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Outback Camping Adventure (Yulara to Alice Springs)

Details

This 5-day small group tour is your chance to meet the outback on your own terms. No set itinerary, no rushing around to pre-established timeframes – just you, your small group, and a well-versed local leader exploring the Red Centre at your own pace. Get to all the big name attractions – Uluru/Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, the Western MacDonnell Ranges – and perhaps visit lesser-known sites like Trephina Gorge, Owen Springs, Ruby Gap and the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges.

Why we love this trip:

  • Spend five days experiencing the very best that the Red Centre has to offer, including Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon and two days exploring the sites of the MacDonnell Ranges, both East and West:

  • Witnessing an Uluru sunset is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Have your camera ready when taking in this spectacular sight.

  • Discover ancient cave paintings near Mutitjulu Waterhole as a local Anangu guide explains the culture and stories behind the art and its connection to the land.

  • A combination of both powered camps and swag camping to experience the true magic of the Red Centre.

  • Armed with a flexible itinerary and a knowledgeable guide, this itinerary allows you to discover the Red Centre at a more relaxed pace.

Itinerary

Day 1 : Yulara
Alice Springs is really where you need to go to understand the heart and soul of Australia. Meet your guide and fellow travelers at the Alice Springs pick-up point this morning and set off to explore the Red Centre. Shortly after you arrive, the unmistakable Uluru will emerge from the earth as one giant boulder. Only a short drive away walk off your lunch is Kata Tjuta (The Olga’s). With its 36 various-sized domes, it provides quite a contrast to Uluru, and much larger too with the highest point almost 200 meters higher than its counterpart. You’ll get to know Kata Tjuta’s rock formations and landscape pretty well in the afternoon hiking between the massive domes. As the evening unfolds, enjoy a light snack as the sun slowly sets, casting a variety of earthy tones across Uluru. The perfect end to a remarkable day is awaiting you back at camp, as you enjoy a delicious spread of food with your group. If the weather permits, sit outside under the stars.

Powered camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)

Total walking time is approximately 2 hours. Total driving time today is around 7 hours.
Meals :Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 : Uluru Sunrise
An early start this morning is rewarded with an Uluru sunrise as the sun hits the icon like a beacon, before the light floods the surrounding landscape. While the morning is fresh, enjoy a walk around the base of Uluru taking in all of the textures and valleys of Uluru up-close, which isn’t evident from afar. Join a First Nation Cultural Experience at the Mutitjulu waterhole where you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the ‘Tjukurpa’ the law and creation stories of the Anangu. Once you’ve had lunch, perhaps purchase some art at the Cultural Centre, hand-crafted by local First Nation Peoples of the Western and Central Deserts. Travel onto our exclusive campsite near the Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon), where the group will have dinner and enjoy the stars.

Accommodation: Powered camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)
Total driving time today is around 3.5 hours. Total walking time is approximately 2.5 hours (or up to 3.5 if you do the full 10km base walk).
Meals :Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 : Kings Canyon
The main attraction of Watarrka National Park is undoubtedly Kings Canyon – a huge gorge enclosed by sheer rock walls many meters high. With its porous sandstone, deep gullies and hidden rock pools, it provides shelter to more than 600 species of native plants and animals. Your guide will point may of these out on a trek that takes in the canyon’s most famous locations such as the Lost City, the Garden of Eden, Amphitheatre, and of course North & South Walls of Kings Canyon. We enjoy lunch before driving during much of the afternoon to our overnight camp in the East MacDonnell Ranges.

Today driving time: about 5 hours. Today walking time: about 3 hours.
Accommodation: Swag Camping (with basic shared facilities) (1 night)

Total driving time today is around 5.5 hours. Total walking time is approximately 3 hours. For the Kings Canyon Rim Walk it is a requirement that you have a minimum of three litres of water with you. Please consider bringing your own refillable water bottles.
Meals :Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 : East MacDonnell Ranges
Often overlooked for its western counterpart, the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges just might be one of the Outback’s best kept secrets. This is the home of the Arrernte people, the Traditional Owners of the land. Learn about their caterpillar dreamtime story on a short walk to Emily Gap, an important spiritual site to the Arrernte people containing galleries of ancient rock paintings. Drive to Jesse Gap followed by Trephina Gorge, where you’ll set off on a one-hour guided walk to see its quartzite cliffs and rich birdlife. Afterwards, it’s time for lunch; grab a bite at the historical Ross River Homestead. After exploring the best of the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges, we drive to our overnight bush camp in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Accommodation: Swag Camping (with basic shared facilities) (1 night)
Meals :Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 : West MacDonnell Ranges
Spend the afternoon exploring the Outback scenery of the Western MacDonnell Ranges. Visit one of the most photographed places in the Red Centre; Ormiston Gorge. Keep your eyes peeled for wallabies while admiring the colourful, sweeping walls surrounding its waterhole. Continue to Redbank Gorge and Ellery Creek Big Hole, a popular spot for a refreshing dip. After a satisfying day spent exploring the West MacDonnell Ranges, we head back to Alice Springs where our epic five-day adventure ends.

Total walking distance: up to 10 kms. Total driving time: about 3 hours
Meals :None

Pickups / Departures

Departure Days: Sundays May to October in 2024

Joining point:  Desert Gardens Hotel at Ayers Rock Resort or Airport (dependent on flight arrival time, confirm at time of booking) - It is essential you advise Adventure Tours Australia or your booking agent of your flight times.

WINTER SCHEDULE – No lunch included
(7th April - 5th October 2024 and 6th April - 4th October 2025)

If your flight arrives BEFORE 1:00pm your guide will meet you at the front of the Desert Gardens hotel at 1:45pm (Outback Pioneer @ 1:50pm). The Free Yulara Airport Shuttle is available from the airport to the Desert Gardens Hotel. No bookings are required, just look for the regular shuttle in front of the airport once you have collected your luggage.

If your flight arrives between 1:00pm – 1:40 pm please meet your Adventure Tours guide at Yulara (Ayers Rock Airport) @ 2:00pm

Please do not book any flights arriving after 1:40pm as you will not be able to join trip.

SUMMER SCHEDULE – Lunch included
(6th October 2024 – 5th April 2025 and 5th October 2025 – 4th April 2026)

If your flight arrives BEFORE 11:00am your guide will meet you at the front of the Desert Gardens hotel at 1:15pm (Outback Pioneer @ 1:20pm). The Free Yulara Airport Shuttle is available from the airport to the Desert Gardens Hotel. No bookings are required, just look for the regular shuttle in front of the airport once you have collected your luggage.

If your flight arrives between 11:00am – 12:45pm please meet your Adventure Tours guide at Yulara (Ayers Rock Airport) @ 1:00pm.

Please do not book any flights arriving after 12:45pm as you will not be able to join trip.

Finishing point: Central Alice Springs accommodation

This tour finishes on arrival in Alice Springs at around 6pm. Finishing times may be earlier during the summer months. Please take this into consideration when booking any onward travel out of Alice Springs. We cannot guarantee arriving in time to board the Ghan or any flight on this day. You will need to book an extra night of accommodation to extend your stay here, please contact our sales staff if you would like to arrange accommodation in Alice Springs after your tour.

Extras

Sleeping bag is required for this trip. Bring your own, or pre-purchase from us 

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Outback Camping Adventure (yulara To Alice Springs)