Kings Canyon

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The Oz Experience bus will overnight near the actual Canyon at our permanent campsite. The campsite has great views and is well away from other tourist areas. Accommodation and meals are included here as part of your Local Payment.

Your Guide will lead your group on a walk around the Canyon rim for stunning views iand experiences closs to the cliff edges.

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[Edit] Destination Info

King's Canyon is one of the major tourist attractions in the Red Centre in Australia. The scenic landscape in and around the Canyon is the result of millions of years of erosion. Enigmatic domes formations, sharp cliffs, and good views of the surrounding desert reward the visitor talking the rim walk around the Canyon. Watarrka has been home to Luritja Aboriginals for several thousands years, and places in the canyon are still sacred sites.

[Edit] Stuff you need to know

How to get there? The closest town with an airport is Alice Springs, some 300 km Northwest.

By car, there is only one sealed access from the Stuart Highway (linking Alice Springs and Adelaide). On the Lasseter Highway leading to Uluru, take the Luritja road (there is no way you can miss the various turns, there are no other roads and everything is perfectly signposted). It takes 4 to 5 hours from Alice Springs, and 3 to 4 hours from Uluru. If you have a 4WD, you can take the Ernst Giles Road that will save you a few hundred kilometers, or you can approach from the North via Glen Helen and the Mereenie loop road. Coming from this road requires a day permit but will allow you to stop at the Tnolara (Goose Bluff) meteor crater.

By bus, various operators in Alice Springs offer short trips to King's Canyon (sometimes even daytrips), or combined 3-days trips with Uluru.

[Edit] Things to do:

There are precisely 4 marked trails in the park, all of them starting at the car park.

The star trail here is the Rim Walk, a 7 km loop around the canyon. It begins with a rather steep climb, but anyone in correct condition should be able to cope without a problem in 5 hours top. The walk brings you very close to the canyon cliffs and the domes, with magnificient views of the surrounding area. At the extreme end of the loop is a short sidetrip to the lush green waterhole of the Garden of Eden. There is only one direction for the walk. Whatever the time of the year, try to start the walk early in the morning. There are emergency phones at the top of the climb and at the far end of the loop.

The King Creek walk is a short walk at the bottom of the canyon, accessible for anyone, with various panels explaining about local birds and aboriginal history.

The Giles Track is a 22km overnight track leading to Kathleen Springs.

The walk at Kathleen Springs just at the end of the park is a short flat trail, accessible to everyone.

You can book Helicopter tours over the Canyon, Camel rides and Quad tours at King's Canyon Resort.