Dine under the stars at Uluru
Sounds of Silence is a unique dining experience with a 360 degree view of Uluru and Kata Tjuta at sunset. Start the night with canapés followed by a gourmet barbecue of native game, bush salads and fine Australian wines. Finish your evening with an Aboriginal dance performance and a tour by laser of the night sky, guided by the resident ‘star talker’.
Walk through the domes of Kata Tjuta
Take a walk to experience Kata Tjuta (also known as ‘the Olgas’), 36 steep domes only a 20-minute drive from Uluru. Kata Tjuta means ‘many heads’ in the local Aboriginal language. Choose from three established walking trails, including the renowned Valley of the Winds walk, a four-hour circuit that takes in two spectacular lookouts and ventures into the heart of Kata Tjuta. Early morning is the best time for walking.
Learn about Aboriginal culture
Join a dot-painting or wood-carving workshop with local artists at Maruku Arts, a collective of some 900 Anangu artists from 20 remote desert communities around Uluru. Sit with the artists and learn about the ways of the desert, the symbols used in their art and local bush medicine. You might even pick up a few words of Pitjantjatjara.
Cruise Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge at dawn
Wake early for one of the NT’s most special experiences – cruising peacefully up Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park as dawn breaks. Drift past Aboriginal rock art with the changing colours of the dawn light, mist rising from the water and wildlife stirring on the bank. Learn about the ancient Aboriginal culture of this area. Don’t forget your camera.
Cruise Darwin Harbour at sunset
Catch a famous Darwin sunset aboard a luxury catamaran, a restored pearling lugger or a comfortable two-storey vessel on a cruise around beautiful Darwin Harbour. There are many tours to choose from, where you can enjoy a three-course dinner, seafood buffet, canapes and sparkling wine, or pick up fresh fish and chips.
Taste the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets
Thursdays and Sundays during the Top End’s dry season (May–October) herald one of Darwin’s biggest drawcards: the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. Wander around some 60 food stalls that serve dishes from every corner of the earth – Thai and Indian to Brazilian and Portuguese. Try fragrant paella bejewelled with mussels, a Japanese omelette with sticky sauce, authentic laksa or a fresh mango smoothie. Eat on the beach as the sun sinks into the ocean right in front of your eyes.
Swim under waterfalls at Litchfield
Pack a picnic and spend the day swimming under waterfalls at Litchfield National Park, a local favourite 1.5 hours from Darwin. Glide under the impressive double cascades of Wangi and Florence Falls that drop into sublime natural swimming holes, or soak in the tiered rock pools at Buley Rockhole. These three main swimming areas are all within short drives of each other on sealed roads. Or jump in a four-wheel drive to experience the lesser-known Tjaynera Falls (Sandy Creek).
Get back to nature in Kakadu
Yellow Water Cruises allows you to discover the large number of wildlife that call the World Heritage-listed national park home. Sit back and listen to a knowledgeable guide while keeping an eye out for crocodiles, birds such as the delicately-sized Jacana hopping across the lily pads, as well as buffalo and wild horses. The daily cruise operates year round and is located next to Cooinda Lodge within the national park.
Uluru Morning Guided Base Walk
It is a different experience altogether as you explore Uluru on a 10.5 kms walk around the entire base of Uluru. Before you commence your journey of discovery, you get to enjoy a light breakfast as you begin to absorb the enormity and beauty of your surroundings. Visit sacred sites, view Aboriginal rock art, and the vision of a waterfall in a desert setting is really something to see, especially after rain when the water flows from the side of Uluru and plunges into Kantju Gorge.
Explore Alice Springs
Float into the morning and enjoy the epic sight of the MacDonnell Ranges at sunrise on a Hot Air Ballooning adventure. As you drift gently along, watch the colours change across the desert, spot red kangaroos and other wildlife, and appreciate
the expanses of the Red Centre – followed by a light breakfast. End your journey at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station where you can learn the beginnings of the town’s history and explore one of the shorter walking trails.