Is Kakadu Open in 2021?

During this time, travelling to Australia’s greatest tourist attractions is a lot trickier, with many of the iconic spots closed for the time being.

Luckily, Kakadu is open for visitors, with these following rules and regulations in place to make this national park a COVID-19 safe attraction.

Park Access

Kakadu National Park is continually open for visitors, offering a stunning terrain of bushland to explore. All visitors entering the park must purchase a parking pass prior to entering. If you are planning on travelling with a tour, the staff will organise your pass into your ticket price, so you don’t need to organise yourself. Otherwise, if you are travelling alone, you must be able to present your park pass at all times of your travels, with no passes resulting in fines or guests being restricted to enter Kakadu. Park passes can be purchased online, at Cooinda Lodge reception, or Bowali Visitor Centre.

Camping grounds

Kakadu National Park has many camping grounds available for visitors, all scatted within the bushland, the clifftops, or nearby the swimming spots. Although these camping grounds don’t exactly open or close, there are gates which close during the night-time, with these fences in place to keep overnighters safe at nightfall from predators and cyclones. Kakadu has campgrounds in all seven regions of its terrain, with visitors able to choose their preference depending on the scenery they are after and the facilities on offer. Some of the grounds have toilets, showers and picnic tables and fire pits, whereas others are discounted from anything to give travellers the full camping experience. Majority of these camping grounds operate on a first-come, first-served basis, with no bookings allowed. However, camping fees are put in place, with the onsite campground manager collecting your cash when you arrive.

Why some sections can be closed

Although the majority of Kakadu is open for visitors, some of the areas remain shut. One of the main reasons for these closed regions of the national park is due to seasonal closures, with certain roads, wetlands, waterfalls and other sections closed due to floods, droughts, and other natural occurrences. In the wet seasons, some roads can be inaccessible and lead to your 4WDs to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. With the wetlands, in the dry season, the region drys up, with nothing much to see until the opening of the wetter months! Other areas may be closed for cultural reasons. Some popular spots can be closed for days if the area is being used for cultural ceremony or tradition by the traditional owners. Or other regions may be closed permanently due to its being a sacred site, and restricted to visitors to respect the traditional owner’s wishes.

Related article: What is the average temperature in Kakadu?

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