If you’ve ever read any of our other posts you’ll know we’re all about the walks. But having done almost every trail in Litchfield, we can tell you when it comes to this park, it’s all about the waterfalls. They are simply sensational and some of the best wild swimming spots we’ve experienced anywhere in the world. As well as jaw dropping waterfalls, there are also giant termite mounds, rock formations which feel like an ancient city and some great wildlife watching opportunities.
We’ve visited the park twice now, and we know we’ll be back.
Here are all the unmissable things to do in Litchfield National Park.
Litchfield National Park Waterfalls and Best Stops
These are the best waterfalls and stops in Litchfield National Park:
You can find all the stops on the map below or by clicking this link to see them on Google Maps.
How to make the most of your trip
The key to making the most of your time at Litchfield National Park is understanding that the distances are bigger than you’d expect. There is one road that runs through the length of Litchfield and the first stop in the park is just under 30 minutes from the nearest town, with the last stops being closer to an hours drive. After this, most stops are just 5-10 minutes apart, so you can make a day of stopping often to check out all the best waterfalls and sights.
It is worth noting that there are three incredibly popular spots in Litchfield National Park: Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole and the famous Wangi Falls. They can become very busy and crowded (they are on every tour bus itinerary), detracting from that peaceful waterhole experience you want in Litchfield. We’d highly recommend going early (not long after sunrise) or late (about an hour before sunset) if you want to have the best experience at these stops.
There is no phone signal in Litchfield (but there is free public wi-fi at a couple of spots) and Wangi Falls is the only place you can buy food, so you will want to bring supplies with you from Batchelor, or Darwin.
We’ve ordered all the stops by distance from Batchelor, and the order in which you will pass them.
1. Magnetic termite mounds
38km from Batchelor - 25-30 mins
The magnetic termite mounds are the first place you’ll come to in Litchfield National Park and definitely worth the stop. You’ll probably have seen many termite mounds already on the drive from Darwin, but these are on another level, both in terms of size and quantity.
It’s just a one minute walk from the car park to the boardwalked viewing area, which looks out over a vast plain of termite mounds. It’s a surreal sight, which actually reminded me of a huge cemetery!
The mounds are built with their thin edges pointing north-south and the backs facing east-west. This regulates the temperature for the termites inside, and stops it ever becoming too hot. Pretty clever!
There’s also a particularly ginormus Cathedral Termite Mound on the other side of the car park, which was considerably taller than me! The scale is hard to comprehend when you think they are made by such tiny insects!
2. Florence Falls
10 minutes from Magnetic Termite Mounds/35 - 40 mins from Batchelor
Florence Falls is one of my favourite swimming holes in Australia.
It’s a more secluded spot than Wangi and feels smaller and more intimate. There are two cascades which drop into a good size pool for swimming. It’s absolutely beautiful and another pinch yourself spot in Litchfield.
You can access the waterfall via one of two different trails, I’d recommend heading down the steep staircases, as it’s quicker (500m), and then heading back to the car park via the much gentler Shady Creek Walk (1km).
The Shady Creek Walk is so gentle in fact, that you can’t actually believe you’ve done any uphill at all when you pop out back at the car park. It’s also gorgeous and jungly.
Getting into the waterhole is via a staircase, the first time we visited there were no stairs, and though the stairs do make it feel less natural, it does mean accessing this glorious spot is easier for people who might not have liked climbing over rocks.
The best time to visit Florence Falls is just after sunrise, every time I’ve done this I have had it to myself, which is so special. It is honestly so, so worth the hideously early start and you’ll no doubt be entertained by many kangaroos on the drive in!
3. Buley Rockhole
2 minute drive from Florence Falls/35 -40 minutes from Batchelor
Buley Rockhole is the third stop along the Litchfield Park Road and it’s next door to Florence Falls (you can walk between the two or drive depending on your preference). It’s a stunning place and my third favourite swimming spot in Litchfield. I’m pretty sure that Litchfield National Park is one of the few places in the world where a place like Buley Rockhole would rank third - that’s how incredible this national park is!
The pools are much, much smaller than Wangi or Florence, more like plunge pools than places you’d actually swim.
They are great for sitting and relaxing in, and when we visited in the dry season I had a wonderful couple of hours sitting and watching the birds and butterflies flit around the trees beside the pools.
On our second visit, during the beginning of the wet season, my favourite pool (at the top of the cascades) had dried up, but the lower pools were still full, and still wonderful.
The walk to get to the first pools at Buley is just two minutes and on a well maintained path. There are no staircases into the rockholes here though, but it’s not difficult to get in.
