1 Day Litchfield National Park

Itinerary: day by day

Travel south from Darwin and ascend the rocky Tabletop Range where dry woodlands and forests dominate the huge sandstone plateau.

Stop to view the giant magnetic termite mounds, some standing well over two metres tall. These amazing natural architectural feats come complete with arches, tunnels, chimneys, insulation and nursery chambers. The mounds are aligned north to south to minimise the exposure to the sun.

Litchfield National Park's major attractions are the permanent spring-fed waterfalls of Florence, Tolmer and Wangi falls. The park's central sandstone plateau supports patches of monsoonal rainforest that thrive in the deep, narrow gorges created over thousands of years by the force of the waterfalls cutting into the escarpment walls. Common wildlife species include wallaroos, wallabies, possums, flying foxes and dingoes.

The caves near Tolmer Falls are home to a colony of rare Orange Horseshoe Bats. Litchfield is a haven for hundreds of native bird species. Birds of prey are common during the dry season and the Rainbow Bee-eater inhabits sheltered areas close to waterfalls. See the picturesque double waterfall that forms beautiful Florence Falls, surrounded by lush rainforest.

Continue to Tolmer Falls. Noted as one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the park, Tolmer Falls cascades over two high escarpments and plunges into a deep waterhole below.

Stop for lunch (own expense) before continuing a short distance to the rock pool at Wangi Falls. There's time here to enjoy a refreshing swim in the waters at the waterfall's base, (conditions permitting). Or perhaps take a nature walk to the top of Wangi Falls and enjoy a bird's-eye view. Return to Darwin.