6 days: Alice Springs, West MacDonnells, Kings Canyon, Uluru

1. Alice Springs Desert Park~3 h 30 min at the stop

Three desert habitats, free-flying birds of prey and a nocturnal house of rare animals. The best introduction to Central Australia.

Worth knowing: The park covers 1,300 hectares; its three desert habitats, Desert Rivers, Sand Country and Woodland, are linked by a 1.6 km trail.

Tip: Open 7:30–18:00, last entry 16:30; adult A$41.50, child 5–16 A$21.

↓ drive · 12 min · 9 km

2. RFDS Alice Springs Tourist Facility~1 h 15 min at the stop

The Royal Flying Doctor Service museum at 8–10 Stuart Terrace: a hologram of founder John Flynn, a VR flight as a patient and a replica PC-12 cabin. The story of the doctors the outback can't do without.

Tip: Open 9:30am–5pm Monday to Saturday, and only 1–5pm on Sunday.

↓ drive · 8 min · 4 km

3. Alice Springs Telegraph Station~1 h at the stop

The telegraph station by the spring the town grew from, with its 19th-century stone buildings.

Worth knowing: The station on the Overland Telegraph Line was built in 1872 beside a waterhole sacred to the Arrernte. It later housed The Bungalow, an institution for mixed-descent Aboriginal children taken from their families.

Tip: A walking path runs from here along the Todd River into town.

4. Simpsons Gap~45 min at the stop

A gap in the range with a waterhole where black-footed rock-wallabies come out at dawn and dusk.

Worth knowing: The Arrernte name is Rungutjirpa. Section 1 of the Larapinta Trail, which starts at the Telegraph Station in Alice Springs, ends here.

Tip: This is the first stop needing the NT Parks Visitor Pass, so buy it online beforehand.

↓ drive · 30 min · 32 km

5. Standley Chasm (Angkerle Atwatye)~1 h at the stop

A narrow chasm with walls up to 80 m: an easy 2.4 km return path, about 30 minutes. It's a sacred site, wholly owned and run by the local Arrernte community.

Tip: Entry is paid, tickets at the shop or online. Monday to Saturday 8am–5pm, last entry to the chasm 4:30pm; Sundays and public holidays 8am–2pm, last entry 1:30pm.

↓ drive · 40 min · 42 km

6. Ellery Creek Big Hole~45 min at the stop

A permanent waterhole under red cliffs where people swim.

Tip: The water is icy even in summer: keep swims short and never jump from the rocks.

↓ drive · 25 min · 27 km

7. Ochre Pits~30 min at the stop

A banded bank of coloured ochre, quarried for ceremony.

Tip: Do not touch or take the ochre.

↓ drive · 25 min · 26 km

8. Ormiston Gorge~2 h at the stop

Towering walls, a waterhole up to 14 m deep 500 m from the visitor centre, and a campground with showers. Ghost Gum Lookout is open.

Tip: Before the Ormiston Pound loop (8.8 km), ask at the visitor centre about water levels: near the end there's a permanent waterhole that is at least thigh-deep, and at high water you have to swim through cold water. Check on the spot whether the kiosk is open.

9. Glen Helen Gorge~40 min at the stop

The Finke River cuts through the range: a morning look before the long drive.

Tip: Buy the Mereenie Loop Pass beforehand in Alice Springs or at Standley Chasm.

↓ drive · 1 h · 60 km

10. Tnorala (Gosse Bluff)~1 h at the stop

A ring of hills left by an ancient comet impact, a sacred Western Arrernte place.

Tip: Covered by the NT Parks Visitor Pass; the access track is unsealed.

↓ drive · 3 h 30 min · 200 km

11. Kings Canyon Resort~1 h at the stop

A night by the canyon after the dirt road: rooms, campsites and cabins. Camping inside the national park isn't allowed, so this is the closest place to sleep.

Tip: In a 2WD, skip the dirt and loop round on the sealed Stuart and Lasseter highways instead.

12. Kings Canyon Rim Walk~3 h 30 min at the stop

Watarrka's signature walk: a 6 km loop, 3–4 hours, with a steep climb, the canyon rim above 100 m walls and the Garden of Eden waterhole halfway.

Worth knowing: The finale of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) was written for Uluru, but a climb in drag there would have offended Anangu beliefs, so the scene was shot at Kings Canyon instead.

Tip: On 36°C days start before 9:00 or switch to the Kings Creek Walk.

↓ drive · 3 h 30 min · 305 km

13. Yulara Town Square~1 h at the stop

Dinner at Geckos or the Outback Hotel barbecue, then sleep before the Uluru sunrise.

Tip: There is time for Wintjiri Wiru, the drone show of an Anangu story: Twilight from A$210.

14. Talinguru Nyakunytjaku~1 h at the stop

Sunrise at Talinguru Nyakunytjaku: from the platforms above the dunes you see both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. The park gates open between 5am and 6:30am depending on the month.

Tip: Bring a warm jacket: winter mornings sit near freezing.

↓ drive · 15 min · 12 km

15. Uluru Base Walk~3 h 30 min at the stop

The 10.6 km loop around the rock from the Mala car park, about 3.5 hours: caves, rock art and Mutitjulu Waterhole. There's water, toilets and emergency call devices along the way.

Tip: Go clockwise and leave the north-east face unphotographed.

↓ drive · 5 min · 3 km

16. Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre~2 h at the stop

Lunch at Ininti and the Maruku Arts and Walkatjara Art galleries, all owned by Anangu communities. The centre is open daily 7am–5:45pm.

Worth knowing: The mud-brick building takes the shape of the two ancestral snakes, Kuniya and Liru.

Tip: Buying art here pays the artists directly.

17. Valley of the Winds~3 h 30 min at the stop

The 7.4 km circuit between the domes of Kata Tjuta, 3–4 hours over rocks and steep pinches: the park's hardest walk.

Tip: Before an early flight, Karu Lookout is enough: 2.2 km, about an hour.

↓ drive · 10 min · 6 km

18. Walpa Gorge~1 h at the stop

A quiet gorge between the domes: a level 2.6 km return path to a grove of spearwood.

Tip: Keep both walls in frame when you shoot.

↓ drive · 50 min · 60 km

19. Ayers Rock Airport~1 h at the stop

Drop the car and fly out.

Tip: Take a window seat: Uluru and Kata Tjuta show on take-off.