It is also one of Australia’s newest trails and is quickly emerging as one of the most popular trails in Australia and the world.
This fabulous trip will take you right into Central Australia, also known as the Red Centre. This huge outback region in the Northern Territory spans dusty red desert, mountain ranges, and gorges.
We will start our journey in the town of Alice Springs before travelling into the MacDonnell Ranges. This is a spectacular area showcasing extraordinary geology sculptured over millions of years.
This is an awe-inspiring glimpse into our own history, our own geology, and our own culture. This is not to be missed.
Alice Springs Airport, Northern Territory (Google Map)
The 223km long Larapinta Trail is one of Australia’s most spectacular bushwalking and trekking experiences. It is also one Australia’s newest trails and is quickly emerging as one of the most popular trails in Australia and the world. We have taken what we believe to the best 5 best days of the walk and showcased them for you, covering approximatley 65kms.
Arrive at leisure today and check into your hotel. We meet at 4.00pm in the foyer of the Doubletree Hilton (Barrett Drive) where you will meet the rest of the members of your group to discuss the coming days with your guide. If you arrive earlier during the day you might like to enjoy the sights and sounds of the bustling heart of the Red Centre before leaving it all behind for the desolate outback. Browse Aboriginal artworks at Central Australia’s best art gallery.
After your meet and greet you will have time to spend in the township of Alice to buy any last minute requirements before making your way to the Olive Pink Botanical Gardens by 5pm (short walk from town and the Hotel) where you will be greeted by Traditional Owners and ‘Welcomed to the Country’ in an authentic and traditional way.
After this we head back to the Hotel where a reservation will be made for the group at 7pm. Enjoy a lovely two course dinner before retiring early for the night in preparation for the big journey ahead.
Incl: Dinner
An early start and its bye bye suburbia – hello wilderness! The majestic and serene West MacDonnell Ranges are rich in natural wonders and traditional culture and are considered the best there is in Australia. Our first walk is around a 14km ‘leg stretch’ commencing from the outskirts of Alice Springs. Some beautiful views can be seen, particularly at Euro Ridge. Our walk is taken casually, a fitting way to relax and immerse in the wonder of the region and to ponder the coming 4 days.
Our Ground Support Vehicle will meet us at the picturesque Wallaby Gap and transfer us to our remote camping location within the MacDonnell Ranges National Park. Let the true experience begin as we rest in a region synonymous in the dreamtime (Alcheringa) of the Western Arrernte Aboriginal people. We will enjoy a Kungkas Can Cook Tasting Platter and refreshing drink for pre-dinner nibbles.
Kungkas Can Cook are an aboriginal catering company who are passionate about bush foods and are dedicated to utilizing wild harvested produce from around the Central Desert Region and beyond.
Incl: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Today we head to the spectacular western half of the Larapinta Trail and onto a 13.4km section of the Larapinta Trail that is only suitable for well-prepared and experienced walkers with a good level of fitness. It offers exhilarating views of the high quartzite ridgelines that typify the West MacDonnell Ranges, including Haasts Bluff and Mt Zeil (the highest point in the Northern Territory).
Incl: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Today we traverse the low-lying regions surrounding Ormiston Gorge gradually working our way upward into the back reaches of the Finke River, approx 11km. This area is steeped in traditional folklore with several important sites being viewed including ‘Yapulpa’, which is part of the Carpet Snake Dreaming legend as well as the Emu and Kangaroo Man Dreaming.
Tonight, our campsite is shadowed by Mount Sonder (Rwetyepme, The Pregnant Lady) and the imagery of the Yeperenye Hills. Relax at the campsite on the banks of the mighty Finke River as the sun sets and the colours of the night desert erupt into million-star accommodation.
Included:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
A challenging climb to the peak of Mount Sonder (1380m), but we are rewarded with breathtaking views in all directions. Ranges, plains, valleys and salt lakes all combine to create magnificent vistas. This is a great place to experience the grandeur of the desert landscape.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Regarded by many as the ‘primo’ small walk of the Larapinta Trail (9kms), the Ormiston Pound Walk is full of wow factor, wildlife and flora and a great finale to our walk. A location inspirational to Albert Namatjira, sensational viewings of the Chewing’s Range and Mount Giles – the entry into the Gorge will leave you dumb founded.
After another healthy lunch, we will pack and break camp for regrettably the last time and began our journey back to normality (hot showers and life as you know it awaits).
Tonight, your guide will collect you from your accommodation after a well-deserved shower and head to one of Alice’s Outback Restaurants where you can reminisce the last 5 days and share some banter over a refreshing ale or cool drink.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
After breakfast, make you way to the Airport for your flight home or to your next destination!
Included:Breakfast
