Alice Springs Highlights & Nature Escape Day Tour
Recommended by 94% of travelers
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Uluru, Australia
- 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover the legendary heart of Outback culture on this half-day highlights tour of Alice Springs. Visit the historic Overland Telegraph Station and learn how residents have adapted to ultra-remote living at the Royal Flying Doctor Service base and the School of the Air. Encounter fearsome desert creatures at the Alice Springs Reptile Park, and take in sweeping views of the West MacDonnell Ranges from the top of Anzac Hill.
- Visit the Royal Flying Doctors
- Spend time at the School of the Air and join in a lesson
- Get up close to the snakes and lizards at the Reptile Park
- See panoramic views over the township and West MacDonnell Ranges
What's Included
- Pick-up and drop-off service from selected hotels
- Comprehensive commentary
- Travel in an air-conditioned coach
- Entry to the Telegraph Station, site of the first European settlement in Alice Springs
- Entry to School of the Air, the world's largest classroom (Mon-Fri only)
- Marvel at the West MacDonnell Ranges
- Take a guided walk at Simpsons Gap
- Visit Standley Chasm
- Government FeesFrom 1 April 2027, the Northern Territory National Parks (NT Parks) Pass will be included in the tour price and no separate pass purchase will be required.
- Food and drinks
- LunchLunch (own expense) at Standley Chasm Cafe
- Government FeesA$10.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Hotel pick-ups commence prior to the tour start time. You will be collected from the hotel you have selected in the drop down list during the booking process. If you wish to change your pick-up location from the one selected, please call AAT Kings at least 24 hrs prior to travel. This tour will depart at 8am and return at 3:00pm
Start time.8:00 am
Itinerary
Known as the gateway to Australia’s rugged Red Centre, Alice Springs is a unique and vibrant community shaped by aboriginal culture, colonial influences, and the challenges of isolated desert living. After pickup at your hotel in the afternoon, begin with a stop at the historic Overland Telegraph Station. Built in 1872, the communications outpost was a key link in connecting early frontier settlements across Australia.
Located in the geographical center of Australia nearly 800 miles (1,288 km) from another major city, Alice Springs residents have learned to adapt to an isolated lifestyle. Learn how students in remote surrounding areas receive an education through the radio at the School of the Air, and visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service base, which provides on-call medical aid to isolated communities.
Next, get an up-close encounter with famous Outback’s wildlife at Alice Springs Reptile Park. See some of the world’s most venomous snakes including taipans and death adders, scaly desert dwellers like goannas and thorny devils, and even a resident saltwater crocodile. Cap off your half-day tour with a drive up to Anzac Hill, where you can admire fantastic views of the copper-colored West MacDonnell Ranges and the township of Alice Springs nestled among the rugged landscape.
Desert Park Option
Should you choose to include the Alice Spring Desert Park Option, you will have the morning free to visit the park at your leisure. Rise early for your transfer to the world-class Alice Springs Desert Park where you will witness free-flying birds at the Nature Theatre presentation and see rare and endangered animals such as the Bilby. Time at the Alice Springs Desert Park is unguided; you will explore the park in your own time at leisure. Then have time to for lunch at your own expense, before you are picked up from your hotel for the ‘A Town like Alice’ Tour.
Located in the geographical center of Australia nearly 800 miles (1,288 km) from another major city, Alice Springs residents have learned to adapt to an isolated lifestyle. Learn how students in remote surrounding areas receive an education through the radio at the School of the Air, and visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service base, which provides on-call medical aid to isolated communities.
Next, get an up-close encounter with famous Outback’s wildlife at Alice Springs Reptile Park. See some of the world’s most venomous snakes including taipans and death adders, scaly desert dwellers like goannas and thorny devils, and even a resident saltwater crocodile. Cap off your half-day tour with a drive up to Anzac Hill, where you can admire fantastic views of the copper-colored West MacDonnell Ranges and the township of Alice Springs nestled among the rugged landscape.
Desert Park Option
Should you choose to include the Alice Spring Desert Park Option, you will have the morning free to visit the park at your leisure. Rise early for your transfer to the world-class Alice Springs Desert Park where you will witness free-flying birds at the Nature Theatre presentation and see rare and endangered animals such as the Bilby. Time at the Alice Springs Desert Park is unguided; you will explore the park in your own time at leisure. Then have time to for lunch at your own expense, before you are picked up from your hotel for the ‘A Town like Alice’ Tour.
1
Alice Springs School Of The Air Visitor Centre
55 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Simpsons Gap
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
4
Standley Chasm Angkerle
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Please note: School of the Air is only open Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays)
- What to Bring: Flynet in summer months (optional), warm layers in cooler months, enclosed walking shoes
- This tour does enter a Northern Territory Park which requires the NT Park Pass, you will need to pre-purchase this entry ticket online AUD 10.00 (adult) AUD5.00 (child)
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 125 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Great tour. Only 6 of us. Simpson's Gap and Stanley Chasm were the highlights. Great to visit the Telegraph Station and the School of the Air.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your great feedback.
