Nitmiluk Gorge
Nitmiluk Gorge
4.5
Nature & Wildlife AreasHiking TrailsGeologic Formations
About
Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge is a deep gorge carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River. Situated within the Jawoyn-owned Nitmiluk National Park, characterised by its sandstone country features above the gorge, lush rainforest gullies in the gorge walls, and broad valleys meandering through both the high and the low country. Enjoy a boat tour, helicopter flight, various walks, camping and canoeing.
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  • aussiewanderers
    Sydney, Australia607 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    SPECTACULAR SCENERY WORTH THE EFFORT
    Because the dozen or so different gorges are not linked by water except in the rainy season, a boat tour of the gorge involves a bit of walking between different gorges to get on a second boat to see a second gorge. The walking track is not paved but is flatish rock, not suited to anyone who is unsteady on their feet. Take a water bottle with you as the exercise in the heat will dehydrate you. The gorges are true gorges with close sides and deep water. Rocks are mostly redish and very attractive from certain vantage points. There are no crocs to see, there being few muddy river banks for them to sunbake on. There is no doubt that the best seats in the tour boat are the front - a 180 degree view forward facilitating photographs unhindered by other people's heads.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 September 2023
  • Sonya A
    Mareeba, Australia28 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Katherine gorge cruise
    Got on the 7am boat cruise through 2 gorges. Beautiful views, stunning high cliffs, great information and overall love it! Katherine gorge is absolutely spectacular and so much to look at and saw a freshie!
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 24 September 2023
  • guennie3
    Cambridge, United Kingdom445 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nitmiluk Gorge - Beautiful
    This is a fabulous excursion. Ride a boat through the first gorge with exceptionally informative tour guide and so many amazing photo opportunities. Then a short walk to the second gorge - don’t forget your hat, sunglasses, sun cream, water and camera. Sensible walking shoes or trainers will make the walk easier - it is well set out and could be done in flip flops (thongs) if you are so inclined. The second gorge is even more beautiful than the first but if you don’t fancy the walk in between you can wait in a shady place with chairs and water until the adventurers return (approx 40 mins) and then it’s back in the first boat to the start once more. A very pleasant trip indeed.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 1 November 2023
  • Kris J
    Hout Bay, South Africa43 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The cruise and gorge is a must visit
    The River cruise on this george is an absolute must if you're visiting the area. It's simply beauty personified. The skipper and guide was Jamie - a local aborigine who is exceptionally knowledgeable and charming. The scenery is stunning and breathtaking.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 November 2023
  • DarylJ552
    Carlsbad, California3,405 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    NICE CRUISE IN KATHERINE GORGE
    The Katherine Gorge Cruise dock is about 15 Kilometers North of the town of Katherine. We parked and had to walk quite a way to the boat. The covered boat was comfortable and the scenery along the gorge was beautiful. The cruise covered two gorges and it was necessary to walk on a trail to get to the boat in the second gorge. We didn't see any crocodiles but there were lots of birds.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 May 2024
  • KHillery
    Meadowbrook, Australia426 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Canoe for a full day - was amazing
    You can do a boat trip or canoe options of half day, full day (highly recommend) or an overnight self camp. Full day and overnight will get you up to the 4th and 5th Gorges which are spectacular. Allowing enough time to almost float back and soak up the wonder of this natural wonderland. Highly recommend for solo's, couples and families. Take a pack lunch with you and stop along one of the beach pitstops, and soak up the sun.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 27 July 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,633 reviews
Excellent
1,161
Very good
376
Average
64
Poor
18
Terrible
14

