Days
5
Price from
1634AUD
Map of Outback Camping Adventure ex Yulara including Australia

Enjoy the freedom and flexibility to explore the Outback in a small group

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.


Start
Yulara, Australia
Finish
Alice Springs, Australia
Destinations
Northern Terriory,The Outback,Uluru
Style
Swag Camping / Powered Tents
Theme
Explorer
Code
AR5Y
Physical rating
Ages
Min 8
Group size
Min 8, Max 15

Why you’ll love this trip

  • Witnessing an Uluru sunset is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Have your camera ready when taking in this spectacular sight.
  • Spend two days exploring the sites of the MacDonnell Ranges, both East and West: Ormiston Gorge, Ellery Creek, Simpsons Gap and Rainbow Valley.
  • Armed with a flexible itinerary and a knowledgeable local leader, this itinerary allows you to discover the Red Centre at your own pace.
  • Local Aboriginal guides will provide ample insight into their culture, history and relationship to the land. Gain insight into the ancient rock painting near the Mutitjulu Waterhole by Uluru and learn about the Arrernte people’s caterpillar dreamtime story at Emily Gap.
  • Admire the breathtaking formations of Kata Tjuta, which are believed to be about 500 million years old.
  • Spend the evenings camping in stunning Outback settings.

Is this trip right for you?

  • All four nights are camping, some of which may be bush camping depending on what the group feels like and how we are tracking
  • The Red Centre can be very hot during the summer time and in the winter, below freezing at night. Ensure you have prepared for the weather
  • The idea of this 5-day itinerary is to be flexible while still seeing the major highlights of the Red Centre.

Itinerary

Arrive in Yulara, where your Australian Outback adventure begins. A small town at the southern end of the Northern Territory, Yulara is your gateway to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Make tracks across sunburnt plains to the captivating domes of Kata Tjuta, large red rock formations believed to be about 500 million years old. Continue to Australia’ most iconic landmark – Uluru. Arrive in time to witness a magical sunset. Watch Uluru change colours as the sun sets below the horizon, then continue to your camp where a hearty dinner awaits. Choose to bunker down Aussie-style and sleep in a cosy swag (bedroll) beneath the star-studded sky, or catch some shut-eye in a permanent tent.

Total walking time: about an hour

Accommodation
  • Permanent Tented Camp (shared facilities) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Uluru & Kata Tjuta National Park Entrance
Meals Included
  • Dinner
Special Information

This trip is flexible. As such, the described itinerary is only an example of the form your trip could take. Where you go and what you do can change depending on the group’s interests and weather conditions, however all trips will include visits to the following: Kata Tjuta, Uluru, Kings Canon, Palm Valley and the Western MacDonnell Ranges.

Wake early to catch an unforgettable Uluru sunrise, then get a closer look at this massive sandstone monolith on an unguided walk around its base. After your stroll, walk to the cave paintings near Mutitjulu Waterhole, where you will be met by an Anangu guide. Your guide will shed insight into the ancient rock etchings and the stories they tell, as well as the traditions of the land’s Traditional Owners. Next, visit the nearby Cultural Central to browse its extensive collection of Aboriginal arts and crafts. After a local lunch, set off on a three-hour drive to your exclusive campsite within Watarrka National Park. (Kings Canyon). Get acquainted with your surroundings, enjoy an on-site dinner and settle in for the night

Total driving time: about three and a half hours
Today walking time: about two hours

Accommodation
  • Permanent Tented Camp (shared facilities) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Uluru Cultural Centre
  • Maruku Arts cultural experience
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

After breakfast, pull on your hiking shoes and set off to explore Kings Canyon. Plunging 270 metres/885 feet to the canyon floor, walking its rim reveals incredibly beautiful sandstone formations carved by wind and water. Discover its Amphitheatre, Lost City, North and South Walls and the surprisingly lush Garden of Eden, which owes its cycads and plant life to a permanent waterhole down in the canyon. After lunch, there’s time to relax for a bit before heading along an iconic Red Centre dirt track to the Western McDonnell Ranges.

Today driving time: about five hours
Today walking time: about three hours

Accommodation
  • Bush Camping (basic facilities) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Kings Canyon Rim Walk
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
Special Information

For the Kings Canyon Rim Walk it is a requirement that you have a minimum of 3 litres of water with you. Please consider bringing your own refillable water bottles.

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 Ellery Creek Big Hole, a popular spot for a refreshing dip. After a satisfying day spent exploring the MacDonnell Ranges, your tour leader will find a suitable place to set up your bush camp for the night.

Total driving time: about 45 minutes
Total walking distance: up to 10 kilometres/6.2 miles

Accommodation
  • Bush Camping (basic facilities) (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

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 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 before continuing to the ‘Ghost Town’ of Arltunga where you’ll learn about the mistaken gemstone that lead to a mining rush here in 1887, and also precipitated its abandonment. After exploring the best of the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges, it’s on to Alice Springs where your Outback adventure ends upon arrival in the late afternoon.

Total driving time: about 3 hours

Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch

Dates & availability

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Important notes

  1. Travellers on Adventure Tours Australia tours are required to produce proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. Read details here.
  2. This trip starts in Yulara at approximately 1:00 pm and finishes in Alice Springs at approximately 6 pm on Day 5. Onward travel must be booked the following day.
  3. For the Kings Canyon Rim Walk it is a requirement that you have a minimum of 3 litres of water with you. Please consider bringing your own refillable water bottles.
  4. You can also start this trip in Alice Springs see code AR5.
  5. This trip requires a sleeping bag.

Essential trip information

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