Seven itineraries of three to five days that reach Kata Tjuta on one of them, and the question this page exists to answer is which. Two put you in the Valley of the Winds; the other five walk Walpa Gorge. That difference costs nothing extra and nobody puts it on a headline price. Multi-day tours to Kata Tjuta list every departure.
Three to five days covering Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon, with the domes occupying two or three hours on one of those days. Beds are either a permanent camp — an eco tent with linen, or a traditional bush swag — or, on one itinerary, hotel rooms.
Most include every meal, an accredited driver-guide and, on four of them, the national park pass. Group caps run from fourteen to twenty-four, and the refund window on all seven is six days rather than twenty-four hours.
What you are buying is the whole Red Centre rather than one formation, and somebody else driving between three national parks that are hundreds of kilometres apart.
The canyon is 300 km from Yulara in a different national park, and the Rim Walk is a four-hour proposition of its own. Reaching it independently is a whole day of driving; here it is a morning on day three.
Four of the seven include it. On a three-day fare that is A$38 you do not spend and one fewer thing to organise before a six o’clock pickup.
No half-day departure attempts the Valley of the Winds. If you want the walk behind the domes and you do not want to hire a car, these two are the only guided way to get there.
Three of them include all nine or twelve meals. Everything from the tent to the breakfast is arranged, which on a route with no shops for hundreds of kilometres is worth more than it sounds.
The comparison, on the thing that actually differs.
| A multi-day itinerary | A day tour | |
|---|---|---|
| How long | 3 to 5 days | 3 to 5 hours |
| Time at Kata Tjuta | 2 to 3 hours, on one day | 2 to 3 hours |
| Price a person | $582–$3,807 | $133–$151 |
| Park pass | Included on four of seven | Excluded on both |
| Also covers | Uluru and Kings Canyon, sometimes the ranges | Uluru sunrise, on one of them |
| The long walk | Two itineraries reach the Valley of the Winds | Neither |
| Where you sleep | Camps, eco tents or resort rooms | Your own hotel |
| Refund window | 6 days | 24 hours or 3 days |
| Group cap | 14 to 24 | 15, or unpublished |
Check the four-day camping trip
Read the second row twice. A five-day itinerary does not give you more time at Kata Tjuta than a three-hour afternoon tour does — it gives you two other national parks. If the domes are the whole reason you are travelling, that is the trade you are making.
| Itinerary | Length | From | Walk at the domes | Park pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 night Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon C | 4 days | From $873 | Walpa Gorge | No |
| 3-Day Uluru Kata Tjuta Kings Canyon Camping | 3 days | From $582 | Walpa Gorge | Yes |
| 4 Day 3 Night Outback Escape from Ayers Rock | 4 days | From $3807 | Walpa Gorge | Yes |
| 4 Day Uluru Kata Tjuta Kings Canyon West Mac | 4 days | From $888 | Valley of the Winds | Yes |
| 3-Day Uluru-Kata Tjuta Kings Canyon Outback | 3 days | From $582 | Valley of the Winds | Yes |
| From Yulara: Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon | 5 days | From $1202 | Walpa Gorge | No |
| Uluru Tour with Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon | 4 days | From $873 | Walpa Gorge | No |
Check the four-day Valley of the Winds itinerary
Usually in the fare: all transport, an accredited driver-guide, beds each night, most or all meals, and on four of them the national park pass. Bedding is provided on the eco-tent options and a swag on the others.
Usually not: travel insurance, personal expenses, any meal not named in the itinerary, and optional activities. One five-day itinerary requires an all-season sleeping bag which is not supplied, though it can be hired for $35. Two of the camping trips hire sleeping bags at $40.
Price band: $582 for three days, $873 to $1,203 for four or five, and $3,807 for the four-day itinerary that sleeps in hotel rooms rather than camps.
Duration: three to five days. Two start in Alice Springs and finish at Ayers Rock, or the reverse, so check the ending before you book a flight home.
Booking window: six days minimum for a refund, and the peak months fill. A group cap of fourteen on one of these means it fills before the ones capped at twenty-four.
Fitness: moderate on all of them, with six to eight kilometres of walking a day on several, and a doctor’s certificate required over seventy-five on two.
Naming those four costs nothing, because none of them would have enjoyed the trip. Kata Tjuta Tours sets out every alternative.
Four days from the Desert Gardens Hotel with three hours at the domes on the first afternoon. Eco tents, every meal, a multilingual audio guide, twenty-four cap.
From $873 per person
Three days out of Ayers Rock Airport with the park pass, every meal and two nights at permanent camps. Choose a safari tent or a traditional swag.
From $582 per person
Four days in hotel rooms rather than tents: one night at Ayers Rock Resort, two at Kings Canyon Resort. Both park fees included, fourteen travellers, tiered pricing.
From $3807 per person
Four days in a 4x4 off-road bus, and one of only two itineraries here that puts you in the Valley of the Winds. Park pass and nine meals included.
From $888 per person
Three days from Alice Springs with an hour in the Valley of the Winds on day two. Park pass, every meal, and a choice of safari tent or swag.
From $582 per person
Five days across three national parks, opening with two hours at the domes. Two nights in eco tents, two in swags, twelve meals. Sleeping bag not supplied.
From $1202 per person
A one-way four-day run from Alice Springs finishing at Ayers Rock, with three hours at the domes on day one for the Walpa Gorge walk.
From $873 per person