Untamed Escapes hotel tour · 91 Franklin St, Adelaide
This seven-day Untamed Escapes tour drives from Adelaide to Alice Springs, or finishes at Yulara, with a bed every night, one of them in an underground motel in Coober Pedy. It is the pick if you want the outback road, Old Timers Mine and the Breakaways without sleeping in a swag.
This is the hotel version of the long road north. It leaves 91 Franklin Street in Adelaide and spends day one in the Clare Valley, past Wirrabara's silo art and historic Melrose, with a walk in Warren Gorge before a night in Quorn. Day two is about 660 km: the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden at Port Augusta, then Coober Pedy, with time to look around town before you check in underground at the Coober Pedy Experience Motel. The Coober Pedy Experience Motel is an old opal mine, worked from 1918 into the 1960s and turned into a motel in 1990, per its South Australian Tourism Commission listing.
Day three is the Coober Pedy day. You tour Old Timers Mine, visit Josephine's Gallery & Kangaroo Orphanage to meet rescued joeys and see Aboriginal art, and stop at Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park on the way to Erldunda. From there it is Kings Canyon (the Creek Walk, then the 6 km Rim Walk), sunset at Uluru, sunrise at Kata Tjuta with the Valley of the Winds, and a last sunrise at Uluru with the 10.6 km Base Walk. You finish at Yulara around midday or carry on to Alice Springs, arriving about 7pm.
Two things to know. Meals are not included, so budget for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, plus snacks and drinks. And it is a new listing with no reviews yet. Five nights are in twin-share rooms and one in a multi-share dorm, and all activities and park fees are in the price. The tour needs four people to run, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before keeps your plans open.
North through the Clare Valley, past Wirrabara's silo art and Melrose, to a walk in Warren Gorge and a night at the Quorn Great Northern Lodge. About 400 km.
The Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden, then the long drive to Coober Pedy, time to explore the town and a night underground at the Coober Pedy Experience Motel. About 660 km.
Old Timers Mine and the story of life underground, rescued joeys and Aboriginal art at Josephine's Gallery & Kangaroo Orphanage, then Kanku-Breakaways on the way north. Night at Erldunda Desert Oaks Resort.
The Kings Canyon Creek Walk and a night at Kings Canyon Resort, then the 6 km Rim Walk, the Cultural Centre and sunset at Uluru. Night at the Outback Hotel.
Sunrise at Kata Tjuta and the Valley of the Winds, then a free afternoon in Yulara for optional extras such as a helicopter flight or Wintjiri Wiru.
Sunrise at Uluru and the 10.6 km Base Walk, with shorter sections. Leave around midday if you finish in Yulara, or ride on to Alice Springs for about 7pm.
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Yes. Night two is at the Coober Pedy Experience Motel, which the listing calls underground accommodation. The Coober Pedy Experience Motel is an old opal mine, worked from 1918 into the 1960s and turned into a motel in 1990, per its South Australian Tourism Commission listing.
No. The listing excludes meals, along with snacks, soft drinks and alcohol. Accommodation, all activities, park fees, the guide and the vehicle are included.
On day two you have time to explore the town. On day three you tour Old Timers Mine, visit Josephine's Gallery & Kangaroo Orphanage and stop at Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park on the way to Erldunda. Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park sits about 25 km north of town. The District Council of Coober Pedy charges A$13.50 per vehicle for a permit, and tour operators pay a per-person visitor fee that is usually inside the tour price.
Yes. The listing says you can finish in Yulara, leaving around midday on day seven, or continue to Alice Springs, arriving around 7pm.
Ready to book
Seven days from Adelaide to Alice Springs with a bed every night, a night in an underground motel in Coober Pedy, Kings Canyon and Uluru.
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