Experience the spectacle of Kakadu Kimberley wildlife on this comprehensive 10-day expedition through Australia's most iconic landscapes. Journey from Darwin through the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park to the ancient sandstone ranges and boab-studded plains of the Kimberley, culminating at Lake Argyle near Kununurra. This tour targets around 200 bird species including Australia's most sought-after tropical specialists: spectacular Gouldian Finch drinking at remote waterholes, range-restricted Hooded Parrot in woodland habitats, Rainbow Pitta in monsoon forests, and the elusive Yellow Chat on Lake Argyle's margins. Explore Kakadu's vast wetlands teeming with waterbirds, cruise the legendary Yellow Waters Billabong among crocodiles and herons, marvel at indigenous rock art at Ubirr and Nourlangie spanning thousands of years, and search sandstone escarpments for rock-pigeons and endemic subspecies. Led by Inala Nature Tours' expert guides with deep knowledge of Top End habitats and species, this expedition provides exceptional encounters with northern Australia's unique wildlife in stunning landscapes.
The Top End's diverse habitats support a spectacular array of range-restricted species. Gouldian Finch, Australia's most colorful finch and a critically endangered species in the wild, can be encountered at water sources, often alongside Long-tailed, Masked, Double-barred, and Star Finches. Hooded Parrot, endemic to a small region around Pine Creek, frequents eucalypt woodlands, sharing habitat with Red-winged Parrot, Northern Rosella, and Red-backed Fairy-wren. Kakadu's monsoon forests harbour Rainbow Pitta, elusive Chestnut Rail, and Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, while the Arnhem Land escarpment supports range-restricted Sandstone Shrike-thrush, White-quilled and Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeons, plus the recently split Wilkin's Rock-wallaby.
The vast wetlands host Magpie Goose by the thousands, alongside Pied Heron, Black-necked Stork, Great-billed Heron, and the rare Black Bittern. Lake Argyle provides habitat for the highly localized Yellow Chat and White-quilled Rock Pigeon. Mammals include Short-eared Rock-wallaby, the spectacular Black Wallaroo (restricted to sandstone country), Antilopine Wallaroo, Black Flying-fox colonies, and potentially the northern race of Crested Shrike-tit. Purple-crowned Fairy-wren inhabits Victoria River cane-grass, while Banded Fruit-dove occurs in rainforest pockets.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
This expedition includes small group sizes ensuring personaliSed attention in remote Top End locations where guide expertise is essential for finding cryptic species. All accommodation is carefully selected in Darwin, Kakadu (Jabiru), Pine Creek, Timber Creek, and Kununurra. Inala Nature Tours provides expert specialist guides with experience in northern Australia's tropical birds and mammals, supported by comprehensive 4WD transport essential for accessing remote waterholes, escarpment sites, and unsealed roads.
All meals are included (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), with packed lunches for field days. Special activities including the Yellow Waters Billabong cruise and Lake Argyle boat trip are included, as are Kakadu National Park entry fees. The guides' understanding of seasonal conditions and Top End subspecies provides participants with rich context alongside exceptional wildlife encounters. With experience across Kakadu and the Kimberley and commitment to ethical wildlife observation at sensitive drinking sites, Inala offers unparalleled expertise for this globally significant tropical wilderness.
Who is this tour for?
This tour is perfect for birders seeking iconic species like Gouldian Finch and Hooded Parrot, wildlife enthusiasts wanting to experience Kakadu's wetlands and Kimberley landscapes, photographers seeking colourful finches and dramatic scenery, and anyone interested in indigenous culture and ancient rock art.
Temperature: 28-35°C (April-September dry season), warm to hot days with moderate nights, lower humidity than wet season
Rainfall: Minimal during dry season touring period, though occasional late wet season storms possible in April
Sunshine: 10-11 hours daily with brilliant tropical light, clear blue skies ideal for photography and wildlife observation
Birds: Gouldian Finch, Hooded Parrot, Rainbow Pitta, Banded Fruit Dove, Sandstone Shrike-thrush, White-quilled and Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeons, Partridge Pigeon, White-lined Honeyeater, Yellow Chat, Chestnut Rail, Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, Pictorella and Yellow-rumped Mannikins, Rufous Owl, Large-tailed Nightjar.Â
Mammals: Wilkin’s Rock-wallaby, Black-footed Tree-rat and DingoÂ
Own arrangements for transfer to the hotel on arrival at Darwin airport. The group will meet for drinks and dinner at your Darwin hotel where you can get to know everyone and discuss the plans for the tour with your guide.
