Outback Camping Adventure (Alice Springs to Alice Springs)

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.  

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. Your guide will take you to one of the significant cultural sights of Uluru, outlining Anangu rock art and passing on one of the creation stories of the site. While the morning is fresh, the time is yours to enjoy the self-guided, full base walk of Uluru, taking in all of the textures and valleys up-close, which isn’t evident from afar. 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. 

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. 

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. 

Total driving time: about 3 hours