Adelaide River Cruises - Jumping Crocodile Experience — Attraction in Northern Territory

The Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise was the most thrilling wildlife tour experience I've had in the past decade entirely due to the mesmerising commentary of John. Prior to our embarking he gave a hardcore warning talk and laid down rules that I was pulled up on: no pointing in the boat, don't touch the side rail. He stated that he and the guides were terrified of the crocs and we should be too. We set off. Handling the boat with mastery, John was cracking crocs out of the water left and right while explaining their lives so evocatively that I felt I was in the cool mud with them. His in-depth knowledge of their behaviour came from extensive experience. He explained their rank based on territory. 5.6 metre Brutus controlled 1 large territory, Dominator the other. Should a newcomer appear in Brutus domain nothing would happen to him at first as Brutus observed him. Eventually he would be crushed, and Brutus would parade his body around the entire territory so all could see what befell interlopers. John was able to locate Brutus swallowing a feral pig he'd seen him with and he fed encroaching crocs to "leave my Brutus alone". He explained what a huge win that pig was as Brutus only has 3 stubby teeth left and the pig could keep him going for a long time. John pointed out a square scar on the back of another croc, saying a significant injury could greatly affect a crocs growth. A nervous tolerated new male was outranked by the dominant female because she has been sanctioned by Brutus. Meanwhile John lured crocs out of the water up to their back legs and they crashed against the boat to squeals. He threw scraps into the water for the hordes of black kites to swoop and scoop. As we passed a new male John hadn't seen before he said he'd have to watch his behaviour and interactions for a long period, "they don't want to show you their secrets". When I praised the beauty of his words at the end of his tour he said lots of guides were trying to be a scientist. I said your talk was real. Real insights into the lives of Adelaide river crocodiles. Unforgettable. I'm coming back in a...

As the Australian saying goes, 'Do yourself a favour'. This experience is an absolute m7st when visiting Darwin/ The Territory. The operators offer a shuttle/tour bus from Darwin, or if you are self drive, the drive out is picturesque. Once you are at the end of Anzac Road, turn in the gates (signs are dispayed). The road is dirt and goes for several k's and takes you to the establishment. We drove, and there is plenty of parking, including 4WD 's and caravans. This family owned and operated business is very professional. On arrival, a cheeky goanna was walking about, and a chilled cockatoo sat on a perch outside of its cage. Welcome to real Australia! The two young men who are third generation provided a smile with their friendly welcomes. Once on the boat (max 30 people, the guided tour on the Adelaide River was fun and exciting. We were 50 metres off the pontoon when we saw our first croc sighting and then lots of close encounters....literally alongside the boat. Guaranteed photo/vid opportunities. The boat stops for such experiences. A little boat ride on the river, and we were in the area of the infamous Brutus who has survived near instinction back in the '70s. And Lily, who loves to jump high for her feed. The birdlife on the river Waa awesome too. Lots of kites and falcons and even eagles. The one hour trip is worth every cent. $50.00 pa. Back at the pontoon...cro's float about as if to say goodbye. On land again, and at reception, an undercover shaded area had plenty of tables and chairs, and there were clean toilets and wash basin. The boat is kitted out for safety, and our guide was very safety conscious from the get-go. Best value for money, and we highly recommend this tour to get 'up close' to...

We did this same tour with the same company about 10 years ago and we absolutely loved it. So many crocs were jumping so high out of the water, it was incredible. And I remember the tour guide being super chill, informative and approachable, which i loved. With such a great experience, it made sense for us to book with these guys again when we recently returned with our children. Unfortunately, this time around it wasn't as great. Perhaps the last 10 years of tourism and feeding crocs multiple chickens a day has made them a bit less inclined to jump. I'm not sure, however in our 1-hour tour, only 1 crocodile half jumped out of the water. It was quite underwhelming from a 'jumping' perspective and unfortunately, we had hyped it up with the kids so they were a bit disappointed. Dylan also appeared to be on auto-pilot mode as he repeated the same joke 3 times without realising. He certainly has character and plays a role, but it lacked authenticity for me. I'm sure an international tourist would have lapped it up though. I understand wild animals are unpredictable and nothing is guaranteed. I also acknowledge September is still peak tourist season, and no doubt everyone is tired from doing multiple tours a day for months on end. It was professional and we felt safe, so I was...