Accommodation: Darwin (ensuite hotel room)
Meals included: D
The tour will start in Darwin this morning. Darwin is surrounded by a fantastic diversity of habitat types that we will spend the day exploring for a range of interesting birds and mammals. Mangrove and monsoon forests are especially rich, hosting an impressive range of possible highlights includes the elusive Chestnut Rail, Rufous Owl, Orange-footed Scrub-fowl, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, the striking Rainbow Pitta, Arafura Fantail, Forest Kingfisher, Red-headed Myzomela, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, Mangrove Robin, Green Oriole, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Green-backed Gerygone, Spangled Drongo, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Great Bowerbird, Pheasant Coucal, Pied and Silver-backed Butcherbird, Helmeted Friarbird (coastal subsp gordoni) and Red-collared Lorikeet. Little Red Flying-fox and Agile Wallaby are possible mammal highlights.
Accommodation: Darwin (ensuite hotel room)
Meals included: B L D
This morning we start the day with a visit to Fogg Dam. This well-known site is an excellent area for waterbirds including Magpie Goose, Green Pygmy-goose, Pied Heron, Glossy Ibis, the stately Brolga, White-browed Crake and the quirky Comb-crested Jacana. En route to Kakadu we will enjoy a stop at the Adelaide River crossing for lunch where we may see Mangrove Golden Whistler, Australian Yellow White-eye and a variety of flycatchers like Shining, Paperbark and Broad-billed Flycatchers. As we enter Kakadu, we’ll start seeing iconic waterbirds like Magpie Goose, Plumed and Wandering Whistling-Ducks, Radjah Shelduck, Black-necked Stork, and Green Pygmy-goose. After dinner, if time permits, we may do some spotlighting for nocturnal species such as Barking Owl, Australian Boobook, Tawny Frogmouth, Large-tailed Nightjar and Australian Owlet-nightjar.
Accommodation: Jabiru (ensuite hotel room)
Meals included: B L D
Today we’ll have a full day to explore the incredible Kakadu NP, and first thing this morning visit Ubirr, a site of typical Arnhemland Escarpment rock outcrops, that is home to some impressive aboriginal rock art. The art depicts creation ancestors and animals of the area, including several fish and turtle species, wallabies and possums. Hopefully Wilkin’s Rock Wallabies (a relatively recent split from Short-eared Rock Wallaby) may be present in the shade of the rocks, and birds we may see here include sandstone reliant species such as Sandstone Shrike-Thrush & Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon. Elsewhere throughout the park we’ll hope to connect with tropical woodland species like Partridge Pigeon (red-eyed form, subsp smithii), Rainbow Bee-eater, Black Bittern, Long-tailed Finch and both Rufous-banded & Rufous-throated Honeyeaters. There is a reasonable chance of Red Goshawk in Kakadu as well, so we’ll need to scrutinise the skies at all times. The heat of the day shall be spent in the Jabiru area of Kakadu which will include a visit to the Bowali Information Centre where an interpretive walk-through display explains in some detail the cultural heritage and natural history of the Gagadju (Kakadu) region. The Bininj-Mungguy Indigenous culture dates back tens of thousands of years and there are some fascinating insights there at the centre; the surrounding grounds provide a good chance to see a range of birds. After dinner if we’re feeling energetic, we can spotlight for mammals like Black-footed Tree-rat and Savannah (Sugar) Glider.
Accommodation: Jabiru (ensuite hotel room)
Meals included: B L D
This morning we will make an early visit to Nourlangie Rock where we have a reasonable chance of seeing the range-restricted Black Wallaroo, as well as Banded Fruit-dove, White-lined Honeyeater and the localised form of Purple-backed Fairywren (subsp dulcis). Additional birds in this area are Little Woodswallow, Black-tailed Treecreeper and the sandstone form of Helmeted Friarbird (subsp ammitophila). If time permits, we will also pay a visit to Anbangbang billabong. In the afternoon we will enjoy a cruise on the Yellow Waters Billabong, Kakadu’s best-known wetland. This impressive wetland of channels, swamps and floodplains is a delight to explore and is home to crocodiles a-plenty and a variety of waterbirds including Nankeen Night-heron, Black-necked Stork, Green Pygmy-goose, Little & Azure Kingfishers, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Pied Heron, Plumed, Little & Great Egrets, Glossy Ibis & Australasian Swamphen. The stately Great-billed Heron and Black Bittern may also be seen. We will then enjoy a last look around Kakadu before making our way out of the park and south west towards the Pine Creek area, stopping for any new birds and mammals on the way. After checking in to our accommodations we will have a look about town where the highly sought-after Hooded Parrot may be coming in to water. Red-winged Parrot, Cockatiel, Gouldian Finch, Northern Rosella, Red-backed Kingfisher, the delightful Red-backed Fairywren, Australian Figbird, Great Bowerbird and Masked, Long-tailed & Double-barred Finches are also possible.
