13 Day Alice Springs to Darwin Road Trip Itinerary

As your plane descends over the vast red outback, you know you have arrived somewhere special where adventure awaits.

Situated in Australia's geographic centre, Alice Springs is surrounded by gorges and stark desert plains. At 1,500 kilometres from the nearest city, it's certainly remote. But Alice brims with local colour you can't find anywhere else. You won't forget your visit in a hurry.

Accommodation: Alice Springs - 3 Nights

Enjoy a free day experiencing the most amazing things to do around Alice Springs. Part botanic garden part animal sanctuary and part museum, Alice Springs Desert Park is one of the best places you can visit. Explore the Red Centre's deep connection to art on the Alice Springs Art Trail, also a must-visit spot in Alice Springs, the Araluen Cultural Precinct. Also worth checking out are the Alice Springs Reptile Centre. Alice Springs School of the Air Visitor's Centre. Sounds of Starlight Theatre. The Kangaroo Sanctuary. Go Hot Air Ballooning with Outback Ballooning. Hike the Larapinta Trail with Trek Larapinta - and much more...

A luxury air-conditioned coach sweeps you away for a day trip to the West MacDonnell Ranges, a wonderland of gorges and waterholes, flora and fauna.

West MacDonnell Ranges Day Tour

Stretching over 600 km east and west of Alice Springs, the Ranges feature some of the Northern Territory's most iconic sights. You'll explore Simpsons Gap, Angkerle (Standley Chasm) and Ellery Creek Big Hole, a wonderful swimming spot which carves its way through a gorge in the Ranges.

Enjoy a fresh bushman's lunch at Glen Helen Gorge, where the permanent waterhole is home to a variety of water birds and fish. Later you will visit the Ochre Pits to see how indigenous people have used this natural resource for thousands of years.

Return to Alice Springs bathed in the late afternoon sunlight, reflecting from the majestic MacDonnell Ranges.

Collect your rental car. Leaving Alice behind, continue your outback expedition to Tennant Creek in the Barkly Tablelands. Pass through tiny Northern Territory townships along the way including Wycliffe Well, a UFO sighting hotspot!

Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) Conservation Reserve

Be sure to stop at the Devils Marbles, 100km south of Tennant Creek. These famous rocks have formed over millions of years; they are a sacred site for the traditional landowners, who believe them to be the eggs of the Rainbow Serpent, an important Dreamtime figure in Aboriginal culture.

Tennant Creek

Break your journey tonight at Tennant Creek, known for its million-acre cattle stations, gold mining history, iconic rock formations and Aboriginal heritage.

Explore the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station to get a feel for life here 140 years ago. Built in 1872, it formed part of the Overland Telegraph Line linking Australia with the rest of the world.

Approximate Distance: 508 km | 315 miles   Total Driving Time: 5 hours 33 mins

Accommodation: Tennant Creek - 1 Night

Make your way up to the town of Daly Waters surrounded by vast outback landscapes.

A Night At The Historic Daly Waters Pub    

No Top End experience is complete without a trip to the multi-award winning Daly Waters Pub, whose comfortable hotel rooms will host you tonight. Feast on hearty "pub grub" and listen to the locals telling legendary tales of the town's early days. From cattle stampedes to murders and shootouts, this now-quiet location has had a colourful past!

Approximate Distance: 407 km | 253 miles   Total Driving Time: 4 hours 45 mins

Accommodation: Daly Waters - 1 Night

Head to the Katherine region to experience the incredible scenery of Nitmiluk National Park.

Also known as Katherine Gorge, the 13 gorges of Nitmiluk are hugely significant to their traditional owners, the Jawoyn people, as home to the spirits of creation.

Approximate Distance: 276 km | 171 miles   Total Driving Time: 3 hours 04 mins

Accommodation: Nitmiluk National Park - 3 Nights

Formed millions of years ago the Cutta Cutta Caves system is home to a variety of native wildlife and is rich in Indigenous culture and modern European history. The cave's ceilings sprout stalactites of all shapes and sizes and fat stalagmites grow from the floor. Cutta Cutta is a tropical cave and differs from temperate caves in southern Australia because animals inhabit it - in temperate cave systems they don't.

