I've spent enough time in the Australian outback to know that the distance between knowing a place exists and actually getting yourself there is enormous — and that gap is precisely where a tour like AAT Kings' 17-day Kimberley, Kakadu and The Ghan earns its keep. When I finally sat down to look at this itinerary properly, I was struck by how ambitiously it stitches together three of Australia's most iconic and logistically demanding destinations into a single continuous journey.
What the Itinerary Actually Covers
This is a point-to-point tour, typically running from Darwin to Adelaide (or in reverse), with the Kimberley region of Western Australia and the Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park as the twin centrepieces, before you board the legendary Ghan train for the journey south through the Red Centre.
The 17 days break down roughly as follows: the first several days are spent in and around Darwin, crossing into the Kimberley via Kununurra, then heading through the Gibb River Road country before looping back through Katherine and into Kakadu. The final leg puts you on The Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide, which is a journey of about 2,979 kilometres on its own.
The Kimberley Segment
The Kimberley portion is the most physically remote part of the trip. Expect gorge walks at Windjana, a visit to the ancient Bungle Bungles (Purnululu National Park), boat cruises on the Ord River, and time in Kununurra. The landscape here is genuinely unlike anything else in Australia — tiered orange sandstone, boab trees that look like they've been planted upside down, and a sense of scale that takes a day or two to adjust to.
AAT Kings uses purpose-built touring coaches with experienced local guides, which matters in the Kimberley. The roads are rough in places, the heat is serious, and knowing which gorge walk is manageable for a range of fitness levels — and which creek crossing needs respect — is the kind of local knowledge you don't pick up from a guidebook. For comparison, if you were self-driving this leg, you'd be looking at 4WD hire, multiple permits, and detailed route planning that most visitors simply don't have time to arrange.
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu is the world's largest tropical national park and a dual World Heritage site — listed for both its cultural significance to the Bininj and Mungguy peoples and its extraordinary natural diversity. The tour covers the highlights: Ubirr and Nourlangie rock art sites, Yellow Water Billabong cruises, and Jim Jim Falls if the timing and water levels allow.
One thing worth knowing: Kakadu's accessibility changes dramatically by season. The wet season (roughly November to April) closes many roads and some sites entirely, while the dry season (May to October) is when most tour operators run. AAT Kings schedules this itinerary accordingly, but it's worth checking the departure months carefully against what you most want to see. The Parks Australia Kakadu National Park website has current track and road conditions that are genuinely useful for setting expectations before you go.
The Ghan: What the Train Leg Is Actually Like
The Ghan section runs from Darwin to Adelaide with an off-train excursion stop in Alice Springs. Depending on the fare class AAT Kings has packaged — typically Platinum Service — you'll have a private cabin, meals in the dining car, and that particular rhythm of watching the landscape scroll past a large window for hours at a time. The Alice Springs stop usually includes a guided excursion to Telegraph Station and a look around the town.
I'd be honest with you here: The Ghan is as much about the experience of being on the train as it is about ticking off landmarks. If you're the kind of traveller who needs to be doing something every waking hour, the long stretches of flat mulga scrubland between Katherine and Alice Springs might try your patience. But if you've ever wanted to understand the sheer physical fact of how vast the Australian interior is, there's no better way to feel it. The train covers ground that would take days of driving and ties together the north and south of the continent in a way that feels genuinely epic without requiring you to do anything except look out the window.
Meals, Accommodation and Group Dynamics
On the land portion, AAT Kings uses a mix of lodges, motels and tourist parks — typically twin-share, with single supplements available. The accommodation is solid three-star territory: comfortable and functional rather than luxurious. In a region where the alternative is camping or very limited self-catering, it's more than adequate.
Group sizes vary, but you're generally looking at 20-40 passengers on the coach. If the idea of a group tour makes you hesitate, it's worth knowing that the demographic on a trip of this length and price tends to skew toward experienced, independent-minded travellers who've chosen a tour specifically because of the logistics involved — not because they want to be shepherded. The guides I've spoken with on AAT Kings tours describe the atmosphere as social but not forced.
Cost and Value Assessment
This tour sits in the premium end of the group touring market. Prices shift seasonally and with availability, but as a general guide you should budget for a four-figure cost per person that covers accommodation, most meals, all park entry fees, The Ghan fare, and guided activities. Flights to Darwin (or from Adelaide) are typically your own arrangement.
The value calculation depends on what you'd spend to replicate this independently. Hiring a suitable 4WD in Darwin, getting the required permits for Purnululu and parts of the Gibb River Road, booking accommodation across the Kimberley in peak season, and then adding a Platinum Ghan fare would exceed the tour cost for most people — and that's before you factor in the research time and the genuine safety considerations of remote travel without local knowledge.
For context, Western Australia offers similarly priced self-drive touring itineraries, but they require a level of preparation that's realistic only if you've got experience in remote travel. If you're earlier in your Australian adventure — perhaps you've done Perth, explored Margaret River, maybe even driven the coast to Coral Bay — this tour is a natural step up into the genuinely remote north without doing it completely on your own.
Practical Things to Know Before You Book
Fitness and Mobility
This isn't an extreme adventure tour, but it's not a bus-and-buffet cruise either. Some gorge walks involve uneven terrain, slippery rocks near water, and significant heat. AAT Kings grades activities, and guides are experienced at helping passengers assess what's appropriate for them, but you should be comfortable walking three to five kilometres on rough ground in high temperatures. If you have significant mobility limitations, speak directly with AAT Kings before booking.
What to Pack
Long lightweight trousers and long sleeves for the evenings (mosquitoes in the Top End are no joke), solid closed-toe shoes for gorge walks, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen rated 50+, and a good insect repellent. The temperature range across 17 days can be significant — Darwin's wet-season humidity, Kakadu's dry heat, and Adelaide's milder climate are genuinely different environments. Pack layers you can add and remove rather than one heavy item.
Departure Dates and Availability
Because this tour is structured around The Ghan's schedule and Kakadu's seasonal access, departure dates are fixed and limited. They tend to sell out months in advance, particularly for May through August departures. The Tourism Western Australia site has useful seasonal guides for the Kimberley that can help you decide which month suits your priorities — whether that's wildflowers, birdlife, or simply cooler temperatures.
Who This Tour Works Best For
In my view, this itinerary earns its reputation for travellers who want to cover serious ground in Australia's remote north without the year-long planning exercise that independent travel in the Kimberley requires. It suits people who are comfortable with group travel, value a knowledgeable local guide over complete autonomy, and want the Ghan experience included rather than arranged separately. It's also a strong option for international visitors on a time-limited trip who want to move beyond the southern cities and see the Australia that doesn't appear in most travel itineraries.
If that's you, book well in advance, confirm your travel insurance covers remote medical evacuation, and pack light — you'll thank yourself when you're transferring bags at Katherine in 36-degree heat. The itinerary is ambitious, but that's precisely what makes it worthwhile.
