Uluru Trip 2022

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park/ Kings Canyon / Alice Springs

SEP 2022

10 Days / 9 Nights

Includes Pre & Post 1 night in Adelaide

Overview:

Travel to the heart of Australia’s red center, where you’ll discover sacred natural wonders and uncover their secrets. Get a taste for Outback culture in Alice Springs before arriving at the base of Uluru, where you’ll spend 4 days / 5 nights exploring Ayers Rock and the Olgas, and Kings Canyon. Get up close and personal with Uluru, take in sunrise and sunset experiences in the desert, and learn the stories of the Aboriginal Anangu people.

Day 1 - 2: AUS/NZ - Alice Springs

Depart for Adelaide at 5.45 pm to check into the beautiful Oaks Plaza Pier Suites, where a one-bedroom apartment with a leafy park view awaits you. The evening is your own to relax or explore; located on the beachfront, option to watch the sunset over the ocean (sun sets around 8.30 pm).

For breakfast on day 2 your apartment has full kitchen facilities, or it’s a short stroll to the café-lined Jetty Road precinct. We’ll fly from Adelaide to Alice Springs, checking into Desert Palms studio villas. The afternoon is your own; relax by the tropical pool at the resort, or, known as one of the most artistic cities in the world, it’s a short walk to explore the many art galleries, museums, and aboriginal culture around town.

Outdoor dining is a defining feature of the food scene here, and restaurant options represent the melting pot of multiculturalism that is the Northern Territory; Thai, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, as well as Aussie pub tucker is on the menu depending on how you feel. Alternatively, your villa has a kitchenette (hotplate and microwave) if you choose to cook for yourself.

Day 3 - 4: Alice Springs - Uluru

Today (day 3) you’ll discover Alice, with an included 4-hour township tour. Discover the rich Aboriginal and European history, visit School of the Air, the Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service, and take in the spectacular views of the West MacDonnell ranges from Anzac Hill; a WWII communication outpost with panoramic views of this contemporary outback town (this is a great spot for sunset in your own time).

The drive between Alice Springs and Uluru is the ultimate red center journey, and Day 4 we’ll be embarking on the 460 km adventure. This is a long day of driving, with stops along the way to explore the many spectacular rock formations, remote landscapes, and desert wildlife. We’ll eat in highway roadhouses, which are a big part of outback culture.

At the end of the day we’ll check into The Lost Camel Hotel at Ayres Rock Resort; a boutique hotel 20 minutes from Uluru.

Day 5 - 6: Touring Uluru & The Olgas

The highlight of our journey, on Day 5 we’ll explore the base of Uluru, in a 4-hour guided base walk. We’ll get up close and personal with the rock, and this is an opportunity to connect with the sacred landscape and learn its stories. A 10 km track takes in the whole circumference of the rock, and you’ll be surprised by how each section looks and feels completely different.

In the evening, once darkness falls, Field of Light is an art installation (entrance included) by internationally celebrated artist Bruce Munro. The exhibition is called Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in local Pitjantjatjara, and 50,000 bulbs light up the desert, throwing a spectrum of colors across the vast landscape, with the silhouette of Uluru against a starry sky.

On day 6 we’ll head back to Ayers Rock for sunrise, before heading west to tour Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga. The Olgas are another natural wonder of the desert, with extensive walking trails around soaring ochre rock domes. This sacred site is only 40 km from Uluru and provides a chance to learn more about the region’s sacred history, legends, mythology and Dreamtime stories of the Aboriginal Anangu people.

Day 7 & 8: Kings Canyon

A 3 hour drive from Uluru, we’ll head towards Kings Canyon, and take the 2 hour Kings Canyon Creek Walk; a gentle walk that follows a trail between the two soaring canyon walls, and ends at a lookout with spectacular views over the canyon and desert. Trees provide plenty of shade as you walk along the Canyon floor, and there’s typically plenty of birdlife.

Check into a Standard Room including Full Breakfast at Kings Canyon Resort to enjoy the tranquility of the rugged bush setting in comfort. There are plenty of dinner options at Kings Canyon, and it’s your choice between live music and Outdoor BBQ at the Thirsty Dingo Bar, a la carte dinner service at Carmichael's Restaurant, or five star outback dining at their signature Under a Desert Moon.

Lace up your shoes on day 8 for the famous Kings Canyon Rim Walk, which takes you along a 6-kilometer circuit down into the Garden of Eden, before ascending to 360-degree panoramic views over the red sand dunes. We’ll then transfer back to Alice Springs Desert Palms.

Day 9 & 10: Alice Springs -AUS/NZ

We travel back from Alice Springs, via Adelaide with a day tour into the Adelaide Hills to explore Hahndorf, a traditional European village home to the nation’s oldest surviving German settlement.