How to have the ultimate Alice Springs to Uluṟu road trip

From the heart of the Red Centre to an Australian icon, Alice Springs to Uluṟu makes an epic road trip. Here’s everything you’ll ever need to know about doing it.

Alice Springs

Red earth, sunshine and quirky characters make Alice Springs a great place to launch an outback road trip.

Sitting at the epicentre of the Explorers Way (a 3000-kilometre route from Adelaide to Darwin), Alice Springs – simply ‘Alice’ to locals – is a popular base for visitors looking to explore the Northern Territory’s outback.

See wildlife at Alice Springs Desert Park. (Image: Tourism NT)

There’s plenty to do in the outback town. Bird shows at Alice Springs Desert Park and venomous snakes at Alice Springs Reptile Centre wow animal lovers. History buffs can whittle away hours checking out historic sites such as the National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame or the Alice Springs Telegraph Station, where Europeans first settled in town. Throw in sunset atop ANZAC Hill, and you’ll be itching to see more of the Red Centre. Here’s where to head to soak in the very best of the region.

MacDonnell Ranges

You can easily get from Alice to Uluru in 5.5 hours along the sealed Stuart and Lasseter highways, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, head into the MacDonnell Ranges for an outback adventure bound to leave a lasting impression. The ranges are split in two – Tjoritja/West MacDonnell ranges and the East Macs – and both are impressive.

The MacDonnell Ranges are an outback adventure bound to leave a lasting impression.

Tjoritja/The West MacDonnell Ranges

The better known of the two, The West MacDonnell Ranges stretch 200 kilometres and are etched with gorges, chasms and dry creek beds. They can be reached by following the Red Centre Way (an 1135-kilometre loop from Alice).

You don’t want to miss the spectacular views in Ormiston Gorge. (Image: Tourism NT/Salty Aura)

Places not to miss include the Standley Chasm, a dramatic, 80-metre-high rock face; the refreshing pools at Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge; and Simpsons Gap, an important spiritual site with several Indigenous dreaming trails.

a man standing between the towering red cliffs at Standley Chasm

Make your way through the towering red cliffs at Standley Chasm. (Image: Tourism NT/Mark Fitzpatrick)

If you’re camping, unfurl a swag and enjoy a campfire at Redbank Gorge. Alternatively, Glen Helen Lodge offers basic accommodation close to Glen Helen Gorge and thr 1380-metre-high Mt Sonder.

Camp at Redbank Gorge, a stone’s throw from a secluded waterhole you can swim at. (Tourism NT/Jess Caldwell & Luke Riddle)

Don’t miss

Alice Springs Helicopters offer scenic flights over the MacDonnell Ranges and thrilling mountain bike tours that drop you at sections along the mountain biking trails in the West Macs area.

Get a new perspective on the landscape with Alice Springs Helicopters. (Tourism NT/Tourism Australia)

The East MacDonnell

Less touristed, but arguably as stunning, the East Macs offer travellers insight into the Indigenous and gold rush history of the area.

Located 150 kilometres east of Alice Springs, bushwalking, camping and four-wheel driving is to be expected here.

A main attraction is Trephina Gorge Nature Park, where you’ll be surrounded by rising walls of red and purple quartzite. The gorge is also home to what’s said to be the largest ghost gum in Australia (at 33 metres high and about 300 years old) and forms part of the Wallaby Dreaming Trail, significant to the Eastern Arrernte Aboriginal people.

Trephina Gorge Nature Park is a geological marvel. (Image: Tourism NT/Shaana McNaught)

While you’re here, visit N’Dhala Gorge Nature Park, home to 6000 rock carvings, as well as the old gold rush town of Arltunga, which dates back to the late 1800s. You can stay at Hale River Homestead at Old Ambalindum, which offers a true outback experience.

Arltunga Historical Reserve Trephina Gorge Nature Park Northern Territory

Arltunga Historical Reserve (Image: ourism NT/Sean Scott)

Hermannsburg and Finke Gorge

Thought to be 350 million years old, The Finke River winds through Finke Gorge National Park, an important wilderness reserve between Alice Springs and Kings Canyon. Within the park’s confines is the ancient Palm Valley, where rare red cabbage palms, also dating back millennia, grow.

Finke Gorge National Park is an ancient, spectacular landscape. (Image: Tourism NT/Sean Scott)

To get into the park, you’ll need a high-clearance 4WD and be comfortable conquering rocky tracks. You will also want sturdy hiking boots as there are a tonne of trails.

Call into Hermannsburg prior to entering the park: it’s a historic precinct where a Lutheran Mission was active in the late 1880s and where renowned Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira resided.

