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Northern Territory Explorer

11 Day Guided Vacation | Darwin to Uluru

It’s hard to comprehend how vast (and diverse) the Northern Territory is until you’ve cruised through its gorges, discovered wonderment in national parks, eased into thermal springs and discovered ancient Aboriginal history. This epic Northern Territory tour from Darwin takes in sights from Uluru to Kakadu, Alice Springs to Katherine Gorge. Expect cruises, sunrises and sunsets, Aboriginal rock art, classic outback pubs – and a few surprises.

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$4152

Adult Twin i A person 16 years and over (note a person 16–17 years must be accompanied by a person 18 years and over). All prices are per person, land only unless otherwise indicated.
Above lowest price is based on 2024-05-08 departure

$5402

Single i A person, who must be 18 years and over, travelling alone, must pay the single room price. All prices are per person, land only unless otherwise indicated.
Above lowest price is based on 2024-05-08 departure
Prices above are per person in USD
Single rooms are limited and subject to availability
Child prices may be available on request

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Trip Details

trip-details-whats-includedWhat's included

  • • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver that are accredited with Kakadu & Uluru National Parks
    • 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Kakadu & Uluru National Park
    • Centrally located premium hotels
    • Kakadu & Uluru National Park entrance fees

trip-details-diningDining

  • • 10 Full Breakfasts
  • • 3 Dinners
  • • 1 Farewell Dinner

trip-details-flight-infoFlight Information

  • Day 1 – flights to arrive prior to 3.00pm into Darwin Airport
    Day 11 – flights to depart anytime from Ayers Rock Airport
    Flights are not included in the holiday price
    Return airport to hotel transfers are not included in the holiday price

trip-details-what-to-bringWhat to Bring

  • • Camera
  • • Comfortable walking shoes
  • • Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
  • • Water bottle
  • • Warm layers in cooler months

trip-details-fitness-level-requirementsFitness Requirements

    Low level of fitness required

Itinerary Generating PDF...

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Get to know the steamy NT capital at your own pace – you’ll fast find that the characters here are almost as colourful as the sunsets. You’ll enjoy the latter over drinks and nibbles with your Travel Director and fellow adventure-seekers. A tasty entrée to your 11-day odyssey.

  Hotel: Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront

Today is about getting your Darwin bearings on a city tour revealing the events that have shaped the city over the decades, from wars to natural disasters. You’ll be a Darwin expert after visiting attractions like East Point Military Reserve and the MAGNT (Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory). The afternoon is at your leisure. If you’re at a loss for ideas, we can point you in the direction of the Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility, perhaps, or the Mindil Beach Sunset Market, loaded with 200+ stalls. Grab a bite and watch the day end with your feet in the sand.

  Hotel: Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront

  Included Meals: Breakfast

Aboriginal culture is strong in this part of Australia, and its kept alive by Traditional Landowners on this morning’s tour. 100% Aboriginal owned and operated family business, Pudakul offers cultural and nature-based cultural experiences from the Adelaide River Flood Plains on Aboriginal owned land Limilngan-Wulna. On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, dive deep into First Nations heritage, highlighting art, music and bush tucker. Your next deep dive is into the heart of Kakadu, a World Heritage listed national park that is one of Australia’s most important living ecosystems.

  Hotel: Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Kakadu is vast, spanning almost 20,000 square kilometres. The best way to gain appreciation for just how immense it really is from the air on an optional (but highly recommended) morning flight. Now that you have your bearings, take to the land to discover ancient Aboriginal rock art and cruise the wildlife-packed Yellow Water Billabong to search for enormous saltwater crocs – your eagle-eyed guide knows where to look. End your Kakadu tour on a high, watching the sun set over floodplains.

  Hotel: Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel

  Included Meals: Breakfast

From one glorious national park to another… today’s backdrop is the end-of-Earth escarpments of Nitmiluk National Park, carved by rivers millions of years ago. Cruising through Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge is a humbling experience even before you know the region’s history. Small wonder freshwater crocs and all manner of birds call the cavern home.

  Hotel: Contour Hotel Katherine

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

If the Elsey Homestead looks familiar, that’s because it starred in the 1982 Aussie drama We of the Never Never. Today it’s better known for its Mataranka thermal hot springs. Pop on your swimsuit and have a soothing soak, the magical setting surrounded by palms. The only thing more refreshing is a cold beverage at the Daly Waters Pub, self-declared as Australia’s ‘original outback pub’. You can imagine the kind of swagger the locals bring. Visitors are encouraged to leave their mark as well; a memento, perhaps, or autograph on the walls.

