# National parks in the Northern Territory

* Conservation areas in Australia topics: National parks • Marine parks • Indigenous Protected Areas
* State/territory national parks: NSW • NT • Qld • SA • Tas. • Vic. • WA
A trip to the territory is never complete without visiting the national parks of the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory offers one of the most spectacular landscapes, including two of Australia's most famous parks – Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and Kakadu National Park.

## Understand

With the exceptions of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and Kakadu National Park, all parks are managed by the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. The other two are managed by the federal government under Parks Australia. See nt.gov.au for official information about most parks, and Parks Australia for the other two.
There are two UNESCO World Heritage national parks – Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa and Kakadu. There are no parks on the tentative list, however Tjoritja / West MacDonnell could become proposed.
The variety of parks you will encounter in the NT are very different, and such, there are two distinct types of park you'll encounter. The ones in the Red Centre and the lone single national park in the Barkly Tableland are red, dry and show the finest desert landscapes in the centre of the dry continent while the parks in the Top End are humid, very tropical (the tropical you'll find in Thailand, not Hawaii or Florida – the Top End is much more tropical than the latter two), wet, has only two seasons and often a scene not commonly associated with Australia. Crocs are common here, and too are some of the wildest waterfalls.

### Time to visit

While the territory has two distinct geographical regions and climates, the time to visit remains the same – during southern winter, between April and early October, around the time when the southeastern states and territories use standard time (not the NT one – the NT does not follow DST). As you can imagine, going to the Red Centere on a hot 45° day during summer is unpleasant but the reason for the Top End is very different – not because of heat, but because it's monsoon reason and it pours hell. Many sites in parks like Kakadu or Litchfield close then and others with access only via unsealed roads may not even be open.

## Parks

Most of the Northern Territory's national parks are either located in the tourist regions of the Top End and the Red Centre. There is only one national park in the vast barren open Barkly Tableland – an area of the size of the UK, with fewer than 6,000 inhabitants.
As the size of the NT is about the same as Mongolia, the number of parks are comparable.
| Park | Region | Area |
| -15.5694136.8691 Barranyi (North Island) National Park | Top End | 53.81 km$^2$ (20.78 sq mi) |
| -12.450833130.8733332 Charles Darwin National Park | Darwin | 13.03 km$^2$ (5.03 sq mi) |
| -12.1333131.2863 Djukbinj National Park | Top End | 554.41 km$^2$ (214.06 sq mi) |
| -22.5778135.6084 Dulcie Range National Park | Red Centre | 191.12 km$^2$ (73.79 sq mi) |
| -14.9531133.1935 Elsey National Park | Top End | 138.96 km$^2$ (53.65 sq mi) |
| -24.1447132.8186 Finke Gorge National Park | Red Centre | 452.85 km$^2$ (174.85 sq mi) |
| -11.321111132.1783337 Garig Gunak Barlu National Park | Top End | 2,260.06 km$^2$ (872.61 sq mi) |
| -20.86134.9418 Iytwelepenty / Davenport Range National Park | Barkly Tableland | 1,278.47 km$^2$ (493.62 sq mi) |
| -15.6339131.2679 Judbarra / Gregory National Park | Top End | 13,004.12 km$^2$ (5,020.92 sq mi) |
| -13.036389132.43972210 Kakadu National Park | Top End | 19,804 km$^2$ (7,646 sq mi) |
| -15.8164129.1411 Keep River National Park | Top End | 574.37 km$^2$ (221.77 sq mi) |
| -15.0367135.14312 Limmen National Park | Top End | 9,369.26 km$^2$ (3,617.49 sq mi) |
| -13.0547130.90513 Litchfield National Park | Top End | 1,458.47 km$^2$ (563.12 sq mi) |
| -12.868837131.62028314 Mary River National Park | Top End | 1,215.25 km$^2$ (469.21 sq mi) |
| -14.3122132.42315 Nitmiluk National Park | Top End | 2,946.64 km$^2$ (1,137.70 sq mi) |
| -23.4364132.41816 Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park | Red Centre | 2,568.61 km$^2$ (991.75 sq mi) |
| -25.312222131.01861117 Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park | Red Centre | 1,333.72 km$^2$ (514.95 sq mi) |
| -24.2517131.63218 Watarrka National Park | Red Centre | 1,051.85 km$^2$ (406.12 sq mi) |

## See

Each park has something different to see. Some parks may have something that can easily be seen by car, while others might require you to do a little hike to get there. See the relevant park articles for details.

## Do

* Many national parks in the Northern Territory will have some sort of walking or hiking trails. However, do be aware that it is not advisable to do such during November to March, since it's monsoon season in the Top End, and temperatures can get scorching hot in the Red Centre and the Barkly Tableland.
* In some parks, there may be Aboriginal cultural tours, perfect to immerse yourself into the territory's 60,000-year-old Indigenous culture.

## Eat

Most national parks will not have any sort of places to eat. In those cases, you will need to bring your own food, however, the more popular parks such as Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Kakadu or Litchfield have some.

## Stay safe

In the Top End, crocodiles can pose a severe threat. In most cases, leave them alone and you will be all right.

## See also

* National parks in Australia
* Marine parks in Australia
* Indonesian national parks