Check out the historical precinct in Hermannsburg. (Image: Tourism NT/Charlie Bliss)

Kings Canyon and Watarrka National Park

After exploring the West Macdonnell Ranges head off-road along the Mereenie Loop as you make your way to Kings Canyon (you’ll need a 4WD and a permit). The canyon, plunging 270 metres, is the highlight of the park and an oasis of palms and ferns.

The canyon, plunging 270 metres, is the highlight of the park.

Rise early and set off on the six-kilometre Canyon Rim Walk, which will lead you to the sandstone domes of the Lost City and a sacred watering hole aptly named the Garden of Eden. There is also the much gentler 2.6-kilometre Kings Creek Hike to a lookout.

Take the Canyon Rim Walk to the sandstone domes of the Lost City.

You can Base yourself at Kings Creek Station, not far from Watarrka National Park. The 1800-square-kilometre property is open year-round and is a top spot to experience life on the land with both campsites and basic cabins available. Make time to enjoy traditional damper with a cup of billy tea.

Uluru

Uluru is a 3 hour drive from Kings Creek. Nothing says ‘outback’ more than the big red rock in the middle of the country, and you will certainly appreciate its isolation as you drive the road to reach it.

In spite of its remoteness, there is plenty to do at UNESCO World Heritage-listed Uluṟu. First up, you’ll want to explore on foot, so rise early and walk Uluru’s 10-kilometre base. You can also join a guided Mala Walk (two kilometres), which is a great option if you want to learn about Uluru’s cultural significance and Indigenous rock art.

A outback road trip wouldn’t be the same without visiting Uluru.

While you’re there, sign up for a plod atop a camel, hop aboard a Segway, enjoy a Harley Davidson ride or plummet toward Uluru on a thrilling sky dive.

Set your alarm so you can drive to one of the viewing platforms and watch Uluru change color at sunrise. Come nightfall, head to Field of Light where a carpet of 50,000 lights will shine.

Field of Light; one of the largest art installations in Australia’s history.

For a special outback dining experience, you can’t go past Sounds of Silence. Savour native Australian ingredients, such as kangaroo, finger lime and lemon myrtle, while the Milky Way dazzles from above.

Kata Tjuta

If you can squeeze it in, don’t miss the 36 large rock domes of Kata Tjuta. Located about half an hour’s drive from Uluru, they’re easy to reach on a day trip.

The mesmerising peaks of Kata Tjuta. (Image: Tourism NT/Sean Scott)

The domes are dramatic, with the tallest one, Mt Olga, soaring 546 metres high. Explore them on foot by following the challenging Valley of the Winds trail (7.4 kilometres). It will take you about three hours, so set off early to avoid the midday heat. There is also the easier Walpa Gorge (2.6-kilometre) walk.

Where to stay

Accommodation in Uluṟu comes in all shapes and sizes, from luxury suites, to tent-style pavilions and campsites. It also runs numerous tours and workshops, some of which are free. Squeeze it all in by jumping on the resort’s complimentary shuttle, especially if you’re travelling with children or the elderly.

Need to know

Although Uluru is open to visitors year-round, in summer temperatures frequently sit at 45°C and flies are at their most persistent. Instead, visit between May and October, when daytime temperatures are comfortable.

If a one-way road trip from Alice to Uluru is enough for you, fly out of Ayers Rock Airport to many of Australia’s major cities.

Want more Red Centre travel inspo? Check out our guide on eating, playing and staying in Australia’s heart.

Each April, Parrtjima turns the landscape around Alice Springs (Mparntwe) into a virtual canvas with large-scale light installations that adorn the ancient slopes of the MacDonnell Ranges.

This annual 10-night celebration of Aboriginal art and culture also features performances, talks, films, a meandering six-metre-high puppet, and the Buy Blak Market, as well as nightly projections against the 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges. The next Parrtjima: A Festival in Light runs from 4 to 13 April 2025 and will feature the first open-air performance by Darwin Symphony Orchestra. It will be the milestone 10th edition of the festival, so expect an extra-special celebration.

The theme of the upcoming festival is Timelessness, a nod to the enduring connection Aboriginal people have to culture, art and stories that span thousands of years. Here’s everything you need to know before you see it with your own eyes.

the MacDonnell Ranges Light Show during the Parrtjima

See nightly projections against the 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges. (Image: Parrtjima)

What is Parrtjima?

