When is the best time to visit Alice Springs?
May to SeptemberWarm days, cold nights, and the gorges are swimmable by September.
May to September. Days sit between 20 and 28°C, the walks stay open all day and the flies are bearable. The trade-off is the nights — July averages a minimum of 4°C and it genuinely drops below freezing, so a swag in winter means a cold start. Avoid December and January if you can: Alice averages 37°C in January, walks close in the middle of the day and the Uluru base walk becomes a dawn job. April and October are the quiet sweet spot either side.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
The Red Centre has the biggest gap between its best and worst months of anywhere we sell, and it is not about rain. It is about whether you can walk in the middle of the day.
Month by month
| Month | Day | Night | Rain | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°C | 22°C | 42mm | Too hot for comfort. Walks close by late morning. |
| February | 35°C | 21°C | 41mm | Still very hot, and the stickiest month. |
| March | 33°C | 18°C | 33mm | Cooling off. Workable if you start early. |
| April | 28°C | 13°C | 17mm | Lovely. Warm days, mild nights, quiet. |
| May | 23°C | 8°C | 18mm | The start of the good run. Perfect walking. |
| June | 20°C | 5°C | 13mm | Cool and clear. Cold at night. |
| July | 20°C | 4°C | 14mm | Coldest. Frost is possible on a clear night. |
| August | 23°C | 6°C | 8mm | The driest month. Clear skies, cold mornings. |
| September | 28°C | 10°C | 9mm | The best of the lot. Warm, dry, wildflowers. |
| October | 31°C | 15°C | 20mm | Warming up. Still very good. |
| November | 34°C | 18°C | 32mm | Hot. Early starts become necessary. |
| December | 36°C | 20°C | 37mm | Too hot for comfort again. |
Bureau of Meteorology long-term averages for Alice Springs Airport, over 84 years of records. Uluru and Kings Canyon run a degree or two warmer by day.
What the seasons actually mean
- The walks have heat rules.The Uluru base walk and the Kings Canyon rim walk close in the morning when the forecast is high, which is why trips start before dawn in summer.
- Winter nights are genuinely cold.If you are in a swag in June or July, that is a 4°C night under the stars — take a layer more than you think.
- The dry months are the clear onesand clear means the sunrises and sunsets everybody comes for.
- It rains rarely but hard.A wet spell can close unsealed roads for a day or two at any time of year.
What is actually around Alice
- The West MacDonnell RangesSimpsons Gap, Ellery Creek and Ormiston Gorge, all within a couple of hours west of town. The swimming holes are cold year round and best from September onwards.
- The East MacDonnellsare the quieter half, with Trephina Gorge and Arltunga's old goldfields.
- The Larapinta Trailruns 223km west from town. Walking season is April to September — it is not a summer walk.
- The town itselfhas the Desert Park and the Royal Flying Doctor base, both of which work in any weather.
Trips out of Alice Springs
| Trip | Length | Where you sleep | Effort | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Day West MacDonnell Ranges | 3 days, 2 nights | Swags | — | $535 |
| 4 Day Uluru & West MacDonnell Ranges | 4 days, 3 nights | Safari Tents or Swags | — | $1389 |
| 3 Day Alice Springs to Darwin Tour | 3 days, 2 nights | Hostels | — | $799 |
| 5 Day Alice Springs to Darwin Tour | 5 days, 4 nights | Swags and Hostels | — | $1149 |
The West MacDonnells trips are the ones that stay near Alice. The Darwin runs head north through Katherine.
Going in summer anyway
Plenty of people do, and it works if you accept the shape of the day: out before dawn, back by late morning, out again at five. The trips are built around exactly that. The upside is real — the gorges are at their most swimmable and there is almost nobody there.
Heading on to Uluru?
Uluru is 450km south and runs a degree or two warmer by day. There is a month-by-month breakdown for the rock itself on our what is Uluru like month by month page, and the drive down is covered on how do you get from Alice Springs to Uluru.
Where this comes from. Temperatures and rainfall are Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Alice Springs Airport, drawn from 84 years of records. Walk closures in heat are Parks Australia's published rules for Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Watarrka National Parks. Trip details and prices are each trip's own, and update on their own.