Hike the Jatbula Trail, NT
If the Larapinta Trail is the perfect NT Red Centre experience, then the 62km Jatbula Trail more than qualifies as its Top End equivalent; the six-day walk is moderate in level but takes you through some of the most vibrant and engaging terrain in this country. It can be walked independently (you need to book well ahead for park camping/passes) or you can jump on board a guided adventure with tour operators such as World Expeditions.
The Jatbula is located in Nitmiluk National Park and winds north (you can only walk it in this one direction) from Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge), which is well worth a few days’ exploration, to Leliyn (Edith Falls). The route takes walkers on a tropical walking adventure along the western edges of the Arnhem Land Escarpment, experiencing savannah grasslands, rocky quartzite cliffs, creek-crossings, and exploring monsoon forests, with each day ending at the perfect campsite: right beside a cooling waterfall. This is Jawoyn country, and you’ll get the chance to spot brilliant rock art in a number of caves and rocky overhangs and outcrops as you trek an average of 10km each day (the longest stretch is 16km on Day 3, from 17 Mile Falls to Sandy Camp Pool) between campsites.
The first few days are spectacular as walkers traverse what is known as “stone country” before entering some pockets of monsoonal rainforest that are characteristic of the region. After a few days you’ll follow a gentler track as you walk beside the pretty Edith River to Sandy Camp Pool, where you’ll camp for the night, and then through paperbark forests and past more waterholes to Sweetwater Pool.
The hike is brilliant and can be done at a nice leisurely pace but be sure to start early each morning so you can take full advantage of the campsites’ locations right next to waterholes where you can swim and cool off during the afternoons. The trekking season is July to September up here, so as well as warm days and cool-ish nights, you should see plenty of stars in the clear NT skies.
In addition to the brilliant overall walking experience, the fantastic campsites and the rich indigenous history, the Jatbula’s start- and endpoints are ideal if you’d like to spend more time here doing day walks through Nitmiluk National Park or canoeing up the gorge or down Katherine River.
Alternatively, you can simply keep that waterfall spirit alive and spend a few days lolling about at Leliyn at the end of your tropical trekking adventure.
More info: parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/walks/jatbula-trail-nitmiluk-national-parks
Ride the Tour Aotearoa, NZ
The Tour Aotearoa is touted as one of the world’s best cycle touring/bikepacking adventures, topping out at around 3000km, and linking the tip of New Zealand’s North Island, at Cape Reinga, to Bluff, at the bottom of the South Island.
Originally dreamed up as a non-competitive cycling event by Kiwi cycling guidebook author/expert, Jonathan Kennett (the first Tour Aotearoa kicked off in 2016), the event, run across February and March, has become incredibly popular. Originally held every two years, from 2020 the Tour Aotearoa is now). Riders in the event have 45 days to complete the route.
