8 day Alice Springs to Darwin - Northern Territory Encompassed Northbound

About this tour: You’ll love a sunburnt country, a land of immense beauty and culture.
Discover two regions of serene nature and sacred First Nations culture – the Red Centre and the Top End – on a nine-day Australian adventure. Explore the rugged landscapes of the Outback, admire Uluru by sunrise and sunset, weave through the gigantic boulders and gullies of Kata Tjuta and trek through the Lost City and Garden of Eden in Kings Canyon. Travel north to Darwin to go bird and croc spotting in the lush Mary River, see traditional rock art in Ubirr, climb high to look down on the Nardab Floodplain, float in the stunning waterholes of World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, learn some of the sacred history of the First Peoples of Australia at Anbangbang and cruise through the towering rock walls of Katherine Gorge. Gain a deeper understanding and a newfound appreciation of what’s beneath the surface in the real Australia.

Valid: 1 April 2020 – 21 October 2020

Trip Code:
• POONC - Alice Springs to Darwin | Northern Territory Encompassed Northbound
• POONCY - Yulara (Ayers Rock) to Darwin | Northern Territory Encompassed Northbound

Price: AUD $2995 (per adult in a twin share room)
• All prices are in Australian Dollars (includes 10% GST) based on per person


• Tour easy to fill in quote form • Email us with request • Telephone us • All Tour Links
Days: 8
Start: Alice Springs, Australia or Yulara (request)
Finish: Darwin, Australia
Depart: Monday
Destinations: Northern Territory, Kakadu, Uluru, Outback
Style: Original - Camping
Theme: Overland, Explore
Included activities • Uluru & Kata Tjuta National Park Entrance • Uluru Cultural Centre • Uluru Base Walk • Maruku Arts cultural experience • Kings Canyon Rim Walk • Western MacDonnell Ranges • Litchfield National Park • Mary River cruise • Ubirr Rock • Kakadu National Park Fee • Bowali Visitor Centre • Pine Creek Gold-Mining Centre • Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) • Edith Falls
Physical Rating: 2 out of 5
Ages: Min 8
Transport: All Terrain vehicle, Plane, Private vehicle
Group size: Min 1, Max 24
Meals: 6 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 6 dinners
Original Accommodation: Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (5 nights), Hotel (2nights)


Trip Itinerary:

Day 1: Alice Springs to Uluru (Ayers Rock)
• Melbourne might have the arts scene and Sydney the beaches, but Alice Springs is really where you need to go to understand the heart and soul of Australia. Meet your leader and fellow travellers at the Alice Springs pick-up point this morning and set off to experience a working camel farm. Surrounded by the serenity of the Red Centre, observe and learn about these magnificent creatures, each with their own endearing personality. After this friendly encounter, and perhaps even a ride, continue your journey inland to Kata Tjuta. Whereas Uluru emerges from the earth as one giant boulder form, Kata Tjuta pops up as 36 different domes and you’ll get to know the site pretty well on an afternoon hike following lunch. As evening begins, enjoy some tasty snacks as the sun sets over Uluru casting incredible colours. The perfect end to a remarkable day is awaiting you back at camp, as you enjoy a delicious spread of food with your group. If the weather permits, sit outside under the stars.

Accommodation • Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (1 night) Included Activities •Uluru & Kata Tjuta National Park Entrance
Meals Included •Lunch •Dinner
Special Information Meet your guide at Aurora Alice Springs this morning.
You will be picked up at 6.05 am so please make sure you arrive at least 10 minutes early.
See ‘Joining Point’ instructions in ‘Essential trip Information’ for more details.
Total driving time today is around 4.5 hours.
Total walking time is approximately 1-hour.

Day 2: An early start this morning is rewarded with an Uluru sunrise:
• An early start this morning is rewarded with an Uluru sunrise. While the morning is fresh, enjoy a walk around the base of the rock, gaining insights into the land and the local Mala people on an interpretive cultural walk with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide. Once you’ve had lunch, perhaps purchase some art and craft of the First Peoples of Australia, at the Uluru Cultural Centre. Travel onto the exclusive campsite within Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon), where the group will eat and sleep for the night.

Note: Total driving time today is around three and a half hours.
Total walking time is approximately two hours (or up to 4 if you do the full 8.5km base walk.)
Accommodation • Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)
Included Activities •Uluru Cultural Centre •Maruku Arts cultural experience
Meals Included •Breakfast •Lunch •Dinner

Special Information
Total driving time today is around 3.5 hours.
Total walking time is approximately 2 hours (or up to 4 if you do the full 8.5 km base walk).
Uluru is considered a living cultural landscape and home to the spirits of the ancestors making it a sacred place for the Anangu peoples. The Anangu people have dissuaded visitors from climbing Uluru for decades; as traditional owners of the land they feel a deep responsibility for everyone who travels to the area. In 1998, we were among the first tour operators to stop climbing Uluru. The Intrepid Group are proud to be involved with local communities in Uluru and to have an ongoing commitment to providing employment for the Anangu people. You show respect when you choose not to climb Uluru but walk with Anangu throughout the area and share their stories instead.