Since its debut in 2016, visitors from across Australia have been drawn to this celebration of Aboriginal culture, which lights up the night sky above Alice Springs Desert Park (ASDP).

the GUTS dance cultural performance at Parrtjima

Witness empowering cultural performances. (Image: Parrtjima)

Each year the event celebrates the ways in which local artists experiment with styles and mediums. Artworks are curated from submissions from the area’s Aboriginal art centres and independent artists and assessed for cultural appropriateness by the Parrtjima Festival Reference Group, a network of senior Arrernte Elders. The creative team then incorporates the approved artworks into the festival’s program; the paintings are turned into large-scale illuminated installations that light up the desert.

A mother and son experience the Arelhe Urrperle Erth Puppet at Parrtjima 2024

The giant Arelhe Urrperle Erth Puppet wanders around the festival. (Image: Parrtjima)

Parrtjima (pronounced Par-Chee-ma) means ‘lighting up’ and conveys two meanings: physically illuminating an object with light and ‘lighting up’ as in to shed light and understanding on a subject. The festival is delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company and produced by creative experience design studio Grumpy Sailor.

Engaging talks and performances are all part of the festival.

What’s the significance of Parrtjima?

Parrtjima Curator Rhoda Roberts AO says the festival offers visitors a unique opportunity to listen, learn and interconnect.

“This is a real opportunity to listen to and learn from some of Australia’s top First Nations voices, and that’s what the spirit of Parrtjima is all about. Listening, learning and interconnecting to better understand each other.”

Ms Roberts says that to this day the most wonderful things still happen out of interconnectedness.

“Interconnectedness blankets the wisdom of generations. At Parrtjima, we are reminded by our hosts, the Arrernte people, that culture is everything to experience and absorb.”

Parrtjima Curator Rhoda Roberts AO, speaks of the importance of the festival. (Image: Parrtjima)

What to expect at Parrtjima

The MacDonnell Ranges are usually majestic enough but imagine them brought to life with a spectacular light show that reflects the colours and movement of the planting seasons and kwatye (water).

The lightshow on the MacDonnell Ranges for Parrtjima 2024

MacDonnell Ranges lights up during the Parrtjima festival. (Image: Parrtjima)

The crowd favourite, Grounded, is a giant, seamless canvas of animated artworks by Central and Western Desert region artists brought to life using the latest technology. It is like a magical carpet spreading across the desert floor that echoes the sand ceremonies enacted seasonally in Aboriginal culture.

Grounded, is a giant, seamless canvas of animated artworks. (Image: Parrtjima)

One of the newest additions to the program is a large-scale light and art installation called Tjoritja Cockatoos, where you can hear the chatter of black cockatoos as Vanessa Inkamala’s art, in the style of the Hermannsburg School of watercolour, is brought to life through animation and sound.

Vanessa Inkamala’s art is brought to life through animation and sound in Tjoritja Cockatoos. (Image: Parrtjima)

Each year, the festival showcases live music by Aboriginal musicians, free films, performance art, and stories told and shared in and around Todd Mall in central Alice Springs and the Desert Park at the base of the West MacDonnell Ranges.

the Arelhe Urrperle Erth Puppet at Parrtjima 2024

Arelhe Urrperle is a six-metre-high Erth puppet at Parrtjima. (Image: Steven Woodburn)

Children play with the props as part of the Arelhe Urrperle installation. (Image: Parrtjima)

Cultural workshops have also been hosted across the festival, allowing visitors to learn how to make a spear, discover the secrets of the ancient Arrernte language, or create their own artworks and sculptures.

A couple explore the light installation at Parrtjima 2024

Get up close to the light installations. (Image: Parrtjima)

How to travel to Alice Springs to see Parrtjima

Alice Springs is only a few hours’ flying time from most Australian capital cities. Qantas and Jetstar run daily direct flights from all capital cities (except Perth). Virgin also flies from most capital cities to Alice Springs.

The Stuart Highway is the main road link to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. From Alice Springs to Uluru it is 450 kilometres and Alice Springs to Darwin is 1,500 kilometres.

People gather at the food trucks during Parrtjima 2024

Gather around for a night filled with art, music and entertainment. (Image: Parrtjima)

Book a bed or pitch a tent in Alice Springs. From motel rooms, campgrounds and B&Bs to hotels and award-winning resorts, there is plenty of accommodation available to suit your budget and taste.

While the festival is free, you will need to register for entry to Parrtjima – A Festival in Light. Registration opens on November 15, 2024 with costed tickets for a special closing weekend performance by Darwin Symphony Orchestra — the first orchestral performance in Parrtjima’s decade-long history also released the same day.

The only Alice to Uluṟu itinerary you’ll ever need