Ilsa

We are going to be on a guided 3 day hiking/2 night camping trip in the Alice Springs & Uluru area in mid-November. I know the red dust is an issue, but does anyone have any more reccomendations on clothing/gear we will need? Does it get cold at night? How bad are the bugs? Any advice would be appreciated.

Alan

Hi, Lisa!
I have never done this camping trip, so my thoughts are of very limited value, but this will start the ball rolling, at least. I don't think you will need to worry too much about the cold nights, but be aware that there will be a very sharp contrast between the hot daytime temperatures and the cool nights -- a much greater contrast than at the coast -- so you should pack accordingly.
The bugs, I would imagine, will be horrendous at that time of year. A hat with a net on it would be a good idea, but get used to the idea of a hundred flies on your back wherever you go.
If it's a guided tour, your tour company should be able to tell you more about what to bring. Good luck!

ned

In line with Alan's response you need to have layers. The temperatures will have a very wide range at that time of year between dawn and midday you may well experience a 20 degree C variance. You may have 4 layers on in the morning and be down to a t-shirt in the middle of the day.

sandi

Can't comment on the hiking/camping, but in mid-Nov we found the daytime temps in Alice and Uluru in the hi-90s even into the 100s, and the nights didn't cool down much (maybe 10 degrees). But there's always a chance for a "cold snap" or rain storm where the mornings and evenings can cool down about 20 degrees.

Bug - lots of flies out that way - a hat with "no-see-um" netting is good idea, or with hanging strings w/corks on the ends - flit the flies away.

Be prepared.

Ilsa

Thanks for the advice. I found a hat on orgear.com that I may get - its got the netting.