Kakadu Or Litchfield National Park: Wet Season Comparison.

Kakadu National Park.

Australia’s largest national park, Kakadu, is part of the wetlands region and is laregly flat and made up of rivers and creeks snaking across the landscape. Rising dramatically from the extensive plains are stunning escarpments that house intriguing Aboriginal rock art and powerful, thundering waterfalls.

Kakadu Waterfalls.

Unfortunately, during the wet season, most of the waterfalls are closed, but even when they are not, access is largely only for capable 4WD.

Jim Jim Falls & Twin Falls. (Flight)

If you are willing to take to the skies, you not only get a breathtaking view of the unimaginably vast untamed wilderness that is Kakadu National Park, you also get a spectacular birds-eye view of two of the parks most famous, staggeringly beautiful landmark features in full flow, Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls. (And even some bonus hidden waterfalls.)

Vehicular access to these falls even during the dry season is rough, with only the most capable and self-sufficient 4WDs being able to take the drive. This road is so rugged that rental companies have black-listed it, even if you hire a 4WD, which makes seeing the falls from the sky during the wet season more inviting. (Flights don’t go over Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls in the dry season.)

Spontaneous Waterfalls.

Even if you don’t have a 4WD or wish to take a flight, you might see a spontaneous waterfall. Due to all the heavy rain that sometimes persists for hours, sometimes those waters gather enough and create a new waterfall, however, they’re not guaranteed and are often fleeting. Burrungkuy(Nourlangie) is a nice 2WD accessible place to spot one of these temporary waterfalls. 

Kakadu’s Landscape.

While numerous walks and roads are seasonally closed during the wet season, there is still enough to keep your days busy as you traverse through Kakadu. 

Cliffs, Escarpments and Lookouts.

Spectacular walks include the three culturally significant sites of Ubirr, Burrungkuy(Nourlangie) and Nanguluwurr. These walks take you to ancient aboriginal rock art sites and shelters, but more on that later. Not only are they significant to the history of the Aboriginal people, but the protruding cliffs that rise above the landscape are also breathtaking to behold.

Litchfield National Park.

Litchfield National Park may be significantly smaller than its enormous neighbour, but what it lacks in comparative size, it more than packs a massive punch. Although the 4WD tracks are seasonally closed during the wet season, most of the walks along the 2WD road around the park are open and so breathtakingly beautiful that you won’t feel like your missing out.

Litchfield’s Waterfalls.

Much of Litchfield‘s appeal is its staggeringly beautiful waterfalls. It is waterfall heaven, and none-so-more is it realised than during the wet season when heavy rains flood the rivers. The resulting thunderous waterfalls making their way over spectacular cliffs are nothing short of breathtaking. 

Wild Swimming Waterfalls.

Not only is it incredible to view such a powerful, serene scene at its fullest and most beautiful, but a few of them are also some of the best wild swimming holes in Australia.

Florence Falls, Buleys Rockhole, the top of Tjaetaba Falls and the Upper Cascades are all swimmable year-round, although the latter three might not be all that great when the rain stops and the water flowing through them dwindles as the dry season progress.

But in the wet season, when they are full, gushing and spectacular, wild swimming in these beautiful natural pools is refreshing and unforgettable, especially after a hot and humid walk to get there.

Meanwhile, the incredible Wangi Falls is still open for walks but is seasonally closed for swimming during the rainy season. 

Tolmer Falls.

Another waterfall walk that is open during the monsoon season is Tolmer Falls. Swimming is not permitted there any time of year, but that doesn’t mean it’s skippable. It is not only staggeringly beautiful, but the gorge and the cascades are also breathtaking. It makes for a fantastic place to watch the day end and see the sun dip below the horizon.

Kakadu National Park.

Aboriginal Rock Art.

Three renowned rock art sites dating back up to 20,000 years are usually visitable during the bookend months of the calendar year. 

Sites such as Ubirr and Burrungkuy(Nourlangie) are the ones that everyone hits up, as the walks are short, which is a hell of a lot more tolerable under a summer sky than the 4km walk that leads to Nanguluwurr.

That being said, Nanguluwurr’s rock art is beautiful and enchanting, and the cliff face the artistry sits upon is breathtaking, making a lonely walk through the park a worthy one.

While Nanguluwurr’s rock art was a personal favourite of mine, at Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) you learn of the Dreamtime Lightning Man & Rainbow Serpent who play a huge role in Aboriginal culture whilst walking through and amongst incredible breaks in the cliffs faces to see where the indigenous Australians sheltered before arriving at an incredible lookout.

