Red Centre Photography Tour - East MacDonnell Ranges and Surrounds - July 23rd to 27th 2024 - 6 Places Left

Red Centre Photography Tour

Tour at a glance

• A COMPULSORY PRE‐TOUR BRIEFING IS HELD IN ALICE SPRINGS THE DAY BEFORE THE TRIP COMMENCES (22nd July)
• WEST MACDONNELL RANGES, EARTH SANCTUARY NIGHT TOUR
  
• EAST MACDONNELL RANGES, SUNSET AT RAINBOW VALLEY
• RAINBOW VALLEY SUNRISE, TRANSFER TO ULURU
• KATA TJUTA ‐ VALLEY OF THE WINDS WALK, FIELD OF LIGHTS EXHIBITION ULURU SUNRISE AND BASE WALK, TOUR CONCLUDES

what’s included

• 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners, snacks and hot drinks

• 1 night at Larapinta exclusive eco‐comfort camp
• 1 night traditional camping at Rainbow Valley
• 2 nights hotel accommodation at Uluru
• Professional Photography Tuition
• Professional wilderness guide & support staff
• Camping equipment including tents, swags & stretcher beds Fees to Aboriginal Traditional Owners
• National Park fees
• All transport during the tour
• Emergency communications & 24 hour back‐up

Fitness Level Required

• Low to moderate
• Some stairs and gravel paths will be encountered

what’s not included

• Accommodation before and after trip - you will require accommodation at Alice Springs

• Camera and other photography equipment (further details below)
• Backpack and sleeping bag (if you would like to hire a sleeping bag this must be booked at least 14 days prior to your trip)
• Airfares
• Travel insurance

Tour Details

In the company of myself, an award‐winning photographer, and in conjunction with World Expeditions I am thrilled to host you as we discover and capture the Red Centre’s dramatic and untamed landscapes on this visual journey packed with outback highlights.

Over five days you will enjoy our favourite sections of the Larapinta Trail, explore the wonders of the East MacDonnell Ranges and Rainbow Valley, before finishing with the sacred site of Uluru. On this fully supported trek you walk with just a day pack and your camera in hand to capture the best regions of the Red Centre by day and by night.
With our specialised small group departure, you will have a chance to learn from the best and gain wisdom and advice up close.

To be a part of our amazing quest to visit and capture the world’s best wilderness areas, you will see the very best that the NT has to offer and tick of some truly spectacular locations along the way.

The trip starts with a gentle introduction to the local West MacDonnell Ranges, stopping in at our favourite nearby gorges of the Larapinta, where you’ll find yourself immersed in one of the world’s most evocative and ancient landscapes, then returning to our exclusive eco‐comfort camp to relax and unwind. Then we drive to the spectacular Trephina Gorge, where we’ll venture along the panoramic walk ‐ a must‐do for any visit to the Red Centre.

After an overnight stop at Rainbow Valley to sleep under the stars for real, we finish the trip at the largest monolith in the world, the sacred site of Uluru. One of Australia’s top attractions, a visit to central Australia would certainly not be complete without a visit. If you are short on time, this is a perfect way to experience the highlights of Central Australia through a camera lens.

Itinerary

Day 1 - West MacDonnell Ranges, Earth Sanctuary Night Tour

Welcome to the Red Centre. If you are feeling eager to make the most of your first sunrise in Alice Springs, we highly recommend taking a short walk from your central accommodation up to Anzac Hill to catch your first glimpse of daylight over this stunning landscape! We then pick you up from your accommodation at 9:00am once you have had a chance to grab some breakfast to fuel you for the day ahead.
Once everyone has been collected, we will take a short transfer to Simpsons Gap, one of the most important waterholes of this region and a likely place to spot the rare Black‐footed Rock‐Wallaby. Our first port of call is an amazing spot to start our tour ‐ the colours of the rocks and the textures give a great introduction into the landscapes of the West MacDonnell Ranges.

