1. TRAVEL TO THE RED CENTRE
Upon arrival to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, stop into the Cultural Centre, which will deepen your understanding of the landscape and the Aṉangu people, who have lived here for more than 30,000 years. Afterwards, it’s time to explore the nooks and crannies that make Australia’s famed monolith so special, including the Mutitjulu Waterhole, where you may spot wallabies hiding in the tall grass. Freshen up in your room at Sails in the Desert, before capping off your day with an AAT Kings barbecue dinner, where you’ll watch Uluṟu’s colours change as the sun disappears from the sky.
2. BECOME IMMERSED IN AUSTRALIA’S SPIRITUAL HEART
Wake up early to wander through 50,000 solar powered globes arranged at the base of Uluṟu on a sunrise Field of Light tour. Then, make your way across the park to Kata Tjuṯa, where the Walpa Gorge walk leads you between the soaring rock domes. Although the site is only 50 kilometres from Uluṟu, it’s an entirely different geological formation—which will become even more evident on your afternoon helicopter tour of both sites, departing from Ayers Rock Resort. That night, sit amongst the dunes and sample native bush tucker at the Sounds of Silence dinner.
3. JOURNEY TO KINGS CANYON
Begin the three-and-a-half hour trip to Kings Canyon, a sweeping landscape of 300-metre-high ancient sandstone walls and breath-taking gorges. Shortly before you arrive, stop off at Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Experience. On a one-hour tour, you’ll be introduced to the native foods and medicines used by the region’s Luritja and Pertame (Southern Aranda) people, including witchetty grubs. Then, an afternoon scenic helicopter flight will give you a better perspective of the surrounding setting. Chances are that the views will still be flickering across your eyelids as you lay down to sleep in one of Kings Creek Station’s luxury glamping tents.
4. STARGAZE IN ALICE SPRINGS
There are several worthwhile walks in Watarrka National Park, but the Kings Canyon Rim Walk is one of the most popular. Over six kilometres, you’ll visit sacred sites, have jaw-dropping views across the canyon, and see filming locations from the famous The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Continue on to the artsy desert town of Alice Springs and check in to your room at the Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters. Alice Springs may be the Northern Territory’s second-largest town, but it still offers up spectacular stars, including from Earth Sanctuary’s space observatory, where you can look through a deep-sky telescope on a guided tour of the night’s sky.
5. FLOAT HIGH OVER THE MACDONNELL RANGES
Start your final day on a high note—literally. Hop into the basket of one of Outback Ballooning’s hot air balloons. Keep a keen eye out for kangaroos below and watch as the light spills over the nearby MacDonnell Ranges, a spectacular 300 million-year-old natural canvas. In the afternoon, explore nearby waterholes at Ormiston Gorge, Ellery Creek Big Hole and Simpsons Gap, before topping off your day with a mouth-watering meal at the acclaimed Hanuman restaurant.
