Nine days in the wilderness – a true outback adventure
One hundred kilometres of walking in the spectacular northern Flinders Ranges – with a team of camels to do the heavy lifting.
If you’re looking for a true wilderness experience and a unique adventure, consider our nine-day Flinders Ranges walking tour. This is not like most of our tours, which have a comfortable accommodation base to take day walks from. This adventure takes you out into the wilderness of the northern Flinders Ranges, where you’ll walk each day and camp each night. A team of pack camels will carry all the food and gear we need for the trip.
During the walk, your days will fall into an easy rhythm. You’ll wake with the sunrise and, as the camp fire heats up, you can grab a cup of billy tea and some breakfast. Then it’s time to pack up camp, load up the camels and hit the trail.
The walking is serene and spectacular. It can be rocky underfoot but it’s not difficult. Each day’s walk will be different – you might hike through a rugged gorge, walk along a dry creek bed or visit a waterhole with a chance of a quick dip.
As you walk, it’s worth keeping your eyes open for wildlife – in this region there are groups of emu, wallaby and kangaroo and plenty of bird life. With any luck we’ll spot wedge tailed eagles soaring overhead and we may even spot a rare yellow-footed rock wallaby.
After we arrive at our camp site for the night, the camels are fed and watered, camp is set up, a fire is lit and dinner gets underway. Any help you can offer to help set up camp or collect firewood is much appreciated but you can opt to read a book, head out for some bird watching or have an afternoon kip.
As the sun sinks, casting a rich red glow across the quiet landscape, it’s time to enjoy dinner and a chat around the campfire before tucking into your swag for the night.
For the duration of the trip, this easy rhythm becomes your routine and the ranges become your home. You’re just a small part of this vast and ancient landscape.
A trip like this – hiking in the wilderness for seven full days – would usually require a heavy pack of food and gear. But on this tour, the camels do all the heavy lifting, leaving you free to carry just a day pack. Spending a week living alongside the camels and learning about their care is fascinating – and it’s one more thing that makes this a truly unique journey.
Park Trek’s 9-day Flinders Ranges with Camels walking tour
Date: departing 14 September 2019. Tour dates in 2020: 29 April, 16 September.
Inclusions: all transport ex Adelaide, camping/accommodation, meals and snacks, experienced walking guide, camel team
Group size: a maximum of 10
Price: from $2890 per person twin share.
