Kakadu & Top End
Kakadu Highlights No. 8
Aug 23 - Sep 5, 2015
- Plenty of time for swimming, relaxing and enjoying the natural world around you.
- 3 separate walks. Graveside, the bext collection of permanently flowing cascades in Kakadu; Dinner Creek, the most restricted bushwalking area in in the park, and Koolpin-Freezing with its beautiful gorges.
- More than just walks. The trip is a wonderful experience you'll never forget.
Section 1: Graveside Area: Aug 23-30
This section begins with the drive from Darwin. 350 km of bitumen is followed by 45 km on a rough dirt trak so the drive takes most of the day. A short walk brings us to our first campsite. You spend the next six days exploring the Graveside area which contains the greatest concentration of permanently flowing creeks we have found in Kakadu. You walk through deep gorges and, if you wish, you can take advantage of the nicest natural waterslide we have found.
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On the final full day, you drive out to Cooinda where you enjoy hot showers and a pub meal. The next morning you do the Yellow Waters cruise which gives you a great view of the wetlands wildlife.
Section 2: Dinner Creek: Aug 29 - Sep 2
This section overlaps with the first and includes the night at Cooinda. Following the cruise the next morning we drive to southern Kakadu and begin our walk along Dinner Creek, one of the little known wonders of the park.
Despite its beauty, Dinner Creek remains little known because it is so sensitive for both environmental and cultural reasons that only 12 groups per year are permitted into the area and group size is limited to 9 people.
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Dinner Creek is one of the shadiest areas where we walk. Much of the walking is done with day packs from a base camp. It is one of the few permanent creeks in the area. The beautiful pools are perfect for swimming.
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There is more. This walk visits one of the most unusual geological formations in Kakadu. We won't include a picture as we don't want to spoil the surprise.
Section 3: Koolpin and Freezing Gorges: Sep 2-5
Although Koolpin is only a short drive fom Dinner Creek, it is a completely different environment with larger, more open gorges and a wealth of Aboriginal paintings. And, as with all our trips in Kakadu, there are beautiful pools, perfect for swimming.
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From Koolpin, we walk over to Freezing Creek which passes through the deepest, narrow gorge we know of in the park. The photo at right shows a grop floating packs throgh Freezing Gorge.
Terrain and difficulty.
Graveside is a relatively easy walk. There is one steep climb and some rock hopping but the leisurely pace ensures that there is always plenty of time to swim and relax.
Dinner Creek is one of the easiest walks we offer in Kakadu. Much of the walking with full packs is on fairly flat ground. Much of the walking is done with day packs from a base camp. There is some rock hopping and a few small climbs.
Koolpin-Freezing The walk up Koolpin and across to Freezing Gorge includes a couple of fairly steep,
but short climbs and a fair amount of rock hopping. In Freezing Gorde, you have the choice of floating your
pack for about 30 metres or doing a long, steep climb up and around the gorge. Most people choose the float.
At the end of the hike, the walk down lower Freezing Creek includes lots of rock hopping and one section where
you have to scramble over huge rocks. It's slow but most people don't find it too hard.
Your rewards are waterfalls, wildflowers, an incredible Kakadu wilderness experience and an Aboriginal cultural experience of a kind that no other operator can offer you.
Kakadu Highlights No. 8 detailed trip notes.
For more information about this trip or to find out how to book email us for Kakadu Highlights No. 8 Information
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