How many days do you need in Darwin and the Top End?
Three days is the one to book. A day reaches Litchfield or Kakadu and back. Three days gets Kakadu's gorges and rock art without rushing, and five adds Katherine Gorge and Arnhem Land. Everything leaves from Darwin and comes back to it, from $179.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Darwin is a small city with an enormous amount of country behind it. Kakadu alone is about half the size of Switzerland, so how many days you give the Top End decides whether you see it or drive through it.
What each length reaches
| If you have | You reach | Trip | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| **A day** | **Litchfield** — waterfalls and swimming, a 450km round trip | 1 Day Litchfield Tour | $179 |
| A day | Kakadu and Ubirr rock art, around 615km | 1 Day Kakadu Tour | $249 |
| A day | Katherine Gorge, with a two-hour boat cruise | 1 Day Katherine Gorge Tours | $339 |
| A day | **Arnhem Land** with a traditional Aboriginal guide, on a permit | 1 Day Arnhem Land & Injalak Hill | $345 |
| **Two days** | Kakadu with a night in the park and the wetlands cruise | 2 Day Kakadu Tour | $815 |
| **Three days** | Kakadu properly — gorges and rock art, in a 4WD Troopy | 3 Day Kakadu Tour | $729 |
| Three days | Kakadu and Litchfield together, around 1,070km | 3 Day Kakadu & Litchfield Tour | $955 |
| **Five days** | Kakadu, Litchfield and Katherine Gorge, around 1,900km | 5 Day Kakadu, Litchfield & Katherine Gorge | $1799 |
| Five days | Kakadu and Koolpin Gorge, the remote version | 5 Day Kakadu & Koolpin Gorge Safari | $1799 |
Every one picks up from your Darwin accommodation. Prices update on their own.
The honest version
- One day, take Litchfield. It is closer, the swimming holes are the point, and far more of the day is out of the vehicle. Kakadu in a day is around 615km and a lot of it is the road.
- Two days adds a night in the park and the wetlands cruise, which is where the crocodiles and the birdlife are.
- Three days is the sweet spot. The gorges and the rock art both fit, which is the difference between seeing Kakadu and passing through it.
- Five days reaches Katherine Gorge and Koolpin, which the shorter trips cannot.
Getting to Kakadu
- There is no public transport, so it is a tour or a hire car.
- Every trip here includes Darwin accommodation transfers, both ways.
- Park entry is usually included — Kakadu charges at the gate and the trips normally cover it.
- Arnhem Land needs a permit, which the trips arrange. It is Aboriginal land and you go with a traditional owner as your guide.
The trips
1 Day Litchfield Tour 1 day$1793 Day Kakadu Tour 3 days, 2 nights$7293 Day Kakadu & Litchfield Tour 3 days, 2 nights$9555 Day Kakadu, Litchfield & Katherine Gorge 5 days, 4 nights$1799
People also ask
- Which Kakadu tour should I do from Darwin?
- What day trips can you do from Darwin?
- What is a Litchfield tour like?
- Where should I go in Australia?
Where this comes from. Each operator's own itinerary, distances and inclusions sheet, as held on that trip's page here. Prices are the current from price and update on their own.