This website uses modern construction techniques, which may not render correctly in your old browser. We recommend updating your browser for the best online experience.
Experience the Northern Territory outback landscapes and sunset from Uluru to Darwin on a 11 day guided holiday.
World Heritage Sites like Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park are just the entrée to this deep dive into the Northern Territory. The main course includes Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge tours, Kings Canyon hikes, Earth Sanctuary stargazing, sunrise at Uluru, a Yellow Water Billabong cruise… and eating a lot of good food. Wherever you venture, Aboriginal Songlines are strong, permitting you the privilege to glimpse millennia-old rock art, go-to-the artistic source and sample bush tucker.
Witness a magnificent Uluru sunrise, sipping sparkling wine
Walk the path of adventure on Kings Canyon Rim
Cruise Nitmuluk Gorge, learn about the culture of the Jawoyn
*Advertised price based on 26 April 2025 departure, correct as of 25 February 2025.
Inclusions & Highlights
What's included
16 meals included (10 Breakfasts, 4 Dinners with wine, 1 Be My Guest & 1 Farewell Dinner
Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver that are accredited with Uluru and Kakadu National Parks
2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Parks
Centrally located premium hotels
National Park entrance fees
Arrival and Departure Transfers
What to Bring
Water bottle
Warm layers in cooler months
Camera
Comfortable walking shoes
Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
Fitness Requirements
Low level of fitness required.
A high level of fitness is required for the Kings Canyon Rim walk. Other options available to those with lower fitness levels.
Highlights
Cultural Immersion Thirsty visitors have been leaving mementos on the walls of the Daly Waters Pub for 40+ years. Over a beer think about what you can contribute.
Local Connection Go behind the scenes with local guides (they know where to spot crocs) while cruising Kakadu’s Yellow Water Billabong, or touring the School of the Air.
Make Travel Matter On your cruise along Nitmiluk Gorge learn about the local culture of the traditional Jawoyn landowners through your indigenous guide’s expertise.
World Class Nature Mataranka Thermal Hot Springs is a natural wonder with crystal-clear waters surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and palm trees.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Welcome to Uluru
Today is one of colours. The ochre soil spiked with cycads as your plane comes into land. The endless blue sky, from horizon to infinity. The russet hues of Uluru, that ‘Rock’ that appears on just about every Australian postcard… And that’s all before enchanting hour. Come sunset, the landscape changes with every click of your camera. If you can stop snapping, have a glass of bubbles and some nibbles with your fellow adventurers. They’ll be besties by the time this trip is over. Or maybe even by this time tomorrow…
Hotel: Desert Gardens Hotel, 2 Nights
Day 2 - Uluru Sunrise- Kata Tjuta
If you’re looking for a reason to roll out of bed before dawn, make it an Uluru sunrise. We’re not saying it’s better, than last night’s sunset. But being up with the birds certainly has its benefits. Like being cool when you circumnavigate the base of Uluru, the world’s biggest monolith. A circumnavigation is 11 kilometres (that’s your step-count sorted for the day) if you’re up for it. Or join a shorter guided walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole, a sacred spot decorated with millennia-old Aboriginal rock paintings. Dive even deeper into First Nations traditions at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre – you won’t be able to resist a purchase, opening your wallet sweetened by the fact that you’re supporting local Aboriginal communities. Then wander through Kata Tjuta’s Jurassic domed rock formations into Walpa Gorge, a natural creek that carves its way between the two tallest Kata Tjuta domes. More bubbles to serenade the day’s end? We’re one step ahead of you…
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 - Uluru - Kings Canyon
The only other reason to get up before dawn is to glimpse the Uluru Field of Light, a dazzling installation by British artist Bruce Munro that sees 50,000 stem-like globes blanket the Uluru soil. It’s optional – we won’t judge you for sleeping in, steeling yourself for today’s adventures. But if you’ve come this far, it would be a shame to opt for shut-eye over eye-popping. Speaking of which, did you know Australia has the largest population of wild camels in the world, and Kings Creek Station, your next stop at lunchtime, is the largest exporter of these doe-eyed creatures? Next stop is Kings Canyon, part of the immense Watarrka National Park. Walk off those carbs and enjoy perspective-resetting views over the Red Centre.
Hotel: Kings Canyon Resort
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 4 - Kings Canyon- Alice Springs
Cattle stations are the size of small nations in the Northern Territory outback, as you’ll discover on your journey toward Alice Springs. The other ‘big’ thing in these parts is the MacDonnell Ranges, the stark mountain massif undulating across the red earth like a jagged dinosaur’s (or perhaps serpent’s?) spine. Back in 1872, Alice Springs was a hive of activity, as a Telegraph Station – one of 12 – was built here to connect Adelaide and Darwin as part of the Overland Telegraph Line. Sweat and tears went into the gargantuan, country-spanning project, as you’ll discover browsing the grounds now an intimate museum. If you thought you were getting out of a sunset, think again – panoramas from Alice’s Anzac Hill steal the scene. Are you keeping count?
