Coach day tour · Ayers Rock Resort hotels
This coach day goes from Ayers Rock Resort to Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory, in Watarrka National Park, not to the California park of the same name. You stop for a cooked breakfast, then choose the 6 km Rim Walk or an easier walk on the canyon floor, and you are back at the resort the same evening.
Kings Canyon sits in Watarrka National Park, at the western end of the George Gill Range in Australia's Red Centre. Its sandstone walls rise 100 m above Kings Creek, according to the NT Government, to a plateau of rocky domes. It is a long way from anywhere: Tourism NT gives about 3.5 hours by road from Ayers Rock Airport, and there are no taxis or shuttle buses out there. That is the job this tour does. You get picked up at your hotel in Ayers Rock Resort and someone else drives the whole way.
The coach stops for a cooked breakfast at Kings Creek Station, then you pick your walk. The main event is the Rim Walk, which the listing calls a 3.7-mile (6 km) hike: a steep climb at the start, then a loop along the top past lookouts down into the gorge. The NT Government rates it Grade 4, moderate to difficult, and allows 3 to 4 hours. If that sounds like too much, the listing offers a less strenuous walk along the boulder-strewn canyon floor. Guests say the guides explain both options clearly before you choose. The Garden of Eden, a rockhole about halfway round the rim, is included only if time allows, so don't count on it. Lunch is at your own expense, and then the coach heads back.
Plan for a big day. It runs 12 hours, and the listing allows up to 40 people on the coach, so pace on the walk is a group thing. The guides make it work; reviews keep naming them. One more detail: the NT Parks Pass is not in the price. The listing asks you to buy it online first, at AUD 10 per person. The listing also says that from 1 April 2027 the pass will be included in the tour price. More in our NT Parks Pass explainer.
The coach collects you from one of four points: Ayers Rock Campground, Outback Pioneer Hotel & Lodge, Desert Gardens Hotel or Sails in the Desert. Guests say to be ready for an early start.
The route runs along the Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road, both sealed. Your guide gives commentary as you go, in an air-conditioned coach.
A cooked breakfast is included at Kings Creek Station, a working cattle station 36 km from the canyon. The station says it is closed from 1 November 2026 to 1 March 2027, so check with the operator how breakfast works on those dates.
Fit walkers climb to the rim and follow the clockwise loop past lookouts into the gorge. Everyone else takes the easier, shorter walk among the boulders of the canyon floor.
On the rim, walkers can drop down to the Garden of Eden, a rockhole surrounded by rare plants. Swimming is not permitted there.
Lunch is at your own expense, then the coach returns to Ayers Rock Resort to finish a day of about 12 hours.
★★★★★We had an amazing day! The Rim Walk was absolutely fantastic and definitely worth it. [...] We really appreciated how clearly the team explained the two different hiking options, helping us choose the one best suited to our abilities.
★★★★★Our guide Lucy was very knowledgeable and professional, as well as being lots of fun. She did a fantastic job keeping everyone safe while also making the experience enjoyable. [...] The walk was amazing, and because we had been after the rain, the waterfall and serenity in the Garden of Eden was breathtaking.
★★★★★Huge day, up early and worth it, Hayley & Col were awesome - very informative - loved our day & would highly recommend
★★★★★Guides were great be prepared for an early start and a massive day
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Not yet. The listing says the NT Parks Pass is compulsory for tours into Watarrka National Park and asks you to buy it online for AUD 10 per person. The listing also states that from 1 April 2027 the pass will be included in the tour price. The NT Government sells the pass online only, before you go.
The NT Government grades the Rim Walk 4, moderate to difficult: a 6 km loop with a steep climb at the start, walked clockwise in 3 to 4 hours. The listing calls it a 3-hour circuit for people with a good level of fitness. If you would rather not climb, the tour offers an easier walk on the canyon floor. The Rim Walk guide covers the route in detail.
Only if time allows. The listing says walkers may descend into the Garden of Eden, a rockhole about halfway along the Rim Walk, time permitting. Swimming is not permitted there, per the NT Government.
About 12 hours, hotel to hotel. Tourism NT gives a drive of about 3.5 hours each way from Ayers Rock Airport, so most of the morning and late afternoon is road time. Want more time at the canyon? A multi-day trip like the 3-day camping tour spends a night nearby. Our Uluru to Kings Canyon guide compares the options.
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Breakfast on the way, then the Rim Walk or an easier canyon-floor walk, back at Ayers Rock Resort the same night. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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