5 Day Larapinta Trail Highlights

Walking and Camping Tours, Tjoritja National Park, Northern Territory

Adventure, connect, and thrive.

40kms, 12 max

7 July 2025

Imagine yourself on the summit looking around at the ancient landscape of lifted and folded sandstone and quartzite, spinifex-covered crumpled hills, and red cliffs contrasted with ghost gums and blue sky. You are with family, friends, and/or like-minded women. Everyone is taking in where they are and speechless with awe.

After admiring the stars and contemplating the universe, you sleep soundly in a warm, comfortable swag. Quality campfire-cooked food nourishes you. Flora and fauna, local geology, and cultural insights satisfy your love of learning. Fireside chats spark reconnection.

You slow down to nature’s frequency, find presence, and rediscover joy. There is laughter and fun, and the simplicity clarifies what’s important. You feel energised and inspired. Wow, this is the best!

This 5 day trek will appeal to the active day pack walker, families, and female groups willing to undertake moderate to challenging walking of between 5 to 8 hours each day, across uneven terrain and with some ascents and descents in the Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges National Park.

For each day’s hike on this incredible world class track, you carry just a day pack. We create these trips to facilitate an adventure, allow space to connect with yourself, others, and nature, and ultimately thrive. You walk with a guide for the day’s trek, with the support guide collecting and transferring you to camp each day, where you can relax while we cater to your needs.

A private bushcamp in the Hugh River area is your home for 3 nights, offering comfortable accommodation in a secluded pristine natural setting. With swags and shelter if needed, a covered kitchen area, communal space, a campfire, washing area, waterless toilets, and solar generated water heating, lighting, and food refrigeration we tend our camp as best we can with minimal impact practices and share these ways with you.

Itinerary Summary

Day 1: Pick up Alice Springs Airport, Simpsons Gap, Sunset connect with place and self.

Day 2: Hike part of section 5 Birthday Waterhole, along Razorback, and out through ‘locals only’ gorge,15kms.

Day 3: Trek section 8 Serpentine Gorge to Serpentine Chalet Dam, including Counts point, 15kms.

Day 4: Walk Ormiston Pound and Gorge, 9kms. Return to Alice Springs. Undoolya Ridge BBQ dinner.

Day 5: Art Precinct tour, drop off Alice Springs Airport.

What’s Included

We aim to facilitate an extraordinary experience for you in this ancient landscape. As local residents who have lived in the area for nearly 20 years and work in Outdoor Education we bring a deep understanding of place to you. All the organisation, transport, food preparation, camping and catering equipment and other logistics are taken care of for you, so you can connect with yourself, the group members, and the country in a relaxed, expansive, and rejuvenating way.

• All camping equipment including swag, sleeping bags, pillow, and bed linen
• All catering equipment
• 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, & 4 dinners
• All delicious snacks and drinks
• Airport and hotel pick up and drop off
• All camping and national park fees
• Group first aid and emergency communication facilities
• Private wilderness eco-campsite
• experienced outdoor education guides
• Travelling with a locally owned and run, culturally and environmentally responsible business
• small group with maximum of 12 participants
• Art Precinct Tour

What’s Not Included

• Return flights to Alice Springs
• One nights accommodation in Alice Springs
• travel insurance

Some other points of note

• This adventure will require moderate to high fitness and agility. The day walks will include walking for between 5-8 hours across uneven terrain with steep ascents and descents, carrying a day pack, and a cold 70m swim with a lilo.
• Flight options are with Qantas and Virgin. Aim to arrive and depart around 12 noon.
• Minimal alcohol can be arranged if required.
• The itinerary is subject to change.

Price

$2937 per person

$600 deposit per person

You are welcome to pay the total price upfront.

You are also welcome to secure your place by paying a deposit of $600 as soon as possible. Use the bank transfer option.

You will be emailed to agree to a payment plan that works for both of us. Final payments are due two months prior to the trip so 7 May 2025 or 1 June 2025.

If you have any questions please email [email protected].

We can’t wait to hold space for you to adventure, connect, and thrive.

