Frequently Asked Questions

Bamurru Plains is more than just a hotel room or a place to stay. Your time with us includes twice-daily guided safari-style experiences on our property. All meals, drinks and alcoholic beverages, are included as part of your experience. It’s an ‘our home is your home’ approach.’

At night, one of our guides will often join you for dinner.

• Accommodation in either a Safari Bungalow, Kingfisher Suite or Jabiru Retreat
• All meals prepared by the on-site Head Chef and culinary team
• Unlimited beverages – beer, wine and spirits included
• Daily guided Wild Bush Luxury safari program which may include airboat safaris, croc-spotting river cruises, open-top game drives, guided wilderness walks and more

A varied activity program will be curated according to seasonality and optimum wildlife viewing, communicated with guests each day.

No. We are proudly without Wi-Fi or mobile phone signal. As a remote wilderness lodge, our aim is to connect you to the bush without distraction and the constant ‘buzz’ of today’s connected world.

Be sure to let your friends and family know that you’ll be offline for a few days.

Please leave our land-line number with friends or family and business partners to reach you in the the unlikely event of an emergency.

+61 (8) 8978 8977 and

+61 (8) 8978 8900

Bamurru Plains is open from March 1 to October 31 each year.

Please note if you’re wanting to visit Kakadu National Park, it’s open to tourists from May of each year.

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The Top End is dominated by a tropical monsoonal weather pattern that results in a number of distinct seasons. Earlier in the year, there are more water-based activities. By the end of September, the floodplains have mostly dried up, activities are mainly land-based and the prolific wildlife congregates at waterholes.

The Top End region is tropical and monsoonal. Daytime temperatures range from about 26C to 36C. During March and April, and September and October it can also be quite humid.

Please note that in the winter months (June to August) it can be cool at night and first thing in the morning and an extra layer of clothing is recommended.

Below are the monthly average highs and lows in °C, as well as average days of rainfall.

For up to date weather predictions, use Humpty Doo, Northern Territory as the nearest location.

Only three bungalows can be air-conditioned. All have ceiling fans.

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We do only have three air-conditioned rooms (available on request upon booking) as we try to be leaders for sustainability. Our safari-style camp was built to support a minimal impact on the environment, with each accommodation elevated on poles above the floodplain, with overhead fans and mesh walls on three sides to maximise breeze flow. The majority of Bamurru Plains’ power is solar -generated, keeping our carbon footprint minimal. We have 240 solar panels providing around 75% of the lodge’s power, to minimise our carbon footprint and noise that could disrupt wildlife.

March, April, September and October can be hotter in the Top End, so for guests not used to the heat or humidity, air conditioning is available in three Safari Bungalows and comes with a surcharge of $120 per room, per night linked to our use of additional fuel to provide power.

Yes there is an outdoor swimming pool at the main lodge, which is the perfect place to cool off during the heat of the day and watch the wildlife on the floodplains directly in front.

Jabiru Retreat also has its own sole-use swimming pool for its guests to use exclusively.

Our location on the edge of a floodplain with prolific wildlife means that insects (including mosquitoes) play a major part in the health of the ecosystem and are present in numbers.  Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk and are not disruptive to guest activities.

On safari we recommend:

Twice daily guided wilderness safaris may include air boating across the floodplain, a river cruise looking for big salt water crocs, a 4WD safari in an open top vehicle, guided walks amongst the paperbark forests and more.

All activities are seasonal, based on optimum conditions at the time for wildlife viewing.

All of our experiences are dependent on the weather and the amount of rain that has fallen over the wet season. Whilst we endeavour to get our guests out on an airboat at least once during their stay, there may be times towards the end of the season that this is not possible due to lack of water in the floodplain. In this case, a replacement activity will take place.

No. It is not possible to pre-select shared experiences.  At Bamurru, no two days are the same, and wildlife movements change with the seasons.

Our lodge manager and field guides carefully plan experiences based on the duration of a stay and to provide the best possible chance of experiencing Bamurru’s variety of environments and wildlife. Upon your arrival our field guides will explain the experiences occurring during your stay.

If you do have an experience preference, please advise at time of booking and our reservations team will gladly note it.

For serious birders and photographers we highly recommend booking private experiences (at additional cost) to ensure the full attention to your individual interests.

You can generally expect to be out for between 2 and 3 hours (walks excepted).  For best wildlife viewing, you will typically have an early morning activity and one later in the afternoon around 4pm.