Accommodation: Pine Creek (ensuite room)
Meals included: B L D
Today we begin our journey west across the Top End. En route we have additional chances for Hooded Parrot and with luck, we may see the rather uncommon Northern Shrike-tit. We will explore the cane-grass habitat on the fringes of the Victoria River for the lovely Purple-crowned Fairywren and Yellow-rumped Mannikin. Freshwater Crocodiles are common here and, unlike their saltwater cousins, subsist mostly on fish, and thus pose little threat to large mammals (humans included!). Other possible species today include Buff-sided Robin, Red-tailed Black-cockatoo, Cockatiel, Rufous-throated, Black-chinned (Golden-backed) & Banded Honeyeaters.
Accommodation: Timber Creek (ensuite room)
Meals included: B L D
Today will be dedicated to continuing our search for the stunning Gouldian Finch. This area is also home to rich diversity of species and there will be plenty to keep us entertained while we search for our quarry. Highlights may include Spinifex Pigeon, Buff-sided Robin, Varied Lorikeet, Yellow-tinted, Black-chinned (Golden-backed), Singing, Brown, White-throated & Grey-fronted Honeyeaters, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin, Jacky Winter, Grey-crowned Babbler, Horsfield’s Bushlark, Tawny Grassbird, Grey Goshawk, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Spotted Harrier, Star, Zebra, Long-tailed & Masked Finches, and Chestnut-breasted and Yellow-rumped Mannikins. There is a slim chance of Grey Falcon in the area as well.
Accommodation: Timber Creek (ensuite room)
Meals included: B L D
This morning we continue our sojourn west, eventually crossing the Western Australia border. We will be on the lookout for Pictorella Mannikin, as well as Budgerigar, Australian Bustard, Diamond Dove and various raptors as we go, including Square-tailed Kite & Black-breasted Buzzard. While today is a travel day, we will be passing through spectacular countryside and making regular stops to stretch our legs and enjoy any birding highlights. In the late afternoon, we will arrive in Kununurra in the fabled Kimberley area.
Accommodation: Kununurra (ensuite hotel room)
Meals included: B L D
Today we have a full day to explore the riches of the Kimberley in the Kununurra area. A certain highlight is bound to be a boat trip on Lake Argyle, where we will enjoy a wonderful variety of waterbirds, as well as search for two very special birds, the highly sought-after Yellow Chat and White-quilled Rock Pigeon. (Please note – we will need to wade ashore a short distance from the boat in knee-deep water.) Australian Reed-warbler may be seen in the lakeside vegetation, as might White-browed & Baillon’s Crakes, Crimson Finch and Pheasant Coucal. Local conditions will determine where we spend the rest of the day, with additional possible birding highlights such the localised Kimberley form of Purple-backed Fairy-wren, Northern Rosella, Silver-crowned Friarbird, White-gaped Honeyeater, Bar-breasted and Rufous-banded Honeyeaters, and Sandstone Shrike-thrush being possible. Mammals in the area include Short-eared Rock-Wallaby and Northern Nail-tail Wallaby.
Accommodation: Kununurra (ensuite hotel room)
Meals included: B L D
Participants will make their own arrangements for activities today and depart from Kununurra airport. For those flying back to Darwin today, there are 2 flights: Qantas flight QF8648 15:40-18:10 and QF8651 17:30-20:00 (not included in tour price). These are code-shared with Airnorth so please check both websites for the best flight prices.
No transfers have been included in cost.
Accommodation: none
Meals included: B
9 nights’ accommodation, specialist guide and transport, meals, entrance fees and activities as mentioned in the itinerary, National Park entry fees and GST.
International and domestic airfares, gratuities, alcoholic beverages, snacks, internet, laundry or other items of a personal nature.
Additional accommodation: We would be pleased to arrange any additional nights accommodation between this tour and your arrival and/or onward travels.
Meals and drinks: Breakfast generally consists of a continental style breakfast with cereal, fruit and yoghurt and tea/coffee. Full cooked breakfast is not generally offered at most locations. Lunch will generally consist of a packed lunch style meal eaten in the field, with sandwich/filled roll, fruit, and a drink. Dinner usually consists of several options for main with the choice of either an appetiser or dessert. Drinks (soft and alcoholic) are generally not included but at lunches and breakfasts juice may be made available.
The itinerary: Whilst we aim to follow the itinerary as planned, please note that the itinerary provided should only be used as a guideline. Depending on individual trip circumstances, weather, and local information, the exact itinerary may not be strictly adhered to. The guides reserve the right to make changes to the itinerary as they see fit.
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Inala Nature
320 Cloudy Bay Road, Lunawanna
South Bruny Island 7150
Tasmania, Australia
Phone:Â +61 3 6293 1217
Inala Nature acknowledge and pay respects to the palawa people as the traditional and original owners, and continuing custodians of this land, lutruwita, and acknowledges Elders - past and present. Inala Nature Tours and the Inala Foundation Inc are located on lunawanna- alonnah, also known as Bruny Island, the traditional land of the Nuenonne people.
