Yellow Water cruise review: Crocodile tour in Kakadu National Park

A Yellow Water cruise is one of the best ways to see crocodiles in Australia. But there’s also an opportunity to see more Top End nature and Northern Territory wildlife on this Kakadu National Park boat tour.

To book a Yellow Water cruise, head this way. To learn more about this Kakadu National Park nature tour, read on.

Yellow Water cruise review

Giant lily pads float calmly on the serene waters of the Yellow Water billabong. Behind them is the semi-submerged forest of ghostly paperbark trees. The image joins with thousands of others that build the mystique of the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park. Australia’s largest national park is a vast, sticky area of towering escarpments, 50,000 years of continual indigenous culture and waterfalls that change from mighty to dainty depending on the time of year. The Top End bird life and views out over Northern Territory floodplains add to a mighty mix.

Yellow Water cruise in Kakadu National Park

The individual highlights are stirring, but the cohesive whole is something altogether more affecting.

Yellow Water is where the true kings of this vast Northern Territory eco-system live, however. This is the best place in Kakadu to see saltwater crocodiles. Well, safely anyway.

Meeting point for Yellow Water cruise

Kakadu Tourism operates 90 minute and two hour cruises on the Yellow Water billabong, costing from $105. Advance booking with tickets you can save to your phone is advised.

The meeting point for the Yellow Water cruise is the bus stop opposite the reception at the Cooinda Lodge. The three star lodge is one of the best accommodation options in Kakadu, and is a 304km drive from Northern Territory capital Darwin. The Yellow Water Villas are also here.

The Yellow Water billabong is at the end of Jim Jim Creek, part of the South Alligator River system which is entirely within the national park. Further upstream is Kakadu’s biggest waterfall, Jim Jim Falls.

Once the Yellow Water cruise starts, snakes weave through the water, wedge-tailed eagles soar above and dragonflies hum. The only thing missing is the buffalo who created the wallow by the water’s edge. He’s probably been eaten by the four-and-a-half metre saltwater croc who now occupies the prime real estate. His eyes glare, his teeth are fearsomely sharp as he goes for what looks like a yawn. All thoughts of swimming are quickly abandoned.

More Australian crocodile cruises

Crocodile-watching cruises are also available in Queensland on the Proserpine River near Airlie Beach and the Daintree River near Cairns. There’s also the Corroboree Billabong wetland cruises on the Northern Territory’s Mary River system and the jumping crocodile cruises on the Adelaide River.