July 10-11,
Hi All,
Below is the itinerary for Day 1 and Day 2 of our Top End road trip. Top End is what the northern part of the Northern Territory is called…..maybe 200-300 miles around Darwin. We did a 5 Day Litchfield, Katherine, Kakadu and Arnhem Land private charter tour!!! It was coordinated by Venture North who we highly recommend.
We first started looking at various tours when we were in Cairns….about 4 weeks prior to departure…..from day tours to 5 day tours……and we found a lot was booked……school holiday don’t you know. But Aaron at Venture North puts together custom tours so all we had to do was tell him what we liked and he did the rest…..wow, that was just perfect for us!!
Luke was our guide…..what a nice young man…..had many qualities of our two sons so we had an instant rapor!!!And, it turned out he knew many of the guides we had used on our Australian road trip…..when we were at Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island and Freycinet on Tasmania……AND…..it turns out Venture North runs a coastal camp on Coburg Peninsula outside of Black Point, where we had anchored for 3 nights. Luke and company saw Mystic and put it all together that we were the couple doing the tour!!! He guides both here in Top End as well as Tassie and hopes to have enough saved to do some more traveling in the next few years. We hope to see him again in SE Asia, and maybe Alaska and in California!!!
I did add a gallery full of pictures……198 pictures…..whoa! https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Top-End-Northern-Territory
Day 1 Itinerary:
Depart your Darwin accommodation at 07.00am for the beginning of your 5-day Top End safari. Our destination this morning is Litchfield National Park. Located just over an hour south of Darwin Litchfield comprises of a central sandstone plateau which supports rich woodland flora communities. Patches of monsoon rainforest thrive in the deep, narrow gorges and wildlife such as wallabies and birds flourish in the Park.
Two of Litchfield’s most famous waterholes are Buley Rockhole and Florence Falls, both of which we will visit today. Here you will have the opportunity to swim and also snorkel in the crystal clear pool below Florence Falls and relax in the cascading pools at Buleys.
After a picnic lunch we will also visit the Magnetic Termite Mounds. These gigantic termite mounds stand up to 2m tall, having been erected in a north-south orientation which acts as a built in temperature control. These ‘tombstone’ like structures make the area look eerily like a giant cemetery.
Next we will travel to Tolmer Falls. The caves near Tolmer Falls are home to the rare Orange Horseshoe and Ghost Bats. Here your guide will show you a secret swimming spot.
Mid-afternoon we will depart Litchfield and travel to Katherine and the Nitmiluk National Park, home to Katherine Gorge.
Overnight: Cicada Lodge (luxury king room)
Every day was jammed packed, from early morning to dinner at night….no naps for John-boy:(((!!!! We walked about 3 miles on day 1 and saw 3 waterfalls, swam in all 3, and then had a delicious dinner at the Cicada Lodge. The Lodge was great……a 4.5 star luxury lodge in the middle of Katherine NP….totally unexpected!!! We got in a little before 7…..uh sir, dinner starts at 7 but take your time, of course, the drinks are on us…..ok, 5 minutes later we are sipping champagne and watching the last of the sun go down…..then a 3 course dinner……a lovely prawn entree, beef filet for the main, and a dessert…..hmmmm, must have not been too good as neither one of us can remember what we had…..all paired with great wine/port!!
Day 2 Itinerary:
This morning we will collect some canoes for a leisurely morning on the water. Canoeing through this picturesque wilderness area enables you to experience the gorge at its best. This ancient gorge was created over millions of years by the Katherine River cutting deep crevices into the sandstone below. Enjoy the morning paddling through the first gorge at your own pace.
This afternoon we’ll tour around Katherine and visit the Cutta Cutta Caves. These limestone caves are unique to this area and have formed a large underground system of caverns covered in stalactites and stalagmites.
Late afternoon we’ll join a dinner cruise on Katherine Gorge. Learn more about the spirit, history and culture of the Jawoyn people as you cruise along the first two tranquil gorges.
