Larapinta Trail, Northern Territory, Australia

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When I lived and worked in Alice Springs, my wife and I would most evenings head off to the Telegraph Station and hike the trails there. I would also to the Telegraph Station on my own and many times set off on the first leg of the Larapinta Trail to Simpsons Gap. Having loved living in the Alice, I decided to go back and finally go on with the trail all the way to its end at the top of Mount Sonder, a distance of 234kms.

So having booked my trip with World Expeditions, in August 2017, I set off for a 14 day trek through the glorious Red Centre of the Northern Territory. The first two days to Simpson Gap and on to Jay Creek were quite long days at 23 and 24 kms respectively. We were lucky with the temperature, most days hovering about 28%C. The previous couple of weeks had been extremely hot. The track was well marked and quite easy to followand the guides were greatas well. How they created the meals they did over a camp fire was amazing and very much appreciated.

The scenery was spectacular as we moved through along the track, climbing onto the top of one side of a ridge before crossing over to the other side. Evenings around the camp fire were great and then early nights in your swag, looking at the clearist night sky you will ever see. Swimming, or bathing in some of the waterholes we camped at was challenging, as the water was so cold it certainly took your breathe away.

We started the climb of Mount Sonder at about 3am and summited to watch the sun rise over the Red Centre, a spectacular view. It was really cold at that time of night, but soon warmed up on the way down. A great way to end what for me was a fantastic trek.

As previousy commented, I booked through World Expeditions and I cannot fault the 14 days I spent on the trek with them. Your swags and bags was transported for you, so you only carried your day pack, which mostly contained lunch, nibbles and water, lots of it. They also do have great campsites set up for people who want a more comfortable trip and a couple of times we snuck into their campstie and used their lovely hot bush showers !!

A great trek and for anyone wanting to see the real Red Centre of Australia, a must.

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Photos

The start of the Larapinta Trail
I had walked past bthis sign many times, now was the time to go the whole way

Troop Carrier, kitchen and everything in between
Early morning loading up the troopie

Day 3 - To Stanley Chasm
A small and beautiful climb

Setting up the Camp
Pick a space, any space to lay down your swag.

A waterhole to freshen up in
The water but sure cold and ceratinly woke you up

A room with a view
Just lay out your tarp and sway and watch the amazing night sky show.

Mount Sonder
Looking through to the end of the trail, Mount Sonder

Just a great view
Where there is water there is life. The bird life was great around this waterhole

Sunrise over the Red Centre
Sunrise at Mount Sonder. Looking over the Red Centre. Just awesome, an early start and cold, but wow, that was certainly worth it.

Mount Sonder
The end of a fantastic trek. The Larapinta Trail has not been open long and work is still being done to it to improve it, but it really is a great trek.