Day 3: Kings Canyon to Alice Springs
• The main attraction of Watarrka is undoubtedly Kings Canyon – a humungous gorge enclosed by sheer rock walls hundreds of metres high. Offering a welcome escape from the dry desert heat, this site’s deep gullies and hidden rockpools provide shelter to more than 600 species of native plants and animals. Your guide will point these out on a guided trek that takes in the canyon’s most famous sites – the Lost City, Garden of Eden, Amphitheatre and North and South Walls.

Then it’s lunch, and after you’ve relaxed for a little while, head back to Alice Springs where you'll stay the night before a flight to Darwin tomorrow.
Accommodation • Aurora Alice Springs (1 night)
Meals Included •Breakfast •Lunch •Dinner Special Information
Total driving time today is around 5 hours.
Total walking time is approximately 3 hours.
For the Kings Canyon Rim Walk it is a requirement that you have a minimum of three litres of water with you. Please consider bringing your own refillable water bottles.




Day 4: Fly from Alice Springs to Darwin
• This morning, be ready for a pickup from the Alice Wanderer shuttle transfers to head to the airport for your flight bound for Darwin (flight time approximately 2 hours). Once arrived, catch the Darwin Airport shuttle service to the Cavenagh Hotel where you’ll spend the afternoon and evening, before setting off on your Top End adventure early tomorrow morning. Meals Included •Breakfast •Lunch Special Information

The pickup time for your shuttle to Alice Springs Airport will be approximately 2 hours before your scheduled flight time.
Please check your flight details with your booking agent, as well as your group leader in Alice Springs..

Special Information
Your departure transfer (operated by Alice Wanderer - green and yellow bus) will depart approx 2.5 hours prior to your scheduled flight time. In case of issues or to check departure time please call 1800 1800 722 111 (free call) or +61 8 89522111 In case of issues on arrival in Darwin please contact Darwin City airport shuttle - 08 8947 3979.



Day 5: Darwin - Mary River, via Litchfield National Park
• Your adventure continues in the tropical city of Darwin this morning. Set off from Darwin and head south to Lichfield National Park – a huge sandstone plateau with dozens of waterfalls. Explore Florence Falls, Wangi Falls and the Buley Rockholes. After a picnic lunch, stroll through steamy rainforests and cool off with a dip in one of Litchfield's picturesque swimming holes. Enjoy some relaxed time at the campsite and a meal before climbing into bed at the secluded Mary River campsite.

Accommodation • Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)
Included Activities •Litchfield National Park
Meals Included •Lunch •Dinner Special Information
Total driving time: approximately 5.5 hours (approximately 400 km)
Total walking time: approximately 45 minutes
Please note that all tents are twin-share and come with a proper bed.


Day 6: Kakadu National Park: Ubirr & Barramundi Gorge
• After breakfast this morning, head to onto the water on a wildlife cruise in the Mary River Wetlands, a network of waterways home to crocodiles and native bird species. Kakadu National Park and discover ancient Aboriginal rock art in Ubirr. Your guide will lead an interpretive cultural walk through the numerous rock galleries, before you climb to the top of a lookout for views over the Nardab floodplain. Tonight, relax by the pool at the Kakadu campground and enjoy a group dinner.

Accommodation • Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)
Included Activities •Ubirr Rock •Kakadu National Park Fee •Mary River cruise
Meals Included •Breakfast •Lunch •Dinner
Special Information
Total driving time: approximately 6.5 hours (approximately 550 km)
Total walking time: approximately 2 hours



Day 7: Kakadu - Katherine
• This morning you have the option to take a scenic flight over Kakadu (at your own expense). The flight takes in views over the Arnhem Land escarpment, vast flood plains and billabongs. Later spend time exploring Kakadu’s other major Aboriginal rock art site – Nourlangie (Burrunggui), while your guide provides a glimpse into how the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live. After lunch head south and stop to visit the historic gold-mining centre of Pine Creek. Stop for a quick dip at Maguk or Gunlom Falls, before continuing on to Katherine, where you'll settle in for the night at a private campsite near Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge).
Accommodation • Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (1 night)
Included Activities •Bowali Visitor Centre •Pine Creek Gold-Mining Centre •Maguk (Barramundi Gorge)
Optional Activities •Flight (Fixed Wing Aircraft) over - Kakadu - from - AUD150
Meals Included •Breakfast •Lunch •Dinner

Special Information
Total driving time: approximately 5.5 hours (approximately 400 km)
Total walking time: approximately 1 hour


Day 8: Katherine Gorge - Darwin
• Depending on the season, head out on a morning cruise along the inky waters of Katherine Gorge, or canoe between red rock walls that are up to 70 metres high (both of these activities are optional and at your own expense). This 23 million-year-old landscape was formed by the Katherine River, which flows from Arnhem Land out to the Timor Sea. After lunch we head to the beautiful Edith falls for one last refreshing swim in the huge plunge pool before we hit the road back to Darwin, where your adventure comes to an end on arrival.

