For tourism operators

Last updated:

Tourists on a river cruise.

Conducting tours in Kakadu

If you are a tour operator or tour guide, this page is for you. It pulls together the key information you need to run tours at Kakadu.

Trade Portal for Kakadu Park Passes

The Trade Portal is for permitted and licensed tourism operators and agents who purchase national park passes. It was designed for and in collaboration with tourism operators.

Commercial partners can use the Trade Portal to purchase or sell park passes to customers.

All visitors to Kakadu require a park pass. The pass includes entry to the park, ranger guided walks and talks and interpretive materials like our Visit app.

Where your money goes

100% of park pass revenue is invested directly back into the park. Pass fees help provide the visitor services and facilities you enjoy and preserves Kakadu's World Heritage-listed environment and cultural sites. It also provides payments to the traditional owners, supporting their homelands, training, and business development.

Where the fees go - 8% ranger and cultural activities, 8% rock art maintenance and cultural heritage, 39% traditional owner lease payments, 27% infrastructure and maintenance, 18% operations

Download this chart (PDF 1.1 MB) ​

Guidelines

We’ve prepared two sets of guidelines to make the process of applying for a tourism operator permit or licence simpler. Please refer to these guidelines to determine which one you need.

Additionally, all tour operators must have successfully completed the Kakadu National Park Knowledge for Tour Guides program.

Permit

You will need a permit if you want to carry out a routine or standard activity into areas of the park that are generally open to the public without a limit on numbers.

Standard land-based tour permit

This covers most tours including daytime tours into Kakadu’s many public access areas, including Ubirr, Nourlangie and Twin Falls.

Seasonal permit

Apply for this permit if you would like access to a restricted area, such as Ubirr during the wet season.

Application for a permit for Ubirr wet season access (PDF 330 KB)
Application for a permit for Ubirr wet season access (DOCX 136 KB)

Tour guide agreement form for Ubirr wet season access (PDF 95 KB)
Tour guide agreement form for Ubirr wet season access (DOCX 74 KB)

Information for tour operators and guides – Ubirr wet season access (PDF 4.16 MB)
Information for tour operators and guides – Ubirr wet season access (PPTX 3.13 MB)

Licence

If a tourism activity is a new proposal or is limited by type, location, number of operators or involves exclusive use of a site then the activity must operate under a tourism license. Tourism licenses are issued with a minimum five year term.

The Kakadu Knowledge for Tour Guides program

It is compulsory for all tour guides working in Kakadu to have successfully completed the Kakadu Knowledge for Tour Guides program. This program provides entry-level training covering all the things a tour guide should know when working in Kakadu, including key areas of visitor safety, understanding the park's natural and cultural values and history, minimising environmental impact and legal compliance.

More information

Is something missing? Let us know if there are other topics that you want included.

Contacts

If you have any queries regarding your permit please contact:

The Permits Officer
Kakadu National Park
PO Box 71
Jabiru NT 0886

Phone: 08 8938 1140

Email: Kakadu.Permits@environment.gov.au

If you have any issues you would like to raise around tourism in Kakadu, please contact the Kakadu Tourism Consultative Committee:

Email: kakadutourismcommittee@environment.gov.au