Arnhem Land, and how do you get a permit?
- Kakadu weather by month
- When is the best time to visit Darwin and Kakadu?
Where this comes from. Temperatures and rainfall are Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Jabiru Airport, station 014198, in Kakadu National Park, from 49 years of records: the nearest station we hold to West Arnhem Land. The dry-season timing and Cahills Crossing are as set out in our guide to the Arnhem Land trips. What each trip visits, pick-up times, group sizes and prices are that trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own.