Home > Alice Springs > West MacDonnell Ranges Day Trip from Alice Springs
USD $95.00
West MacDonnell Ranges Day Trip from Alice Springs
Alice Springs, Australia
Explore the West MacDonnell Ranges on a day trip from Alice Springs and visit sites including Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ochre Pits, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen and Ellery Creek. Enjoy stunning outback scenery and abundant photo opportunities as you travel with an expert guide to rock canyons, waterholes, historical sites and other natural wonders. Take time to revel in the region's beauty without rushing on this small-group tour limited to 24 people, with personalized attention from your guide.
After pickup at your Alice Springs hotel, set off with your guide and small group into West MacDonnell National Park to begin your exploration of the area’s many natural attractions. Throughout the day, your knowledgeable guide shares informative commentary about the natural and cultural history to the region.
Start with a scenic walk at Simpsons Gap, one of the most renowned gaps in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Follow a riverbed to a natural rock amphitheater while looking for endangered black-footed rock wallabies that hop among the boulders.
Then admire the tall rock walls of Standley Chasm as you stroll through trees that line the tracks including acacias, cycads, ghost gums and cypress pines. Have morning tea at Standley Chasm before heading to your next destination, the Ochre Pits.
A short path leads to rock walls that are covered with white, yellow and red layers of ochre. Be sure to bring your camera to snap photos of the shifting hues. Considered a sacred site for the local Arrernte peoples, the ochre pits provided material traditionally used for ceremonies and trading.
Further down the road, stop for a picnic lunch at Ormiston Gorge, which contains a semi-permanent waterhole. Look for waterbirds such as the Pacific heron and white-faced heron, both common visitors to the waterhole.
Next, head to Mt Sonder lookout and admire the spectacular landscape including a towering sandstone wall and views of Mt Sonder, one of the highest points in Central Australia.
Continue to Ellery Creek Big Hole, a significant geological site and one of central Australia's most pristine waterholes and cool off with a swim.
Your final stop takes you to Pyndan Camel Tracks. You can also take an optional sunset camel ride (October to March) soaking up the views of the MacDonnell Ranges atop your trusty humpbacked mode of transportation.
Your guide returns you to your Alice Springs hotel to end the tour.
GreatTrip - Emily was a fantastic guide and driver. I think a little more emphasis could be on the Indigenous culture of the region, however we went to some wonderful places and unique chasms and waterholes
Review by: Kevin L, March 2018
Excellent tour, it was very hot, but our guide, Hannah, made sufficient stops for restroom and food breaks that the heat really wasnt a factor. We visited several beautiful gorges in the ranges. The topography was unbelievably stunning! I highly recommend this tour from Alice Springs. The tour bus was also very spacious and comfortable with great AC. Hannah, our guide, was outstanding!
Review by: IAIN M, March 2018
A great day.
Review by: John S, March 2018
A very long day, but well worth the trip. Great guide.
Review by: Lesley J, January 2018
wonderful trip . Swimming in waterholes was a great experience
Review by: John D, October 2017
A very good tour highlighting and stopping at th best spots, about 5 or 6' in this direction from Alice Springs. Yes, very good
Review by: Sandra T, August 2017
A great tour to see the magnificent landscape and natural formations of Stanley Chasm, Simpson Gap and Glen Helen and Orniston Gorges in the West MacDonnell ranges. It shows why it is called the Red Centre!
Review by: Roger C, June 2017
Many thanks to our tour guide Clive who was very professional and extremely knowledgeable with a touch of humour. Hoghly recommend the tour which provided us with fantastic scenery and a lot of history.
Review by: nevandpam, May 2017
We had to alter our day for this trip as the day we chose did not have enough passengers. I'm glad we did as Clive was a most informative guide, a competent driver and an amiable person. He had to get one passenger to the Camel Farm by 5 pm so we all had to be on the ball to complete the whole journey. We made it by 15 mins!. We could have done with a bigger bus but I understand that they had a breakdown that morning that caused a change to a smaller bus. Clive was most sensitive to aboriginal lore and informed us what we could and couldn't do. In Service terms, he runs a tight but friendly ship.
