9 Day Alice Springs Self Drive Loop Itinerary

Welcome to Alice Springs! Collect your rental vehicle on arrival and explore at your leisure.

Alice Springs - It's Australia's Oasis, the capital of the Outback and the most romantic country town in the world. It's where the Arrernte Aboriginal tribal group have lived for 20,000 years and where pioneer men and women gave "tough" a new meaning. 

Desert park Nocturnal Tour 

Explore the mystery and adventure of the Central Australian desert at night with expert guides. This is your chance to see some of the region's most rare and elusive animals. Take advantage of this amazing experience to explore the Alice Springs Desert Park's Mulga Walk and spotlight endangered species. This is your chance to see some of the region's most rare and elusive animals whilst learning from expert guides.

Accommodation: Alice Springs - 2 nights

Traveling through the West MacDonnell Ranges we make our way to the Historic Precinct of Hermannsburg known to the Arrarnta people as 'Ntaria'. Birthplace of celebrated Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira, explore the historic buildings and Art Gallery.

It's then time to depart Hermannsburg and journey along the ancient Finke River bed by custom-built 4WD. After morning tea, we stop at "The Ampithreatre" or Kalaranga lookout for a short walk. Then 4WD drive into Palm Valley where you will be able to wonder amongst the relict Palms and Cycads. Here you will have the opportunity to complete to Rim Walk or the River Walk and experience this Oasis in the desert.

The East and West MacDonnell Ranges stretch out for hundreds of kilometres on both sides of Alice Springs. The traditional owners of the Alice Springs area, the Arrernte people who believe giant caterpillars called the Yeperenye became the Ranges - they entered this world through one of the dramatic gaps in the escarpments of the area. Simpsons Gap sports a permanent pool and rock wallabies live in the gap's rocky ridges. Standley Chasm lights up in fiery colours reflected by the overhead sun at midday. Picturesque swimming holes such as Ellery Creek Big Hole, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen Gorge and Redbank Gorge offer refreshing relief on a scorching day.

Approximate Distance: 318 km | 205 miles   Total Driving Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Accommodation: Kings Creek Station - 2 nights

A scenic helicopter flight is the best way to experience the scale and grandeur of Kings Canyon and allows you to view sections of the canyon that are not reachable by ground-based touring. Take to the skies over Australia's Red Centre and be captivated by soaring sandstone cliffs, almost as deep as Uluru is high.

Continue on to the Domes of the Lost City and the Garden of Eden, before tracking over Kings Creek and Carmichael Crag. Your tour includes fascinating commentary from your knowledgable pilot and will leave you with a plethora of frame-worthy photographs.

Travel approximately 3 hours 15 minutes to Yulara. Yulara is a town in the Southern Region of the Northern Territory, it lies as an unincorporated enclave within MacDonnell Region. Uluru / Ayers Rock is Australia's most recognisable natural icon.

Field of Light Art Installation 

This evening you have a Star Pass, as darkness falls and Uluru is thrown into silhouette, Field of Light illuminates. As far as the eye can see gentle rhythms of colour light up the desert. The critically acclaimed Field of Light Uluru by the internationally celebrated artist Bruce Munro has now been extended indefinitely. The exhibition, aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku or 'looking at lots of beautiful lights' in local Pitjantjatjara is Munro's largest work to date. Overwhelming in size, covering more than seven football fields, it invites immersion in its fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light, the stems breathing and swaying through a sympathetic desert spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and gentle white.

Approximate Distance: 259 km | 161 miles   Total Driving Time: 3 hours 15 mins

Accommodation: Uluru  - 3 nights

As you start your sunrise trek around the 12 kilometre base trail of Uluru you will embrace the culture, geology and environment that is the essence of this amazing monolith. Along the trail you will witness sunrise, visit waterholes and the rock art sites of the ancients and learn of Uluru's cultural significance to the Anangu (local Aboriginal) people.

At the Sounds of Silence experience you can dine under the canopy of the desert night, while your very own storyteller shares tales as told in the stars. Your journey begins on a lone sand dune. Here you enjoy sparkling wine and a selection of delectable canapés. Dining under the sparkling outback sky as the sun sets, you feast on a BBQ buffet of authentic Australian delicacies complemented by some of Australia's quality wines.

You will travel to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to a place where unique flora and fauna thrive, Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Here your guide will reveal the many attributes of this diverse environment and describe the cultural significance of Kata Tjuta as a sacred Aboriginal men's ceremonial site.

Arriving at Walpa Gorge you will walk between the mighty conglomerate domes and hear how these 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuta have evolved over millions of years. Take time to listen to the wind (Walpa) far above and view the scale of the rock walls that surround you. The spirituality of this location embraces everyone who ventures here.

APPROXIMATELY 4,700 YEARS AGO...

A meteor racing through the Earth's atmosphere split into several pieces - most no larger than a 2-liter fuel drum - and slammed into the middle of Australia. The meteorite pieces, which reached speeds of 40,000 km per hour, created twelve craters that are still visible today. Though most of the craters have eroded and become lined with plant life, their footprints create an interesting diversion from the surrounding flat Australian desert landscape. A 1.5 km path winds around the largest craters, which are best viewed at sunset and sunrise.

Accommodation: Alice Spring - 1 Night

After the most amazing trip, return your rental vehicle at Alice Springs Airport today prior to boarding your onward flight. We know you will enjoy your holiday and our promise to you is to make your travels through Australia as hassle-free and hospitable as possible - ensuring that today you leave with a camera full of photos, and huge smiles on your faces when recalling your holiday!