Hotel: Doubletree by Hilton Alice Springs, 2 Nights
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 5 - Alice Springs
In remote parts of Australia, community is everything, whether to ensure stories of the Arrernte people are not forgotten (you’ll learn all about them today), or to help those who, well, need urgent help. The passionate Royal Flying Doctor Service health workers commute hundreds of kilometres every day to provide aid to those living in far-flung corners of Australia. Their stories are at once uplifting and inspiring. End your day on a high at Earth Sanctuary World Nature Centre, where the Falzon family host a BBQ Be My Guest dinner under the stars. This is a lesson in off-the-grid, sustainable living, with a little boomerang throwing on the side. Let it inspire you to follow suit back at home.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Be My Guest Dinner
Day 6 - Alice Springs- Tennent Creek
The whole of Peru covers 1.3 million square kilometers – the same size playing field that the School of the Air broadcasts daily classes to. Watch a live session with kids in some of Australia’s most remote reaches, providing them with educational tools that would otherwise be unavailable. What’s not on the curriculum? Aliens, probably, although you will learn all about them passing through Wycliffe Well, known as Australia’s ‘UFO capital’. We can understand why they would want to call this pocket of the country home. It’s beautiful in a hypnotically mesmerising way. Undeniably otherworldly are the precariously balanced boulders that characterize Karlu Karlu (the Devils Marbles) and the landscapes surrounding gold-rich Tennant Creek.
Hotel: Bluestone Motor Inn
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 7 - Tennent Creek - Katherine
When you’re not working hard in the Australian outback, you’re having a lot of fun. Case in point the Daly Waters Historic Pub, where the food – schnitzels, burgers – comes second to the atmosphere. Follow the lead of those here before you and leave a memento to add interest the walls; since the 1980s, visitors have been redecorating with everything from bras to boots. If you were a fan of 1982 Australian TV drama We of the Never Never – an autobiographical film about Jeannie Gunn’s life in the outback – you’ll recognise your next destination without pause: the (replica) Elsey Homestead in Mataranka. Explore the grounds, or soak in the palm-shrouded thermal springs. We know what we’re doing…
Hotel: Contour Hotel Katherine
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 8 - Katherine - Kakadu
Cruising around Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge in the morning is a humbling experience. You can almost feel the spirits yawning as they created this landscape on Jawoyn land, part of Nitmiluk National Park. A sprinkling of crocs, a flutter of rare birds, the ripple of the lagoon. It takes your breath away. More wildlife lurks in Kakadu’s Yellow Water Billabong, which is a mecca for sea eagles, brolgas and little kingfishers – and yet more crocs in the muddy shallows. This Kakadu tour and Yellow Water cruise will max out your camera’s memory card, so be prepared and come with a spare.
Hotel: Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 9 - Kakadu-Darwin
The best way to grasp the immensity of Kakadu and Arnhem Land? From the air, should you wish to take an optional tour. You won’t regret it – perspective is always enlightening. Speaking of which, Ubirr’s Aboriginal rock art dates back an eye-watering 20,000+ years. Your guide knows all the stories behind the murals you see, revealing Aboriginal Dreamtime stories passed down through generations. If this part of the Northern Territory looks familiar, that’s because it starred in classic Aussie rom-com, Crocodile Dundee. This part of Australia was clearly made for film-sets. Get your Darwin bearings on a quick city tour, then explore at your leisure – we want to give you as much time as possible to enjoy dinner at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market.
Hotel: Garden Inn Darwin, 2 Nights
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 10 - Darwin Free Time
It’s fitting that your final full day in the Northern Territory is sultry – the steamy climate demands it. Today, go your own way. That might mean sleeping in then heading out for a delicious tropical breakfast. Or signing up for optional experiences, like explorations into Litchfield National Park. This pocket of the NT is a staggering union of magnetic termite mounds and waterfalls, not to mention the waterholes where you can cool off with a refreshing dip (swimming is seasonal and opening is controlled by NT Parks). Alternatively, head north to the Tiwi Islands, where you take a deep dive into Indigenous history and art with First Nations guides (both own expense). Whichever route you go, we’ll see you at the Farewell Dinner.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner
Day 11 - Farewell to Darwin
‘Ma Muk’ (‘See you later’), as the Larrakia people would say. This Dreamtime adventure is over for now, but we’re positive your memories will last forever.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Booking terms and conditions apply.
*
Term and conditions apply: All pricing subject to change and availability. Advertised prices are per person twin share unless stated otherwise. Offers may be withdrawn at any time. Itineraries are subject to change. Booking Conditions and Phil Hoffmann Travel Schedule of Professionalism* applies. Please speak to your Phil Hoffmann Travel Consultant for more information.