Review by: Meg P, May 2017
Our tour guide was very good and had great knowledge. However I felt the tour wasn't great value for money. it specified afternoon tea which consisted of an apple per person which I felt every one didn't feel was really good enough to be considered afternoon tea especially when it's not a cheap tour.
Review by: Susan Cameron, April 2017
There is not a lot to do in Alice Springs proper and we wanted a full day, small group tour if possible. As luck would have it, there were only four of us, and Matt and Chloe could not have been more friendly, helpful and informative. Chloe is a local and Matt was extremely well informed, so much so, that other tour groups who happened to overlap with us at certain places, followed our group for their local knowledge and sometimes interactive displays. We had a great day, we saw a lot, learned a lot, ate well and were thoroughly entertained. We have been on several tours, both here and overseas, this was one of the best and we couldn't fault it. We can highly recommend Emu Run Experiences, certainly for this tour anyway, and booking it through Viator, well that is always easy.
Review by: raymondwslo, February 2017
The guide provides us knowledge about the scenic spots and is very helpful. An enjoyable tour!
Review by: Patricia L, December 2016
This was a very pleasant tour and gave us a glimpse of the Outback that we wouldn't have seen if we'd just gone to Ayers Rock. I really enjoyed the short walks to beautiful views as well as the refreshing swim at the water hole at the end of the tour.
Review by: j_steeleuk, December 2016
Excellent day out in incredible country. Matt, our driver and guide, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The destinations were all superb. Food was plentiful and delicious. Overall, ' a highly enjoyable day.
Review by: redford, November 2016
We have been spoilt for scenery whilst in Australia and this was good but not quite up to Uluru or the Great Ocean road. Still worth doing though.
Review by: Karla H, September 2016
We had a wonderful day with Clive. He was knowledgeable and entertaining all day long. We learned so much about the area, and we appreciated the opportunity to explore the West MacDonnell Ranges!
Review by: lynneouthred, September 2016
It's a fantastic trip. I had walked many of these sections of the Larapinta trail so it was a trip down memory lane for me, and a glimpse of highlights of the walk for my partner.
Review by: Bianca G, August 2016
This tour was great! Our guide Eric was so enthusiastic and knowledgable we could ask him anything and he would have the answer (or find it out). Everything was hassle free and oh my god I had know idea how pretty the places were! If you have one extra day in Alice do it! you will not regret it!!
Review by: Robin D, August 2016
Fantastic day out with a very obliging guide/Driver who took us to some locations with amazing scenery,_br/_ Made up a great lunch for us and enjoyed a good laugh with us as well as some knowledgeable discourse at the various stops. I could do this one again!
Review by: graham g, August 2016
We had a very informative and spectacular tour of the West McDonnell ranges, with an excellent driver who managed to stop us crashing when one of the tyres blew on the coach. Unforgettable!
Review by: mfeit71, July 2016
The tour was disappointing because the tour guide Dan seemed more interested in enjoying himself than in providing information about the area we were visiting. Unlike other tours in Australia that I've booked with Viator, this one has provided minimal information. Surely, much more could have been said about the landscape, the people who inhabited the area, etc. etc. If there is no time for the tour guide to actually accompany us to the sites, because he has to set up lunch or coffee, then perhaps the time between destinations could have been used to talk to the group over the bus's speaker system. Instead, the guide blasted his preferred music. If I add up the time he talked to us as a group, I'd guess it'd be about 30 minutes -- for a day that lasted from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Driving myself and bringing a decent guidebook would have accomplished the same learning experience without the nuisance of getting blasted with someone else's music. He did ask at one point whether it was alright but it was a rhetorical question, respectively, you would have stood out as the spoil sport -- a guide should know better._br/_ The sites visited were fine time allotted for each generally o.k. -- though the guide was generally vague about our next departure time.
Review by: Marg F, July 2016
Very good indeed. Lots of interesting sights - Ochre pits fascinating. Standley Chasm and Simpson's Gap the 2 major highlights. Light lunch and morning tea provided. Well worth the money. The website said afternoon tea was provided -- not so
Review by: Stephen B, July 2016
Very entertaining guide who showed us many of the sights of the West MacDonnell Ranges. This was much more interesting than I expected and Ormiston Gorge was simply spectacular. Guide gave us good background information.