INCLINE GALLERY.

(Unfortunately, due to the El Nina making the sky cry more than usual, I was unable to visit the most popular rock art site Ubirr so I can’t say too much about it, but it is normally open during a regular monsoon season.)

Aboriginal Displays.

In addition to the ancient art painted at the base of spectacular cliffs, there’s also the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Yellow Water and the Marrawuddi Gallery at Bowali Visitor Centre in Jabiru where you the learn about the landscape and the indigenous way of life. 

Litchfield National Park.

As far as I’m aware, Litchfield National Park doesn’t have any of the cultural things that Kakadu prides itself on.

Kakadu National Park.

To put it into perspective, a circuit trip from Darwin around Litchfield National Park is approximately 300km. 

Litchfield National Park.

A drive around Kakadu starting and finishing at the capital is more than double at almost 700km which is a long-ass way to travel in just a few days.

Kakadu National Park’s Roads.

If Kakadu has so far tickled your fancy, you might consider otherwise if you’re considering hiring a 2WD or an SUV. Like Litchfield, the main road through the park is asphalt and in good nick, there are a few roads to walk that are unsealed and some that you definitely can’t get to in a low clearance vehicle. 

The walks that you are able to access in a 2WD on a bitumen road are Burrungkuy (Nourlangie), Nawurlandja Lookout, Ubirr and Gungural.

Access to Nanguluwurr, Bukbukluk is a decent unsealed road, while Kuraba Pools, Ikoymarrwa Rock Hole would all require a more capable 4WD. 

(I was unable to go to Yurmikmik due to flooded roads however it is usually open during the monsoon seasons. I believe that one is a quite corroded road ordinarily.)

Litchfield National Park Roads.

If you are travelling to Litchfield, however, you’re in luck. All of the walks that are open during the dry season are just off the main road and are sealed and in good condition. The only exception is Tabletop Swamp which is a dirt road (the walk was flooded and not very exciting when I went there), the campgrounds (although I believe campgrounds are okay to access) and Wangi Falls, which while sealed, needs some serious repair (at the time I visited).

Whilst most of Litchfield National Park is a sealed bitumen, there is a stretch of unsealed road in good condition between the top entrance of the park and Berry Springs.

Kakadu National Park.

Kakadu is a largely flat wetland region with stunning escarpments with cultural significance. Most of the waterfalls and some tracks and all 4WD drives are seasonally closed, but the land is green vibrant and awash with flooded rivers and creeks which look vastly different between the wet and the dry season. There’s also Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls. A scenic flight over them is a must.

But Kakadu is also a very long drive, with dirt roads taking you to some of the walks that still remain open during the monsoon season. This can be problematic for 2WD/SUV rental car hirers, especially during a short holiday as you’re going to exceed your kilometres by a large margin as well as being limited to bitumen roads.

For the most part, in my personal opinion, Kakadu doesn’t tick all the boxes for a short holiday in a national park. The experience between the dry season and the wet season wouldn’t differ as greatly. The rivers might be less flooded, the landscape would be less green but the Aboriginal art will still be there and the lookouts will have similar views. And if you come in the dry season, rent a 4WD and access just about everything without having to worry about closures.

Litchfield National Park.

Litchfield, on the other hand, is still mostly open and the waterfalls are always the most spectacular after a lot of rain of which the Top End always has in abundance during the wet season. It’s also fantastic to be able to cool off in the refreshing waterfalls of the plunge pools after working up a sweat in the relentless humidity.

It’s also a much shorter drive than Kakadu, and most of the roads (all of the ones to the waterfalls) are sealed meaning you don’t need to hire a 4WD to make the most out of it. Additionally, the walks are much closer together allowing you to fit more into your day.

Litchfield, however, ticks all the boxes. It’s closer, largely accessible by a 2WD, you’re able to fit more adventure in a day rather than copious amounts of driving, and most importantly, the waterfalls.

No one wants to see a trickling waterfall. While some waterfalls do flow year-round and are beautiful, if you’re coming in the wet season, beautiful becomes epic and epic becomes awe-inspiring.

Not only are the numerous waterfalls incredible to view at full flow, being able to experience swimming in them is something else altogether. And even more rewarding than that is doing on a hot summers day when you’re drenched in sweat and all you want to do is chill.

As for Jim Jim Falls & Twin Falls in Kakadu National Park, well, there are flights from Darwin too so you don’t have to miss out on the Top End’s most spectacular landmarks in full flow.