After lunch we visit Standley Chasm, a private reserve still run by the Traditional Owners. After a stop for refreshments you take a quick transfer by bus to Nick’s Camp. Nick’s Camp is one of our exclusive award‐winning camps, nestled in the bush with stunning views across the Heavitree Range and Alice Valley.
Following your introduction to camp you will be treated to an astronomy tour at the Earth Sanctuary ‐ located in one of the darkest regions on the planet, our celestial objects are naturally brighter and clearer to the naked eye, so the Milky Way will be sure to put on a show for the cameras!

Day 2 - East MacDonnell Ranges w/ Sunset at Rainbow Valley

Your guides will be sure to have a hearty breakfast prepared for another fun‐filled day, this time to less‐explored East MacDonnell Ranges. We set off from camp early doors and make our way to our first stop of the day ‐ Trephina Gorge. The gorge itself will provide plenty of incredible photo opportunities so make sure you’ve got plenty of space on your camera. Trephina Gorge is noted for its sheer quartzite cliffs and River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) lined watercourses. Two gorges dissect the range: Trephina, with its wide views and sandy creek bed, and John Hayes Rockhole with steep, narrow rock walls. Water holes in this area attract much wildlife, including a diverse range of birds.

After an early lunch, we will travel back towards Alice Springs, stopping in at Emily Gap and Jessie Gap. Both give the opportunity to wander through beautiful sandy gorges and take in some history through the aboriginal rock art that adorns the gorge walls. Once we have snapped to our hearts delight, we swap this amazing landscape for another, in the form of Rainbow Valley, where you will get a first‐hand taste of traditional outback camping under the stars, and with the most sensational back drop!

Day 3 - Rainbow Valley Sunrise - transfer to Uluru

You will not want to miss the early start today, as the sun rises up from the east
to reveal a kaleidoscope of colours on the neighbouring rock formations. Rainbow Valley is renowned for it’s colourful landscape and you will rise with the sun right on its doorstep. Your guides will again be there to have a delicious breakfast ready to go, as they try to drag you away from the camera.

Today will include another drive deeper into the Red Centre as we approach the final piece of our epic journey ‐ Uluru. The closer we get, the more the sheer size of this world famous monolith encapsulates us. There will be a chance to stretch the legs at Mt Conner and check out the salt plains surrounding the area. We’ll be sure to then check into our accommodation in good fashion, leaving plenty of time to head to the sunset platform to get our first glimpse of the changing colours, watching the sun slowly go down. Sunset at Uluru is one of the bucket list items for all travelling around the NT and we will be there to capture every second of it.

Day 4 - Kata Tjuta - Valley of the Winds walk, Field of Lights exhibition

After another scrumptious breakfast we board the bus for our transfer to Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park. For our penultimate day we will complete the Valley of the Winds walk. We will come across very few people after the first lookout, making the Valley of the Winds the perfect place for some quiet contemplation and reflection
on our explorations over the past few days. The track can be moderately difficult in sections but as we’ve learnt, the views from the lookout are absolutely worth it. Once we have completed our circuit walk, we will load onto the bus for a short transfer back to Yulara and freshen up for this evenings showcase event.

As darkness falls and Uluru is thrown into silhouette, Field of Light illuminates. As far as the eye can see gentle rhythms of colour light up the desert. The exhibition, aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in local Pitjantjatjara is overwhelming in size, covering more than seven football fields,
it invites immersion in its fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light, the stems breathing and swaying through a sympathetic desert spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and gentle white.

Day 5 - Uluru sunrise and base walk, tour concludes

We have an early rise to make the most of our final morning and to beat the crowds. We watch our final magical Central Australian sunrise while walking around the famous and iconic Uluru on the base walk. We start on the eastern side of the rock to maximise our morning views. Finishing this walk you’ll be proud of all that you have achieved over the past few days and with a lifetimes worth of images to take home, highlighting the best regions that Central Australia has to offer.

*These trip notes represent the most current information for this itinerary, and may supersede any information in the current brochure, including but not limited to the itinerary and price. The itinerary should be seen as a guide only. This itinerary may change at any time due to inclement weather, forces of nature and other circumstances beyond our control.

You have the option to fly out of Uluru where you will be dropped at the airport by 11am (in time for the first flights), or drive back to Alice Springs and be dropped at your accommodation between 5‐6pm.