Adelaide to Uluru 7 Day Outback Tour

Leave Adelaide before sunrise and head north as farmland and country towns roll past. Stop at Wirrabara for the silo art and the town bakery, then head deeper into Adnyamathanha Country for the 3.2km walk to Arkaroo Rock, an ancient shelter decorated with ochre and charcoal art believed to be thousands of years old, and the story of Akurra, the giant serpent said to have shaped the landscape. By late afternoon you reach Ikara Wilpena Pound, where depending on timing you may hear stories of Adnyamathanha and Yura culture. Dinner, then your swag beneath a sky full of stars.

Accommodation

Swag camping with amenities at Wilpena Pound

Meals Included

Dinner

Distance Travelled

Approx. 450 km

Lace up for the Wangara Lookout Hike from the Wilpena Pound Visitor Centre, winding through Pound Gap beneath towering river red gums. This is raw, remote country, not polished viewpoints. After the hike, lunch in Hawker and a stop at the Jeff Morgan Gallery, with its panoramic paintings of the region. Then on to Warren Gorge, with burnt-orange cliffs, native cypress pines and rocky creek beds, where you may get the option to explore on foot and look out for rare yellow-footed rock wallabies.

Accommodation

Swag camping at Warren Gorge (toilets, no showers)

Meals Included

Breakfast, Dinner

Distance Travelled

Approx. 200 km

Head north into the outback via Port Augusta as the land opens into vast saltbush plains and desert. Halfway, stop at Lake Hart, white salt flats stretching to the horizon. Late in the afternoon you reach Coober Pedy, the self-proclaimed opal capital of the world, and head into the Old Timers Mine to learn how opals formed and how miners built an entire underground way of life. Have a go at noodling through old mine tailings for overlooked opal, then sleep underground. The evening is yours to grab dinner, find an underground bar or wander this strange town.

Accommodation

5-share dorm at Radeka Downunder, underground

Meals Included

Breakfast

Distance Travelled

Approx. 620 km

The biggest driving day of the trip. Head north past the Dingo Fence into Kanku Breakaways Conservation Park, with layered mesas, open plains and colours shifting with the light, then cross into the Northern Territory towards Watarrka National Park. By late afternoon you reach Kings Creek Station: cool off in the pool, explore the station and watch the desert settle into evening. Dinner is at the station, then another night camping under outback skies.

Accommodation

Swag camping with amenities at Kings Creek Station

Meals Included

Breakfast

Distance Travelled

Approx. 770 km

Early start for the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, a 6km circuit high above towering sandstone walls and one of Central Australia's most rewarding hikes. After lunch, continue to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and visit the Cultural Centre to learn about Anangu culture, traditional knowledge and the stories tied to this country. Then settle in at the sunset viewing area and watch Uluru shift through deep reds and burnt orange as the desert cools. Dinner is back at camp.

Accommodation

Swag camping with amenities at Ayers Rock Resort Campground

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Distance Travelled

Approx. 350 km

Walk into the domes of Kata Tjuta on the Walpa Gorge Walk, following the creek bed between steep red rock walls. 'Walpa' is the Pitjantjatjara word for wind, and the gorge is cooler and more sheltered than the open desert. It is a place of cultural significance for Anangu, so you explore it with quiet respect. The afternoon is yours: cool off in the pool, visit the Gallery of Central Australia, join one of the resort's cultural experiences or just rest. In the evening there is the option of an outback dinner under the stars, or the Field of Light, where more than 50,000 solar-powered lights glow across the desert after dark (optional extra).

Accommodation

Swag camping at Ayers Rock Resort Campground

Meals Included

Breakfast

Distance Travelled

Minimal

Watch sunrise over Uluru as first light moves across the desert and the colours of the rock change. Then walk the guided Uluru Base Walk, past waterholes, caves and rock formations, hearing the stories and cultural insights behind them. Uluru stands 348 metres high and is estimated to be around 550 million years old. Shorter walk options are available. Late morning you return to Yulara, where the tour ends.