In shaping our current Mondumo Australia in 14 Days itinerary, we made a deliberate choice to spend more time in regional New South Wales, including Coffs Harbour, Dorrigo National Park and Uralla. This gives the tour a more varied pace, with more opportunities for local culture, rural landscapes and real conversations along the way.
If you’d like to read more about that side of the journey, see our article Exploring Rural Australia: A More Personal Way to Experience the Country.
Coffs Harbour Kangaroos Photo: David Willett
In deciding not to spend time in Alice Springs and Uluṟu, we are able to spend more time in regional New South Wales, including Coffs Harbour, Dorrigo National Park and Uralla. This gives the itinerary more variety, more local connection, and a more comfortable pace, while still leaving tour members free to add Uluṟu independently before or after the tour.
We’ve written more about why rural Australia is such a meaningful part of the Mondumo experience in our article: Exploring Rural Australia: A More Personal Way to Experience the Country.
Want to include Uluṟu as part of your wider Australia trip? Read our notes above on how to add it independently before or after your Mondumo tour.
Or, if you’re curious about the rural Australia experiences now included in the itinerary, explore our Australia in 14 Days tour.
Kings Canyon Rim Walk. Credit: Tourism & Events NT/Safari Global
How to visit Alice Springs and Uluṟu on your own
It is very easy to arrange a visit to Alice Springs and Uluṟu on your own before or after our tour.
There are several operators running regular tours between the famous sites.
AAT Kings is the main operator and they have a few variations on the length of time and combinations of places you visit. There are also a couple of smaller operators called Emu Run and SEIT.
AAT Kings have large comfortable buses, usually with group sizes to match; SEIT use smaller vehicles and offer a more personal experience; and Emu Run is somewhere in between in terms of being a smaller more personal experience and group size.
If you’d rather avoid the most sweltering of the sweltering heat in the Red Centre, remember that the seasons are the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere. If you are joining a Mondumo Australia in 14 Days tour that starts in September/October, you will have a better chance of cooler weather conditions before the start of our tour. If your Mondumo Australia in 14 Days tour is in March/April, going to the Red Centre after the tour will be the better option.
Main Photo: Kings Canyon Rim Walk. Credit: Tourism & Events NT/Safari Global