Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park is one of my favourite national parks in Australia, located in between Alice Springs and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park in the heart of the Northern Territory.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
For thousands of years, the Arrernte people lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived, calling it Tjoritja, a name now reflected in the official name of the national park.
The first Europeans to explore the area were led in 1860 by the Scottish explorer John McDouall Stuart from Adelaide northwards, a journey of about ten months. The highway that now connects Adelaide to Darwin, bisecting Australia from south to north, is named the Stuart Highway after him. Stuart named the ranges of the present-day national park after Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, then-Governor of South Australia. "West" was added in 1889 after the expedition led by William Harry Tietkens as they had traveled west from Alice Springs. It became the West MacDonnell National Park in 1992; Tjoritja was added in 2014 to reflect the Aboriginal name of the area.
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Useful Information for Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park, the traditional language of the Arrernte people is Arrernte.
→ Learn more about the language of the Arrernte people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park is in the centre of Australia, in the heart of the Northern Territory and can get very hot during the summer. I recommend visiting in autumn (March-May), winter (June-August) or spring (September-November) for pleasant, sunny days.
Length of stay: We spent two days exploring the Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park including a night of camping in the park to properly enjoy the driving, hiking and gorges.
How to Get to Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
By flight: The closest airport to Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park is in Alice Springs, the gateway town to both this national park as well as Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Alice Springs Airport connects nationally across Australia to Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney and Tennant Creek.
→ Rent a car at Alice Springs Airport.
All the roads in Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park are paved and suitable for any type of vehicle. The only section of road around here that is unpaved is the Mereenie Loop connecting the national park with Kings Canyon starting from the Larapinta/Namatjira Drive intersection to the north of Watarrka National Park. Only 4WDs can use this road and require a permit. If you want to visit Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park, I recommend driving the sealed route from Alice Springs south on the Stuart Highway to the Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road entering the park from the southern side.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park is with your own wheels. This gives you the freedom to explore the national park at your own pace, stopping whenever and wherever you like.
→ Rent a campervan in Alice Springs with Apollo, Camplify or Indie.
By guided tour: There are a number of day and multi-day trips to Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park from Alice Springs, some also in combination with Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.
→ Book a guided day or multi-day tour of Tjoritja / West MacDonell National Park from Alice Springs!
Driving into the park from Alice Springs
Where to Stay in Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
It is possible to visit Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park as a day trip from Alice Springs but since there are so many places to hike and explore, I recommend at least two or three days to properly enjoy the park.
Cabins: There is only one non-camping choice located within the national park itself, Glen Helen, offering cabins alongside camping options.
Camping: The most popular way to visit Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park is with your own wheels with a campervan, trailer or rooftop tent giving you the ultimate freedom and flexibility to explore.
There are both free and paid camping options within the national park. A fabulous free campsite is at the Point Howard Lookout, a worthy stop on its own for the incredible views. There are no toilets, so you must be self-contained to stay here, but there are covered picnic tables and trash bins to use.
We stayed at a paid campground during our time in Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park as it made more geographical sense for us. We camped at the Ormiston Gorge Campground with perfect access to the river running through the gorge as well as the starting point for different hikes. As it is a paid campground there are showers, toilets and cooking facilities.
Best Things to Do in Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park as a day trip from Alice Springs but since there are so many places to hike and explore, I recommend at least two or three days to properly enjoy the park. When planning your trip, note that this part of Australia can get very hot during the summer. I recommend visiting between April and October for pleasant, sunny days.
I have included everything we did in geographical order from east to west as if you were traveling from Alice Springs. The most common way to explore the park is to head west out of Alice Springs along Larapinta Drive then turn right onto Namatijra Drive, a loop road reconnecting with Larapinta Drive at the end of the park. From there, if you have a 4WD you can continue west towards Kings Canyon otherwise you can just take Larapinta Drive straight back to Alice Springs.
Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park incurs park entry fees (or you can visit if you hold an NT Annual Parks Visitor Pass).