You can explore the Bamurru bush camp setting and its paths – though we do discourage wandering onto the floodplain or further beyond camp to ensure guest safety with the property’s buffalos, plus the odd crocodile that may be on the floodplain.

We try not to restrict our guests unnecessarily, though safety is always paramount.

Should you wish to walk further afield, upon arrival ask your guide to include a guided walk as one of  your daily experiences.

A trip to Kakadu complements a stay at Bamurru and makes a nice addition for stays of three-nights or more.

Bamurru Plains offers unique fly/drive or fly/fly shared and private day trips into Kakadu and Arnhem Land.

Please note, although geographically we border Kakadu National Park, by road it is at least two and a half hours each way just to reach the entrance of the park.

Fishing it not included as part of our regular daily activities.

If you are a keen angler we recommend letting our team know upon booking, to arrange a private guide for fishing (at an additional expense), or reaching out directly to our fishing partner Point Stuart Lodge who can arrange private fishing adventures with expert fishing guides.

Heli-fishing is also available through an external provider at additional cost.

Note that the best time of year for fishing is from March to April.

Fly
Bamurru Plains is a scenic 30-minute private charter flight from Darwin. It’s our pick for convenience, value and views. Our team can make flight reservations on your behalf.

Drive
Bamurru Plains is a three-hour drive from Darwin, or two and a half hours from Jabiru.  There is about an hour of driving on unsealed, but well maintained, roads.For self-driving guests you will be met at our main gate by a field guide who will escort you and your vehicle onto the property, where it will remain parked at a safe location. You will then be transferred to the lodge in our 4WD.

Once on the property you won’t be permitted to drive around on your own however you’ll be taken to some wonderful locations on safari drives in Bamurru Plains vehicles.

Visit our Getting There page for more information.

While a 4WD is not always necessary to reach us, many car rental insurance companies will not cover 2WD vehicles when driving on unsealed roads.

Check-in is from 2pm. We recommend arriving by 3.30pm at the latest, so you can join our afternoon safari experience.

Check-out is by 11am following a morning safari experience.

Late check-out can be arranged by paying 75% of an additional night and must be pre-booked, subject to availability. Lunch will then be included for you as well as an afternoon activity. Bamurru Plains charter flights must depart before sunset, which means a latest departure of 5:30pm.

As a small regional property, our business depends on maximising occupancy and cancellations often result in empty rooms due to long booking lead times. Therefore, cancellations must be advised by email to bamurru@wildbushluxury.com, and the following penalties will take effect from the date received.

Cancellation Policy –
46 days or more: 20% deposit will be refunded less a $50 admin fee and any credit card charges
45 days or less: Any rooms cancelled will incur 100% cancellation fee.

• No shows or premature departures will incur 100% cancellation fee as will any unused services or unused nights due to flight / weather disruption.
• Final rooming list, arrival and departure details, meal and tour requirements are due 30 days prior to arrival

The minimum stay is two nights.

We recommend you stay at least three nights to allow time for an Arnhem Land or Kakadu day trip, or four nights to sit back and relax in and around the camp.

Bamurru Plains is family-friendly, suitable for children strictly 8 years of age and over. This is partly acknowledging the intimacy of our communal-style lodge for guests, and additionally several safety considerations.

Bedding for children is a traditional swag – the authentic Australian rolled bed with inbuilt mattress and pillow.  Children need to be confirmed at time of booking, with an additional cost for swags.

A few points to consider:

• The lodge itself is located on a working buffalo station with free roaming buffalo around the bush camp setting. Children need to be of an age that they are comfortable around native wildlife, to understand and appreciate the incredible natural wonder of the location, while being old enough to avoid being disruptive to the wildlife.
• We don’t encourage getting up close and personal, feeding or patting native wildlife. More, our destination is an opportunity to witness the extraordinary interactions of diverse animal and birdlife in their natural setting.
• There are no child-minding facilities available.
• All guests dine together communally in the main lodge, except for guests of Jabiru Retreat who can request to dine at their accommodation during lunch, and the Kingfisher Suite who can request to dine in their accommodation at either lunch or dinner.
• The menu selection is prepared by our inhouse Chef for all guests, both adults and children (no separate kids meals available).
• We encourage all guests to take advantage of Bamurru’s off-grid location with no internet or mobile phone coverage. If children do require movies or entertainment, we recommend downloading to your devices before arriving at Bamurru so kids can utilise in their accommodation in down-time from the day’s activities.

Please note, if the lodge is booked for exclusive-use with suitable supervision arranged, children of any age will be permitted.