Our scheduled camping tours are active but not overly strenuous. A moderate level of fitness is required as some tours have longer walks with some climbing involved. Any medical conditions or injuries should be made clear to your agent or to our booking staff in order to ensure you are fit to participate in the tour.

We are committed to providing a high level of service to our guests, with capable and knowledgable guides providing accurate information and safe conditions for your trip. Our camp hosts are there to provide healthy delicious meals cooked in camp ovens and in the open fire. Enjoy meals such as Barramundi, Roast Lamb and Steak, damper and sticky date pudding. you will be amazed at what the hosts can do with their bush facilities.

Due to the new Commonwealth Government intervention into Aboriginal Communities, the laws pertaining to the carrying and consumption of alcohol within areas of the Northern Territory have been changed. As we are a registered and accredited tourism business we are able to carry and serve alcohol in our Kakadu National Park camps, our Litchfield camp remains unaffected. Please see the following website for an outline of the new restrictions. Department of Families, Community Service and Indigenous Affairs

If you wish to take alcohol on tour with you, please refer to the 'tripnotes' for your tour, available to download on each tours web page.

We're sure that you will find an itinerary to suit your needs, but if you don't, please have a look at our private charter page, as these can be tailored to your individual requirements.

Mitsubishi Canter 4WD

These 12-14 passenger vehicles are generally used for scheduled departure tours. They are fully equipped and airconditioned and afford all passengers an elevated view of the surrounding countryside.

Toyota Landcruiser GXL 4WD

We operate a fleet of late model Toyota Landcruiser GXLs. These vehicles carry a maximum of six passengers in airconditioned comfort.

Mercedes Sprinter 2WD

These vehicles can carry up to 14 passengers on tours not requiring 4WD. They're usually used for the three-day Top End Splendour (3KLA) scheduled tour and, depending on availability, can be used for private charters.

Our guides are highly regarded by the industry and are considered to be amongst the best guides working in Northern Australia. Most have developed their extensive knowledge of the natural and cultural history of the region, the habits and habitats of the its flora and fauna, and its social geography, while pursuing their personal interests in the subjects. Some have also undertaken tertiary studies in related areas including ecology, botany, ornithology and geology.

They've all undergone considerable "in house" training with Odyssey Tours & Safaris and they all participate in our annual field training seminar, which involves all of our field crew "going bush" for several days together to hone their skills in readiness for the new season.

They are a very diverse group of men and women. The things they all have in common are the basic key ingredients that make up the perfect host for your Northern Australian adventure:- their love for and knowledge of the North Australian bush and its people, and their commitment to interpreting this to our visitors.

Minjungari (Minj-yoon-ari)

This campsite, exclusive to Odyssey Tours & Safaris, is situated in an isolated area of Litchfield National Park, covering some 200 hectares with the most beautiful outlook over Minjungari billabong. Facilities include insect-proof dining shelter, permanently erected tents, solar hot water for showers, composting toilets etc. Here at Minjungari you can immerse yourself in one of the most popular parks of the Top End.

Gunlom Safari Camp

Gunlom, located in the southern reaches of Kakadu National Park, gained worldwide recognition as the beautiful "Echo Pool' in the movie Crocodile Dundee. Although it is a "regulated" camping area open to the general public, in an isolated corner of the camping area we have established our own private safari camp. Facilities also include an insect-proof dining shelter, permanently erected tents, and a public amenity block with solar hot water for showers and flushing toilets etc.

Mardugal

Situated in central Kakadu and only five minutes' drive from the world famous Yellow Water wetlands, Mardugal is the ideal central location for exploring areas such as Jim Jim and Twin Falls, Barramundi Gorge, Nourlangi Rock & Ubirr. As with the Gunlom camp, our Mardugal camp is contained in a regulated camping area with our camp quite isolated from others, and has the same facilities as Gunlom.

Koolpin Gorge (Jarrangbarnmi )

Described by some as the "Jewel in the Crown of Kakadu", Koolpin is found in remote southern Kakadu. Due to highly restricted access we enter Koolpin on a day basis from Gunlom Camp, just an hour away by four wheel drive.

In keeping with its wilderness standing Koolpin has very limited facilities. A composting toilet is supplied and a bush shower is used but don't let the lack of facilities turn you off visiting. This is a breathtaking, isolated area still in a pristine wilderness state. Koolpin Creek flows down several hundred feet through a series of cascades and pools often called the "Giant's Staircase". We spend time in this spectacular area photographing its grandeur, swimming in beautiful, clear pools and learning about some incredible Aboriginal rock art sites.

