What are the best things to do in Litchfield National Park, NT?

The main attractions in Litchfield National Park in the Northern Territory are Wangi Falls, Florence Falls and the Buley Rockhole swimming pools. Day tours to Litchfield from Darwin also take in the cathedral and magnetic termite mounds.

Litchfield National Park in the Northern Territory’s Top End is easily tackled as a day trip from Darwin. For this reason, it’s more accessible than Australia’s biggest national park, Kakadu. There’s also an easy, two wheel drive-accessible driving route through Litchfield that makes it easy to explore independently.

Litchfield National Park attractions: Waterfalls

The headlining Wangi Falls is likely to be the first stop. Wangi Falls is a gorgeous sight at the start of the dry season. One of the falls is a thin ribbon, but to the right of it is a thundering cascade smashing and bounding down the cliff. The pool in front of it looks tremendously inviting, especially the sections under the waterfalls. Swimming is often permitted during the dry season, but not during the wet season – the strong currents are dangerous.

The other problem with swimming at Wangi Falls is crocodiles. Freshwater crocodiles are regularly found in there, although they tend to keep themselves to themselves and won’t kill a human. But the problem is that, at the start of the dry, no-one’s quite sure what else might be in there. The raised water levels of the wet season mean that the far more dangerous saltwater crocodiles might have ventured into the pool. Only once park rangers are certain there are no interlopers will it be opened for swimming again.

The other sometimes-open swimming hotspot is Florence Falls. A three minute walk from the car park leads to a viewing platform that takes in the gorge, falls and waterhole. The dry sandstone plateau is in dramatic contrast to the green monsoon forest. The gorge rim walk heads into the valley floor.

Things to do in Litchfield National Park, NT: Buley Rockhole and termite mounds

For guaranteed swimming, pull over at the Buley Rockhole. The Buley Rockhole is a series of several pools, some surprisingly deep. They’re formed by Florence Creek as it tumbles down off the Tabletop Plateau. The pools are both mighty inviting and too high up for crocs to work their way into.

Litchfield’s swimming holes and waterfalls are its main attraction, but it is also home to some gigantic termite mounds. And the differently weird mounds created by two separate species can be found opposite each other. The towering, climbing, spire-like efforts created by the cathedral termites can reach up to five metres tall, while the magnetic termites create mounds that look like weather-battered gravestones, stretching deep into the cemetery. They are, as with so much in the Top End, both weird-looking and visually arresting.

Litchfield National Park day tours from Darwin

Several companies offer day tours to Litchfield National Park from Northern Territory capital Darwin. Wallaroo Tours combines Litchfield with a jumping crocodile cruise on the Adelaide River. These Litchfield National Park tours cost $185, and finish with sunset over Fannie Bay. Other companies running Litchfield day tours from Darwin include AAT Kings and Offroad Dreaming.

To visit independently, hire a car in Darwin, and drive about two hours south. Most of the main Litchfield National Park attractions are a short walk from a car park. It’s also possible to go camping in Litchfield National Park – and that’s something that’s necessary if taking on the multi-day Tabletop Track walking trail.

What to do in other Australian national parks

The best walks in the Porongurup National Park, Western Australia.

Rock art and scenic drives in the Central Coast’s national parks.

Spotting koalas in the Noosa National Park, Queensland.

Going remote in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, Northern Territory.

Waterfall walks in the Morton National Park, New South Wales.