Love George and the Wellness on Wheels crew

Testimonials

“What a fabulous 3 days we shared with George recently out on sections of the Larapinta trail. We enjoyed fabulous food, guided hikes into some off trail/ ‘local only’ gorges, nights spent under the vast desert sky staring at stars whilst camping in swags along a dry riverbed, fabulous scenery, and of course pleasant company surrounded by like-minded people who practice gratitude and are seeking the most out of life. We loved it – such a fulfilling and satisfying experience ❤️.”

“The trip was so thoughtfully planned by you and your team George. It was so amazingly restorative to turn up and have everything organised enabling us all to just relax and catch up with great friends. The food was delicious and healthy, the camp was private and picturesque, the walk was challenging enough for some and achievable for others. The opportunity to be out in remote terrain without having to plan was such an amazing privilege that I will cherish forever.”

“You and your family are so inspirational George. I hope you feel so proud of the unforgettable experience you created for all of us. Thank you again for all of your care and hard work.”

Cancellation Policy

We know that sometimes unexpected things happen, so please read and understand the cancellation policy before booking a tour. Suitable travel insurance and ambulance cover are highly recommended.

CANCELLATION INITIATED BY PARTICIPANT

-Cancellation from 8 weeks plus prior to start – 100% refund minus the deposit or transfer to another person minus $200 administration fee, or 100% credit.
-Cancellation from 4 – 8 weeks prior to start – 50% refund or transfer to another person minus a $200 admin fee or 100% credit.

-Cancellation from 0-30 days – No refund or credit.

No refund or credit if you arrive late, leave early, have flight cancellations, travel delays, or general illness.

If you have any questions about our refund policy, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0414 091 533 or email, [email protected].

CANCELLATION OR CHANGES INITIATED BY WELLNESS ON WHEELS

If Wellness on Wheels must cancel the tour for any reason you may receive a 100% refund or transfer your booking to a future trip. Wellness on Wheels will not be liable for any other participant expenses such as airline tickets, loss of work, and/or costs associated with preparing for the tour.

Wellness on Wheels reserves the right to modify or adapt the tour without notice in the interests of participant safety, because of adverse weather, changing government and health requirements, or other reasons.

Packing List

This list contains the items required for the various conditions and activities you will encounter during the trip. As the weather during the program can either have hot/dry or cool/moist conditions, you need to be suitably clothed and equipped for both. Temperatures in July – August usually range from around 0C to low to mid 20C degrees. Please bring ALL listed items (except where indicated optional).

Different people have different reactions to cold or wet conditions. Some people feel the cold very quickly; others remain comfortable in most conditions. Depending on how you feel in cold or wet weather conditions, you should choose to bring more or less of the warm clothing items. If you feel the cold quickly, you should bring extra thermal underwear, and bring a puffa jacket.

What to bring

All camping equipment including gazebos, camp chairs, cooking equipment, crockery, cutlery, cups, ground sheet, swag, mattress, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, pillow and extra blankets are provided.

You should bring hard wearing and durable clothing.

ESSENTIAL ITEMS

Wear on arrival day

• 1 pair of cotton long trousers, not tight fitting, not track pants. Hard Yakka style trousers or cargo pants are ideal and will best protect you from the very unlikely chance of a snake bite – no jeans. If you wear shorts you must wear gaiters otherwise low-lying vegetation will scratch your legs.
• 1 strong, long sleeved collared shirt (old business shirts are ideal) or long sleeve top.
• 1 pair of comfortable hiking boots or sturdy track shoes for our day walks.
• 1 set of underwear (cotton preferably).
• 1 pair of medium weight wool or wool/nylon mix socks, e.g. Explorers, Icebreaker or Smartwool.
• 1 hat with brim for sun protection. No caps or straw hats.
• 1 pair of sunglasses

