are not quite as laid back and relaxed as our Kunumeleng (Build Up) trips
but they are more so than most of our other trips. If you want to cover the maximum distance in the minimum time, this is not the time to visit. However, if you would like to enjoy a more leisurely trip, relaxing and soaking up the sights, scents and sounds of the natural world around you, one of our Banggerreng trips could be exactly what you are looking for.
But
before you book, there are a few things to remember.
Rain in April is highly variable. In some years, there might not be a drop. In others, it may rain heavily. We did not have a single drop of rain on the three trips where we took the photos above. In face, we have never had substantial rain on any of our April Kakadu trips. We did, however, have a heavy rain one night in May 2007. The morning after, those who weren't prepared for rain had a lot of drying to do as shown inthe photo at right. We've been lucky so far, but rain is possible.
On average, daytime temperatures in April are somewhat warmer than during the wet season months or January to March. On the other hand, night temperatures are cooler. To be safe, you need both a tent fly and a light weight sleeping bag.
Finally, to take the most extreme case, in 1985, the year before Willis's Walkabouts began operations, Russell Willis took a small group from the Darwin Bushwalking Club on an April walk in Kakadu. The remains of
Tropical Cyclone Gretel
sat over Kakadu and dropped a bit of rain. There was very little wind, but there was a lot of rain. The two photos below are old and a bit fuzzy but they still show what it was like. The one at left shows the top falls on Cascades Creek the night before the rain hit. The second shows the same waterfall the morning after. It happened once and could happen again. We were a bit wet, but we all thought that it was a fantastic experience to be able to see a wet season flood in April.
If you want be sure you get the most out of a trip at this time of year, you need to be prepared for almost anything.