  Hotel: Bluestone Motor Inn

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

The Stuart Highway is long (2,700 kilometres), very straight and very flat. Which makes the appearance of Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) on the horizon all the more dramatic. These massive granite boulders pock the countryside. But they’re not just a pretty sight – they’re a sacred place for the Aboriginal community, created by the fossilised eggs of the Rainbow Serpent. Get the lay of the land atop Alice Springs’ Anzac Hill. From this vantage, the East and West MacDonnell Ranges appear to stretch to the horizon.

  Hotel: Doubletree by Hilton Alice Springs

  Included Meals: Breakfast

Sleep in, take to the skies in a hot-air balloon as the desert awakens, explore the West Macs on a guided tour or visit the Alice Springs Desert Park. It's home to a vast range of plants and wildlife native to the area. You can really experience the beauty and diversity of this incredible landscape. The Arrernte people, traditional owners of the park, are also on hand to share their local wisdom and knowledge. this morning is yours to spend as you choose. Save some energy for this afternoon’s visit to the historic Telegraph Station – the reason the town was formed – and School of the Air, to gain an insight into outback and remote learning.

  Hotel: Doubletree by Hilton Alice Springs

  Included Meals: Breakfast

From the moment you wake up until the last of day disappears, spiritual Aboriginal culture is all around on today’s Northern Territory tour. Get set to be in awe over Dreamtime stories about the creation of Uluru, the world’s largest monolith. It’s particularly pretty at sunset when the fading rays change the desert’s colour with every sip of your sparkling wine.

  Hotel: Outback Hotel & Lodge

  Included Meals: Breakfast

There aren’t many things worth getting up in the dark for. Sunrise over Uluru is one. It’s a magical time of day, the shifting light casting the countryside aglow. Exploring the base of ‘the Rock’ on an Uluru tour, you’ll begin to understand why this part of the country is so special to the Anangu people, who have called the region home for millennia. Go at your own pace this afternoon. We wouldn’t blame you for taking a dip in the resort pool to cool off. But if you want to see the monolith in another different light, opt to chopper around it on a scenic helicopter flight. Either way, you’ll have plenty of stories to tell over your Farewell Dinner.

  Hotel: Outback Hotel & Lodge

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

Another reason to rise early: to catch the (optional) Field of Light art installation by artist Bruce Munro that blankets the desert floor. Your spirit will glow just as brightly as you bid farewell to this epic Northern Territory tour.  

  Included Meals: Breakfast

Please note: This itinerary may be subject to change.


Northern Territory Explorer

Best Buys

11 Day Guided Vacation

Darwin to Uluru

It’s hard to comprehend how vast (and diverse) the Northern Territory is until you’ve cruised through its gorges, discovered wonderment in national parks, eased into thermal springs and discovered ancient Aboriginal history. This epic Northern Territory tour from Darwin takes in sights from Uluru to Kakadu, Alice Springs to Katherine Gorge. Expect cruises, sunrises and sunsets, Aboriginal rock art, classic outback pubs – and a few surprises.

Highlights

Flexible Vacations

Life in the Top End moves at a leisurely pace. Choose your own leisurely adventure exploring World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park or the steamy NT capital, Darwin.

Iconic Sites

Have your camera poised: we’re taking you from the wilds of Kakadu to the escarpments of Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge and epic landscapes of Uluru.

Sustainable Travel

Supporting Aboriginal-owned and -operated businesses helps ensure the world’s oldest culture thrives into the future.

Natural Wonders

Sunrise over Uluru has this incredible ability to make you forget everything else around you and just focus on the now.

Accommodation

Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort.
The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes:

Optional Experiences

Please note, prices for Optional Experiences are subject to change.

To ensure your holiday is filled with memorable experiences, we have included a range of quality Optional Experiences for you to choose from and partake in, if you wish, during your holiday. The experiences can be booked on tour through your Travel Director.

Field of Light Sunrise (Ayers Rock)

Adult Price: AUD 105.00
Child Price: AUD 75.00

With just enough time for some background commentary on the internationally renowned artist Bruce Munro, you will arrive very excited to see his latest artistic endeavour. Arriving in complete darkness, you will be able to enjoy the 50,000 spheres of light in the desert, before making your way up the hill to the Field of Light sunrise viewing area.

