Desert Gardens at Uluru & Ooraminna
5 days / 4 nights
Begins / Ends Ayers Rock Airport

• Enjoy Uluru and Kata Tjuta from the comfort of Desert Gardens

• Private guided touring at Uluru & Kata Tjuta

• Experience the day-to-day workings of an outback cattle station

• The magnificent scenery and desert adapted species of the Desert Centre

• Ooraminna accommodation in rustic yet comfortable & stylish cottages

• The traditional, welcoming bush hospitality of your hosts

• Listen to the sounds of the desert silence under a canopy of a million stars
  
  

Day 1 - Uluru, Ayers Rock Resort, 2 nights

You will be met at Ayers Rock Airport and taken to the Desert Garden Hotel, a 4 ˝ star hotel within the Ayers Rock Resort – a complex of five hotels, eight restaurants, pools & sporting facilities and numerous shops and galleries.

In the late afternoon join a small group tour (13 maximum) for an evening visit to Kata Tjuta for sundowner drinks. Kata Tjuta might be less famous than Uluru but the sheer beauty of these rock domes captivates most visitors. This is a memorable outback experience made more beautiful by the changing hue of the rocks as bright daylight fades into evening.

Day 2 - Uluru, Ayers Rock Resort

A very early start in order to view Ayers Rock as the suns first rays of light break on its sides with their rich red colors. The morning will be spent exploring some of the features of The Rock and learning of the aboriginal history that surrounds Uluru. You have a choice of a 5-hour guided walking tour around the base of the rock (9.4 km) or a 4-hour tour traveling by vehicle stopping for short walks at several vantage points. Your experience is enhanced by a late morning stop at the Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

Afternoon is at leisure. There are several optional activities that can be pre-booked or arranged at the Tour Desk once you arrive. Some of the most popular include scenic flights over Uluru and Kata Tjuta, camel treks into the desert and the Sounds of Silence desert dinner.

Day 3 - Ooraminna Station, 2 nights

Morning Qantas flight to Alice Springs where your host, Jan Hayes, will meet you and transfer you to her family property, Ooraminna.

With their station encompassing a half million acres of cattle country in central Australia, the 6th generation of the Hayes family live at Ooraminna, amidst the craggy sandstone outcrops of the MacDonnell ranges. Accommodation is in ‘cottages’ designed with wooden and corrugated iron exteriors in Australian outback style. Furnishings are simple but stylish - wooden floors, 4-poster beds made from local timber. Each has an en suite bathroom and a verandah with views of the bush.

The newly built homestead has a re-constructed bar, the scene for an early evening drink with Bill Hayes after his day on the station. Join Bill and Jan for dinner in the homestead and later retire to your cottage beneath stars that stretch from one horizon to the other. If you are feeling intrepid, there is no better way to experience the clarity of the air and the sounds of the Australian bush then spending the night in a ‘swag’ (traditional bed roll) under the stars.

Day 4 - Ooraminna Station

An early start, if you wish, with the dawn light to check the boreholes on the property and the cattle in their paddocks – an Australian paddock is a large entity, far larger than most farms in Europe. The property is fabulous for walking, following creek beds, climbing the rocky outcrops, or exploring by 4-wheel drive.

Whilst at Ooraminna Jan will co-ordinate your activities to ensure that you are as active or a lazy as you prefer - your time is your own. If you do wish to keep busy, the options are endless!

Day 5 - Departure

Jan will take you to the Alice Springs Airport for your onward flight.
 

Options & Upgrades

• Scenic flight over Uluru and Kata Tjuta via helicopter or fixed wing plane