Sights Overview

The primary areas of interest are Alice Springs, which is flanked by the intriguing eastern and western MacDonnell Ranges; Kings Canyon; and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, with neighboring Ayers Rock Resort. Unless you have more than three days, focus on only one of these areas.

To reach the Red Centre, you can fly from most large Australian cities into either Alice Springs or direct to Ayers Rock Resort. You can also fly the 440 km (273 mi) between the two centers. By rail, you can take one of the world's classic train journeys from Adelaide to Alice Springs (16 hours) or Darwin (23 hours) on the Ghan, named after the Afghan camel-train drivers who once traveled the Adelaide-Alice Springs route.

Bus tours run between all Red Centre sites, as well as between Alice Springs and Ayers Rock Resort. Traveling by car will give you the most flexible itinerary -- although the trade-off is that you'll travel many long, lonely stretches of one-lane highway through the red-dust desert. Vehicles can be rented at Alice Springs and Ayers Rock Resort. The Central Australian Tourism Industry Association in Alice Springs books tours and rental cars, and provides motoring information.