You can actually walk to Florence Falls from Buley along the Florence Creek Walk. It’s a nice walk but the second time we visited we skipped it because we wanted to do both Buley and Florence Falls super early in the morning to get them to ourselves.
If you’re like us and want to visit the pools before anyone else gets there, I’d recommend skipping the walk in favour of the quick drive.
4. The Lost City
12 minutes from Florence Falls/40 minutes from Batchelor
The fourth stop isn’t going to be for everyone as accessing the Lost City requires a 4WD. The road is definitely a bit of a bone rattler along most of its 10km length.
It’s worth it though, because when you get there it literally feels like you’ve stumbled into a long forgotten ancient city.
The rock formations are fascinating and spread over an area the size of a small village. Wandering amongst the ‘ruins’ is unlike anything else in the park, and as few people visit, it had that feeling of being somewhere really remote.
This is a dry season only activity though, as The Lost City closes during the wet season.
5. Tabletop Swamp
10 minutes from the Lost City/40 minutes from Batchelor
The Tabletop Swamp is the place to come for bird lovers. It’s situated on a turn off from the Litchfield Park road and is just a couple of minutes walk from the car park.
Here you’ll find a seasonal billabong surrounded by paperbark forest. We came to see the colourful Rainbow Bee-eaters which were there in abundance.
We watched them skimming the billabong for their favourite grubs, a true delight to watch. The swamp is home to a huge amount of other birdlife and if you’re really keen, it’s best to come early or late in the day when they are at their most active.
We visited in the middle of the day and still saw quite a lot, so I can only imagine how many there are in the early morning and late afternoon.
The swamp closes during the wet season.
6. Tolmer Falls
7 minutes from Tabletop Swamp/45 minutes from Batchelor
The sixth stop is Tolmer Falls and it is breathtaking. If you go there for sunset, it’s one of those spots that is so spectacular you never want to leave. The falls themselves seem a lot higher than any other in the area and the whole scene is incredibly dramatic.
It feels really wild with the huge drop, deep red cliffs and expansive bush. Sunset happens in the other direction to the falls, but you can see both from the same viewing platform.
You can’t swim at Tolmer Falls, but it’s still very much worth going to take a look. You know it’s good when I couldn’t bring myself to leave until almost the end of twilight, despite the fact there were lots of mossies out!
The first viewing deck is a 500m return walk, you can see the sunset from here but not the falls, the falls lookout is 800m return. You can also access the same viewpoints via the longer Tolmer Creek Walk, which is a 1.5km loop.
We’ve done them both and they are all easy, with similar scenery, so pick the one that fits in with your timings best.
7. Greenant Creek
5 minutes from Tolmer Falls/45 minutes from Batchelor
Greenant Creek is far less visited than any of the other waterholes I’ve mentioned, yet it’s a sensational spot. The beautiful pool is a sacred site for Aboriginal people, so you can’t swim there, but just to sit beside it is enough.
We went roughly an hour before sunset and the light was beautiful and it was such a peaceful place to sit and relax.
If you really fancy a dip there is a small spot you can swim along the trail (it’s not sacred) which is nice, but not in the same league as the other swimming spots we’ve mentioned.
It’s a shady 2.7km walk through the bush and from memory it was quite easy, with a bit of an incline at points and some rocky terrain (we did this on our first visit so it’s not as fresh as other spots in my mind).
8. Wangi Falls
10 minutes from Greenant Creek/50 minutes from Batchelor
When I used to sit at home in my London flat and think about Australia, I would close my eyes and dream about somewhere that looked like Wangi Falls.
This double drop waterfall cascades down the red cliff side and forms an absolutely sublime swimming hole at the base.
It’s surrounded by tropical plants and has the most wonderful feel about it, both magical and relaxing all at once. It the highlight of Litchfield National Park and the most famous spot in the park.
It’s the perfect size for swimming and if you get it to yourself there truly is nothing like it. On that note we’d recommend visiting early or late in the day to avoid any crowds, especially if you’re visiting in the dry season. Getting Wangi Falls to myself is a feeling I’ll remember forever.
Access to the pool is via a short paved path (5 minutes) and then there are a few steps down into the pool. The pool is sometimes home to Freshwater crocodiles, which are only aggressive if provoked, and don’t eat people! If Saltwater crocs are detected the pool will be closed.
As well as swimming there’s a great viewpoint 80m along the boardwalk. There’s also a 1.7km walking track which takes you through the bush and gives you a view of the falls from above. We didn’t think the trail was amazing but if you have time on your hands then it’s worth it.
