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Is Alice Springs worth visiting?
Yes, as the gateway rather than the destination. Alice sits in the middle of the continent and everything in the Red Centre leaves from it — Uluru and Kings Canyon from $729, and the West MacDonnell Ranges from $535, which almost nobody books and locals rate highest.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Alice Springs is a town of about 25,000 people a thousand kilometres from anywhere, and most visitors treat it as an airport with a hotel attached. That is a reasonable way to use it, but it sells the West MacDonnells short.
Why it is worth going
- It is the gateway to the Red Centre.Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon all run from here, leaving at 5:30am.
- The West MacDonnell Ranges.A chain of gorges running west of town with waterholes you can swim in — Ormiston, Ellery Creek, Standley Chasm. Three days, from $535, and a fraction of the visitors Uluru gets.
- Aboriginal art.Alice is the centre of the Central Desert art movement and the galleries are the real thing rather than souvenir shops.
- The Desert Park, the Telegraph Station and Anzac Hillfill a half day comfortably in town.
- The light.The Red Centre at dawn and dusk does something to colour that has to be seen.
The honest version
- Uluru is 450km away.It is not a day trip from Alice and nobody sells it as one — two days is the short version.
- The town needs about half a day.The reason to be here is what leaves from here.
- Trips depart at 5:30amso you want the night before in town.
- It gets very hot in summerand the nights get near freezing in winter. The figures apply here too.
What leaves from Alice
| Trip | Length | Where it goes | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Day West MacDonnell Ranges | 3 days, 2 nights | **The West MacDonnell Ranges** — gorges and swimming | $535 |
| 3 Day Uluru Budget | 3 days, 2 nights | Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon | $729 |
| 3 Day Uluru Adventure | 3 days, 2 nights | The same, swag camping with exclusive camps | $759 |
| 5 Day Uluru Safari | 5 days, 4 nights | Uluru plus the MacDonnells over five days | $1499 |
| 3 Day Alice Springs to Darwin Tour | 3 days, 2 nights | North to Darwin up the Stuart Highway | $799 |
People also ask
- What can you do from Alice Springs?
- How do I get from Alice Springs to Uluru?
- Is Uluru worth visiting?
- What is Uluru like month by month?
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Where this comes from. Each operator's own itinerary and inclusions sheet, as held on that trip's page here. Prices are the current from price and update on their own.