Best time to visit
- Early morning before 9am is the smoothest — you’ll beat cruise crowds and heat.
- Mid‑morning to lunchtime can see the most activity.
- Don’t leave it late: doors shut at 8pm.
Overview
About Puma
Why stop
- Open daily 6am–8pm
- Diesel available and NFC/card payments accepted
Heads up
- Closes at 8pm
- Can be busy mid‑morning around cruise times
Distances inside the park add up, and refueling at Cooinda keeps you flexible for runs out to nearby sights. It’s also an easy grab‑and‑go stop for a warm drink before early Yellow Water departures.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop hereMap
Where it is
Loading the Kakadu map
Full mapLocal know-how
Tips for visiting Puma
Top up early before Yellow Water cruises to avoid mid‑morning queues
Payments are easy: contactless, credit and debit cards accepted
Hot drinks are available if you’re grabbing something before a dawn start
Don’t count on late‑night refueling — it closes at 8pm
Plan your stop
Before you go
Best time to visit
8 active Kakadu alerts
- ClosureJim Jim and Twin Falls area closed for 2026The Jim Jim and Twin Falls area is closed for 2026; do not visit the closed sites.Official details
- ClosureBarrk sandstone walk closedBarrk sandstone walk is closed at the request of Traditional Owners; do not enter. Check the current Kakadu access report before travelling.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Kakadu Tour Guide
Your drive to Puma, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Kakadu National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Kakadu audio tourRecorded for this place
Cooinda Lodge and Yellow Water HubListen
“You're pulling into the Cooinda area, which is the main hub for Yellow Water Billabong.”
Plays as you drive up to Puma in the Parkwolf Kakadu Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cooinda Airport Scenic Flight Hub
- Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre
- Yellow Water's Buffalo Story
- Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Wetlands and Cruises
- 111 audio storiesacross Kakadu’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Saltwater Crocodile, Water Buffalo, Frilled Dragon, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 35 trails, 54 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Puma
What it isA practical fuel stop in the Cooinda hub, handy if you’re basing yourself around Yellow Water…
A practical fuel stop in the Cooinda hub, handy if you’re basing yourself around Yellow Water and Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre. It’s a straightforward, no‑fuss place to top up before or after your wetland cruises and day trips.
Services and perksFuel with diesel on the pumps
- Fuel with diesel on the pumps
- Contactless, credit and debit card payments accepted
- Propane exchange and a basic car wash listed on site
- Hot drinks available — one reviewer called out a good hot chocolate
Location and pairingRight by Cooinda Lodge on Cooinda Road, near Yellow Water and the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural…
Right by Cooinda Lodge on Cooinda Road, near Yellow Water and the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre — easy to combine with a cruise or a cultural centre visit.
Good to knowHours run 6am–8pm daily.
Hours run 6am–8pm daily. If you need propane exchange or a quick rinse, those services are listed here — useful in a pinch, but plan them around the busier late‑morning window.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Kakadu
1,079 sightingsSaltwater CrocodileMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
121 sightingsWater BuffaloMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsFrilled DragonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
116 sightingsRed-tailed Black CockatooMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
101 sightingsBrolgaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
299 sightingsMagpie GooseMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Kakadu. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
