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On this page: | What's included on our tours
On this page: | What's included on our tours
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Find out more about our tours by clicking on their tabs above.
Updated tours pages include: We are in the process of revamping our web site and developing new tours,
What's included on our tours?Guides: 2 experienced guides to support your walks, prepare your meals and take care of the logistics of the tour Gear: All swags and bedding; the option of a tent; all cups, plates, cooking and catering equipment; fold-out chairs for the evenings and other gear to facilitate an excellent camping experience Information: Interpretive guiding while walking; books on flowers, plants and birds with the guide and the Trek Larapinta Library to peruse back at camp. Transport: Vehicle to carry both you and your gear, pick-ups and drop-offs to your accomodation either side of the trip and all shuttles around the National Park during the trek Meals: Sustaining breakfasts, fresh & tasty lunches and plenty of snacks for the trail, high-quality dinners, real coffee, bottled wine Accomodation: Outback camping (in the "5 hundred-thousand star hotel") in comfortable swags (all bedding for swags included) and the option of a tent (if that is your preference, or in the rare event of rain!) Permits: All relevant permits for National Parks and Aboriginal Land Safety: Guides trained in First-Aid and First-Aid kits with the vehicle and trail guide; a satellite phone with the trail guide for emergencies in remote areas. What's not included: Backpacks, water bottles, head torches, lightweight raincoat, cameras, binoculars, flights, airport taxes, transfers to or from the airport, travel insurance, visas, accomodation outside that which is provided during tour times, any tours or activities you opt to do in free time, personal items. Relevant for End2End only: backpacks and sleeping gear (lightweight mats, sleeping bags, tents) for the overnight walks are not included. | Walking | Dining | Sleeping | Things to know | Things to bring | What you carry | Back to top |
Information for walkers| Jump to:A bit about the Trek Larapinta experience: A bit about what you need: Navigating this page:
| Walking:Our style of walking is to take plenty of time to enjoy the birds, plants, animals, scenery and the fact of just being in the bush. We don't race from A to B. That way, you can enjoy both the challenge and the beauty of the trail and surrounds: take a few photographs, sit down occasionally for a cup of tea, ask questions about what you've seen, or just be. The Larapinta Trail is part of a strong, ancient and fascinating landscape. "For us," says Shane, owner and guide, "the trail provides an avenue to be here in the land and feel enriched by this experience. We want to walk so that we stay open to the wider experience of being here." For fundamental safety, the group needs to stay together, and this may require walkers to adjust their pace to the group. Faster walkers soon adjust to the joys of pausing in the shade, taking time to listen to the interpretative guide and absorbing the wonders of the trail. | Dining | Sleeping | What you carry | Things to know | Things to bring | What's included | Top of info for walkers | Tour tabs | Back to top |
| Dining:Good meals all day: With sustaining food for breakfast, fresh & tasty meals for lunches, quality camp-cooked food for dinners and plenty of snacks for the trail, you are bound to enjoy your eating with Trek Larapinta. Catering for dietary requirements: With notice, we can cater for vegetarians and meet medical dietary requirements. For non-medical dietary preferences, please get in touch with us. We like to do what we can to cater for your needs, but because we're in a remote area and aren't able to restock while on tour, we do need notice and appreciate your consideration and understanding of these limits. | Walking | Sleeping | What you carry | Things to know | Things to bring | What's included| Top of info for walkers | Tour tabs | Back to top |
| Sleeping:Swags and the sky: Whether you've slept in a swag hundreds of times or never before at all, we think you'll enjoy this part of being out on the trail. A swag is a foam mattress protected by canvas and, it in, we put bedding that's clean and cosy and warm. We can provide you with a tent if you wish, but a swag allows you to enjoy our predominantly clear Central Australian nights and a ceiling of stars. | Walking | Dining | What you carry | Things to know | Things to bring | What's included | Top of info for walkers | Tour tabs | Back to top |
| What you carry:Minimal weight: Because you have two guides—one on the trail to carry safety equipment and one back at camp organising the logistics of the tour—you only carry a day pack for your walk. In your pack: Most of the weight will be water to sustain you while walking in the Central Australian climate, which (apart from the very rare splashes of rain) is sunny and dry even only cold days. We recommend you carry at least 3 litres of water each day. In addition to water, you only carry some lunch items, whatever snacks you'd like for the day and whatever personal items (such as camera and binoculars) you'd like with you on the trail. A little bit more for the End2End: On our End2End Tour, we include just a couple overnight walks so you can enjoy this added challenge and privilege of sleeping out on the trail and waking on ridge-tops to watch the surrounding world fill up with light. On these walks, you'll need to carry enough water for 2 days plus some for the evening (cups of tea/cooking), your sleeping gear (unlike the swags, overnight sleeping gear is not included) and personal items. | Walking | Dining | Sleeping | Things to know | Things to bring | What's included | Top of info for walkers | Tour tabs | Back to top |