Included Activities •Edith Falls •Top Didj Indigenous Experience
Optional Activities •Katherine Gorge Scenic Cruise - AUD95
Meals Included •Breakfast •Lunch

Special Information
Total driving time: approximately 5 hours (approximately 400 km)
Total walking time: approximately 1 hour

Why you'll love this trip
• Get back to basics with this classic nine day overland adventure.• Camp in permanent campsites with furnishings including proper beds, cooling fans and electricity. Get up early and see the sun rise over Uluru• Fly from Alice Springs to Darwin instead of 24 hours on a bus Enjoy fully catered evening meals during your 3 nights in Kakadu, Litchfield, and Katherine • A taste of Australian Native Foods throughout the trip. • See the highlights and national parks of Australia's Northern Territory in rugged, authentic style Enjoy the flexibility of a private vehicle, the local knowledge of a passionate guide and the magic of camping under the great southern sky • The Mary River Wetlands feature a wealth of wildlife, including the highest concentration of saltwater crocodiles in the southern hemisphere. • Get up close to the snappy beasts on a billabong cruise Discover the wonders of Kakadu National Park

Is this trip right for you?
• This is a an Original style trip, covering the highlights of Australia's Northern Territory at a slightly slower pace • You'll spend some nights of the trip sleeping in outback camping grounds. • While tents are comfortable facilities can be basic, this is all part of the adventure. • You'll also need to pitch in with pr This is a an Original style trip, covering the highlights of Australia's Northern Territory at a slightly slower pace • You'll spend some nights of the trip sleeping in outback camping grounds. While tents are comfortable facilities can be basic, this is all part of the adventure. • You'll also need to pitch in with preparing breakfast and lunch meals. This is part of the experience of travelling in a group. This trip requires a moderate level of fitness as it involves a lot of walking, allowing you to truly enjoy the surrounding nature. • Some hikes are longer and more challenging than others.• Please bring sturdy, comfortable walking shoes and comfortable clothing. Temperatures in the Top End be extreme.• During the day the weather can be hot (and the Australian sun is strong) so please bring appropriate clothing, use sun protection and drink plenty of water. • In the evenings temperatures really drop, so ensure you have base layers and warm clothing.

Important trips notes for the following tours and safaris
Click here for trip notes on Tour Style | Staying | Meals | Fitness | Pickup | ETicket | Luggage | Access | Travel Insurance

Other important trips notes for the following tour and safari

Original Accommodation:
• Original-style camping is in shared permanent twin-share tents that feature cosy beds, wooden floors, full linen, lighting, power points, a bedside table and fans. Shared Bathroom facilities. Those travelling solo aren’t charged any extra if they’re happy to room-share with someone of the same gender. For those who’d prefer their own room, single supplements are sometimes available.

What's Included in tour:
• Meals 6 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 6 dinners
• All Terrain vehicle, Private vehicle
• Accommodation: Permanent tented camp (with shared facilities) (5 nights), Hotel (2nights)
• Included activities • Uluru & Kata Tjuta National Park Entrance • Uluru Cultural Centre • Maruku Arts cultural experience • Litchfield National Park • Ubirr Rock • Kakadu National Park Fee • Mary River cruise • Bowali Visitor Centre • Pine Creek Gold-Mining Centre • Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) • Edith Falls • Top Didj Indigenous Experience

What to bring on tour:
• Booked and paid E-Ticket, Sturdy walking shoes, hat and sunscreen, toiletries, warm clothing in winter, water bottle (2 litre capacity), torch, insect repellent/net, camera and batteries or charger.
• Power pack for charging without electricity

Tour Important Notes
1. Tour commences in Alice Springs on day 1 at 6am and finishes in Darwin day 8 at approx 6pm
2.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.
3. The Top End & Kakadu portion of this trip has a strict luggage limit of 10kg. Excess luggage can not be carried however, it can be stored at Darwin accommodation.
4.You can also join this trip in Yulara (Uluru) on day 1; please see tour code POONCY.

This tour in symbol style

This is an true outback adventure experince.

	Open Age above 8 years old. Fit and Acitive required	Eco friendly travel experience	4wd air-con and front facing seats	2 of 5 physical fitness level	Waterfalls Litchfield + Kakadu	Permanent Safari Camps with shared facilities	River wetlands cruise.

We have over 500 real outback Australian experiences for you. Our safairs are tours but with much more emphasis on being eco friendly tours, unique adventures with lifetime memories and destination experiences to rivavl natures best. We have been booking tours for our passengers for over 22 years in the Australian travel and tourism industry and have become the leaders in booking agents in Australia. We have been Territorians since 1988 and locally based in Darwin. So if you want real genuine Australian tour advice from a local then contact us or get a outback safari tour quote from us. Or just ring us within Australia: Freecall 1800107371 or Overseas: +61 8 7999 7511 after 10am.

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