This evening, relax as you cruise the waters of the Nitmiluk Gorge and travel back to Australia's dreamtime. Combine your love for pleasurable dining and majestic scenery in this one amazing cruise. Nabilil (Nah-bill-lil) is a dragon-like figure who named the region Nitmiluk after hearing the song of the cicada (nitnit, nitnit). Lap up the surroundings by candlelight and enjoy a three course buffet dinner along the way.

Designed for guests wanting a more intimate experience of Jawoyn Country, this 2.5hr river tour is guided by one of our knowledgeable cultural guides through the first gorge. Guests will learn about Jawoyn traditions, and how many are still practiced today. Tour guests will discover first hand knowledge of the region and cultural traditions unique to these people.

Litchfield National Park

Discover spiritually significant waterfalls, ancient rainforest and unspoilt woodland in abundance at Litchfield National Park. Known for its cascading waters, natural spas and whirlpools, this is the ideal place for a refreshing swim.

Litchfield is also famous for its bizarre landscape of giant termite mounds. Standing up to two metres tall, they are astounding feats of architecture not to be missed.

Don't miss the Lost City, a dramatic gathering of 500 million-year-old rocky outcrops looking very much like a sandstone town.

Approximate Distance: 197 km | 123 miles   Total Driving Time: 2 hours 02 mins

Accommodation: Batchelor - 1 Night

Today its a short drive to Darwin, Darwin is very different from the other state capitals. There are no skyscrapers. It's more like a rural city. There is a outback atmosphere which is very laidback. Because it is so close to Indonesia the Asian influences are very noticeable. Darwin is green and lush with palms and the perfume of frangipanis. Darwin has a tropical climate, and therefore no summer and winter. 

Have you ever wanted to feed one of the earth's most prehistoric creatures? Crocosaurus Cove now offers its guests the unique opportunity to feed some of Australia's largest Saltwater crocodiles as part of a 1.5hour fully guided tour of the attraction. Highlights include an introduction to the World's largest display of Australian reptiles and aquatic creatures of the top end as well as behind the scenes access into the world of the Saltwater Crocodile. 

Approximate Distance: 97 km | 60 miles   Total Driving Time: 1hr 15 mins mins

Accommodation: Darwin - 3 nights

Not visited by winter and with a relaxed, small-town feel, Darwin is the tropical capital of the Northern Territory that's perched on a harbour fives times the size of Sydney's. Darwin is famous for its multicultural food, outdoor markets, waterside attractions and a warm holiday vibe year-round. Aboriginal art that fills the city's galleries and museums. The city's proximity to Asia means you'll also find strong Asian influences, especially in the energetic food scene and night markets. 

Later today this 45-minute cruise is for those with a love of the extraordinary. Board your vessel 15 minutes before sunset. Settle into your seat and make yourself comfortable. Perhaps buy a beverage to sip on for the show. Next comes a fast ride out on the harbour to catch the last rays of the setting tropical summer sun. Expect dark, moody, orange, pink or yellow illuminated rays in the sky. And then, as twilight awakens, expect the colours to stretch the sky and intensify, a quintessential Darwin experience enjoyed through a unique perspective.

Immerse yourself in this premium SeaLink Tiwi Islands art & culture day tour. A highly personalised experience; this leisurely walking tour visits all the places of interest with your friendly Tiwi guide. After disembarking in the Aboriginal community of Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island, you'll be escorted to Tiwi Design where local artists and dancers will perform a formal Welcome to Country with a smoking ceremony and totem dances.

Today we say farewell. There maybe time for some last minute excursions or shopping before you head home. We know you will enjoy your holiday and our promise to you is to make your travels through Australia as hassle-free and hospitable as possible - ensuring that today you leave with a camera full of photos, and huge smiles on your faces when recalling your holiday!