Kakadu Nature's Way
Birding Darwin, Kakadu and Pine Creek (Three Day)  

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• Kakadu Natures Way - Numbers are indicating where spend the night on tour (photo copyright Tourism NT)

  
  Three day, two night tour takes you to dramatic sandstone escarpments and wetlands of Australia's largest National Park, Kakadu. We explore open savannah country around Pine Creek then back to Darwin. This route is called 'Nature's Way'. Total distance covered - 1000 kilometres, see map. 
  
  
• Key species - Rainbow Pitta, Green-backed Gerygone, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Crimson Finch, Long-tailed Finch, Gouldian Finch, Hooded Parrot, Northern Rosella, Red-winged Parrot, Cockatiel, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Buff-sided Robin, Partridge Pigeon, Black-tailed Treecreeper and Sandstone Shrike-thrush. Red Goshawk, Black-breasted Buzzard. Also Kakadu escarpment endemics such as Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon, White-lined Honeyeater and Banded Fruit-dove.
  
  
• Dinner and bird call at one of our favourite restaurants (photo copyright Marg Lacey)

  
  Will this tour suit me? 

  All accommodation is in comfortable air-conditioned rooms with ensuites. We start before dawn and stop for a bush breakfast at beautiful locations surrounded by birdlife at its busiest. Lunch is enjoyed out in the field and dinners are ala carte menus at resorts or restaurants. Groups are small, with a maximum of only six guests. 

• Kakadu entry statement with group from August 2016 tour (photo copyright Mike Jarvis)

  
  Cost - Private Charter - $5595.00 for 2 people, additional persons from $475 extra each. 

• More information - For more information about our tours please click FAQ. To find out more about Kakadu National Park and prepare yourself for a Kakadu tour, watch and enjoy these one hour ABC documentaries Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4  

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Itinerary

DAY 1 - DARWIN to KAKADU
6.00am Pick up from Darwin accommodation
Bush breakfast* and coffee at sunrise at Fogg Dam with water birds, raptors and monsoon forest specialists including Rainbow Pitta and Arafura Fantail.
We head out to Kakadu National Park with some brief stops along the way including South Alligator River and the Mamukala bird hide.
After a picnic lunch at Mamukala, we head out to Burrunggui rock and Anbangbang area (Nourlangie) and view ancient rock art and a magnificent view from Gunwaddewadde Lookout.
On this circuit walk we search out Kakadu escarpment endemics such as Banded Fruit-Dove, White-lined Honeyeater and Black Walleroo.

Other species we look for are Rainbow Pitta, Emerald Dove, Northern Rosella, Partridge Pigeon and Spangled Drongo.
Then we leave Burrunggui for Cooinda.
Dinner and accommodation at Gagadju Lodge, Cooinda

DAY 2 - EXPLORE KAKADU
At 6.00am we depart for the famous Yellow Waters cruise. We are likely to see Black-necked Stork, all the Egret species, Radjah Shelduck, Wandering and Plumed Whistling-ducks, Green Pygmy-goose, Pied Heron, Comb-crested Jacana, Royal Spoonbill, Azure Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher, Buff-sided Robin as well as many large Estuarine Crocodiles.
We return to the Lodge for a buffet breakfast after which we depart Cooinda via Kakadu Highway, and then explore some areas of southern Kakadu on the way out to Pine Creek. The country changes and so do the bird sighting possibilities.

We look out for Australian Bustard in flat open plains and stop at potential Gouldian Finch haunts.
We have a picnic lunch at Pine Creek, and then explore the Pine Creek area. Target species here include Banded Honeyeater, Bar-breasted Honeyeater, Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Budgerigar, Cockatiel, Hooded Parrot, Red-winged Parrot, Varied Lorikeet, Great Bowerbird and Grey-crowned Babbler.
Dinner and accommodation at Pine Creek.

 

DAY 3 - PINE CREEK to DARWIN
We check out early and head south to Edith Falls where we have bush breakfast by a waterhole that is great for finch (including Gouldian Finches!) and parrot sightings. Then we head north towards Darwin.
We enter Litchfield National Park, visiting and stop to at some magnificent waterfalls and the wildlife in the area. Here we often find Dingo, Short-eared Rock Wallaby, Olive Python, Merton’s Water Monitor, Spangled Drongo, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Great Bowerbird, Pheasant Coucal, Pied Butcherbird and Silverbacked Butcherbird.

Litchfield National Park is also one of the few locations in the world where the amazing magnetic termite mounds Artitermes meridianalis are found. We head back to Darwin now via the back route which takes over the beautiful Finniss River. Both Estuarine and Johnston’s Crocodiles are present here. If there is time we will visit Charles Darwin National Park which is a great site for Northern Rosella and Helmeted Friarbird. Also mangrove birds such as Mangrove Robin, Black Butcherbird, Red-headed Honeyeater, Yellow White-eye, Large-billed Gerygone and Mangrove Gerygone.
Return to accommodation in Darwin

*Bush Breakfast - simple fare of cereal, muesli, milk/yogurt, tea or coffee/fruit juice, served at a location where the early morning birdlife can be enjoyed too!