Guluyambi Cultural Cruise, Kakadu: Review

The Guluyambi Cultural Cruise on the East Alligator River in Kakadu National Park overplays the cultural aspect. But the escarpment scenery is stunning, you’ll almost certainly see crocodiles and it is the cheapest way to visit the Arnhem Land.

The Guluyambi Cultural Cruise is an unusual way of exploring Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory. The cruise has definite strength and weaknesses, and is not going to be to everyone’s taste.

To do the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise as part of a day tour from Darwin, book here.

In a nutshell, the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise is a two hour cruise along the East Alligator River. This river forms the boundary between Kakadu and Arnhem Land. It is also notoriously full of crocodiles.

Crocodile-spotting forms a significant part of this Kakadu cruise, which departs just upstream from Cahills Crossing near Ubirr.

4 Kakadu experiences worth booking in advance

Full day Kakadu tour from Darwin.

Corroboree Billabong wetland cruises.

Full day Arnhem Land tour from Jabiru.

The Yellow Water crocodile cruise in Cooinda.

Guluyambi Cultural Cruise: Aboriginal guides

However, the cruise is not billed as a wildlife cruise – the cultural element is played up. Aboriginal guides are key to the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise, and those employed either live in Kakadu or Gunbalanya in the Arnhem Land.

As with many Australian Indigenous experiences, alas, you will have to prepare for a different standard of guiding to what you might be used to. Much of the tour consists of the guide pointing at things and saying what they are called in the local language. There’s not a great deal of insight, and the need to employ people from the local community has obviously won out over providing the best-trained guides.

What you’ll see on a Guluyambi Cultural Cruise

Go with this in mind, however, and you will experience some absolutely stunning scenery. The Guluyambi Cultural Cruise’s strong suit isn’t the cultural element advertised – it’s the natural setting. The Arnhem Land Escarpment rises up next to the river, with extraordinary rugged, sandstone rock formations lining the route.

Cheapest way to visit Arnhem Land

The other critical aspect to the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise is that it is the cheapest way to visit Arnhem Land. Most Arnhem Land tours are fearsomely expensive, largely due to the need to pay for permits and the remote location. This cruise stops briefly on the Arnhem Land side of the river. Everybody gets off, and there’s some pretty impressive rock art to look at. Some of it has been there for hundreds of years.

This is the main reason to book the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise. You get to set foot in a part of Australia that most people never get to. The rock art and the crocs are a bonus.

It is possible to book a day tour from Darwin that includes the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise. Bookings can be made online.

Alternative ways to see Kakadu include a full day tour from Darwin, or a four day 4WD adventure tour.

Other things to do in Kakadu include a full day Arnhem Land tour from Jabiru, a scenic flight, a four wheel drive tour and the justifiably famous Yellow Water Billabong cruise.