Central Australia & Uluru Family Holiday

While the minimum age for this trip is five, the average age of children who travelled on this trip in the last year is 12 years old. Most children on Intrepid Family trips are between 10 and 14 years old.

This trip requires a moderate level of fitness as it involves a lot of walking, allowing you to really get among nature. Please bring sturdy, comfortable walking shoes and comfortable clothing.

Temperatures in Australia's Red Centre can be extreme, so you will need to be well-prepared with clothing for the weather. Depending on the time of the year, daytime can be very hot (and the Australian sun is very strong year-round) so always use sun protection and drink plenty of water. In the evenings temperatures can really drop, so bring sufficient warm clothing - in winter temperatures can be below zero at night.

As sunrise and sunset times and weather conditions vary throughout the year, the order of activities may change to ensure you have the best experience possible. On occasion, the First Nations experiences may not be available if our guides have other cultural commitments, in which case we will include alternative activities.

This trip involves some early mornings, and on some days of the trip, you’ll spend several hours driving through very sparse areas of Australia. Sit back and enjoy landscapes that you would miss in any other form of travel. The days can be long, but we want to fit as much of this amazing place in as we can in six short days!

FAMILY TRIPS
Please note that these trips are for adults and children travelling together and there must be at least one child under 18 with you.

MINIMUM AGE
Minimum age for children on this trip is 5 years old. However, please read the trip notes carefully to decide whether the strenuous nature of this trip is suitable for your family.

DISCOUNT
A discount of 10% applies on this trip to children under 17 years of age at time of travel.

START & END TIME & LOCATION
The trip starts on day 1 either in Alice Springs with a pick up from Stay at Alice Springs Hotel at 8:30 am or with a Welcome Meeting at 4pm in Yulara at our joining point hotel. Please advise us of your preferred start location at the time of booking. The trip finishes in Alice Springs on the last day (day 6) mid-morning. We recommend you book your departure flight from Alice Springs no earlier than 12:30pm on the last day. Accommodation is not included on this day but can be booked on request.

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
A Single Supplement can be booked if you’d prefer not to share a room and tent on this trip, subject to availability. The single supplement excludes nights 4 and 5.

LUGGAGE
Be ready to manage your own luggage, including loading it on and off our vehicle and taking it from the car park to and from our accommodation in each location. We recommend no more than 20kg for your main luggage in a soft-sided bag and no more than 7kg for your day pack. 

Below are some essential items for this trip. Check online for the expected weather to ensure you pack appropriately for the time of year you are travelling.

CLOTHING
- Long shirts and pants are important to protect against the harsh Australian sun and wind. Clothes should be easy to wash and dry.
- Comfortable, closed-in shoes to protect your feet from cuts, scratches, bites and stings when walking through bush or grasslands.
- A pair of sandals or thongs/flip flops.
- Sun protection, including a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and sunglasses.
- Wind & waterproof jacket.
- A warmer set of clothes. Nights in the desert can get quite cold.
- A torch or head torch for the nights at our exclusive camp at Finke River

WATER BOTTLE
Refillable water bottle minimum 2 litres

MORE!
If you need some further tips for packing, you can always check out our ultimate packing list., https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list

This trip can be enjoyed by just about anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. Some trips may have individual inclusions that may be of a higher physical rating compared to the overall rating of the trip. Please read the day-to-day itinerary carefully to find out more details on each day's activities, and whether they are suitable for you. Activities can be opted out of if you don't want to participate.

Outback Hotel & Lodge, Yulara Drive, Yulara, AUSTRALIA

Alternate Joining Point

For trips departing on the following dates
use this joining point.
09 Jul 2026 (PZFR260709)
02 Apr 2027 (PZFR270402)
09 Apr 2027 (PZFR270409)
25 Jun 2027 (PZFR270625)
08 Jul 2027 (PZFR270708)
09 Jul 2027 (PZFR270709)
24 Sep 2027 (PZFR270924)
01 Oct 2027 (PZFR271001)
Stay at Alice Springs Hotel (formerly Aurora Alice Springs)
11 Leichhardt Terrace
Alice Springs
AUSTRALIA

Stay at Alice Springs Hotel (formerly Aurora Alice Springs), 11 Leichhardt Terrace, Alice Springs, AUSTRALIA

Alternate Finish Point

For trips departing on the following dates
use this finish point.
09 Jul 2026 (PZFR260709)
02 Apr 2027 (PZFR270402)
09 Apr 2027 (PZFR270409)
25 Jun 2027 (PZFR270625)
08 Jul 2027 (PZFR270708)
09 Jul 2027 (PZFR270709)
24 Sep 2027 (PZFR270924)
01 Oct 2027 (PZFR271001)
Desert Gardens Hotel
1 Yulara Drive
Yulara
AUSTRALIA

Breakfasts included: 5

Lunches included: 3

Dinners included: 2

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS
The following national holidays are observed in Australia, which can affect our itinerary as traffic can be extreme, and shops, restaurants and attractions can be closed:

New Year's Day (01 January)
Good Friday (date varies)
Anzac Day (25 April)
Christmas Day (25 December)
Boxing Day (26 December)

CENTRAL AUSTRALIA WEATHER
Central Australia, which includes Alice Springs, Uluru and the surrounding desert, has a semi-arid climate. The area experiences large variations in temperature from season to season. Temperatures can be extreme on either side of the scale. They can rise above 40C/104F in summer and can drop below 0C/32F overnight in winter. Make sure you are well prepared no matter the season!

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/contact-us

ALL general enquiry must be directed to our reservations team. In case of a GENUINE CRISIS OR EMERGENCY, or concerns about a missed pick-up on the day of departure ONLY (if applicable), you can reach our local office on the numbers listed below. When calling, select option 4 then option 2 from the phone menu to speak to our local Operations Team:

GENUINE EMERGENCY ONLY: 1300 544 882 or +61 8 6219 5164

The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.

Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.

GENERAL ROOMING CONFIGURATIONS:
Family of two: All family groupings of two will be accommodated in a twin room.

Family of three: Wherever possible we will put you in a triple room. Please be aware that in some places triple rooms are in short supply. This means that a triple room will often be a twin room with a rollaway bed or mattress on the floor. Where triple rooms aren’t available it will be at your discretion which of your family takes the single room.

Family of four or more: You will most likely be accommodated in two twin rooms. Where possible, we will accommodate your family in a quadruple room.

While we do our very best to ensure that family groups are roomed close together (in some cases, we can arrange adjoining rooms), we can’t guarantee this. Most family holidays occur during peak season and we sometimes have little to no control over the exact placement of rooms within a hotel. Please be understanding if we are unable to room your family in immediate proximity of one another.

DRIVING DISTANCES IN AUSTRALIA
Australia is a BIG country! In fact, the whole of Europe fits into Australia with plenty of room to spare. Australians are accustomed to driving long distances on holiday, but you may not be. Perth to Broome is roughly the length of Portugal. Driving from Alice Springs to Darwin is about the length of the UK, and Perth to Adelaide is about the same distance from Spain to Poland. However, that's why we think seeing Australia from the ground is better. We live in a country that has it all; stunning coastline and beaches, the outback, tropical rainforests, and some seriously amazing landscapes and wildlife. Please read the itinerary carefully for travel time estimates.

HOT WEATHER
From October to March it is likely that you will experience temperatures over 35C/95F. These extreme temperatures place stress on the air-conditioning units within our vehicles which can make travelling uncomfortable. Your leader will assist with regular breaks and information to assist keeping cool and hydrated.