Overnight: Cicada Lodge (luxury king room)
Katherine Gorge: “Nitmiluk National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 244 km southeast of Darwin, around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls. Previously named Katherine Gorge National Park, its northern edge borders Kakadu National Park. The gorges and the surrounding landscape have great ceremonial significance to the local Jawoyn people, who are custodians of Nitmiluk National Park. In Jawoyn, Nitmiluk means “place of the cicada dreaming”.
Katherine Gorge, a deep gorge carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River, is the central attraction of the park. Katherine Gorge is made up of thirteen gorges, with rapids and falls, and follow the Katherine River, which begins in Kakadu. During the Dry, roughly from April to October, the Katherine Gorge waters are placid in most spots and ideal for swimming and canoeing. There may be freshwater crocodiles in most parts of the river, as they nest along the banks, but they are harmless to humans. Saltwater crocodiles regularly enter the river during the wet season, when the water levels are very high, and are subsequently removed and returned to the lower levels at the onset of the dry season. Thus, swimming in the wet season is prohibited. Cruises of various lengths go as far as the fifth gorge.”
Wow…..such beauty in Katherine Gorge. Maybe not the deepest gorge we have seen like the Grand Canyon or Five Canyons in Mexico, but dramatic beauty nonetheless!! The morning canoe, not something we would ordinarily choose for an activity, was a true delight. There was perhaps 30 canoer’s and once spread out over several of the gorges, (there are 13 total, separated by rock/sand bars and they all get flooded during the wet season) we were left alone to listen to the various water sounds and bird life. The colors and rock formations were amazing and somewhat spiritual!! Kathy and I did keep the water between us and the canoe…..conoeing rule #1….but alas, Luke went for a swim iphone and all. Good news…..after about 5 hours of drying in the sun the iphone came back to life…..it was freshwater, you know:))))
That afternoon we visited the Cutta Cutta Caves:
“Cutta Cutta Caves are associated with Barrac Barrac, or Diver Duck dreaming creation stories by the local Jawoyn Indigenous people. Other sources, such as Lonely Planet, claim Cutta Cutta is a Jawoyn word meaning “many stars”, as they believe that caves are where the stars rest during the day. Following European settlement, the main cave was discovered by a stockman around 1900, and has been known by several names. Initially Smith’s Cave, during World War II, servicemen called it 16 Mile Cave. In 1967 the caves were placed under the management of the Northern Territory Reserves Board as the Sixteen Mile Caves Reserve, and guided tours commenced. In 1979, the park changed to its current name. Cutta Cutta Cave extends 750 m (2,460 ft), with 240 m (790 ft) accessible to the public with lighting and walkways. Inside the caves you may see sparkling limestone formations of stalactites and stalagmites and five different species of bats including the rare ghost and leaf-nosed bats.”
The caves had some very unusual formations and but unfortunately the bats had moved further into the caves and we were not allowed to see them:(((
Then it was back to Katherine Gorge for our sunset dinner tour. We got back around 4pm from the caves and Luke says…..well, you have about 5 minutes to change as we need to be there in 10 minutes……yikes…..but we made the change and were close to last ones aboard…..oh, and because he is a charmer, they let him come along to chaperon us:))) The cruise was excellent……saw several fresh water crocodiles…..freshies, much smaller than the saltwater crocs or salties!! The sun setting in the gorge made for some spectacular colors on the walls and rocks!!
Dinner was excellent as well…..complimentary champagne, a kangaroo and prawn entree, alongside a cup of crocodile bisque; I had the local Baramundi fish and Kathy had a huge duck breast, and then creme brulee for dessert!!! We sat next to a couple from Perth who were on an extended caravan trip to Cairns…..the lady had fallen the day before and broken her arm near her shoulder. She was headed to Darwin the next day for surgery. This cruise was a birthday present for her husband and they havd been planning this for a year or so and she was determined not to ruin the birthday. They had been married 45 years, and it was a true delight to get to know them and see the love……and she and Kathy commiserated with stories of Kathy’s broken shoulder and the roadtrip we took 6 weeks thereafter in 2011!!!
I will stop the blog here as it is getting long and will pick it back up on Day 3!!
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
REST MYSTIC REST
PS: I did add a few more pictures to the last blog…Passage from Horn to Darwin!!
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