Northern Territory Australia - discover the Outback

Highlights

• Tropical Darwin - gateway to the Top End
• The Tiwi Islands off the coast of Darwin
• Litchfield, Kakadu and Arnhem Land
• Katherine Gorge
• Alice Springs - gateway to the Red Centre
• Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) & Kings Canyon
• The Ghan train between Adelaide & Darwin via Alice Springs

Why we love Australia’s Northern Territory

• Exciting opportunities for a real Outback adventure
• Its striking and awe-inspiring ‘Red Centre’ desert interior
• Spectacular wildlife from saltwater crocs to birds
• It's home to some of the most authentic Aboriginal experiences
• Ideal for families - UK summer holiday season is a great time to visit
• You can see it by rail, fly-in, self-drive or by bus - you choose.

When's the best time to visit the Northern Territory?

The territory divides into two areas – the Red Centre and the Top End and the climate varies.

In the Red Centre (Alice Springs and Uluru), June to August brings warm weather around 20 degrees Celsius during the day, but lows of around 3 degrees at night. From September to May, day time highs reach 27-35 degrees, with cooler nights at 12-20 degrees.

In the Top End (Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine, Arnhem Land), November to March is wet season and April - October is dry. Throughout the Top End and the tropical north, year-round temperatures rarely dip below 20 degrees Celsius, with year-round average highs of around 30 degrees.

Featured holiday: Sydney, Uluru & Darwin

Contrast two cities and the Australian Outback with this 2 week tailor-made Australia holiday with the Red Centre and the Top End. Spend a few days in Sydney before flying from Sydney to Uluru to begin your very own outback experience in the Red Centre, before seeing the highlights of the Top End in Litchfield and Kakadu. We can fully tailor-make your holiday, just ask.

This holiday includes:

• International and domestic flights and transfers
• All accommodation
• Small group tours in the Red Centre & Top End

To start planning your holiday or to include some Australian Outback tours, call our experts today on 1273 320 580.

Request a quote by email

See all Red Centre trip ideas

Visiting the Red Centre: Alice Springs & Uluru

The main attraction in the Red Centre is of course Uluru, the striking rock monolith that towers over its desert surrounds. Catching sunrise or sunset over the rock and admiring its changing colours is an unforgettable experience. We also recommend taking an interpretive walk with a local Aboriginal guide to ensure you learn the stories of Uluru’s spiritual and cultural importance to its indigenous owners.

There are plenty of different ways to make the most of your outback experience; camp or ‘glamp’ in fixed tents or sleep in swag beneath the stars; cycle or take a camel ride around Uluru, hike around the base or even take to the skies for a scenic helicopter flight.

We've put together several flight-exclusive Red Centre trip ideas that we can build into your Australia itinerary - ask us for more ideas.

See all Darwin & the Top End tours

Visiting Darwin & the Top End

Tropical Darwin (the 'city that never sees winter’) is the gateway to the Top End. It’s a compact city that’s easy to explore and whilst you're here, we recommend a visit to the Mindil market to pick up some exotic snacks before catching a memorable sunset over the beach – a true Darwin ‘must-do’.

From Darwin you could take a ferry over to the neighbouring Tiwi Islands where indigenous Aboriginal culture remains untouched, or head out into Litchfield or Kakadu. Beyond the city, the national parks offer forests, natural swimming pools and abundant waterfalls. Look out for incredible giant termite mounds in Litchfield, see jumping crocs on a Mary River cruise, sail through dramatic red-rock gorges in Katherine, or join a local guide in Arnhem Land and discover hidden rock art sites.

Here are some flight exclusive ideas you can add in to your Australia itinerary to explore the Top End - ask us for more.

Northern Territory holiday packages

There are many ways to combine a visit to the Northern Territory with a wider itinerary as part of a tailor-made Australia holiday. You can easily twin this region with elsewhere in Australia, with a city break in Singapore, or even with a laid-back beach break in nearby Bali, just a two and a half hour flight from Darwin. If you have more time - we can tailor-make your round the world holiday to include this region, like our Discover Australia round the world holiday.

With flight to connections to Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns from Ayers Rock and to most state capitals from Darwin, you can easily twin a visit to the NT with a city break, the east coast or the Great Barrier Reef.

Ideal for family summer holidays

If you're planning a family holiday to Australia, the Northern Territory is a perfect fit for UK summer holiday season; it's dry season in Darwin and surrounds, and the temperatures in the Red Centre are warm, but not too hot for kids.

See more family holiday ideas for UK summer

See more tailor-made Australia holidays

Getting there and getting around

To reach the Red Centre you can fly into either Ayers Rock airport or Alice Springs from many domestic destinations in Australia. For international arrivals, Darwin has flight connections to Singapore, Bali (Indonesia) and Manila (Philippines). For more ideas around how to include Australia in a wider itinerary, see our multi-stop flights that include Australia.

Despite the territory's large size, it's easy to explore on a self-drive with a car or campervan. We can help you plan a road trip in Darwin and its surrounds, or from Alice Springs around the Red Centre and we can advise on which locations will require a 4WD vehicle for your to navigate and during which season.

One of our favourite ways to see the NT in style is to board the luxury Ghan rail service in Darwin or Adelaide and travel to Alice Springs, from where you can take an overnight side trip to Uluru. With all your onboard meals and drinks included, you can simply sit back and relax as the scenery changes outside.

See more rail journeys in Australia

See more Australia group tours

Interested in visiting Australia's Northern Territory?

If you'd like to include the Red Centre or the Top End in your Australia holiday or as part of a round the world holiday - we have plenty of ideas. Simply call our team of Australia experts on 1273 320 580 so we can put together a bespoke trip that includes everything you choose.

Request a quote by email