Be met on arrival in Darwin and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure before a relaxed welcome dinner. Stay: Vibe Darwin (D)
Today, travel to Lorella Springs Wilderness Park, a one million-acre working castle station that stretches all the way to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Stay: Lorella Springs Wilderness Park (B/L/D)
Venture to Alice Springs via Tennant Creek. Along the way, stop at Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles). A living cultural landscape, nearly the entire reserve is a registered sacred site. Stay Two Nights: Crowne Plaza, Alice Springs (B/L/D)
Explore Simpsons Gap, which pierces the West MacDonnell Ranges. This sacred area is an important spiritual site to the Arrarnta Indigenous people, where several Dreamtime stories have said to take place. Continue to the West MacDonnell Ranges National Park, whose landscapes played a significant role in the stories of Western Arrernte Indigenous culture. At Angkerle (Standley Chasm), follow a creek where spring-fed pools attract a variety of unique birdlife.
Afterwards, visit Ormiston Gorge, home to a variety of unique species. Later, take the afternoon to unwind. (B/L/D)
Cross into South Australia and arrive in the outback town of Coober Pedy. Visit the Umoona Opal Mine, where you'll get an insight into Indigenous and European settlement in the area, as well as learning about how opals are mined. Stay: Coober Pedy, Desert Cave Hotel (B/L/D)
On the way to Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, stop for lunch at Parachilna's famous Prairie Hotel. Arrive at the national park, which is a cultural site renowned for its 800-million-year-old landscapes. Explore Wilpena Pound, cradled within a natural amphitheatre of mountains. Continue to your accommodation, set amongst river red gums and native pines. Stay Two Nights: Wilpena Pound Resort (B/L/D)
A full day has been set aside for you to explore Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park in more depth. Visit Brachina Gorge and keep an eye out for the endangered yellow-footed rock-wallaby as you traverse the gorge's ancient layers. Spend the afternoon at leisure, or perhaps take an optional scenic flight over Wilpena Pound (own expense). (B/L/D)
After breakfast, farewell your new-found friends and be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. (B)
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