Darwin Campervan & Motorhome Hire

Day 1: Collect your van from your brand's depot, such as the Apollo and Britz branch in Winnellie, about 10 km from the airport, and allow an hour for the handover. Stock up on groceries as you leave town and check in at a Darwin holiday park. On a Thursday or Sunday evening from late April to late October, catch sunset at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market.

Day 2: Visit the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, whose Cyclone Tracy gallery tells the story of the 1974 storm, then stroll the Darwin Waterfront. Buy your Kakadu park pass and an NT Parks Visitor Pass online, as you need both on this trip, and fill the fuel and water tanks for tomorrow.

Day 3: Drive about 1.5 hours south to Batchelor, the gateway to Litchfield National Park, then head in to the magnetic termite mounds. Cool off at Buley Rockhole or Florence Falls, swimming only where signs say it is open. Stay two nights at a holiday park in Batchelor or a Litchfield campground booked online in advance.

Day 4: Reach Wangi Falls early, before the car park fills, for a swim if the plunge pool is open and the walk up through the monsoon forest. Stop at the Tolmer Falls lookout on the way back. Leave 4WD tracks, such as the road to the Lost City, to suitable vehicles, as 2WD hire terms ban them.

Day 5: Allow 3 to 3.5 hours to Jabiru, about 280 km via the Stuart and Arnhem highways, stopping at the Mamukala wetlands to watch for birds. Kakadu passes cost $40 per adult in the dry season. Call in at the Bowali Visitor Centre near Jabiru, open 9am to 5pm, to check the access report, and stay the night in Jabiru.

Day 6: Drive about 45 minutes to Merl campground, 3 km from Ubirr, and set up for the night. Watch crocodiles from the Cahills Crossing viewing platform, never from the crossing itself, then walk past the Ubirr rock art galleries to the lookout for sunset over the Nadab floodplain.

Day 7: Drive about an hour to Burrungkuy (Nourlangie), where the gates open from 7am to 7pm, and walk through the shaded rock shelters of its World Heritage-listed art site. Take in the escarpment from Nawurlandja lookout, then continue to Cooinda, about 30 minutes, and stay two nights at Cooinda or the Mardukal campgrounds nearby.

Day 8: Take an early Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) cruise, which runs all year, to see saltwater crocodiles and birdlife, booking ahead. Spend the hot middle of the day at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Jim Jim and Twin Falls are 4WD only and closed for 2026, so refuel at Cooinda instead of heading south-east.

Day 9: Head south on the sealed Kakadu Highway through Pine Creek to Katherine, about 255 km, allowing 3 to 4 hours. Soak in the Katherine Hot Springs, then drive about 30 km to Nitmiluk National Park and stay two nights at the campground near the visitor centre.

Day 10: Book a morning cruise on Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, where 13 gorges cut through the sandstone, or walk to the lookouts above the first gorge before the heat builds. Swimming and canoeing in the gorge open only once rangers have checked for crocodiles, so check NT Parks first.

Day 11: Drive about 1.5 hours to Mataranka and float down the clear, spring-fed Bitter Springs in Elsey National Park, about 2 km from town, checking access first, as flooding can close it in the wet. Visit the Mataranka Thermal Pool too, then stay at a holiday park in town.

Day 12: Take an easy 2 hour run south, about 170 km, as the savanna opens out along the Stuart Highway. Turn off to Daly Waters for lunch at its historic outback pub, refuel, and spend the night at the campground behind the pub.

Day 13: Today is a long one, about 405 km and 4.5 hours, so start early and break at Elliott or the Newcastle Waters rest area. Watch for road trains and stock on the unfenced highway. In Tennant Creek, restock with groceries, water and fuel, and stay at a caravan park in town.

Day 14: Visit the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre, checking its hours first, then drive about an hour south to Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles. The granite boulders are a sacred site, so stay on the marked paths. Camp at the reserve's campground and watch the boulders glow at sunset.

