Parking
Park at the Yellow Water car park by the cruise departure/boat-ramp area at Cooinda; the boardwalk starts beside the boat-ramp and Cruises area.
Overview
About Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Boardwalk
Why go
- Separate seasonal floodplain walk can continue toward the broader Home Billabong viewpoint when conditions allow
- Unusually high chance of close wildlife viewing from dry land
Heads up
- Wet-season flooding can close or shorten access
- Mosquitoes are relentless at dawn and dusk
This compact boardwalk gives you front-row access to Kakadu’s famous Yellow Water Billabong (Ngurrungurrudjba) on the South Alligator River floodplain. It is an easy, low-effort way to see saltwater crocodiles and Top End birdlife among waterlilies, paperbark and pandanus.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy goMap & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
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 Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Boardwalk, 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 trailhead
Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Wetlands and CruisesListen
“The turn-off coming up leads to Yellow Water, which is called Ngurrungurrudjba by the local people. This isn't just a river, it's a massive, landlocked billabong that is absolutely teeming with life.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Kakadu Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Yellow Water's Buffalo Story
- Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre
- Cooinda Lodge and Yellow Water Hub
- Cooinda Airport Scenic Flight Hub
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba) Boardwalk
Route and distanceThe named Yellow Water Boardwalk is an easy out-and-back of about 0.4 miles/0.63 km TOTAL.
The named Yellow Water Boardwalk is an easy out-and-back of about 0.4 miles/0.63 km TOTAL. The stored line follows the approximately 0.2-mile/0.32 km physical boardwalk corridor once, from beside the Yellow Water Cruises/boat-ramp area to the viewing platform/pontoon. It is flat and typically takes about 15–30 minutes, depending on how long you linger at the viewpoints. When floodwaters recede, a separate longer 2.6 km return walk continues across the floodplain toward a viewing platform on Home Billabong; that extension is not part of this boardwalk line.
What you’ll seeScan the channels and backwater wetlands for saltwater crocodiles and birdlife including…
Scan the channels and backwater wetlands for saltwater crocodiles and birdlife including black-necked storks (jabiru), magpie geese, Green Pygmy-Geese, sea eagles, herons and darters. Waterlilies and paperbark/pandanus edges add classic Top End scenery. Sunrise and sunset bring softer light and cooler temperatures.
TipsPair the walk with a Yellow Water cruise for a different view of the same wildlife and…
- Pair the walk with a Yellow Water cruise for a different view of the same wildlife and floodplain.
- Bring insect repellent—mosquitoes can be intense at dawn and dusk.
- A Kakadu National Park pass is required; Cooinda Lodge and the Warradjan Cultural Centre are nearby.
Temper expectationsIt is short and easy—that is the point.
It is short and easy—that is the point. Come for wetlands, wildlife and light rather than a workout. The longer floodplain extension is seasonal and should be treated as a separate walk.
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.
