Jumping Crocodile Tours
Jumping crocodile tours have been running daily on the Adelaide River since 1985 when an ex crocodile hunter decided to try to make a living with a cruise showing tourists the few crocs that remained in the river.
Extensive hunting had decimated crocodile numbers until it was banned in 1961 however since then they have increased dramatically. They are now farmed at several locations in the Northern Territory and Queensland for their valuable skins and meat.
The sealed road built for the Ranger Uranium Mine which opened in 1980 provided (almost) all weather access to the area and the tremendous popularity of Paul Hogan and Crocodile Dundee has made this one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Northern Territory.
When they began operating, crocodiles were still rare in the wild in Australia as populations had not recovered from the hunting which had almost driven them to extinction.
A Swimming Crocodile |
Crocodiles are now very common throughout Northern Australia and the cruise operaters estimate there are about 100 in the tour area.
Usually hard to see even when swimming and difficult to approach, the animals in this stretch of the river have becomes used to the tour boats and learned that there is a meal waiting when they hear the jumping crocodile tours boat approach. Small pieces of meat offered on lines from the boat are enough to get a strong reaction from the crocs, leaping from the water to grab their reward.
This hungry crocodile is much more visible as it launches itself towards a meal. This is not unnatural behaviour as crocs will lunge out of the water to attack anything they see as prey.
They are dangerous, aggressive animals and care should be taken when in their territory. This is NOT Disneyland, listen to the advice of experienced tour guides for a safe and exciting adventure.
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 |  | The biggest boat used on the River is the Adelaide River Queen 11 which has an airconditioned lower deck and an open upper deck which allows people to get an excellent view of the crocs in complete safety. Specially built for the tour, this boat uses a water jet propulsion system to minimise environmental damage and ensure the crocodiles are not hit by propellers. |
Jumping crocodile tours cost $30 for an adult and $20 for children and run every day except 25th December. This cost is included in the Goanna Eco Tour which provides transport from Darwin to the Adelaide River and then on to Litchfield Park for the remainder of the day.
Did you smile at a crocodile on the
Adelaide River?
The jumping crocodiles on the Adelaide River put on some good shows and each one is different.
How many crocs have you seen up close? Did you manage to get a good photo?
Tell us about your encounter with crocodiles here.
Read more close encounters of a crocodile kind here..
Click the headings below to see what others have to say about their crocodile adventures.
Super Sonner
i was almost bitten by a crocodile las night and was almost close to death.
Homing Crocodiles
Move over pigeons, homing crocodiles are the experts!
It seems these animals are more incredible than I ever thought. After just returning from a cruise ...
"I was DEADLY Scared, mate!"
Not rated yet
There I was...cane toads to the right of me, death adders to the left of me. In front of me was a poisonous stonefish. In back of me, a fair-dinkum giant ...
Crocodile vs. Shark
Not rated yet
So, I come from South Africa. I went to visit some friends in the south of Zululand and they told me how the Zambezi shark can swim up the rivers.
"What ...
My First Crocodile Adventure
Not rated yet
My friend Kacey and I once went to Gatoroma. We saw a 20 feet crocodile. It was big and we could tell that it was about 40-year-old. This crocodile ...
crocs rule!
Not rated yet
one day i was at a zoo when i saw a huge croc on the bank. then i saw lots of crocdiles. i went on a boat and there was thousnds of crocs. they had food ...
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