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7 Day Red Centre Photography Tour - 15th April 2019 only
Upon arrival into Alice Springs, please make your way to the Alice Springs Airport Shuttle for your transfer to our accommodation. The rest of the day is a This evening we'll have our first group dinner next door at Lassiter's Casino. Your driver guide and tour escort will run through the itinerary with you for the next week and this is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers. Overnight accommodation- Double Tree by Hilton Alice Springs- guest room with en-suite Day 2 (B,L,D)- Tues 16th April We start our 7 day photographic tour today. An early start today as we travel west into the Western MacDonnell Ranges, part of an ancient landscape sculptured over time by climatic elements, and the start of the Red Centre Way. Our first stop is Simpsons Gap, one of the most prominent waterholes in the region and home to the Black- footed Rock Wallaby. The area around Simpons Gap is a major stronghold for some of the rare and relic plants of the region, large stands of Mulga and ghost gums. There are a couple of walks to choose from here. Then onto Aboriginal owned Angkerle Atwatye (Standley Chasm), gouged from tough sandstone by the floods that, over untold millions of years, have surged down a narrow tributary of the Finke River system. The result is a deep red cleft, with slopes on either side rising 80 metres above the floor that are the most dramatic at noon, when the chasm To get to the chasm, we follow a creek where spring- fed pools attract a great variety of wildlife, especially birds and the gully floor is lush with plants that range from delicate ferns to tall gums. After lunch, onto Ellery Creek Big Hole, which is a spectacular waterhole in the mightly Ellery Creek which cuts through a gorge in the ranges. Thousands of years of massive floods have carved out this beautiful waterhole and unlocked some amazing geology. It's also a great place for a swim ! Our destination this afternoon is Glen Helen Bush Resort, which has a history dating back to 1905, when it was a cattle station. It's situated a short walk from the Finke River and Glen Helen Gorge and waterhole, where you can have a swim or climb the ridge for a magnificent view. The landscape around Glen Helen is as spectacular as you will find anywhere, with a towering sandstone wall greeting you as you arrive. The resort area and gorge are also home to an array of birds (including waterbirds and birds of prey), insects and reptiles as well as Black Flanked Rock Wallabies and Dingoes. Overnight accommodation- Glen Helen Bush Resort- Motel room with en-suite Day 3 (B,L,D)- Wed 17th April This morning early risers can join Andrew to shoot the first ray of light shining on the cliffs of Glen Helen Gorge. After breakfast at the lodge we depart for the lookout over Mount Sonder, the highest point in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Then we make our way to Ormiston Gorge, where you can take a short stroll to the waterhole or take the 40 minute return Ghost Gum walk. The area also contains an interesting variety of native fauna and flora.
We hit the unsealed dirt road now and travel along the Mereenie Loop Road to Kings Canyon. En- route, we stop at Tyler's Pass Lookout for views of Gosse Bluff Meteor Crater and the surrounding landscape. The trip along the Mereenie Loop road is an adventure in itself and is a lovely drive through some beautiful desert country. Keep your eye out for wildlife too. We arrive at Kings Canyon Resort, check in and have some free time to relax or take an optional helicopter flight (additional cost). Overnight accommodation- Kings Canyon Resort - Standard room with en-suite (2 night stay) Day 4 (B,L,D)- Thurs 18th April We have an early start today, driving to Kings Canyon to take the rim walk. Kings Canyon (Watarrka National Park) contains the western end of the George Gill Range, a scenic landscape of rugged ranges, rockholes and gorges. The sheer red rock face of Kings Canyon soars over 100 metres above dense forests of palms, ferns and cycads, sheltering them from the surrounding desert conditions. The rim walk takes in the magnificent views of the Canyon rim, the weathered, buttressed domes of "The Lost City" and the "Garden of Eden"- a sheltered valley wi Returning to the resort, this afternoon is at your leisure. Relax around the resort- keep an eye out for dingoes and other wildlife. Perhaps take the dune board walk for sunset or take an optional helicopter flight (own expense). Overnight accommodation- Kings Canyon Resort - Standard room with en-suite Day 5 (B,L,D)- Fri 19th April This morning we head south to the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. The park is world heritage listed for the importance of it's natural phenomena and cultural significance. This afternoon we visit the Cultural centre and the head out to Kata Tjuta meaning "many heads". The enormous domes, 36 in total, rise out of the sand and weathered over millions of years they are now rounded peaks. The tallest, Mt Olga, is higher than Uluru ! The Walpa Gorge walk is a rocky track that gently rises to a stream, passing rare plants and ending at a grove of spearwood. Walk within the sheer walls and experience this amazing landscape. We have our first opportunity to photograph the Uluru sunset at the sunset viewing area this evening. After sunset, once the stars come out, you can take some night photos over Australia's most famous landmark ! Overnight accommodation- Standard Motel room with en-suite at the Outback Pioneer Hotel (2 night stay) Day 6 (B,L,D)- Sat 20th April We have an early start (but it's well worth it !) today for sunrise at Uluru. The giant monolith emerges from the inky landscape, changing from purple through to rusty browns and red in the golden sunlight.
After our boxed breakfast we take the base walk around Uluru, which includes the Mala Walk and Mutitjulu waterhole, home of a wanampi, an ancestral watersnake. This afternoon is free for you to pursue your own interests, simply relax or you may like to take an optional tour such as a Harley ride or a camel ride- extra cost. This evening we have another opportunity to photograph sunset and the location will be decided by Andrew based on conditions tonight and last night at Uluru. Overnight accommodation- Standard Motel room with en-suite at the Outback Pioneer Hotel. Day 7 (B,L,D)- Sun 21st April For the early risers, there is another opportunity for sunrise over Uluru this morning, by walking to one of the resort lookouts. Or, we can highly recommend a dawn helicopter flight - extra cost. Departing Yulara, we now travel back to Alice Springs, via Mt Connor and to Rainbow After lunch at Stuarts Well, we hit the dirt again, to Rainbow Valley, with it's stunning sandstone cliffs. These free standing cliffs form part of the James Range and are particularly attractive in the late afternoon (when we're there) when the rainbow- like rock bands are highlighted. We'll arrive back into Alice Springs at approximately 6pm and for our final dinner as a group and overnight at our hotel. Overnight accommodation- Double Tree by Hilton Alice Springs- guest room with en-suite Day 8 (B,L,D)- Mon 22nd April Your tour ends after breakfast this morning and a transfer to Alice Springs Airport is included for you. END ITINERARY
B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner This tour departs from Alice Springs April 15th 2019 only Confirmed to run- only 3 seats remaining AUD $4350 PER ADULT, TWIN SHARE $5320 PER PERSON SINGLE Subject to availability, including GST and valid until 31/10/2019 **don't forget the 10% seniors card holders discount- conditions apply ** **solo travellers must have single room, unless twin share of the same sex can be found. Solo travellers can also request single room and pay the single supplement** Maximum 15 passengers Inclusions: • Seat in 4WD vehicle, with professional driver guide and professional photographer tour escort • Meals, as stated • Uluru/ Kata Tjuta park entry fee • Mereenie Loop pass • Standley Chasm entry fee Exclusions: • Arrival / departure flights Itinerary is exclusive to Sacred Earth Safaris and is subject to availability, road, weather and cultural conditions.
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Valley. Mt Connor (Artila) is situated on Curtin Springs cattle station and is a 244m high mesa, or isolated table- top mountain and we stop for photos en-route.
