September 1, 2026 — 5:00amI’m dripping. With sweat or rain, I can’t be sure. It’s steaming hot, and I’ve been dripping since the minute I opened the car door. It’s been bucketing – these downpours are like the gods have upended a sink on the world. The earth is dry one second, soaked the next. Welcome to the Northern Territory during the wet season, I guess.Wet ‘n’ wild … Florence Falls.Clambering over gravel and loose rock, I make my way along the trail towards the Upper Cascades in Litchfield National Park, one of the few swimming holes open year-round in the Northern Territory. The wet season also means crocodiles find new homes in this area’s creeks and pools, so many are closed off as the rain rolls in. But ask around and you can discover where the locals cool off safely.A word of warning: the NT does hiking differently – as in, chaotically. If you’re tired of sensible, graded paths and predictable bush walks, this is the place to be. It’s rugged and wild, signposted but in minimalist fashion, little arrows directing you on your way that are so subtle you’ll forget you’re following a guided walk and not choosing your own adventure.I’ve been to the Upper Cascades before, but that was during the dry. Then, it was a series of small, shallow pools. Now, as I arrive at the peak, it’s a free-flowing river, the pools interconnected as one spills into the next.During the dry, groups of tourists and locals communed in each pool, small Eskies set up beside them packed with beers, conversations at a constant hum. Now, it’s empty on a Saturday afternoon, except for two other groups, definitely locals – their Akubras have actually seen red dirt and are sun-bleached and moulded to their heads. I sit, catching my breath, surrounded by roaring water, birdsong, the distant rumble of thunder. It could be 2026 or millennia ago. Such is the way in the Northern Territory; finding yourself in a landscape that feels untouched by modernity is easy to achieve.Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletterGet exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.Hideaway Litchfield … adventure beckons in the wet season.Yet many visitors skip the Top End during the wet. The well-worn grey nomad path sees thousands of caravan enthusiasts meandering north for a June arrival, when the glorious dry season sees the area rain-free and temperate, with warm days, cool nights and all the bucket-list spots open for business.Upper Cascades, Litchfield National Park.But they are seriously missing out. In the dry, you won’t find yourself rushing outside under your caravan awning to watch the clouds roll in and lightning snaking across the sky. You won’t get to see a downpour start 50 metres away, then a curtain of rain rushing toward you before it bursts with such force that you won’t be able to hear yourself think for 15 minutes.You won’t have waterfalls entirely to yourself, free from the selfie sticks. In the wet, the landscape is bursting with new life, blindingly green; the air is full of birds conversing, the ground hosting critters from tiny frogs to fluffy grey wallabies.“But you can’t swim” is usually the argument to counter all that travelling joy. That, and complaints about the humidity, which is, to be fair, impossible to get used to. But you do learn to battle through. And, as the locals know, you can swim – you just need to know where to go.Buley Rockhole, Litchfield National Park.Upper Cascades is one of several swimming holes inside Litchfield National Park, an easy hour’s drive from Darwin CBD, that is open year-round for swimming. Like everything in the Top End, the weather can become crazy, enough to cause temporary closures if the waters are churning too hard, or big downpours lead to increased crocodile risks. But Upper Cascades is rarely off limits.Nearby Buley Rockhole and Florence Falls are also open for swimming for most of the year too, and while both still offer limited accessibility, they are more family-friendly if you’re travelling with kids or don’t feel like a long hike.Check the NT National Parks website daily to see what’s open and what’s closed, because the unpredictable weather of the wet means plans can change in the blink of an eye. If you’re a type-A planner who needs predictability, it might not be the season for you.But if you love adventure, hate the crowds and want to immerse yourself in the true wild, you’ve got to take the plunge.THE DETAILSVISITLitchfield National Park is open year-round, although it may close unexpectedly due to bushfires, flooding or park maintenance, so always check online first (nt.gov.au). The park is a one-hour, 15-minute drive from Darwin (90 minutes to the Upper Cascades). Most sights are 2WD-accessible.FLYJetstar, Virgin and Qantas fly direct to Darwin from Sydney and Melbourne. All major car-hire companies operate out of Darwin Airport.STAYHideaway Litchfield has luxury converted shipping container accommodation on the edge of the park from $254 a night. You’ll be immersed in the bush, but with all the mod cons camping can’t provide.The writer travelled as a guest of Tourism NT.More:Northern TerritoryAustraliaDarwinAdventure holidaysRoad tripsTop EndFrom our partners