celinam774
Canberra, Australia245 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Family
Visitor centre closes at 2:30pm, came back at 7:30am when they opened to hire canoes for the family but you can only do "the tour" which is self guided. It leaves at 9am and doesn't come back until 2pm and for self guided is extremely expensive. Had we known all of this our plans would have been much different but had only put the afternoon one day and half a day the next aside for here.
Written 7 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Geoff M
Adelaide, Australia53 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2021
Went on this cruise during the wet season, The Gorge water level was up really high and the views were stunning. Walk to see the Aboriginal rock art and the swimming hole walk were a little risky due tio the showers we had on the trip but very rewarding with expert information about the area from the boat operator. A really good trip and would recommend especially in the wet season.
Written 16 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LXE3
Gold Coast, Australia230 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021 • Friends
Absolutely no canoe option for a family with three kids. They wouldn’t allow us to take our 6 and 8 year old in one canoe nor allow our 11 year old to go in a canoe on his own. Basically our family was priced out of Katherine Gorge - a cruise was double the price and the walk to the second gorge was 12km. Message is to forget Katherine Gorge if you’re a family.
Written 11 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Deborah D
Cessnock, Australia1,634 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
I had been here in 1976 and remembered how beautiful the Gorge was then. It is still amazing. A walkway exists between the 2 levels of the river as there are cataracts inbetween. The sunset sets fire to the walls which glow with colour. Be sure to take your camera aaand sit on the outside of the seats near the boat edge to get good shots as there is a covering over the boat. The commentary was excellent, which made the experience all the more worthwhile. This is a must do if you are in the area. The entire walk can be challenging for those with mobiklity problems. There are seats to rest on while the remainder of the tour does the 2nd part above the cataracts. They do return to join you again.
Written 7 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NauticalDreamer3010
Buddina, Australia714 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020
We visited as an excursion on the Ghan. Even though it was 42c and uncomfortably hot we found this to be a magnificent place to visit. Our guide was informative, passionate and entertaining and we learned much about this special place. This is an absolute must if traveling anywhere in this part of the country.
Written 12 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Caroline
Perth, Australia789 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
The main reason you come to Katherine is for the gorge. We arrived at 9am and walked to Southern Rockhole (seasonal) it’s was a pretty 4km of (badly!) signposted track Tybee a scramble down to the Rockhole. Once down it was absolutely beautiful, the remnants of a waterfall continued to trickle down and the cooling pool was filled with little fish. You could easily spend a few hours here (take snacks and water you’ll be hungry after the walk!) you can book the boat to take you back to “base” which is $15 pp and well worth it, you won’t want to walk up the steps and walk back!
Written 16 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Connor P
Darwin, Australia16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Family
This was a great tour. Our guide was Jamie, as a Jawoyn man, he was extremely knowledgeable if the area and its significance both cultural and ecologically. We did the 11am tour which was a stinking hot time of the day to be out in the sun but it was well worth it. Would highly recommend this tour and especially Jamie as the guide. He was very knowledgeable but also presented his tour with a lot of humour.
Written 20 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sam63
Darwin, Australia442 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Friends
Last visited the Gorge in the late 80s!

Beautiful morning, covid changes adhered to onboard...
Great tour guide (?Jamie) who gave a great factual comprehensive interesting commentary as we cruised though breathtaking scenery with his dry sense of humour breaking though at times.
Boat has a toilet and cold water available .
Scenery breathtaking, small walk involved to transfer onto another boat between gorge 1 and 2. This involves walking up steps and uneven ground.
Abundant wildlife , sunshine and fresh air and history.
Impressed with professionalism and the amazing country we live in..an absolute highlight of my trip to Katherine
Written 23 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

burnsbeachbaby
Burns Beach, Australia787 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
We loved walking at the side of the gorge, it was so lush and picturesque. We climbed up a large rock gorge to a spectacular lookout and then walked back along the rock ridge to the carpark,
The main facility had a huge great restaurant with coffee shop that served lovely wraps, special lunches, great coffee and ice creams etc at very reasonable prices. We had a great day.
Written 17 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JoeyandMeSydney
Darwin, Australia102 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020 • Couples
Hi. It was a hot day in Nov 2020, but worth it. The impressive old and high escarpments are precious and worth seeing at least once.
Take the camera/s, hydration, wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen. Water is available. The boat had a toilet but was unusable as it was locked from the inside, but there are toilets near the boat ramp as well as the adjacent Visitors Ctr.
The walk from Gorge 1 to 2 to swap boats is easy enough and has aboriginal art high up on the walls, faint but visible.
The Visitors Ctr is good enough for snacks, drinks and allow your picnic food to be eaten inside in the cool air-conditioned space, that’s what we did, thankfully.
We stayed in Katherine 28 or 30Km away, more things to do and places to eat out, plus a large Woolies.
The tents and chalets at Nitmiluk appear quite basic only on driving past them. The bistro next to the pool is open only in the dry season, apparently. Or camp there.
So, wherever you stay, a visit to the Gorge is highly recommended.
Written 22 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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NITMILUK GORGE (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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