Head into Simpsons Gap
This is the closest attraction in the national park to Alice Springs; if you're tight on time and primarily in the area to visit Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, then you could just make a day trip to Simpsons Gap to at least get a taste of how wonderful Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park is. It's just a 20-minute drive from Alice Springs!
Simpsons Gap is a beautiful gorge carved by water over millions of years into the red rocks. There is a permanent waterhole here but you cannot swim in it. The walk is just 500 metres from the parking lot and took us only ten minutes and it was seriously so beautiful. I would recommend to come in the morning so you get the sunlight shining directly into the gorge; you can see that some of our photos were quite shadowy in the afternoon light.
Hike into Standley Chasm
Standley Chasm is one of the most photographed spots in the national park featuring an incredible narrow gorge at the end of a short hike of about 1km each way. Try to come around midday as you'll get the best chance of sunlight coming straight down into the gorge lighting up the tall red cliff walls.
As it's located on Aboriginal land and operated by the traditional owners, there is an extra cost to walk into the Gap in addition to the national park entry fees which you can pay on site at the small kiosk in the parking lot. At the time of our visit, we paid AUD $12 each to visit Standley Chasm.
Take in the views from Section 3 of the Larapinta Trail
About halfway along the walk into Standley Chasm, you can take a short, steep hike up Section 3 of the Larapinta Trail to reach a viewpoint overlooking the Chasm and the Ranges.
This extra detour is marked on the paper map you get at the entrance kiosk and the staff will point it out for you. It is quite a steep, challenging trek and added about 45 minutes on to our visit.
As it's located on Aboriginal land and operated by the traditional owners, there is an extra cost to walk into the Gap in addition to the national park entry fees which you can pay on site at the small kiosk in the parking lot. At the time of our visit, we paid AUD $12 each to visit Standley Chasm.
Admire the view from Point Howard Lookout
This is fabulous lookout with breathtaking views of the ranges of Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park. You can also camp here for free; I've included the details above under "where to camp".
Go for a swim in Ellery Creek Big Hole
Ellery Creek Big Hole is one of the best and most popular swimming spots in the national park. Depending on the time of day and year you'll get different light and water clarity but it's basically a giant waterhole nestled between the red cliffs. It's a short walk down from the parking lot to swim and there's also a simple, paid campground here if you want to spend the night and use the waterhole at different times of day.
Admire the view from Neil Hargrave Lookout
This is another beautiful lookout with breathtaking views of the ranges of Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park. You can also camp here for free.
Photograph the road
This is an amazing spot to carefully pull over while you drive through Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park as it has the perfect view of the ranges rising up ahead as the road dips down slightly. Make sure to stand back and use your camera's zoom to get the right height of the ranges in the photo! We timed it with golden hour on our way to our campground at Ormiston Gorge and it was just dreamy.
Explore Ormiston Gorge
Ormiston Gorge is a stunning swimming spot along a river through a gorge with steep red cliff walls and sandy beaches. This was one of our favourite spots to hang out especially as we chose to camp here (see the "where to stay" section) as it meant we got to see it in both the evening and morning light.
In the evening
The next morning
Hike up to Ghost Gum Lookout
This short, beautiful hike starts at the base of Ormiston Gorge and leads up to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the entire gorge and surrounding area. It's only 1.3km roundtrip and should take you about half an hour and so worth it.
Take in the view from Tylers Pass Lookout
This lookout is at the very western end of Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park with a panoramic view out to Gosses Bluff, an incredible crater, the result of an asteroid or comet about 1km wide which crashed into earth about 142 million years old!
Spot wild camels
Of course, you cannot predict wildlife, but if you get lucky, you might spot wild camels drinking at this local waterhole. It was a totally surreal experience for us; as we were driving along Namatjira Drive finished with our itinerary for Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park and heading back towards Alice Springs, a herd of wild camels appeared beside us on the road. Not a single other person was around for the entire hour that we hung out with them, watching them drink at the waterhole. More camels continued to join, crossing the road right in front of our van. So special and a moment I'll never forget.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
