Yellow Water at Cooinda is the classic. Dawn boat cruises on the billabong pass saltwater crocodiles at close range, jabiru and brolga wading the margins, magpie geese in thousands, jacanas walking the lilies and sea eagles overhead. The first cruise of the day is worth the early start.

Mamukala and Anbangbang billabongs are the shore-based equivalents, with hides overlooking the water where magpie geese gather in enormous flocks as the plains dry, particularly around September and October.

The escarpment and stone country — Ubirr, Nourlangie and Gunlom — hold black wallaroo and the endemic white-lined honeyeater, along with the rock art galleries that are the park's other great subject. Ubirr at sunset over the Nadab floodplain is the park's defining view.

The monsoon forest pockets in gorges and along spring lines hold rainbow pittas, orange-footed scrubfowl and the fruit bats that roost in colonies.

May to September is the dry season and the practical window. The build-up in October and November is oppressive but produces spectacular storms, and the wet season transforms the park for those who fly over it.

Practicalities

Kakadu is around three hours from Darwin, and a park pass is required. Many roads and falls are closed in the wet and reopen progressively as the country dries — check current road status rather than assuming access.

Kakadu is jointly managed with its Aboriginal traditional owners, who own the land and have leased it as a national park. Some areas are closed for cultural reasons, and the guided cultural tours run by Bininj and Mungguy operators are the best part of many visitors' trips. Every waterway holds crocodiles: swim only where signage explicitly permits it.