Review by: Garth C, July 2016
Bus was not up to standard.... guide did a good job... no allowances made for my autistic son's dietary needs all he wanted was some cold pizza._br/_ Probably would not recommend
Review by: Maree M, June 2016
Guide was informative but was hard to understand either the head set which was a shame as he was passionate about the area and what it had to offer. He made sure everyone was included and did a great job with the lunch
Review by: Superior Genes, May 2016
A great day spent with Wayne who was very eccentric and knowledgeable on the local areas and associated history of each site that we visited. Would have been nice to stay at each site a little longer but understandably it was only a 9 hour tour.
Review by: Susan B, April 2016
This was a great day trip. Our guide Clive was very informative.
Review by: Florence Anne M, April 2016
Was absolutely amazing day. Scenery quite different to anything I had seen before. The waterholes were also beautiful, Great guide. Really knew his stuff. Unfortunately not a lot of wild life around apart from some beautiful birds
Review by: Mr K H, April 2016
We had a first class guide, Clive, for this trip and his knowledge of the area and bush life made a very special day out. Nice small group, he produced the mid morning snack and an excellent picnic lunch in nice surroundings, and the swim/paddle in the afternoon was very welcome. The scenery was wonderful, and the information provided helped us understand something of how the Aboriginal people lived.
Review by: Mircea V, April 2016
Excellent!
Review by: Kenneth B, March 2016
It was a lot of driving for just a few sights, although they were worth seeing. Our driver/guide was experienced and very informative.
Review by: CHERYL L, March 2016
This was my our favorite tour. Eric, our bus driver/tour guide was the best! We highly recommend this tour.
Review by: woodtick, March 2016
Our tour was rescheduled with Alice even though it was originally booked with Emu . Turned out well with David being a great tour guide.
Review by: ChambeWA, December 2015
The tour was excellent. Super tour guide who had a great deal of knowledge about the area. A fabulous lunch was provided plus an enjoyable mid-morning snack. The landscape was awesome.
Review by: Julia G, December 2015
I really enjoyed this tour. The variety of stops was really interesting and provided a good overview of the area, and seeing the rock wallabies at Simpsons Gap made a great end to the day.
Review by: kathysapp, December 2015
Saw some cool sights on this tour!
Review by: Stanislas T, November 2015
Once again for that small company, a complete, professionnal and tasty tour with nice guides. We could perfectly understand the development of Alice Springs and we saw numerous incredible landscapes. It felt like we were in Africa due to the sheer diversity of the landscapes. You can trust them to have a very nice day and it is as well quite cheap for what you get from the tour.
Review by: Peter M, September 2015
Was very happy with the tour and guide
Review by: Claire C, August 2015
Thoroughly enjoyed this tour and got to see a lot of what the outback is all about. John our guide was excellent and was full of knowledge. The only issue was that the intercom on the vehicle stopped working pretty much straight away else John would of been able to tell us a lot more. Thank you_br/_ Claire and Paige
Review by: Philip C, July 2015
Great resort,ideal for families._br/_ Only 20 minute walk into town_br/_ Helpfull staff_br/_ Good price
Review by: Linda C, June 2015
There were four of us who took the West McDonnell Ranges tour, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. We had a fantastic driver/tour guide in Lindsay who was extremely knowledgeable in the area, we had a healthy lunch and morning and afternoon tea. We thought this tour was excellent value for money. 5 stars :-
Review by: Jane M, April 2015
Lindsey, our tour guide made our day in the MacDonnell range a fantastic experience. We covered an amazingly large area, with Lindsey explaining history, and telling us about plants and animal and geology. It was a beautiful, mild day. We took several walks and a couple of short hikes. We were out of the vehicle a lot of the time. It was a well-paced day. The food provided was good. We were a small group, so that was a bonus. We enjoyed interacting with the other people on our tour. Overall, an outstanding day in the Outback.
RSS Feed