
Awaken your senses and discover all the colors the Northern Territory has to offer.
Fly direct to Darwin, Alice Springs and Uluru from most capital cities. Tour the Northern Territory’s iconic national parks, swim under tropical waterfalls in the Top End or dip into an outback waterhole in the Red Centre. Take a road trip to the heart of Australia and make the most of your summer in the Northern Territory.
Kings Canyon Guided Rim Walk
From Kings Canyon Resort, join a guide on a rocky climb to the rim of Kings Canyon for superb views of Watarrka National Park. The walk takes up to three hours and requires a good level of fitness, but you’ll be rewarded with a panorama of sandstone cliffs and other landscapes of Australia’s Red Centre.
Early Morning Ballooning in Alice Springs
Float above the outback desert on this exciting hot air balloon adventure! Rise before dawn and watch your balloon inflate in the early rays of daybreak, before boarding your balloon and heading aloft. Drift over this barren landscape and spot wildlife from the air.
Alice Springs Desert Park Nocturnal Tour
Alice Springs Desert Park is where the stories of the desert come alive. Showcasing the animals, people and plants of the Red Centre. The Nocturnal Tour lets you get up close to rare and endangered animals of the desert during a night spotlighting tour with a local guide.
Traveling by air to the Northern Territory from interstate is a breeze. Domestic flights to NT are operated by Qantas, Virgin Australia, Airnorth and Jetstar. Modern, well-equipped airports are located at Darwin in the north and in the center at Alice Springs.
Peak season for air travel to NT is June – August; it’s advisable to book well ahead during these months.
Major coach and tour companies run coach services between transport hubs in the Northern Territory and destinations in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. Major routes include Darwin–Broome, Adelaide – Alice Springs, and Townsville – Alice Springs/Darwin (via Tennant Creek).
Services on major routes run during the day and night, with regular stops for refreshments and amenities. For information about tickets, schedules and fares, visit local visitor information centers and transport hubs.
Running between Adelaide and Darwin, The Ghan is one of the world’s great train journeys and the most romantic way to travel the NT. Private sleeper cabins and elegant dining carriages are evocative of a bygone era in travel and the rail pace is perfect for watching the stunning changes in scenery as you travel through the heart of the country.
The Ghan’s scheduled services run twice a week in both directions from June until September and once a week at all other times. The journey takes three days and two nights: a perfect amount of time to sit back, relax and take in the view.
Travelling by car is one of the best ways to explore the Territory, with 95% of the NT’s attractions accessible by sealed highways. Driving west from Queensland, the most easily accessible route is the fully sealed Barkly Highway from Mt Isa. Alternatively you can drive the unsealed portion of the Victoria Highway from Cairns.
There are a few access points from Western Australia, including the Victoria Highway and Butine Highway in the north and the Tanami Road that runs across the Tanami Desert in the south. Driving north from South Australia, take the Stuart Highway from Adelaide through Coober Pedy into the Northern Territory.