Which birds is this tour built around?

Central Australia’s spinifex and mulga specialists: dusky grasswren, Rufous-crowned emu-wren, painted finch, banded whiteface, spinifex pigeon, chiming wedgebill and purple-backed fairywren. The route also carries pink cockatoo, black-breasted buzzard, red-backed kingfisher, Bourke’s parrot and the mulga and gorge woodland birds of the West and East MacDonnell Ranges. Sightings vary with season and conditions and cannot be guaranteed.

How do I get to Alice Springs, and should I book a pre-tour night?

Alice Springs has direct flights from most Australian capital cities. The tour begins with a 6.30pm meet-and-greet dinner at the hotel on Day 1, so a pre-tour night isn’t essential if your flight arrives during the day, but is worth considering if you’d like time to rest after travelling. The tour finishes after breakfast on Day 7.

What is the level of physical activity?

Easy to moderate. Birding is done from short walks on gorge tracks, dry creek beds and rocky outcrops, with the vehicle never far away. Some sections, including the Ormiston Gorge and Trephina Gorge walks, involve uneven ground and short rises. Any individual walk can be skipped. Comfortable, sturdy walking shoes and sun protection are essential.

What wildlife can we expect to see?

Birds are the focus throughout, with Central Australia’s spinifex and mulga specialists the main target. Black-footed rock-wallabies are often seen on the scree at Simpsons Gap, and Alice Springs Desert Park’s Nocturnal House shows rare Red Centre nocturnal species that are otherwise very difficult to encounter in the wild.

Can I book a private departure?

Yes. This tour can also be run privately for groups of two to three guests; pricing is quoted on application and runs higher per person than the shared four-to-seven-guest departures. Contact our team with your preferred dates and group size.

Can I book a twin spot (half-twin share) if I am travelling on my own?

Yes, half-twin shares are available on request and are only offered if there is a suitable same-sex match on tour. If no suitable match is available, a single supplement will apply; please contact our team to discuss your options before booking.

Red Centre Birdwatching

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Dates

16 May 2027

20 June 2027

27 June 2027

17 Aug 2027
Trip Type Birdwatching
Twin Share Maximum of two adults
$ 6,290
Single $ 7,390

AGT Expert Guide

Australian Geographic Travel guides are experts in their fields, combining deep local knowledge with a genuine passion for our unique landscapes, wildlife, and cultures. Their professionalism, warmth, and storytelling skills create immersive, educational experiences and consistently deliver enriching and memorable journeys for every guest.

Duration

7 Days

Group Size

7 People

Activity Level

Easy to Moderate

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Spend seven days birding the Red Centre from Alice Springs, through the West and East MacDonnell Ranges and spinifex country.

The tour is based out of Alice Springs, and works outward from the town in three directions in a comfortable touring vehicle. South-east along Santa Teresa Road, through rolling mulga scrub and spinifex plains broken by rocky outcrops. West into Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park, where gorges cut through red quartzite ridgelines at Ormiston Gorge, Standley Chasm – Angkerle Atwatye, Serpentine Gorge and Simpsons Gap. East along the MacDonnell Ranges’ other flank to Trephina Gorge Nature Park, and into Alice Springs itself for the river red gums of the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve.

The birds are Central Australia’s spinifex and mulga specialists, and several are hard to see anywhere else. Dusky grasswren and Rufous-crowned emu-wren live in rocky outcrops and spinifex hummocks; painted finch and spinifex pigeon favour the same broken, stony country; banded whiteface and chiming wedgebill are mulga birds through and through. A behind-the-scenes visit to Alice Springs Desert Park adds its free-flying bird show and Nocturnal House to the list, built to allow visitors to see the Red Centre’s rare nocturnal species in daylight hours. Along Santa Teresa Road, the route also passes a rarely visited Arrernte rock art site and hopefully, a western bowerbird tending its bower.

The MacDonnell Ranges tell their own story: the quartzite ridgelines you drive past and walk through are the deeply eroded remnant of a mountain-building event roughly 300 to 350 million years ago, among the continent’s oldest landscapes. Standley Chasm sits in a reserve privately owned and run by the Iwupataka Land Trust rather than NT Parks, and is known for the MacDonnell Ranges Cycad (Macrozamia macdonnellii) growing on its slopes, a species endemic to the Northern Territory. Built in 1871 beside a waterhole the Arrernte call Atherreyrre, the Alice Springs Telegraph Station was the first European settlement in Central Australia and operated as a relay point on the Overland Telegraph Line for sixty years. The tour’s last night includes a gourmet barbecue dinner and guided stargazing at Earth Sanctuary, under skies rated among the country's darkest and clearest.

Who is this tour for?

Birdwatchers wanting the arid-zone specialists of Central Australia, in a small group capped at seven. The birds and the heat set the pace: early starts, a midday break, and birding again as the light softens in the afternoon. Prior birding experience isn’t required, but an interest in actually looking for birds is, since that’s what fills most of the seven days. It suits travellers comfortable with warm, dry conditions, short walks on uneven ground, and a single-hotel base rather than changing accommodation each night.

Search Central Australia’s spinifex and mulga country for dusky grasswren, Rufous-crowned emu-wren, painted finch, banded whiteface, spinifex pigeon and purple-backed fairywren
Bird the gorges of Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park (Ormiston Gorge, Standley Chasm (Angkerle Atwatye), Serpentine Gorge and Simpsons Gap) through dramatic quartzite ranges roughly 300 to 350 million years old.
Explore the renowned Santa Teresa Road, through mulga scrub, spinifex plains and a rarely visited Arrernte rock art site.
Watch a western bowerbird tending its bower from a lunch stop on Santa Teresa Road.
Take a behind-the-scenes tour of Alice Springs Desert Park, including its twice-daily free-flying bird show and the purpose-built Nocturnal House.
Watch for black-footed rock-wallabies at Simpsons Gap.
Walk Trephina Gorge in the East MacDonnell Ranges looking for diamond dove, Horsfield’s bronze-cuckoo and rainbow bee-eater.
Tour the historic Alice Springs Telegraph Station, the Overland Telegraph’s original 1871 relay station beside the Arrernte waterhole Atherreyrre.
Finish with a gourmet barbecue dinner and guided stargazing at Earth Sanctuary’s observatory under some of Australia’s darkest skies.

Six nights’ accommodation in en-suite rooms at Mercure Alice Springs.
Five breakfasts, five lunches and six dinners.
Comfortable air-conditioned touring vehicle (12-seater).
Historic Telegraph Station entry fees.
Alice Springs Desert Park behind-the-scenes tour.
Gourmet barbecue dinner and guided stargazing experience at Earth Sanctuary.

Itinerary

Your guide meets you in the hotel foyer for a welcome dinner, introductions and an outline of the week ahead.

Overnight: Alice Springs.
Meals: D.