Essential items

• 2 jumpers; must be wool or quality outdoor fleece, no cotton. You may want to bring a vest for our day walks and one of your jumpers could be a puffa jacket for sitting around the fire at night.
• 1 set of long thermal underwear and a top (ideally wool or polypropylene, NOT COTTON).
• 2 pairs of medium weight wool or wool/nylon mix socks.
• 3 sets of underwear (cotton preferably).
• 1 pair of bathers/swimsuit/pair of shorts.
• 1 strong, long-sleeved shirt or long sleeve top.
• 1 woollen beanie.
• 1 waterproof jacket – make sure it has a hood, is definitely waterproof, and reaches halfway to your knees. The weather will most likely be fine but sometimes it buckets down even in winter.
• 1 bag to carry everything except what is in your Day Pack
• 1 Day Pack to carry 2-3 litres of water, jumper, sunscreen, glasses, camera/mobile, hat, snacks and some group food/equipment.
• 1 head-torch fully charged or with fresh batteries
• 2 personal sports water bottle (approximately 1 litre each) or a hydration pack that carries a minimum of 2 litres. You will drink from these.
• sunscreen and sun/wind protection cream for lips.
• minimal toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, moisturiser).

Optional items

• fly net
• water shoes
• insect repellent (no aerosols please)
• waterproof camera or camera in a waterproof container
• 1 pair of woollen gloves or mittens
• 1 pack towel
• ear plugs or eye mask for light sleepers

FAQs

1. Who are we?

We are a locally owned and operated business, passionate and experienced about inspiring wellbeing in the outdoors.

2. Are all transfers included?

Yes. All transfers to and from the airport and accommodation during the trip are included.

3. Can mobile phones be used during the retreat?

A few places during the day walks mobile reception is available however most of the time it is not. There is limited access to electricity. There will be limited options for charging devices. This tour is a great opportunity to digitally detox

4. How fit do I need to be?

Every day we will walk between 9-15kms over 5-8hrs so this adventure will require moderate fitness. Moving your body 3-4 times per week for about an hour walking, riding, swimming, or your preferred movement, and getting the heart rate up for 3-4 months before the tour will prepare your body and mind sufficiently for the tour. It’s motivating to have a goal to work towards and it can be fun!

5. What will the food be like? I have dietary requirements.

We love food and pride ourselves on providing high quality nutritious food that tastes great. We can cater to any dietary requirement including vegetarian, vegan, GF, DF etc. There is an option to add your dietary requirement information on the booking form. Here is an example of what meals may be:

Breakfast: Cereal, porridge, toast, yoghurt, fruit, hot foods like eggs/mushroom/spinach/bacon (some days when we have time).

Lunch: Wraps, sandwiches, fritatta.

Dinner: Curries, pasta, stir fry’s, roasts, BBQ.

6. Do I have to pay the full amount up front?

The short answer is no. We want to make our trips as accessible as possible. And if that means you need to pay it over installments, you can do that.

We know that travel is one of the best investments you can ever make into yourself. We genuinely know the powerful impact that accomplishing a multi-day mountain bike tour or walking the highlights of the Larapinta Trail with a group of like-minded people has on you.

Yes you, the person seeing these amazing adventures on their phone and yearning for some outdoor time to chill out and rejuvenate maybe or your own or with family and/or friends . It’s right at your fingertips and we promise you won’t regret it!

We also work on a deposit now, pay later basis so don’t stress if you don’t have the full trip fee available right now. We can agree to a payment plan that works for both of us.

7. What facilities are there in Alice Springs?

Alice Springs has a population of about 27,000 people and is well serviced as a remote town. There are two supermarkets, a cinema, K-Mart, Target, Bunnings, Mitre 10, two chemists, a great hospital, an Aquatic Leisure Centre, and tourist destinations such as the Alice Springs Desert Park, Royal Flying Doctor Service Alice Springs Tourist Facility & Museum, Women’s Museum of Australia and Old Gaol Alice Springs, restaurants, cafes and excellent coffee. Indigenous cultural immersion experiences include Bush Balm Social Enterprise by Purple House and the Art Precinct Tour.

8. Can we wash our clothes?

No, there will not be an opportunity to wash clothes while on the tour however, you may be able to access a washing machine at your accommodation in Alice Springs.

9. Can we buy alcohol?

Despite restrictive bottle shop open hours we can arrange alcohol for you. Email us at [email protected] with your shopping list.

10. What about coffee?

We enjoy good coffee and will make sure quality coffee is available for you during the tour if you like/need it.

11. What is a swag?

A portable sleeping unit made of canvas that has a mattress, sleeping bag, and pillow inside. It is comfortable, warm, and waterproof and you get to fall asleep admiring the stars.