Day 15: Catch sunrise over the boulders, then allow about 4.5 hours for the 400 km run to Alice Springs, passing the Tropic of Capricorn marker just north of town. Check in at a holiday park for two nights and climb Anzac Hill at sunset for views over the town and the MacDonnell Ranges.

Day 16: Spend the cool of the morning at the Alice Springs Desert Park, then drive about 25 km west to Simpsons Gap, on a sealed road, to look for rock-wallabies. Buy your Uluru-Kata Tjuta park pass online, and restock with food, water and fuel for the Red Centre.

Day 17: Allow about 5 hours plus stops to Kings Canyon on the sealed route: south on the Stuart Highway to Erldunda, west on the Lasseter Highway and north on Luritja Road. The shorter Mereenie Loop and Ernest Giles Road are unsealed and off limits in many 2WD hires. Stay at Kings Canyon Resort or Kings Creek Station.

Day 18: Start the 6 km Kings Canyon Rim Walk at first light, as it takes 3 to 4 hours, opens with a steep climb and must be started before 9am on days forecast to reach 36°C. Then drive about 3.5 hours to Yulara and check in at Ayers Rock Campground, as there is no camping inside the national park.

Day 19: Walk the 10.6 km Uluru base walk from the Mala car park early, or join the ranger-guided Mala walk, finishing before 11am on hot days. The park pass is $38 per adult for 3 days. Visit the Cultural Centre, respect signs asking you not to photograph sensitive sites, and watch sunset from the viewing area.

Day 20: Drive about 50 km to Kata Tjuta for the Valley of the Winds, a 7.4 km circuit that closes beyond Karu Lookout from 11am on 36°C days, and take no photos of the domes on this walk. In the afternoon, allow about 3 hours east to the roadhouse at Erldunda and stay the night.

Day 21: Drive about 200 km, around 2 hours, north to Alice Springs. Refuel, empty the waste tanks and return the van before your depot closes, as some shut mid-afternoon. One-way fees apply, for example AU$300 with Britz on pick-ups from Darwin up to 31 March 2027, so check one-way availability and the total for your dates.

Day 1: Collect your van, allowing about an hour for the handover, then stock up on groceries and buy your Kakadu and NT Parks passes online. Settle into a Darwin holiday park, and on a Thursday or Sunday in the dry season, head to the Mindil Beach Sunset Market for dinner and a sunset over the water.

Day 2: Head east on the Arnhem Highway, about 3 hours and 250 km to Jabiru, stopping at the Mamukala wetlands as you enter Kakadu. Show your park pass, $40 per adult in the dry season, and visit the Bowali Visitor Centre to check which sites are open. Stay the night at a campground in Jabiru.

Day 3: Drive about 45 minutes to the East Alligator River and walk the Bardedjilidji sandstone loop in the cooler morning. Set up at Merl campground, then watch crocodiles from the Cahills Crossing viewing platform. In the late afternoon, walk past the Ubirr rock art galleries to the lookout for sunset.

Day 4: Drive about an hour to Burrungkuy, where the gates open from 7am to 7pm, and walk through the World Heritage-listed rock art shelters. Loop around Anbangbang Billabong for the birdlife, then camp at the Djarradjin (Muirella Park) campground, which has toilets and showers, and catch sunset from Nawurlandja lookout.

Day 5: Drive about 30 minutes to Cooinda for a Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) cruise, booked ahead, to see saltwater crocodiles, waterbirds and wetlands. Spend the hottest hours at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, where artists and weavers often demonstrate their work. Stay two nights at Cooinda or the Mardukal campgrounds.

Day 6: Take it slowly today, walking only in the cooler hours and drinking plenty of water. Book a scenic flight over the Arnhem Land escarpment, or a sunset cruise on Yellow Water. Jim Jim and Twin Falls are 4WD only and closed for 2026, so refuel at Cooinda before leaving the park.

Day 7: Head south on the sealed Kakadu Highway through the Mary River region to the old gold mining town of Pine Creek, then on to Katherine, about 255 km in all, allowing 3 to 4 hours. Soak in the Katherine Hot Springs, restock in town and stay at a holiday park nearby.