We're pleased to hear you had an enjoyable day and appreciated the smaller group experience. We hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon.
I booked this tour May 20, 2025 and received an email that the pick up time was changed to 13:15. This was 10 months ago! For the last two weeks, up until Monday, March 24th, the day before the tour, I have received no fewer than 10 communications including my ticket that says the pick up time was as originally booked, 1:45. We stood for 30 minutes before receiving word that the bus did arrive at 1:15.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Susan,
Thank you for getting in contact with us. We would like to clarify that the correct pick-up time for your tour was 13:15 PM, as confirmed to you via the Viator portal on May 20, 2025. Our records show that this information was provided well in advance of your tour.
For reference, the confirmation stated:
"Dear Susan,
We would like to confirm that your pickup will be at Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters, 93 Barrett Drive, Alice Springs NT (Front of Hotel) at 13:15 PM on the A Town Like Alice (A3) Tuesday 24/03/26.
Please ensure you are ready and waiting 5 minutes before the scheduled pickup time."
As noted on your voucher under Know Before You Go, the following important information was provided:
Please contact AAT Kings to reconfirm your hotel pick-up or for any questions and advise specific dietary requirements or mobility issues at the time of booking.
Hotel pick-ups are scheduled prior to the official tour departure, which is why it is important to follow the confirmed pick-up time rather than assuming the tour departure time. We encourage guests to review the confirmation messages to ensure timely attendance.
Please let us know if you require further details.
AAT Kings Team.
Our bus driver was an excellent guide and all the stops along the way were fascinating and really helped us understand more about Alice Springs. How it got it's name and how it thrives today.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Hi Kerry,
We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour and that the stops along the route offered interesting insights. It’s wonderful that our driver made the history and character of Alice Springs come alive for you. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience — we’re glad it gave you a deeper appreciation of this special region.
AAT Kings Team
A town like Alice was amazing. Perfect introduction to the town and all its history. Desert park was ok but could think of better things to do with my time.
Enjoyed the experience. Much better understanding of Alice Springs and it history. Particularly like the telegraph village amazing.
A really great tour. A lot crammed into a short time but we didn't feel rushed and would definitely recommend this trip.
I was collected from my accommodation, in a clean air conditioned bus, driven by Gary, who was knowledgeable as we listened to his commentary. We visited Anzac Hill, The Telegraph station museum ( Amazing), The Royal Flying Doctors school of the Air( wow), and reptile centre( very educational). It is a must do.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Dawn,Thanks so much for sharing! Great to hear you had a smooth and enjoyable day with Gary — he really brings the tour to life.
Sounds like you got a lot out of the stops, especially the Telegraph Station and RFDS. So glad you had a great time!
Best way to see the main attractions. Plenty of time to spend at each with superb guides to give information.
Spent the morning at Desert Park (option) and then an enjoyable afternoon with guide Martin. So well organised and interesting content at all our stops, but barely enough time to take it all in even with only a small group. Reptile Park talk was a real treat - debunking much of our knowledge about saltwater crocs and venomous snakes.
School of the air tour was fantastic.
Our Tour guide was great and the locations we visited were beautiful.
The driver/tour guide Phil, was excellent, lots of interesting information and very considerate. The locations on the tour were varied and fascinating. We particularly enjoyed the AS school of the air and Rex was very amusing and informative at the Reptile Centre.
Macca was a top tour guide. Looked after us very well. Only dropped one star as the coach air conditioning broke down. Not ideal in 39C heat.
Every part of the trip was extremely interesting, from the visit to the war memorial to the telegraph station, outback education system, Royal Flying Doctor Service and the very important points from the Reptile Centre on snakes..
A well organized day trip. Excellent and courteous driver, Miguel, got us there and back safely.
Our guide, Yad, was friendly and knowledgeable.
There was plenty of food at the desert dinner and the Prosecco was a nice touch.
To pack so much into a day trip of 18 hours did require sticking to set times, some of which are really too short, so there was always an element of feeling rushed. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would recommend it.
We enjoyed visiting the School of the Air and ANZAC Hill. We felt the visit to the Reptile Centre, although interesting, didn’t really fit in with the rest of the tour.
Absolutely did what it said in giving you the highlights. I initially thought it might not be value for money, but with the price of all the admissions included it turned out to be good value., and a much better idea than visiting the venues on your own.
Excellent service really great day. Thank you would recommend every one do this tour if visiting Alice Springs
Great introduction to Alice Springs. This tour took in the major interest around Alice. I enjoyed all of them but the highlight was the Desert Park. Well organised and very good communication.
