Wangi Falls

Litchfield National Park / Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia

About Wangi Falls

For Subscribers Only. See Membership Options.

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Wangi Falls (“Wangi” rhymes with “wrong guy”) was an attractive set of dual waterfalls sitting at the far western end of Litchfield National Park.

In the state that we saw the falls during both our June 2006 and June 2022 visits, we’ve seen the water split into two segments.

Wangi_Falls_056_06042006 - Wangi Falls
Wangi Falls

The narrower segment was a thin drop weaving between notches in the rugged escarpment while the thicker segment featured a pronounced two-tier drop that was taller than its thinner counterpart.

There was enough volume on the thicker drop producing a decent afternoon rainbow in its mist providing a bit more color to an already colorful scene.

Speaking of rainbows, we’ve experienced this waterfall at two different times of the day – once in the early morning and another in the afternoon.

Timing A Visit to Wangi Falls

As far as when to visit Wangi Falls from a time-of-day standpoint, the morning versus the afternoon yields very different experiences.

Wangi_Falls_005_06042006 - A bonus of our morning visit was checking out these fruit bats or flying foxes hanging from a tree fringing the plunge pool of the Wangi Falls
A bonus of our morning visit was checking out these fruit bats or flying foxes hanging from a tree fringing the plunge pool of the Wangi Falls

When we showed up in the early morning, the walking track was very quiet and we happened to encounter some wildlife that included a kangaroo as well as bats (or flying foxes as they’re sometimes called).

However, later in the day, more people would show up as it’s one of the more popular waterfalls in Litchfield National Park, and this included tour buses.

While spotting wildlife might be less likely with the increased human footprint, we were able to experience late afternoon rainbows in the mist of Wangi Falls.

To my knowledge, Wangi Falls has year-round flow thanks to the permanence of Wangi Creek, which supports the last remaining monsoon rainforest as it has receded with the transition to a more drier climate than it once was on a geologic time scale.

Wangi_Falls_078_06112022 - Even though it was Dry Season at the Top End on our return visit in June 2022, the plunge pool before Wangi Falls was still closed due to the threat of saltwater crocodiles
Even though it was Dry Season at the Top End on our return visit in June 2022, the plunge pool before Wangi Falls was still closed due to the threat of saltwater crocodiles

That said, there’s a big difference between the waterfall’s flow between the Wet (usually November through April) and the Dry (usually May through October).

Each time we’ve experienced the waterfall (in 2006 and 2022), they happened in the month of June, which is typically right when Australia’s Top End makes its annual transition from the Wet Season to the Dry Season.

While there might be less water in Wangi Creek during the Dry Season, an added benefit would be the possibility of using the large plunge pool for swimming to cool off.

That’s because the Wet Season floods tend to allow the dangerous saltwater crocodiles to make their way to the waterways around the falls (which would be when the park service closes access to the plunge pools given the threat is too high).

Experiencing Wangi Falls

Wangi_Falls_011_06112022 - It was merely a short jaunt from the Wangi Falls Cafe to the viewing and swimming areas before Wangi Falls
It was merely a short jaunt from the Wangi Falls Cafe to the viewing and swimming areas before Wangi Falls

From the car park (see directions below), we only had to walk about 100m or so to the main viewing areas for Wangi Falls (as shown in the photo at the top of this page).

There’s a cafe nearby the car park, which can get very busy since there’s not really many options on the western side of Litchfield National Park.

By the way, despite the signs indicating that there was free WiFi at Wangi Falls (courtesy of this cafe, I’d imagine), it didn’t work for us during our June 2022 visit.

Anyways, the short and gently sloping walk first arrives at a large rest area which also doubles as a swimming hole access to the large plunge pool before Wangi Falls (provided it’s safe from saltwater crocs).

Wangi_Falls_018_06112022 - Over the years, Wangi Falls has become legitimately busy as shown here during our return visit in June 2022
Over the years, Wangi Falls has become legitimately busy as shown here during our return visit in June 2022

Just a short jaunt along the boardwalk over the wetlands to the right was another spur to the main lookout for Wangi Falls, which was where we got the pictures that you see at the top of this page.

For most people, this is the extent of a visit to Wangi Falls, but you can continue on the optional anticlockwise Wangi Loop, which goes for about 1.7km in total.

Beyond the end of the boardwalk, the track then passes through a monsoonal rainforest before ascending steeply towards a treetop deck or lookout (about 400m from the swimming area).

There’s no view at the treetop deck due to it being surrounded by trees, but it does offer a bit of a shaded rest area given the moderate climbing it took to get to that point.

Wangi_Falls_069_06112022 - Context of the car park and Wangi Falls Cafe as seen from the top of the escarpment on the Wangi Loop
Context of the car park and Wangi Falls Cafe as seen from the top of the escarpment on the Wangi Loop

Beyond the treetop deck, the track continued its ascent to the top of the escarpment, which eventually crosses over a footbridge traversing Wangi Creek well upstream of the falls and then descending back to the swimming area to complete the circuit.

The circuit track did not yield any additional views of Wangi Falls (at least if you obey the signs), but it did offer some teasing glimpses of the escarpment lands as well as a peaceful experience since most people don’t do this walk.

A visit to Wangi Falls can be as little as 15 minutes, but you’ll want to allow about an hour to do the entire loop if you’re inclined to do it.

Authorities

Wangi Falls resides in Litchfield National Park near Batchelor in the Northern Territory. It is administered by the Northern Territory Government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: litchfield, batchelor, rum jungle, darwin, northern territory, australia, waterfall, outback, bats, crocodiles



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page


Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls

The Waterfaller Newsletter

The Waterfaller Newsletter is where we curate the wealth of information on the World of Waterfalls website and deliver it to you in bite-sized chunks in your email inbox. You'll also get exclusive content like...

  • Waterfall Wednesdays
  • Insider Tips
  • User-submitted Waterfall Write-up of the Month
  • and the latest news and updates both within the website as well as around the wonderful world of waterfalls


How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps

Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.