Katherine Gorge Helicopter Flights 2026: Which One?

Booking choice: The sunset helicopter flight, from $308 per person. Check dates Tour details

All five flights leave from the Nitmiluk Gorge helipad by the visitor centre. North Horizon Heli Adventures runs the sunrise and sunset listings, and it is also the company behind the helicopter flights Nitmiluk Tours sells. Reviewers name their pilots, Miriam more than once; the machines are small, so everyone sits close to a window.

The question is how much of the gorge you want. Ten minutes covers the same three gorges as the long cruise. Twenty minutes gets you all thirteen. Past that, you are paying for a landing.

The quick answer

For the gorges you can't see by boat, take the 20-minute sunrise flight ($252, all 13 gorges, May to October) or the 40-minute sunset flight with a landing and a drink ($308). The 10-minute flight ($133) only covers gorges 1 to 3. The rock art landing ($477) is the one to splurge on.

A view through a helicopter window down into a green river winding between red cliffs — All 13 gorges take about 20 minutes to fly.

Which Katherine Gorge helicopter flight should you book?

Sunrise or sunset for all 13 gorges at a fair price; the 10-minute flight only if money or time is tight; a landing flight if this is your one big splurge.

The five flights on GetYourGuide, from-prices in USD (October 2026):

Flight	Gorges	Minutes	Landing	From
10-minute flight	1 to 3	10	No	$133
Sunrise flight	All 13	20	No	$252
Sunset flight	All 13	40 (about 20 in the air)	Escarpment, drink and nibbles	$308
70-minute tour	All, plus Leliyn	70	About 20 min at a remote spot	$492
Rock art flight	All 13	100	Aboriginal rock art site	$477

North Horizon lists more flights direct, including 8-gorge doors-off and 17 Mile Valley routes and a 3.5-hour Ultimate Adventure (NT Tourism listing).

Fly all 13 gorges at golden hour, then land on the escarpment for a drink as the sun goes.

Check dates for the sunset helicopter flight

Is the 10-minute helicopter flight worth it?

Yes, as an add-on to a cruise. It covers gorges 1 to 3 only, the same water the three-gorge boat reaches, but you see the shape of it.

The flight passes the visitor centre and campground, enters the gorge mouth and crosses Jedda's Rock, Butterfly Gorge and the Lily Pond before turning above the third gorge (Nitmiluk Tours). A guest in July 2026: "Beautiful flight with Miriam [...] only ten minutes but this organisation is so close to the gorge, that is all that is needed."

We'd still spend the extra on 20 minutes. Gorges 4 to 13 are the part no boat shows you, and the sunrise flight costs less than twice as much for twice the time.

Katherine Gorge Helicopter Scenic Flight

The quickest look from above: ten minutes over Jedda's Rock, Butterfly Gorge and the Lily Pond, with pilot commentary.

★ 4.8 · 10 minutes · from $133

Explore the 10-minute helicopter flight Tour details

Sunrise or sunset flight over Katherine Gorge?

Sunrise for the light and the lower price; sunset for the landing and a drink on the escarpment. Both cover all 13 gorges.

The sunrise flight (20 minutes) tracks the full gorge system as first light hits the walls: Baruwei Lookout, Southern Rockhole, Jedda's Rock, Butterfly Gorge, Lily Ponds, Smitt Rock, the 8th gorge and the 13th. It runs in the dry season only, May to October, and the pilots call you to confirm the time.

The sunset flight is 40 minutes all told. NT Tourism lists it as about 20 minutes in the air; the rest is the landing on a remote escarpment, with a drink and nibbles as the sun drops. If weather or maintenance cancels it, you get the choice of a new date, another flight of the same value or a full refund.

A river bend seen from a clifftop in gold evening light — Late light turns the sandstone orange. The sunset flight lands for it.

Which flights land somewhere?

Three on GetYourGuide: the sunset flight (escarpment), the 70-minute tour (a secluded spot for about 20 minutes) and the 100-minute rock art flight.

70-minute tour: the full gorge, then north over Leliyn (Edith Falls), Biddlecombe Cascades and Crystal Falls, then down into a part of the gorge with no road or track for about 20 minutes on the ground. A guest in August 2026 liked that the pilot "looked to understand my interests to tailor the commentary".
Rock art flight: all 13 gorges, then a landing at an Aboriginal rock art site where the pilot walks you through the paintings. Nitmiluk Tours places its art-site landing near the 8th gorge (helicopter flights page).

North Horizon says it is the only operator licensed to land inside Nitmiluk Gorge.

Helicopter Flight & Rock Art Site Landing

Fly the full gorge system and land at a rock art site few visitors reach, with your pilot as guide.

★ 5.0 · 100 minutes · from $477

Explore the rock art helicopter flight Tour details

Can you fly to waterfalls in the wet season?

Yes. The Chasing Waterfalls heli swim flies to wet-season falls you can't reach on foot and lands for about an hour in a rock pool. It isn't sold on GetYourGuide.

Nitmiluk Tours lists it at about 1 hour 20 minutes, from A$345 per seat with a minimum of 2 seats (Chasing Waterfalls); North Horizon's own booking page shows 90 minutes from A$395 (North Horizon). The pilots pick the pool with the best water that day.

The wet season is also when the gorge is at its loudest: water over every ledge, and boats sometimes limited to the first gorge. Our wet season post has the months.

Several waterfalls pouring over red gorge walls into a full river — In the wet, falls appear all along the walls. Only the air reaches most of them.

Are there weight limits on Katherine Gorge helicopter flights?

Yes. For the 3-gorge flight Nitmiluk Tours sets 136 kg per seat and 260 kg for all passengers combined.

Expect to give your weight when you book; small helicopters are balanced seat by seat (Nitmiluk Tours). The pilot decides who sits where, so couples are not always side by side. Wear dark clothes if you plan to photograph through the glass: light shirts reflect.

Can you do a helicopter flight and a cruise on the same day?

Yes, and it's the best way to see the gorge. Cruise in the morning, fly in the afternoon, or fly at sunrise before a 9 am boat.

The helipad and the boat ramp are a short walk apart. Our pick for one day at the gorge: the sunrise flight, breakfast at the Nitmiluk Cafe, the 9 am cruise (three gorges from May to September), and the Baruwei Lookout walk (1.8 km return) before the heat. The cruise guide has the boat times.

The Darwin day trips leave no time for a flight. You need a night in Katherine or at the gorge.

Twenty minutes over all 13 gorges at first light, then the 9 am boat.

Check dates for the sunrise helicopter flight

How much is a helicopter flight over Katherine Gorge?

From $133 for 10 minutes on GetYourGuide. All 13 gorges start at $252 for 20 minutes; landing flights run $308 to $477.

Direct, NT Tourism shows North Horizon flights from A$175 (listing). Booking through GetYourGuide adds free cancellation up to 24 hours before on most flights and lets you compare them on one page; booking direct lets you ask about the longer custom routes.