Australia · Kakadu, Northern Territory
A sheer sandstone escarpment towers over a plunge pool that, in the dry season when the falls themselves often stop flowing, becomes one of the most dramatic swimming holes in the Top End. Reaching it requires a rugged 4WD track that closes completely once the wet season monsoon arrives.
Checked September 2026 by David Bussell
Jim Jim Falls drops 200 metres (656 ft) on the Jim Jim Creek, inside Kakadu National Park. It is a plunge-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Jabiru, with JAB the closest airport. Access to the main viewpoint is rated hard.
As a plunge waterfall, water leaves the rock entirely and falls free through the air.
Also good forHikingPhotography
Only accessible by 4WD in the dry season (Jun-Aug/Sep); the wet season road closure cuts off ground access entirely.
Entry: Kakadu National Park pass required
This waterfall
Jim Jim Falls
Australia
Height200 mWidth—
Most similar
Bowen Falls
New Zealand
Height162 mWidth—
Also a plunge waterfall, of similar height and in New Zealand
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
Angel Falls is 4.9× taller than Jim Jim Falls. It drops 1.9× further than Victoria Falls (108 m). We don't have a reliable crest width for Jim Jim Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
9:42
3:41
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Photography
Stanley Breeden and Belinda Wright · 1989
Photographs and Bininj/Mungguy knowledge of Kakadu's seasons and escarpment country, where Jim Jim and Twin Falls are.
History & travel
Diane Lucas and Ken Searle · 2005
A children's picture book about Kakadu's six seasons, good for families visiting the escarpment falls.
Guidebook
Lonely Planet · 2024
The 22nd edition covers the Top End, Far North Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and NSW in one volume.
Walking guide
Lonely Planet · 2024
Short and half-day walks around Australia, useful for fitting waterfall hikes into a wider trip.
-13.2726, 132.8399
Jim Jim Falls is in Australia (Kakadu, Northern Territory), inside Kakadu National Park. The nearest base is Jabiru and the closest airport is JAB. Its coordinates are -13.2726, 132.8399.
Jim Jim Falls drops 200 metres (656 feet). It is a plunge-type waterfall on the Jim Jim Creek.
Peak flow is June to August. Only accessible by 4WD in the dry season (Jun-Aug/Sep); the wet season road closure cuts off ground access entirely.
Beyond the viewpoints: scenic flights, swimming, hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated hard — a serious approach: distance, altitude, a boat, or a guide.
Yes — swimming is a normal part of a visit to Jim Jim Falls, in the pools away from the falling water. Only swim where it is permitted on the day, stay clear of the base of the falls where currents recirculate, and skip it after heavy rain.
Yes. Jim Jim Falls lies within a UNESCO World Heritage Site — Kakadu National Park. Expect park fees, marked trails and rules on where you can walk, swim and fly drones.
The usual base is Jabiru, and the closest airport is JAB. A serious approach: distance, altitude, a boat, or a guide from there. Kakadu National Park pass required.
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