The Legendary Ghan - Arnhem Land with Kakadu

Board The Ghan in Adelaide for an incredible showcase journey of inland Australia. As the train leaves the city heading for the Flinders Ranges and beyond, the dramatic changes in landscape from pastoral land to arid outback scenes will ignite your imagination. Lunch is served on board – this is the first of many superb, chef-prepared gourmet meals, showcasing regional flair and season flavours.

OVERNIGHT: 2 nights The Ghan

After your first night enjoying the fine dining and relaxed comfort of this iconic train, you’ll wake to an unforgettable outback sunrise at Marla – a remote outpost 160 kilometres from the Northern Territory border that marks the start of the Oodnadatta Track. Enjoy the magnificent scenery as you make your way onwards to Alice Springs, where you have a selection of Off Train Experiences to choose from. There’s an experience to suit everyone, from an off-road mountain bike adventure to the Alice Explorer tour, a cultural experience at Standley Chasm, meeting the wildlife at the Desert Park, or taking in the astounding beauty of Simpson’s Gap. Alternatively, take it all in from the air, with an optional upgrade helicopter flight.

When the landscape transforms into rocky gorges and fast flowing canyon streams, prepare to experience one of the Top End’s most impressive natural wonders on a boat cruise along Nitmiluk Gorge. Alternatively, the Katherine Outback Experience lets you into the lives of those who call the outback home. There is also a helicopter flight upgrade available, for those wishing to see Nitmiluk from an aerial perspective. Continue to Darwin, where you’ll disembark The Ghan and be transferred to your overnight accommodation. After checking in, you may wish to explore the Waterfront Precinct with its many restaurants and bars.

OVERNIGHT: 2 nights Hilton Garden Inn Darwin

After breakfast enjoy the morning relaxing or exploring
Darwin at your leisure. Your Outback Spirit Arnhem Land and Kakadu Explorer tour starts this afternoon. You will be met by your friendly and professional Tour Director at Hilton Garden Inn Darwin. This afternoon tour the sights of the city including the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Cullen Bay and Stokes Hill Wharf before returning to our accommodation for the first official night of the tour. Enjoy dinner with your newfound friends at the hotel restaurant.

This morning join your small aircraft flight to Maningrida
and experience a Welcome to Country on arrival. The next two nights are spent at Barramundi Lodge which is owned and operated by Outback Spirit. With special permission from traditional owners, the lodge enjoys exclusive fishing licenses for numerous remote waterways, including the Tomkinson and Liverpool Rivers. The lodge features 12 beautiful safari suites and a restaurant overlooking the floodplains below.

OVERNIGHT: 2 nights Barramundi Lodge

This morning enjoy an exclusive fishing and wilderness adventure on the Liverpool and Tomkinson Rivers - pristine waterways teeming with Barramundi. Your expert fishing guides will take you wherever the fish are biting aboard the sturdy Ocean Master vessels, the pinnacle for remote marine adventures. These boats feature an on-board restroom and shade canopy. Today’s fishing adventure is also a wilderness tour, so even if fishing isn’t your thing, you’ll still enjoy the amazing scenery and informative commentary. You will also visit the Maningrida Arts and Cultural Centre and the Djomi Museum, to delve into the cultural and spiritual richness of the area. Maningrida Arts & Culture is a pre-eminent site of contemporary Indigenous culture expression and art making, and the Maningrida Art Centre empowers local Indigenous artists to pursue successful global careers from their homeland and township bases. Later this afternoon enjoy a sunset drink on the deck before dinner and tell everyone about the one that got away!

Departing Maningrida after breakfast, our travels take us through the stone country of west Arnhem Land. Cross the Goomadeer and Liverpool Rivers before arriving at the turnoff to Davidson’s Arnhemland Safari Lodge, Mount Borradaile. From here we travel along a 40km bush track into the safari lodge, arriving in time for lunch. You’ll then check-in to your cabin, home for the next two nights. This afternoon the expert staff at Mount Borradaile will take you through 40,000 years of Aboriginal culture in a truly awe-inspiring landscape. The area contains some of the most stunning rock art galleries in the world, and in terms of artistic quality, quantity, colourfulness, and state of preservation, it is virtually unrivalled. The walls of the many rock shelters are decorated with innumerable pictures documenting traditional Aboriginal life over many thousands of years. Subjects range from now extinct animals to twentieth century sailing ships and the iconic Rainbow Serpent. Later this afternoon we return to the lodge for dinner.

OVERNIGHT: 2 nights Mount Borradaile

Today we jump into the open-back Toyotas and continue exploring the wonderland that is Mount Borradaile. Learn about the variety of techniques used in rock paintings as the styles changed over thousands of years of occupation and storytelling. You will also wander through various occupation sites and view a range of artefacts from when these sites were still in use. After lunch, it’s time to explore the incredible wetlands of the Cooper Creek. Admire the prolific birdlife and massive crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks as you discover lagoons that seem more from a story book than from real life. As the sun seeks the horizon and sets over the Arnhem Land With Kakadu floodplain, enjoy a glass of wine and nibbles before returning to the lodge for our final night with Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris.

This morning we continue travelling through Arnhem Land. Your first stop is at the Injalak Art Gallery located in Oenpelli, which has over 200 active members including artists, weavers, and craftspeople from Gunbalanya and surrounds. Cross Cahill’s Crossing (keep an eye out for saltwater crocodiles!) and into the World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park. Covering almost 20,000 square kilometres and renowned for its vast wandering wetlands, exotic wildlife, millions of migratory birds and an estimated 5000 ancient rock art sites in the park, the Bininj/Mungguy people have called Kakadu home for some 65,000 years, making it the oldest culture on earth. Here we visit Ubirr art site, home to some of the world's most outstanding rock art. Enjoy a 1-kilometre circular track walk and take in the multiple sites. Those feeling fit can make the steep 250-metre climb to the top of the rocky escarpment for magnificent views across the Magela floodplain. After lunch we visit the cultural centre before checking into the Mercure Crocodile Hotel for our two-night stay. Tonight, we dine at the hotel.

OVERNIGHT: 2 nights Mercure Crocodile Hotel

This morning, we take to the water for the Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) wetlands cruise. This area is home to an array of birdlife and some impressive saltwater crocodiles. Then we depart for Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) rock art site,
with more amazing rock paintings dating back 20,000 years. There are several sites and galleries to see. You also have the opportunity to climb up to the Gunwarddehwarde lookout for majestic views! We return to the Mercure Crocodile hotel in time for dinner.

It's an early start today as we head to the airstrip, where you'll gain an aerial perspective on this incredible
environment. Take to the skies on a 30-minute scenic flight over ancient escarpments, floodplains and winding rivers, exhibiting the results of 1.8 billion years of continuous erosion. Your flight includes live commentary from your pilot as you glide over these spectacular ancient lands. Setting our sights for Darwin, we will cross the South Alligator River with its expansive wetlands which, for many years, were used for buffalo hunting. We'll travel via Humpty Doo before arriving into Darwin where your 8 Day Arnhem Land and Kakadu Explorer tour comes to an end.