Intrepid South Australia Outback Adventure Itinerary

Welcome to Adelaide (or Tarntanya, in the language of the Kaurna people, who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which Adelaide is now located)! Your adventure begins straight away at 8 am this morning with a welcome meeting at the hotel. Then, you’ll head out of town towards Port Augusta, stopping at the pink Lake Bumbunga on the way. Have a look around Fourth St and Railway Terrace in Snowtown, then stop at Port Pirie for a tour of the town and some lunch. When you arrive in Port Augusta, maybe visit the Wadlata Outback Centre or the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens. This evening, you’re free to relax and recharge.

Approximate Travel Time: 4 hours 30 mins

Accommodation: Port Augusta - 1 Night

Have breakfast at a café in town before driving to Woomera, built for rocket testing in the 1940s. Learn about rocket testing at the Woomera Heritage Museum & Visitor Information Centre. After lunch, drive to Lake Hart Rest Area for salt lake views. In Coober Pedy, you could stroll around town, spot street art, or visit a bar. As the opal capital, maybe shop for jewellery. Tonight, dine at a local bar with views of the Breakaways and Coober Pedy.

Approximate Travel Time: 6 hours

Accommodation: Coober Pedy - 2 Nights

Spend your day exploring Coober Pedy – head out on a tour of an underground home, an underground church, and a historic opal mine. In the late afternoon, visit Josephine’s Gallery, which specialises in Aboriginal art and doubles as a kangaroo orphanage! Here, you can meet kangaroos and other native wildlife such as wombats and birds that are looked after by wildlife carers.

Included Meals: Breakfast

This morning, head out to Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park – a registered Aboriginal heritage site – and see the dog fence (also known as the dingo fence), before travelling back to Coober Pedy for an optional lunch at a local café. Then, drive into the remote South Australian Outback along a rough dirt road to William Creek, where you can enjoy a cold beer and check out the ‘museum’ of memorabilia across the street. Tonight, you may choose to join your group for dinner at the local pub.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Approximate Travel Time: 3 hours*

Accommodation: William Creek - 2 Nights

*Today's drive is on an unsurfaced gravel road with corrugated sections, so it may be a bumpy ride.

This morning, consider rising early for an optional flight over Lake Eyre. Then, continue your drive deeper into the remote desert landscape via the legendary Oodnadatta Track. Stop at Wabma Kadarbu Mound Spring Conservation Park along the way, then have a picnic at Lake Eyre for lunch before getting back on the road. You may also stop at Coward Springs – home to a museum and a natural spa. Continue to Marree, where you’ll stroll around town to see historic sites like the old Afghan Mosque and remnants of the Historical Ghan Railway.

Included Meals: Lunch

Approximate Travel Time: 2 hours 30 mins

Accommodation: Marree - 1 Night

After breakfast, drive to Farina Town, a ghost town with stone ruins and an underground bakery opened annually by the Farina Restoration Project Group. If it’s open, stop by the bakery and explore the town. Then, head to Copley for lunch before continuing to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary in the Flinders Ranges. Enjoy free time to walk or hike among geological monuments, mountains, gorges, and waterholes. Look out for local wildlife, including birds, reptiles, and the endangered yellow-footed rock wallaby.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Approximate Travel Time: 4 hours 

Accommodation: Iga Warta - 2 Nights

After breakfast, your day is free to explore Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary with optional activities. Consider a 4WD ridge top tour through rugged terrain, a scenic flight, or a visit to the observatory. This afternoon, join a leader-led hike tailored to the group’s preferences. Options may include the Acacia Ridge Hike, the Giselda Hill Walk, or the Mawson-Spriggina Connecting Trail, offering stunning views of the unique landscape and its natural beauty.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Continue driving to Ikara-Wilpena Pound, the heart of the Flinders Ranges and home to the Adnyamathanha people. Stop at Blinman, South Australia's highest town, to visit Wadna, an Aboriginal arts and crafts gallery. Explore, enjoy lunch, or tour the local mine. Then, head to Stokes Hill Lookout for panoramic views of the landscape. This afternoon, arrive at a resort in Ikara (Wilpena Pound), where you can relax and enjoy a free evening soaking up the natural surroundings.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Approximate Travel Time: 4 hours 

Accommodation: Wilpena Pound - 2 Nights

After breakfast, join your leader for a bushwalk in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. In the afternoon, take a private tour of Sacred Canyon with an Adnyamathanha guide, learning about the cultural significance of the site, ancient rock engravings, and bush medicines. The rest of the day is free to choose your own adventure—hike to Wangara Lookout, walk to Hills Homestead, or relax at the resort pool and enjoy other activities.

Included Meals: Breakfast

*Please note that today's Welcome to Country at the Resort depends on the availability of a local Adnyamathanha person to perform the ceremony and can therefore not be guaranteed.

After breakfast, depart for the Clare Valley wine region. Stop for lunch and admire the silo art at Farrell Flat before reaching a local vineyard for an included wine tasting. In the afternoon, continue to Adelaide, where your journey ends. If you’d like to extend your stay, speak to your First Light Travel Designer for additional accommodation arrangements.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Approximate Travel Time: 5 hours 

1. The trip starts in Adelaide with a Welcome Meeting at 8 am on Day 1 at our joining point hotel, and finishes back in Adelaide on Day 10 at our finish point hotel around 5pm. Accommodation is not included on this day but can be booked on request.

2. A Single Supplement can be booked if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip, subject to availability.

3. In the event that the road from Coober Pedy towards William Creek or the Oodnadatta Track are closed due to weather, an amended itinerary will be put in place. It may involve returning along some of the route already travelled.

Itinerary Variations:
The provider strives to improve trip itineraries. If improvements can be made, or if circumstances beyond their control make changes necessary, the provider reserves the right to vary itineraries and to make substitutions.