Top things to do in Katherine, NT

Katherine's main drawcard is Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, and most trips here are built around it: boat cruises between the sandstone walls, canoe hire, and helicopter flights over the full run of gorges, with Cutta Cutta Caves and an outback farm show filling in the rest. Katherine sits just over 300km south of Darwin, so this page sorts the options by how you want to spend the day and points to the Katherine tours page for the guided side of things.

Katherine Gorge cruises, boat tours and canoe hire

The gorge entrance at Nitmiluk National Park is 30km from Katherine town on a sealed road, and a boat is the usual first move. The 2-hour NitNit Dreaming Two Gorge Boat Tour runs through the first gorge, then covers 400m on foot to reach the second, with a guide talking through Indigenous culture, local history, plants and animals along the way. Departures include 9am, 11am and 2pm, and it is a popular choice for a first look at the gorge. Every cruise sits together on the Katherine Gorge cruises page if you want to compare departure times.

Paddling yourself is the other option. The half-day Nitmiluk Gorge canoe hire starts with a boat ride to the first gorge, where you pick up a canoe and a double-ended paddle and set your own pace. The morning session runs from 8am to 12.30pm, and paddlers can push on to the second gorge or pull up at a swimming or picnic spot. It is self-guided, and life jackets are included.

Breakfast and sunset dinner cruises at Nitmiluk Gorge

Meals come onto the water too. The 2-hour Nitmiluk Gorge Rock Art Cruise with Breakfast leaves at 7am daily, stops at Aboriginal rock art sites in the first and second gorges, and serves breakfast on the way back.

In the evening, the 3.5-hour Nabilil Dreaming Sunset Tour and Dinner Cruise guides you through the first two gorges past Jawoyn rock art dating back 8,000 to 10,000 years, then serves a three-course dinner and a glass of sparkling wine. Drinks are available to buy on board, and guests are asked to arrive half an hour before departure.

Helicopter flights over Nitmiluk Gorge

North Horizon Heli Adventures flies from the helipad on Gorge Road inside Nitmiluk National Park, and the flights are booked for two people. The shortest is a 10-minute scenic flight over the first three gorges, passing Jedda's Rock, Butterfly Gorge and the Lillypond. Longer flights cover more of the river system and some add a landing.

For first light, the 20-minute sunrise flight covers all 13 gorges, with sessions at 6.15am and 6.50am. It runs in the Dry Season only. At the other end of the day, the 40-minute sunset helicopter flight with a gorge landing follows the Katherine River through all 13 gorges and touches down at the remote 10th Gorge, where you get a drink and nibbles. Sessions leave at 5.40pm and 6.10pm.

If you want culture on the ground, the helicopter rock art tour flies past Jedda's Rock, Butterfly Gorge, the Lily Ponds and Smitt Rock, then lands at a secluded Aboriginal rock art site with five panels to see and an hour of commentary. A separate flight over Leliyn Falls lands inside the national park after crossing the emerald pools below the falls.

Cutta Cutta Caves and the Katherine outback show

Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park, at Venn, holds a limestone cave system that you can only enter on a guided tour. The 1-hour Cutta Cutta Caves guided walking tour goes 15 metres below the surface and looks for rare bats and other wildlife. Tours usually run from April to the end of October, depending on the weather, and fully enclosed shoes are mandatory. The guided Katherine day tours page covers the wider range.

The Two Hour Outback Show Experience is a self-drive trip to a working farm at 115 Collins Road, Uralla. The 2-hour show has young horses and working dogs being trained, live country music, and a chance to pat and feed horses, dogs, cattle and goats, with morning or afternoon tea included. Public shows run from early May to mid October, usually Tuesdays at 9.30am, Wednesdays at 2.45pm, Fridays at 10.30am and Saturdays at 2.00pm.

Child tickets are sold for the gorge boat tour, the Cutta Cutta Caves tour and the outback show, so all three work for a family day.

Planning a Katherine trip by season and time of day

Season changes what runs. The NitNit gorge boat tour departs daily all year round, but Cutta Cutta Caves tours typically open from April to the end of October, the outback show runs from early May to mid October, and sunrise helicopter flights operate in the Dry Season only. NT Parks warns that parks can close without notice because of bushfire or flooding, and that October to April can be hot, with temperatures above 40°C, so check the park's open status before you drive out.

Time of day matters as much. A sunrise flight at 6.15am leaves the rest of the day free for a gorge boat tour at 11am or 2pm, while a sunset flight or the dinner cruise closes the day. Each of these experiences meets you at the site rather than collecting you from town, so you will need your own transport to Nitmiluk, Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park or the farm.

Most Katherine trips start with a choice between the water and the air, and the caves and the farm fill in the other days. The Katherine tours and gorge cruises pages hold the full range for each.