Ngarigo is the closest National Parks campground to Thredbo, a short drive down the Alpine Way on the banks of the Thredbo River. We spent a night here at the start of our autumn trip to the Snowy Mountains in April 2026 and woke up to a clear blue morning, with the sun on the gravel sites and the forested hills above the river, before heading on to Island Bend. We’d also driven past the turn-off in summer, on our way down the valley from Thredbo.
What we like
- Beside the Thredbo River
- Minutes from Thredbo
- Caravan sites 1 to 10
- Fire ring and table at sites
- Thredbo Valley Track from camp
- Only a $6 booking fee
What we don’t
- Park entry fee on top
- No drinking water or bins
- Very cold nights in winter
About Ngarigo CampgroundAbout
Ngarigo is run by NSW National Parks, in the Thredbo-Perisher area of Kosciuszko National Park, with the Thredbo River along one side and steep, forested hills on the other. It has 30 marked, unpowered sites: sites 1 to 10 have caravan access, and the rest are tent sites, some a short walk from the parking bays. There’s no camping fee, but every site has to be booked online, with a $6 booking fee, and the maximum stay is 14 days. National Parks says platypus are sometimes seen in the river at dawn and dusk.
Quick facts
- AddressNgarigo Campground, Alpine Way, Kosciuszko National Park NSW, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- FacilitiesToiletsPicnic TablesFire PitsWood BBQsCaravan AccessCamper Trailer AccessFishingWalking TrailsNo Drinking WaterNo ShowersNo Power
- Good to know30 booked sitesCaravans on sites 1–10No drones
- Fees$6 booking fee$17 park entry a day$29 a day in winter
- 9.2/10Overall rated
- Book via NSW National Parks
Getting There
Ngarigo is just off the Alpine Way in the Thredbo Valley, between Thredbo and Lake Crackenback, and a brown sign gives you 500 m warning before the turn. The Alpine Way is sealed all the way from Jindabyne; the short campground road and the loops inside are gravel, fine for a 2WD or a caravan. You need a park pass on the car: $17 a day outside winter and $29 a day in winter, from the Thredbo or Jindabyne visitor centres, the entry stations or the Park’nPay app.
The Campsites
The campground is a set of gravel loops and parking bays with grassy sites in between, shaded by snow gums and with the forested hills rising straight above. The caravan sites are open gravel bays near the entrance, and the tent sites spread out along the edges under the trees. Most sites have a steel fire ring and a timber picnic table. On our autumn morning there were caravans, campervans and a handful of tents around the loops, with plenty of space between them, and our Prado sat on a big gravel bay with the rooftop tent up and the sun coming over the ridge.
Campground LayoutLayout
The road comes in from the Alpine Way past the toilets and the caravan sites, 1 to 10, to a big parking area in the middle. Sites 11 to 27 spread out along the Thredbo River from there, most of them tent-only, and a short spur leads north to sites 28 to 30. The Thredbo Valley Track passes both ends of the camp, north to Thredbo Diggings and south to Thredbo Village.
Facilities and Campfires
There’s a toilet block near the entrance and disability parking, but no showers, no power and no drinking water. The board asks you to boil all drinking water and take your rubbish home, as there are no bins. Fires are allowed in the fire rings and wood barbecues, or in a small, shielded off-ground brazier. Firewood isn’t provided and collecting it is prohibited, so buy it, with ice, in Jindabyne, Thredbo or at Lake Crackenback Resort. No dogs and no drones, you need a NSW fishing licence to fish the river, and mobile reception is limited in the park.
Reading the Rules BoardRules
The information board by the entrance has the campground map and the rules in one place. The map shows the caravan sites and tent sites, the toilet and parking, the river along the western side, and the two sections of the Thredbo Valley Track that leave from camp: downstream to Thredbo Diggings and upstream to Thredbo Village. The board covers campfires, firewood, rubbish and the park pass, and asks campers not to feed the wildlife; it also introduces the gang-gang cockatoo, a grey parrot with a red head that you may hear in the gums.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
Thredbo Village is a few minutes up the Alpine Way, with the Merritts Gondola, the alpine coaster, the bike park and the Kosciuszko Walk from the top of the chairlift. Downstream, the Thredbo Valley Track runs along the river to Thredbo Diggings, under 5 km away, and the drive over Dead Horse Gap on the Alpine Way leads on to Tom Groggin and Geehi Flat on the western side of the range.
Summary
Ngarigo is an easy, pretty campground beside the Thredbo River, a few minutes below Thredbo: 30 booked sites under forested hills, fire rings and picnic tables, caravan access on ten sites and the Thredbo Valley Track running past. It costs a $6 booking fee plus the daily park entry. Bring your own drinking water and firewood, warm sleeping gear and a bag for your rubbish.
An easy riverside base just down the road from Thredbo.
Ngarigo has 30 booked sites beside the Thredbo River under forested hills, with fire rings and picnic tables, caravan access on ten of them and the Thredbo Valley Track running past. Bring water and firewood, and a park pass for the car.
- Anglers
- Caravanners
- Families
Yes. A $6 booking fee gets you a site by the river a few minutes from Thredbo, with the valley track on your doorstep; park entry is extra.
Recommended Gear for Ngarigo Campground
National Parks warns that it gets very cold here, so pack warm sleeping gear, and carry your own water in a good water container. Morning coffee in the sun by the river is the best part of a stay, so bring your coffee gear, and our Kings Grand Tourer Lite rooftop tent fitted easily on the big gravel bays.