Really enjoyed the tour and the information provided. All sites had interesting history. The guide was knowledgeable and fun.
The entire tour was very informative. Both the guides at RFDS and the Reptile Park were hilarious. Coach driver was excellent
Really enjoyed the reptile experience the most but the whole tour was so good loved it all.The guides and presenters were so patient and knowledgable.
Response from Host, Oct 2021
Dear Marlene_H,
Thanks for taking the time to review our tour, and it sounds like you had an amazing time experiencing Alice Springs with AAT Kings.
We cannot wait to welcome you back on board again in the future.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
Enjoyed the tour, especially the School of the Air and the Telegraph Station. Good intro to Alice Springs. Would have liked more background history.
Response from Host, Oct 2021
Dear Pamela_H,
We appreciate your feedback we are glad that you enjoyed visiting the School of Air and the Telegraph station. I will pass on your additional feedback to our senior management team and thanks for taking the time to provide us with this as it allows us to make improvements in the future.
We cannot wait to welcome you on board again in the future.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
Great way to see and hear about the history of the town, learn about the RFDS, school of the air, telegraph station, reptiles and more, driver/guide very knowledgeable
Response from Host, Jul 2021
Dear Corinne_B,
Thanks for your feedback and we are glad you enjoyed exploring Alice Springs and our Guides really enjoy bringing the destination to life for our guests.
We hope to welcome you back on board an AAT Kings tour in the future and thanks for choosing to travel with us.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
The desert park first thing in the morning is well worth a visit. The displays and talks are excellent especially the wild bird feeding. Despite arriving early we didn't have time to see everything before the bus arrived to take us back to town at noon. In the afternoon the Town Like Alice tour was great. We visited all the main attractions and had a telegram sent to us at the Overland Telegragh Station. Sufficient time was given to wander about and take things in plus the Reptile Park was a great experience to see and learn about Australian snakes, lizards and crocodiles.
Response from Host, May 2021
Dear Peter_S,
Thanks very much for your review of our Alice Springs Day tour, and it sounds like you had a great day learning about Alice Springs.
We hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Central Australia, and thanks for choosing to tour with AAT Kings.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
We paid for a half day Alice Springs highlights tour . We were dropped off at the Desert Park and told that someone would pick us up at midday! . We tried to calm the number given on the Viator ticket but no one answered . We paid $378 for a tour that we weren’t given . The entry cost for the Desert Park was $74 !!! We want our money back !!!
Response from Host, May 2021
Dear David_G,
Thanks for taking the time to provide us with your feedback.
We take your feedback seriously and would like to investigate this further. If you could kindly email internationalsales@aatkings.com.au with some further information including your name, booking reference and date of travel and we will be able to assist.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
Bit of a mix up unfortunately
My fault and tour people as well
Thought we were doing a half day tour Alice springs but we’re dropped of in morning at dessert park which I might say was fantastic then picked up dropped back to motel which is great
Received a call later on for afternoon tour of Alice but I thought we had already done half day so didn’t want to be dishonest and take another trip
My mistake I guess but it would help if tour company would explain the day ahead so people like myself understand and don’t miss out on the full day
Response from Host, May 2021
Dear Kev,
Thanks very much for providing us with your feedback, and we are very sorry to read about the mix-up, and we encourage our guests to call 24-hours prior to reconfirm their tour the next day - apologies if you did already do this, and for any mishap that occurred, and I have passed your feedback on to the team in Alice Springs.
We hope that you enjoyed your time exploring the Red Centre and it is an awesome place.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
This was a great afternoon packed full of useful information. Gary, our tour guide, was excellent. Highly recommended.
Response from Host, Apr 2021
Dear KellieandGeoff_A,
Thanks for your feedback and we are glad you enjoyed touring with us in Alice Springs. We will be sure to pass the feedback on to our Guide Gary.
We hope to welcome you on board again in the future.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
This tour allowed us the opportunity to visit a range of local activities around Alice Springs. Being in an organised group meant that the venues were prepared for our arrival and that presentations immediately commenced maximising the time spent at each place.
Response from Host, Apr 2021
Dear Margaret_B,
Thanks for your feedback, and we are happy to read that you made the most out of your time in Alice Springs.
We hope to welcome you on board an AAT Kings tour again in the future.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
We had a good afternoon with MYLES ..informative,friendly...we had s good humoured group and thoroughly enjoyed the experience
Response from Host, Apr 2021
G'Day RGJ,
Thanks very much for your glowing review and we are happy to read you enjoyed touring the Red Centre with AAT Kings.
We are very proud of our Guides at AAT Kings, and it sounded like you had a fantastic day with Myles. We will be sure to pass along the feedback.
Thanks,
The Team at AAT Kings
A great tour. The Reptile centre was especially fascinating and the best of its kind I have been to. Ian was our tour guide and he made it a great afternoon
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