Alice Springs tours & holidays

Absolutely. All passengers travelling with Intrepid are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. It's important to understand that each country you visit may have its own specific entry requirements, and some destinations mandate travel health insurance for all foreign travellers, regardless of their nationality.

We require that at a minimum you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation, but minimum coverage may differ from trip to trip, so make sure you check the Travel Insurance section in your Essential Trip Information. You will not be permitted to join the group until your leader has sighted your insurance policy number and the insurance company's 24-hour emergency contact number, and these details will be recorded on the first day of your trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is an essential part of every journey.

For travellers who reside within the European Union, Switzerland or the USA, the requirement to purchase travel insurance cannot be compulsory. However, the purchase of travel insurance is still highly recommended, and travellers from these regions who decline travel insurance when travelling outside their home region must sign a Travel Insurance Waiver Form, recognising personal responsibility for emergency medical and repatriation costs should they arise.

Read more about travel insurance

The best time to visit Alice Springs and Uluru is generally between May and September when the days are dry and warm (but not scorching).

This area sits in a semi-arid desert climate zone, so summer is sweltering with occasional storms (the amount of rainfall varies from year to year), while winter is warm and dry during the day with cold night-time temps that often plummet below zero.

Layering is key in the Outback. The days are warm or hot all year so t-shirts and shorts are fine, however the temperature can drop at night, so you'll need long pants and a warm jumper and/or jacket for sunrise and sunset.

You’ll also need a comfy pair of walking shoes, a wide-brimmed sun hat, a day pack, sunscreen, lip balm and a reusable water bottle.

If you plan on hiking any of the longer tracks, such as the 3.5 hour 10 km loop track around Uluru, comfortable runners with good grip may also be suitable.

The Anangu (pronounced arn-ung-oo) people are the Traditional Custodians of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and other regions of the Central Western Desert.

They've been custodians of the land for over 60,000 years and are one of the world's oldest living cultures.

For the Anangu people, Uluru and Kata Tjuta are places of deep spiritual connection; they are physical evidence of Tjukurpa (the creation period) and the ancestral spirits who reside in the land.

Yes, climbing Uluru was banned permanently on 26 October 2019 to respect the Traditional Custodians and the spiritual significance of the site.

The Anangu people have been holding spiritual and cultural ceremonies at Uluru for tens of thousands of years and climbing is not generally allowed under Tjukurpa (Anangu law and culture).

Uluru is often referred to as the spiritual heart of Australia. To be respectful of its cultural significance, there are also restrictions on what you can and can't do at Uluru which include taking photos at sacred sites, swimming in waterholes around the base and not calling Uluru by its colonised name, Ayers Rock.

The word 'Uluru' comes from the Pitjantjatjara language and has no direct English translation.

We believe travel should be accessible to everyone. Although some destinations and itineraries may be more accessible than others, we'll do our best to accommodate your needs, make reasonable adjustments where possible or guide you toward the most suitable trips. Get in touch with our friendly adventure consultants to chat about your options.

Our Tailor-Made team can also help you plan a customised trip just for you.

Yes, all Intrepid trips support the Intrepid Foundation. In fact, we make a donation on behalf of every traveller. Trips to Australia directly support our foundation partners, Blue Carbon Lab, Greening Australia and WWF-Australia. Intrepid will double the impact by dollar-matching all post-trip donations made to The Intrepid Foundation.

Centre for Nature Positive Solutions

By integrating innovative restoration techniques with science-based solutions, the Centre for Nature Positive Solutions rehabilitates vital ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity, strengthening coastal resilience, and increasing their capacity to capture and store carbon, contributing to climate change mitigation. Donations from our trips help the Centre for Nature Positive Solutions to restore the natural coastal wetland areas across Australia. 

Find out more or make a donation  

Greening Australia

Greening Australia is taking action to rebuild resilient ecosystems across Australia, from the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef to the cool island ark of Tasmania. Donations from our trips help them tackle Australia's complex environmental challenges through large on-ground restoration projects and innovative research initiatives that help scale their impact.  

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Country Needs People

Country Needs People support Indigenous land and sea management in Australia. Donations help them empower Indigenous communities to rehabilitate and protect places of significance on land and sea using traditional knowledge paired with modern technology.

Intrepid will double the impact by dollar-matching all post-trip donations made to The Intrepid Foundation.

Find out more or make a donation

We take the health and safety of our travellers seriously and take every measure to ensure that trips are safe, fun and inclusive for everyone. When you travel with us, you have access to our global support network and local on‑ground leadership, and you can rest easy knowing we have a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination.

We recommend that all travellers check with their government or national travel advisory organisation for the latest information before departure. The World Health Organisation also provides useful health information.

Travelling from Australia?

Go to: Smart Traveller

From Canada?

Go to: Canada Travel Information

From the UK?

Go to: UK Foreign Travel Advice

From New Zealand?

Go to: Safe Travel

From the US?

Go to: US Department of State

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