Northern Territory, Australia
This picture was taken at Jim Jim Falls, Kakadu National Park. It is just one example of many gorgeous places within Australia's Northern Territory. Several national parks within a few hours' drive from Darwin are really worth seeing and offer plenty of opportunity for hiking or bushwalking. Kakadu, Nitmiluk and Licthfield National Parks make a nice circuit that can be explored in a few days. The parks have a wide variety of landscapes, from lowlands that get flooded during the rainy season, to table top mountains, river gorges and beautiful red sandy rock formations.Getting There
Darwin and Alice Springs are the main cities in the Northern Territory. You can fly from every other major city in Australia or you can catch a bus or train. Plane, bus and train passes are a good deal if you are planning to go to several places and you have the time. Some passes are only available to tourists and must be acquired before you get to Australia.To get from Darwin or Alice Springs to the different parks you can rent a car (4WD recommended), join a tour or take a bus.
A good base within Kakadu is the small town of Jabiru, from where you can go on day trips or extended trekking trips. Katherine, to the West, is a good base for Nitmiluk. Litchfield National Park is only a couple hours' drive from Darwin.
Red Tape
For US Citizens, getting to Australia for a short period of time is not complicated. You can obtain a permit to enter the country online. I am not familiar with the requirements for other nationalities so make sure to check with the Australian consulate at least one month in advance. Other than that, I cannot think of any red tape you would have to deal with. Making reservations in advance helps for whatever transport or accommodation you can plan ahead. I found that leaving reservations for the last minute restricted my choice of activities and increased costs.External Links
Good places to start your research:http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/
https://www.nitmiluktours.com.au/
http://en.travelnt.com/explore/darwin/litchfield-national-park.aspx
Camping
There are several camp grounds in the Northern Territory and camping is very popular. Not all of the camp grounds accept reservations online. You may need to call. Camp grounds can get very busy, however, specially during the high tourism season in the Northern Territory, which comprises June and July. At the Nitmiluk National Park campground I found a very convenient arrangement: staying in the Tent Village means that they set up a tent for you ahead of time, with two beds, two pillows, linen and two chairs. For $21 (Australian) you get a tent and dinner!Images
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