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Field of Light Sunrise

Kakadu Air Scenic Flights (Kakadu)

Adult Price: AUD 159.00  (30 Minute)
Child Price: AUD 130.00 (30 Minute)

One of the best ways to experience Kakadu is by a scenic fixed wing flight which allows you to see the amazing escarpments, waterways and wetlands. You will be amazed by the vastness and varied landscape that can be best experienced from the air. An experience not to be missed.

Kakadu Air Scenic Flights

Outback Hot Air Ballooning (Alice Springs)

Adult Price: From AUD 350.00
Child Price: From AUD 297.50.00

Your adventure begins with the balloons being inflated just as the sun lights up the rugged MacDonnell Ranges. Whilst floating gently in the air you will appreciate the vast remoteness, scenery and wildlife of the Australian outback. The tour includes your return transfers and a light breakfast.

Please note this excursion is not recommended for the elderly or a less agile person. If you are unsure, please discuss your situation directly with Outback Ballooning. A compulsory aviation insurance charge of $30.00 per person is included in the cost.

Outback Hot Air Ballooning

Tiwi Islands Aboriginal Cultural Experience (Darwin)

Adult Price:  From AUD 439.00
Child Price: From AUD 309.00.00

Enjoy an Aboriginal cultural experience on the Tiwi Islands. You will travel to and from the Island by ferry. Once there you will learn about the Tiwi people’s unique and rich culture as they introduce you to their traditional art displays and ceremonies. Enjoy lunch with your local guide and the local community as they teach you more about their culture and rituals. To partake in this experience you will require an additional post tour night accommodation or a flight that departs after 8pm on the day of the tour.

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Tiwi Islands Aboriginal Cultural Experience

Uluru Barbecue Dinner (Ayers Rock)

Adult Price: AUD 195.00
Child Price: AUD 135.00

Enjoy a sparkling wine on arrival at this unique and exclusive dining experience with Uluru as your stunning backdrop. Enjoy wine and beer with a classic barbecue of beef steak, lamb sausages, skewered chicken and garlic prawns, as well as a selection of fresh salads and a tasty dessert. There’s even time for stargazing.

Uluru Barbecue Dinner

Uluru Scenic Flights (Uluru (Ayers Rock))

Adult: $145.00

Child: 145.00

A 20 minute, fixed wing scenic flight is a great way to take in the amazing landscape of Uluru. This small plane operator offer extended flights that include both Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

Uluru Scenic Flights

Uluru Helicopter Scenic Flight (Uluru (Ayers Rock))

Adult: $315.00 AUD
Child: $315.00 AUD

Experience a unique view with a scenic helicopter flight over the Red Centre and see Uluru from the Air. You might choose the 15 minute flight to appreciate Uluru from the air or the recommended longer flight to witness Uluru as well as the extraordinary Kata Tjuta.

Uluru Helicopter Scenic Flight

Wintijiri Wiru After Dark Show (Uluru (Ayers Rock))

Adult: $190.00 AUD
Child: $95.00 AUD

Wintjiri Wiru, which in the local Pitjantjatjara language means ‘beautiful view out to the horizon’. This breathtaking sound and light show brings to life the ancient Mala story of the Anangu people, a story passed on for thousands of generations. With the use of ground-breaking technology, choreographed drones, lasers and projections illuminate the night sky. Wintjiri Wiru takes place at Ayers Rock Resort, in the spiritual heart of Australia and is an immersion into Anangu culture. The experience begins with a transfer from Resort hotels to a sustainably-built platform where you will take a seat in the intimate amphitheatre.

Drones, lights, traditional music, and Pitjantjatjara language will bring to life the Mala story under the desert sky. After the show, you will return to your hotel via coach transfer. Note: • Subject to availability and weather conditions permitting. • Tour content and timings are subject to change without notice. • Child age range is from 10 to 15 years. Not suitable for children 9 years and under. Credit: As custodians of the land, Anangu hold the Mala story from Kaltukatjara to Uluru. To share their story from Kaltukatjara to Uluru, RAMUS designed and produced an artistic platform using drones, light and sound to create an immersive storytelling experience.
Wintijiri Wiru After Dark Show
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