Lunches are picnics, complete with salads, quiches, sandwiches, cold meats and chicken and refreshing, well deserved cold drinks.

Dinners are something to behold. The table is fully laid with a cloth, candles and wine glasses - and you'll feast on baked barramundi or camp-oven roasted beef or lamb, accompanied by pasta, salads and fresh vegetables. An ideal way to wind up your day - dining on a magnificent bush spread and sipping a glass of wine.

The food served in camp is freshly prepared and cooked on the open fire by your Camp Host.

If you have special dietary requirements they can be catered for but you must remember to tell us when you book - to tell us when you arrive is too late.

On our regular departure tours clients may be asked to assist in preparation of some meals and minor camp chores.

Weather Conditions in the Top End

The Aboriginal people recognise six seasons, each characterised by a distinctly different climate. These are:

January - February

The monsoon time, with heavy rains and flooding, waterfalls in full flow and a temperature range between 20°C to 33°C.

March - April

Many plants are flowering and fruiting, southeasterly winds are drying out the land. 22°C to 35°C.

May - June

Misty mornings and cool nights. The time of grass fires. 15°C to 32°C.

July - August

The-Top End's coldest time, with "cold" nights and warm dry days. 12°C to 31°C (in the south-down to 5°C).

September - October

Hot days without rain, warm nights, animals congregate on the remaining waterholes - excellent bird watching. 20°C to 36°C.

November - December

The storm season, with spectacular thunderstorms and lightning displays. 20°C to 42°C.

There's no "best" time to visit - you choose your favourite from the range within the tropical climate.

Weather Conditions in the Kimberley

• April 20°C to 34°C in the north, 18°C to 34°C in the south.
• May - June 15°C to 32°C in the north, 10°C to 32°C in the south.
• July - August 12°C to 32°C in the north, 5°C to 30°C in the south.
• September - October 18°C to 38°C in the north, 15°C to 36°C in the south.
• November - December 22°C to 45°C in the north, 18°C to 45°C in the south.

Fauna

The unique geological forms of the Top End are also home to a unique array of animals, again, like the range of plants, possibly the most diverse in Australia. In Kakadu National Park, for example, over one third of Australia's bird species can be found, more than 50 different fish, over 120 reptiles, over 60 species of mammals, 300 species of ants and tens of thousands of other invertebrates.

As the geology changes so does the typical fauna of the region. In the sandstone escarpments notable species include the giant cave gecko, Pamela's gecko and the intriguing Oenpelli rock python. Intriguing, for being Australia's largest snake and only discovered by western biologists in the 1970s. Also found in caves and crevices of the sandstone country are the rare orange horseshoe and ghost bats.

In the open woodlands we find parrots, cockatoos, numerous honey eaters and raptors such as falcons, kites and hawks.

The rivers and floodplains of the Top End play host to one of the largest and ferocious reptiles found in the world - the estuarine crocodile. It co-habitats the waterways with our famous barramundi fish, mysteriously all of which are born as males!

Flora

The exact extent of this diversity is as yet unknown. As a result of continual botanical surveys the number of known plant species is still increasing. As with the fauna of the Top End, the flora is dependent on the area's geology.

The flora associated with the sandstone escarpments is particularly diverse, with many species endemic to their respective areas. However, the greater part of theTop End is savannah, dominated by open eucalypt forests and grassy understoreys. The coastal areas and tidal estuaries are home to a rich and diverse community of mangroves.

As we move inland along the water courses we find enormous floodplain areas ringed by Melaleuca or paperbark trees. Then, as we approach the escarpment country, we find stands of ancient monsoonal rainforest - home to huge Allosyncarpia trees.

A botanist could spend a lifetime here and barely scratch the surface. Aboriginal Australians have lived here in excess of 40,000 years and survived on the abundant "bush tucker" and the amazing healing qualities of local bush medicine.

Geology

The Escarpment country of Kakadu and Nitmiluk National Parks spans some 2.5 billion years of the earths 4.5 billion year history.

Two and a half million years of depositing of sediments, volcanic eruptions, intrusions of molten magma, mountain building by folding and faulting interspersed with the invasion and retreat of seas.

These spectacular landforms with their protective caves and gorges and wetlands, and complex networks of billabongs and swamps were the perfect environment for the first inhabitants of Australia.

Aboriginal humans were provided with an abundance of food and protection from the elements, not to mention the perfect "canvas" to paint in detail their history and mythology.