Davidson's Arnhemland Safaris

I’m not prone to writing reviews of places we visit as seldom do I feel that there’s much to add to previous contributors comments, however, Davidson Arnhem Safaris is more than special, its exceptional and a life affirming experience in the truest sense. So, we were there for 3 days, flying in from Jabiru on an early morning flight. We were met at the aircraft by our guide, Cameron, who helped deposit our bags in our lodge and before we could catch our breath, we were off on our first tour of the day. Well, it seems that everyone starts off with a relatively ‘easy’ hike to see the rainbow serpent, a very special and impressive piece of ancient rock art. Along the way we took in other paintings, discussed animals, geology, native customs, settler impact and even the effects of the seasons on the area. Another slightly more challenging hike in the afternoon saw even more rock art spanning tens of thousands of years and Cameron was always there to explain most of the images. I’m not going to spoil the experience for readers of this review but we managed to do six seperate tours, each with something amazing to see and our guide was our constant advisor and tutor answering our many questions with humour and detail. The barramundi fishing trip was tremendous and the two of us caught 41 wild fish in just a couple of hour; all were safely returned. The accommodation is excellent with everything you might need after some fairly intensive days. The staff were superb, the food excellently, prepared and served, the beer was cold and so was the pool! We felt so privileged to be able to visit this amazing place and thank Charlie and Max for their work to ensure that some people do have the opportunity to see what is likely to be the most concentrated display of rock art in Australia. Special thanks must also go to Cameron, a truly outstanding and knowledgeable guide and a passionate advocate for this area. It’s remote, no WiFi, no phones, no traffic, no need for them!

My wife and I had only 2 nights here, but saw a vast amount of the spectacular rock art in the surrounding area. Our guide, Cameron, was excellent and made sure that I saw examples of the rare X-ray art. We had an interesting boat trip on the local waterway where we saw birds, water buffalo, and vast numbers of saltwater crocodiles, along with great views of Mt. Borradaile. The drinks and food were excellent and the comraderie among the guests was lively. We highly recommend this experience.

If you are passionate about indigenous rock art and culture, then you must go to Mt Borradaile. There is a lot of rock art to see and numerous places where the guides will take you to see it. Unfortunately, my stay was weather-affected so I wasn't taken to the art that I wanted to see. A stay booked late in the tourism season would have been better. Aside from that, there's little else to see and do during a stay here. There's no wifi or phone reception, so it does offer a good opportunity to digitally detox if you are happy to relax with a book outside of tour times. Facility-wise, I spent a lot of time in the pool to cool down, as I was affected by the humidity and there is no air-conditioning for guests on site. The rooms are basic - twin beds for solo travellers, one table and chair, and flyscreen mesh for walls/windows. The bathroom does provide privacy to change clothing. Food-wise, during my stay, the two-course lunches were incredible; and the dinners were good as well.