| Things to know:What to know about weather: Winter weather in Central Australia is near-perfect for walking. You predominantly enjoy sunny blue skies, but with the moderate temperatures of winter rather than the baking heat of summer. But when night falls, the temperature drops fast! So come prepared for warm days and chilly nights. Check out 'Things to bring: Clothing' for some ideas. What to know about boots and feet: One of the challenges of the Larapinta Trail is its often uneven and rocky surface, which can be quite tough on boots and feet, particularly as your feet heat up with walking. Even experienced walkers who don't get blisters elsewhere can fall prey to them on this trail, but with enough preparation, we can reduce the chances that this will happen to you. Your feet are one of your most valuable commodities on the trail, so it's worth taking the time to make sure you've prepared them well. Check out 'Things to bring: Footwear' for some ideas. What to know about water: Keeping yourself hydrated is even more important that keeping your feet blister free. Drinking enough water while walking will help you with the stamina and clear thinking you need to walk the trail. Not drinking enough water causes high risks to your health and safety, the least of which are symptoms such as dizziness and poor concentration and the greater of which can be quite severe. But these risks are easy to avoid: just keep drinking water. It's simple but essential for your enjoyment of the tour. Check out 'Things to bring: Water containers' for some ideas. What to know about the showers: This trail is arid and somewhat remote, so whatever water we wish to use we need to bring in ourselves. There are no shower facilities along the trail, but you can have have a "bird bath", which is to wash down from water in a small basin, from which you can feel surprisingly fresh and clean, so bring along a towel. What to know about swimming in waterholes: We can swim in some of the waterholes we come to. As part of responsible and eco-friendly travel, we can't wash in them, and it's good to have a bit of a "bird bath" beforehand, to remove sunscreens so we can avoid polluting these valuable drinking sources for animals in this desert land. The water can be a bit chilly, but it can be refreshing to take a plunge after walking for a day, so bring along some bathers as well as your towel. What to know about the toilets: The toilet, for the most part, is a shovel and a patch of scrub. Responsible and eco-friendly bush toilet protocol is to ensure that you toilet at least 100m from any trail or watercourse (even the sandy banks of ephemeral rivers in these regions) and dig at least 15cm down to make sure that it can be covered in such a way to avoid visual pollution or its discovery by fossicking animals. | Walking | Dining | What you carry | Things to bring | What's included | Top of info for walkers | Tour tabs | Back to top |
| Things to bring:Clothing: Long pants or shorts and lightweight, long-sleeved tops to walk in. A broad-brimmed hat. You'll also need to bring a leightweight raincoat for inclement weather or winds. We have cloth gaiters you can use for a bit of added protection if you prefer to walk in shorts. Don't forget your bathers and a towel. Bring along comfortable, warm, cosy clothes to change into at night. Scarves, gloves, beanies and ugg-boots are good to rug up in as the temperature falls. Footwear: Boots: The footwear needs to suit warm days and sharp, uneven rocky surfaces. We prefer to walk in low-cut, firm-soled walking boots. Retailers in outdoor-gear should also be able to give you good advice.It's good to get the balance of boots that are worn-in but not worn-out. If the boots are "worn-in", it will reduce the chances that you'll get blisters. But if the boots are "worn-out", they are likely to fall apart on the tough surfaces of the trail. Socks: Thin wikking socks that allow good circulation and have padded soles work well for these conditions. Preparing your feet: You may like to have your feet seen to by a podiatrist if you suffer from problem nails, callouses or corns, and you yourself can trim the nails. As we said, your feet will be very valuable to you during this tour, and a little preparation can go a long way. Water containers: It's essential that you bring along enough containers to carry at least 3 litres or more of water a day and possibly some extra containers, in case one bursts or breaks. Camelbak or Platypus drinking bladders are great for constantly sipping as you walk. Other, sturdier bottles are good to have on hand as back-ups and to carry additional water in your pack. A small thermos can also be a good idea so you have have a cup of tea at a lookout or in a patch of shade. Bags: You'll need a day-pack for walking and another, larger bag to hold all your other things back at camp. Large backpacks or other soft bags are easier for us to fit in the trailer than suitcases and also tend to be better suited to camping. End2End-ers will also need a pack that can carry enough for two days and a night on the trail. Other items: Bring along any toiletries or personal items you'll need. Headtorches are useful for seeing your way around after the sun goes down or before it rises. Although the campfire, Trek Larapinta library, beautiful surrounds and cosy swags are usually enough for the evenings, you may like to bring along your own book, small writing or sketch-pad, pack of cards or so forth. Don't forget your camera and—without the ability to recharge or download—a spare battery and memory card doesn't go astray. | Walking | Dining | What you carry | Things to know | What's included | Top of info for walkers | Tour tabs | Back to top |
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We are in the process of revamping our web site, so please bear with us as we gradually add information and make modifications. If you have any questions or anything fails to load, simply email us : info@treklarapinta.com.au |
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