Cultural Immersion in Australia’s Red Centre

Welcome to Mparntwe (Alice Springs)! You’ll be picked up from the airport in Alice Springs (or your hotel in town if you have arrived earlier), and your adventure begins with a drive to Rodna – the Homelands of the Western Arrernte people. Settle into camp with your new travel crew before the Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony that kickstarts your cultural immersion in the desert. Tonight, you’ll have dinner at camp with your group, which will be an Indigenous-inspired menu using local ingredients. Swap stories around the glow of the campfire and listen to stories of the Dreaming from your hosts.

Seize the day with a 13 km hike across Country from Rodna to Yapulpa (Glen Helen Gorge). Refresh with a picnic lunch and perhaps a swim at the gorge. Continue your walk from Yapulpa to Thwatharra Gorge. Later, drive back to Rodna, where you’ll have a free afternoon – maybe take part in a boomerang-making class, learn how to paint with the First Nations local staff or try your hand at basket weaving. Later, you’ll make and cook wattleseed damper (thick, homemade bread made from crushed seeds) before dinner at camp. Tonight, stargaze around the campfire and soak up the beauty of an unpolluted sky.

This morning you’ll meet with a local Aboriginal guide for a tour of the historic precinct of Ntaria (Hermannsburg). Soak up some local history, then enjoy morning tea with the group at the Kata Anga Tearooms. After, visit Hermannsburg Potters Aboriginal Corporation. Have lunch before continuing to Albert Namatjira’s residence – an Arrernte painter who is widely considered as one of the most notable Australian artists. Transfer to Mangama Campground, near Ormiston Gorge, where you’ll spend the next two nights. Here, you’ll be treated to another Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony before dinner. Listen to more  stories of the Dreaming around the fire tonight and settle in for some rest and relaxation.

Today you’ll be touring Tjoritja (West Macdonnell Ranges). Check out the asteroid crater and sacred site of Tnorula (Gosses Bluff), then learn the stories of Roma Gorge, taking in the ancient rock engravings. Your next stop is Rutjupma (Redbank Gorge) where you’ll enjoy a picnic lunch. Here, you also have the option to have a refreshing dip in the waterhole. Take a transfer back to camp for some afternoon activities (or an afternoon snooze). Tonight, you’ll enjoy another Indigenous-inspired menu for dinner before your last night of Red Centre star gazing.

Fuel up with an early breakfast at camp this morning before your drive back to the city. Visit Angkerle Atwatye (Standley Chasm) along the way, taking a guided walk through the gorge with an Aboriginal guide. Learn about the geology, flora, fauna, bush medicine, bush tucker and weaponry that are and were used here and gain a deeper understanding of local culture. Arrive back in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) late morning, where your trip comes to an end. If you’d like to extend your stay and continue exploring, just get in touch with your booking agent ahead of time.