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► 2010 (6)

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Kakadu National Park

I felt very lazy booking the 9 day tour, but it is lovely to have someone telling you when to eat, sleep and get up ...

I don't have to worry about finding a hostel or getting food (which was good, because when I returned to the hostel after the first 3 days someone had stolen some of my food in the kitchen, but I didn't really mind as I got it for free anyway) and the guide makes sure you don't miss out on any sights, animals or such things. To top ut up, the people in the group were great, we bought some beers, made a campfire and had a wonderful time, and we're all going on the same next 3 day tour.

The group was varied with young and old, couples and singles, Germans, Italians, Irish, American, Australian and Dutch. Some were more talkative than others, but it's always like that. Language turned out to be a bit of a problem, though. Backpackers traveling in pairs seem to have greater difficulties learning English and I suspect they only understood 20% of what the guide said, which can be quite dangerous at times, and I realise now why they have German speaking guides at some tours.

The tours start very early in the morning (usually around 5.30 am or earlier), but I don't really mind, the mornings are cooler and the sunrise is always worth it! We all help preparing food and doing the dishes, then pack up ours stuff and get going as the guide tells us about the day's plans and whether we should bring swimwear and hiking shoes and reminds us to use sunscreen and drink plenty of water. Most campsites have lovely pools, and there is usually a swim included during the day as well.

The tents in the permanent campsites

There was plenty of wildlife to see. On a river cruise we saw lots of crocodiles (both saltwater and freshwater ones) and many different bird species. The camp sites were swarming with wallabies at night, and on the road we saw the famous termite mounts, dingos and wild horses. The freshwater lakes were filled with fish and there were butterflies everywhere. One thing that I had managed to completely erase from my memories of Australia, though, is the flies! They are absolutely everywhere in the bush, trying to get into your ears, nose or mouth. They love sweaty backpackers and campsite food.

This croc sat on the beach, opsing for photos. He's around 1.5 meters long.

A little rock wallaby hiding. They're so cute!

The sunset at one particular Aboriginal site was spectacular (some scenes from Crocodile Dundee were actually shot here - have to watch that movie again!), as was the ancient rock art and the roch formations themselves. The endless red dirt roads (bumpy ride, but good fun) and stunning landscape, trees with trunks burnt black, but still bursting with green leaves as the fires usually only burn dried leaves and grass), red, black and orange rocks, white sandy beaches with pink and purple boulders strewn across, beautiful clear lakes (filled with crocs though, so there is usually no swimming) and so on. We visited two famous waterfalls (dried up in the dry season though, but during wet season they're only accessible from the air) and had a lovely swim at one of them - very nice when it's over 30 degrees and the sweat is pouring off you!