LARAPINTA AND NAMATJIRA DRIVE

Here are the various sites you can visit by following the Larapinta Drive over sixty kilometers before bifurcing for Namatjira Drive.

Simpsons Gap, 18 km west of Alice Springs, on Larapinta Drive. Important Aboriginal spiritual site with many hiking trails. Open from 5 a. m. to 8 p. m.

Cassia Hill: 1 hour walk. Offers breathtaking views of the Simpsons Gap and allows you to see native plants.

Woodland Trail: 17 km walk leading to Bond Gap.

Ghost Gum Walk: 20 minutes walk, very popular with visitors.

Standley Chasm, 50 miles west of Alice Springs, on Larapinta Drive. 20 minutes walk. The best time to get there is at noon, when the cliff walls reflect a burning red color thanks to the luminosity of the sun (pay entrance 12 AU $).

Ellery Creek Big Hole, 90 km west of Alice Springs, on Namatjira Drive, after leaving Larapinta Drive. Between sections 6 and 7 of Larapinta Trail. Major flooding during the millennium has created a magnificent water hole.

Serpentine Gorge, 99 km west of Alice Springs, on Namatjira Drive, after leaving Larapinta Drive. 3 km walk round.

Ochre Pits, 110 km west of Alice Springs, on Namatjira Drive, after leaving Larapinta Drive. Quarry quarries with amazing colors used by Aborigines for their bodily paintings.

Ormiston Gorge and Pound, 135 km west of Alice Springs, on Namatjira Drive. From 1 to 3 hours walking. A permanent water hole of 14 m deep.

Glen Helen Gorge, 135 km west of Alice Springs, on Namatjira Drive. Includes several water holes and a beautiful environment. Food, drinks, accommodation and camping are available at the resort.

Redbank Gorge, 152 km west of Alice Springs, on Namatjira Drive. 1:30 a. m. to access the gorges. It is recommended to wear a flotation jacket to bathe in the water hole that is very cold throughout the year. A 4 X 4 vehicle is preferable to access the gorges.

Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve, 175 km west of Alice Springs from Namatjira Drive. There is an old 5 km crater formed by the fall of a comet over 140 million years ago. A road accessible in 4 X 4 vehicles allows to get down and leads to a small picnic area.