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We've compiled the best of the best in East and Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
This is one of the prettiest (and coldest) swimming holes in the Red Centre, so it's quite popular with locals and visitors alike—it's also the deepest and most permanent water hole in the area, so you may glimpse wild creatures like wallabies or goannas (monitor lizards) quenching their thirst. Take the 3-km (2-mile) Dolomite Walk for a close-up look at this fascinating geological site.
This beautiful gorge has something for everyone, whether you're interested in swimming in the water hole, taking a short hike to Gum Tree Lookout for fantastic views of the 820-foot-high gorge walls rising from the pool below, or experiencing the best of both worlds on the 90-minute, 7 km (4½-mile) Ormiston Pound Walk.
This gorge, cut by the sporadic Finke River, often described as the oldest river in the world, slices through the Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges, revealing dramatic rock layering and tilting. Here the river forms a broad, cold, permanent water hole that's great for a bracing swim.
John Flynn, the Royal Flying Doctor Service founder, is memorialized at this spot along Larapinta Drive just 6½ km (4 miles) west of Alice Springs in view of the majestic Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Range.
Accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicle, this site is best experienced by taking a refreshing swim through the narrow, winding gorge. According to an Indigenous creation story, a fierce serpent makes its home in the pool, hence the name.
The closest gorge to Alice Springs—there's even a bicycle and walking track from the city center—greets you with views of stark-white ghost gums (Australian evergreen trees), red rocks, and gorgeous, purple-haze mountains that provide a taste of scenery to be seen farther into the ranges. Swimming is not permitted, but come in the morning and late afternoon for a chance to catch a glimpse of rock wallabies.
At midday, when the sun is directly overhead, the 10-yard-wide canyon glows red from the reflected light, a phenomenon that lasts for just 15 minutes. The walk from the parking lot takes about 20 minutes and is rocky toward the end. For a greater challenge, climb to the top via the steep trail that branches off to the left at the end of the gorge; the views are spectacular. There's also a kiosk selling snacks and drinks at the park entrance.