9. Walker Creek
15 minutes from Wangi Falls/1 hour from Batchelor
We visited Walker Creek on our first visit to Litchfield, the walking trail leads to a series of gorgeous swimming holes and is rarely visited. I don’t know why but for some reason I didn’t feel comfortable swimming, I think because it felt more remote and I got nervy about crocs.
Next time we return to Litchfield I’ll go again though, because it is known as a safe spot for swimming in the dry, and I’m more confident now : )
The loveliest pool was between campsite 7 and 8, and the 3.6km return walk was also very pleasant and fairly easy. You can also camp at the designated spots behind the creek, although no one was on our visit.
Walker Creek closes in the wet season.
Litchfield National Park Tours
It’s easy to visit Litchfield National Park independently, but if you would like to take a tour, there are plenty of options.
This day trip from Darwin with Get your Guide is very well reviewed.
On the way to or from Litchfield and Darwin
Berry Springs
Berry Springs is an absolute must do on your drive to or from Litchfield National Park. The water colour is such an incredible electric blue that it doesn’t even look real in photos. I defy anyone seeing it for the first time not to let out a ‘wow’! It’s so incredibly beautiful. This idyllic spot is easily one of the best things to do close to Darwin.
It’s also a hot spring, unlike the other cool water spots on this list. Soaking in the warm water in the early morning and watching the bee-eaters dart between the trees is unforgettable. As Darwin is hot year round and the water in Berry Springs is warm, you do want to come early in the morning so it’s not too hot for a dip. I’d go the minute it opens, when it will also be quieter too.
The springs occupy quite a large area so you can definitely go for a bit of an explore. There are steps in a couple of places to make accessing the water easy.
The walk to get to the springs is just five minutes long, on a flat concrete path, between some spectacular jungle. Even if you don’t fancy a swim, come just to see the water!
There’s also a short walking track at the springs but in all honesty it wasn’t that great, and I’d only say to do it if you are reeeally keen for a leg stretch. The little ice cream kiosk on the other hand is definitely worth a stop!
Swimming at the springs sadly closes during the wet season when Saltwater crocs can move in undetected.
Essential information about visiting Litchfield National Park
Where to stay
If you’re happy to camp, the best place to stay is inside the park itself. That’s because the nearest town of Batchelor is still a 30 minute drive from the first attraction in the park - the termite mounds, and over 50 minutes from Wangi Falls.
Having said that we’ve always stayed in Batchelor. Batchelor doesn’t have a lot going on but it’s quiet and peaceful. All accommodation options are basic in the area, but we’ve stayed in a couple and they’ve both been good.
Banyan Tree Caravan and Tourist Park
We stayed in a cabin at the Banyan Tree and would recommend it for a low cost, friendly place to stay in beautiful surrounds. The cabin was clean and comfy, with AC and a private bathroom. The huge banyan tree in the garden is lit with fairy lights at night, which is an atmospheric place for dinner, or a happy hour drink in the evening. There are free range chickens and horses wandering the grounds which gave it a lovely rural feel.
Another huge benefit is that it’s on the road into Litchfield and shaves just over 10 minutes from your journey time to the park.
Check out the reviews and prices on:
When to visit
We’ve visited Litchfield in the dry and the wet. During the dry season everything will likely be open and there are less biting insects. It’s also cooler weather (though still hot) and obviously less chance of rain. However, we actually loved visiting in the wet, there were much fewer people there at that time, cooling off in the water holes dealt with the higher temperatures, and when it rains, it isn’t all day. However a few things will close at this time.
To be honest I’d say there’s no bad time to visit Litchfield!
What to bring for the water holes
Personally I just swim in the water holes, but most people bring noodles with them. In fact, I didn’t see anyone else heading to the pools without a noodle!
If you’re visiting during the wet season, I’d also recommend bringing some strong mossie repellant because they were vicious! They are ok when you’re in the water, but walking to and from the car parks was like running a gauntlet!
Getting to Litchfield National Park
Darwin is 135km and roughly 1.5 hours from the first attraction in the park, the termite mounds. The direct route is all paved. There is a second route via Berry Springs which takes you along a gravel road which is much slower. You are better off backtracking to the highway after visiting Berry Springs and then continuing on to Litchfield, it’s quicker and you won’t encounter any dirt track.
Litchfield is roughly 320km and 3 hours 20 from Kakadu. If you’re heading to Kakadu next, check out our post on the best things to do there.
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