Day 8: Drive about 30 km to Nitmiluk National Park and book a cruise on Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, where 13 gorges cut through the sandstone. Walk to the lookouts above the first gorge early, before the heat builds. Stay two nights at the campground near the visitor centre.

Day 9: Hire a canoe if paddling has opened for the season, as swimming and canoeing in the gorge only open after rangers have checked for crocodiles. Otherwise, take a helicopter flight or a longer cruise, and rest at camp through the afternoon heat before a final sunset.

Day 10: Drive about 1.5 hours south to Mataranka and float down the clear, spring-fed Bitter Springs in Elsey National Park, about 2 km from town, checking access first, as flooding can close it in the wet. Visit the Mataranka Thermal Pool too, then stay at a holiday park in town.

Day 11: Head back north through Katherine to Leliyn (Edith Falls), about 170 km and 2 hours. Swim in the plunge pool only if it is open, as swimming areas can stay closed after the wet until rangers have checked them for crocodiles, and walk the loop to the upper pool. Stay at the campground.

Day 12: Drive north via Pine Creek and Adelaide River to Batchelor, about 210 km and 2.5 hours, then head into Litchfield to see the magnetic termite mounds in the softer late afternoon light. Stay two nights at a holiday park in Batchelor or a Litchfield campground booked online in advance.

Day 13: Spend the day between Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole and Wangi Falls, swimming only where signs say it is open. Stop at the Tolmer Falls lookout too. Leave 4WD tracks, such as the road to the Lost City and the Reynolds River Track, to suitable vehicles, as 2WD hire terms ban them.

Day 14: Drive back towards Darwin, about 1.5 to 2 hours, stopping at Berry Springs if you have time. Refuel, empty the waste tanks and tidy the van, then return it before your depot closes, as the Apollo and Britz branch shuts at 3:30pm and asks for returns at least an hour earlier.

Day 1: Collect your van, stock up on groceries and drive about 1.5 hours south to Batchelor, the gateway to Litchfield National Park. Stop at the magnetic termite mounds, then cool off at Buley Rockhole in the late afternoon, swimming only where signs say it is open. Stay at a holiday park in Batchelor.

Day 2: Visit Florence Falls early, taking the steps down to the plunge pool, then drive on to Wangi Falls for a swim if it is open and a walk up through the monsoon forest. Stop at the Tolmer Falls lookout on the way back to Batchelor, and skip the 4WD tracks, which 2WD hire terms ban.

Day 3: Allow 3 to 3.5 hours to Jabiru, about 280 km via the Stuart and Arnhem highways, stopping at the Mamukala wetlands. Show your Kakadu park pass, $40 per adult in the dry season, and check the access report at the Bowali Visitor Centre. Stay the night at a campground in Jabiru.

Day 4: Spend the morning at the Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) rock art site and Nawurlandja lookout, about 40 minutes from Jabiru. In the afternoon, drive to Ubirr, walk past its rock art galleries to the lookout for sunset over the Nadab floodplain, and camp at Merl campground, 3 km away.

Day 5: Drive about 2 hours to Cooinda and take an afternoon Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) cruise, booked ahead, to see saltwater crocodiles and birdlife. Visit the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, then stay at Cooinda or the nearby Mardukal campgrounds. Refuel at Cooinda before tomorrow's drive.

Day 6: Leave Kakadu on the Arnhem Highway, about 3.5 hours to the Adelaide River crossing, and take a jumping crocodile cruise if you like. Detour to Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve for its wetland birdlife, then stay at a holiday park in Humpty Doo or on Darwin's outskirts.

Day 7: Spend the morning at Crocosaurus Cove or the Darwin Waterfront, then refuel, empty the waste tanks and tidy the van. Return it before your depot closes, as the Apollo and Britz branch in Winnellie shuts at 3:30pm and asks for returns at least an hour before closing.