Day 1
Alice Springs
Welcome to Alice Springs! Collect your rental vehicle upon 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. It's where they race camels, hold hilarious holiday regattas in dry riverbeds and where Peter Finch finally caught up with Virginia McKenna in the 1956 film classic A Town Like Alice. If you think "The Alice" is hot, flat and dusty, then think again, because there are stunning ranges, spectacular gum trees, refreshing waterholes, beautiful palm trees, awesome colours, more waterholes, amazing wildlife, a lush green golf course, and did we mention the waterholes? Check out the photos in the Gallery of Our Backyard.
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters - 1 night
Day 2
Visit MacDonnell Ranges, stay at Kings Creek Station - Approximate Distance: 295 km | 183 miles | Total Driving Time: 3 hours 30 mins
Drive approximately 1 hour to the West MacDonnell Ranges and explore at your leisure. 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, 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. Continue on to Kings Creek Station for a unique bush camp overnight stay.
Accommodation: Kings Creek Station - 1 night
Day 3
Travel to Uluru - Approximate Distance: 290 km | 180 miles | Total Driving Time: 3 hours 15 mins
Travel approximately 3 hours 15 minutes to Yulara. Yulara is a town in the Southern Region of the Northern Territory, and it lies as an unincorporated enclave within the MacDonnell Region. Uluru / Ayers Rock is Australia's most recognisable natural icon.
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 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.
Accommodation: Emu Walk Apartments - Uluru - 2 nights
Day 4
Sunrise at Uluru & Sounds of Silence dinner
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, see 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, enjoy sparkling wine and a selection of delectable canapés. Dining under the sparkling outback sky as the sun sets, feast on a BBQ buffet of authentic Australian delicacies complemented by some of Australia's quality wines.
Day 5
Return to Alice Springs via Kata Tjuta - Approximate Distance: 550 km | 342 miles | Total Driving Time: 6 hours
Drive approximately 40 minutes to Kata Tjuta National Park and admire the Olgas. Kata Tjuta/The Olgas represents nature on a monumental scale, with the cluster's tallest peak being 200 metres higher than Uluru! Continue back a further 5 hours to Alice Springs.
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters - 1 night
Day 6
Fly to Darwin
Return your rental vehicle at Alice Springs Airport and board your flight to Darwin, where you will collect your next vehicle. Darwin is nearer to Singapore than it is to Sydney, which gives you an idea of the sheer size of Australia. This multicultural, fast-developing city has a chilled-out feel and a beautiful climate.
After settling in, you could relax and see a movie at the outdoor Deckchair Cinema, feed the crocs at Crocosaurus Cove, catch the sunset over the Timor Sea, or try street food at the Mindil Beach Markets. You'll feel like a laid-back local in no time.
Accommodation: Travelodge Resort Darwin - 2 Nights
Day 7
Darwin to Litchfield National Park Approximate Distance: 115 km | 71 miles | Total Driving Time: 1 hour 15 mins (each way)
Litchfield National Park is known for its cascading waterfalls, natural spas, and whirlpools. It's the ideal place for a refreshing swim.
Litchfield is also famous for its bizarre landscape of giant termite mounds. Standing up to two metres tall, they are astounding feats of architecture not to be missed.
Day 8
Travel to Katherine and Nitmiluk National Park Approximate Distance: 320 km | 199 miles | Total Driving Time: 3 hours 30 mins
Soar over the 13 Gorges of Nitmiluk on a breathtaking helicopter journey, ending with a swim at your own private waterhole. Journey onwards to the wildlife-filled wetlands of Kakadu National Park.
Nitmiluk Scenic Helicopter Flight & Adventure Swim Tour
Fly over all 13 of Nitmiluk's Gorges and continue via the Katherine River into the rugged rock country of Nitmiluk National Park. Here you will discover one of the most remote and beautiful waterfall swim sites in Australia.
Enjoy a swim at this pristine wilderness rock pool, which is yours exclusively.
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is a great mix of culture and natural beauty. Here you can learn about Aboriginal culture from the traditional owners and view Aboriginal rock art up to 20,000 years old. Around a third of Australia's bird species are located in Kakadu National Park, and migratory birds flock to the wetlands in their millions.
Accommodation: Cicada Lodge Katherine - 2 Nights
Day 9
Free day to explore Nitmiluk
Nitmiluk (also called Katherine Gorge) is the deep path cut through the sandstone by the Katherine River. Nitmiluk National Park is in the Northern Territory, 244 km southeast of Darwin, around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls. Its northern edge borders Kakadu National Park. The gorges and the surrounding landscape have great ceremonial significance to the local Jawoyn people, who are custodians of Nitmiluk National Park. Winding 12 km with walls more than 70m high, the 13 wonderful gorges of Nitmiluk National Park were formed 23 million years ago as torrents of water poured along tiny cracks in the earth.
Day 10
Travel to Kakadu - Approximate Distance: 260 km | 161 miles | Total Driving Time: 2 hours 45 mins
Kakadu National Park is renowned for the richness of its Aboriginal cultural sites. It covers an area of 19,804 square kilometres. Aboriginal people have occupied the Kakadu area continuously for at least 40,000 years. There are more than 5,000 cave paintings and rock carvings illustrating Aboriginal culture over thousands of years. Kakadu is a magnificent area with many different landforms and habitats. There are over 60 species of mammals and a great many reptiles including goannas, frill-necked lizards and the frightening saltwater crocodile.
Accommodation: Cooinda Lodge Kakadu - 2 nights
Day 11
Suggested visit to Ubirr
Visit fascinating Ubirr with its superb Aboriginal rock art dating back over 20,000 years. Then, climb to the top of the rocky outcrop for majestic views over the floodplains and escarpment country. Most of the x-ray paintings in this gallery are from the freshwater period, within the last 1,500 years. They show the abundant foods available in the area around Ubirr, including fish, waterfowl, mussels, wallabies, goanna, echidnas and yams. The main gallery has fascinating examples of contact art. A white fella shown wearing a shirt, boots and with his hands in his pockets was probably an early buffalo hunter painted in the 1880s.
Day 12
Return to Darwin - Approximate Distance: 305 km | 190 miles | Total Driving Time: 3 hours 15 mins
Darwin is very different from the other state capitals. There are no skyscrapers. It's more like a rural city. There is an outback atmosphere which is very laid-back. Because it is so close to Indonesia, the Asian influences are very noticeable. Darwin is green and lush with palms and the perfume of frangipanis. Darwin has a tropical climate, and therefore no summer and winter. Darwin attractions include museums, parks, the Mindil Beach sunset markets, art galleries, beaches and historic buildings. Darwin is a base for the Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks.
Accommodation: Travelodge Resort Darwin - 2 Nights
Day 13
Free Day to explore Darwin
Not visited by winter and with a relaxed, small-town feel, Darwin is the tropical capital of the Northern Territory that's perched on a harbour five times the size of Sydney's. Darwin is famous for its multicultural food, outdoor markets, waterside attractions, and a warm holiday vibe year-round. Aboriginal art fills the city's galleries and museums. The city's proximity to Asia means you'll also find strong Asian influences, especially in the energetic food scene and night markets. With everything from crocodile encounters to open-air movies and sunset cruises, Darwin is as easygoing as it is exciting.
Day 14
Farewell from Darwin
After the most amazing trip, return your rental vehicle at Darwin 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!
