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Alice Springs is the place to start exploring the Australian Outback. Alice Springs, also known as the Outback capital can be found driving on the 3000 km Stuart Highway, approximately halfway between Adelaide in the south and Darwin in the north.

If you have limited time to visit the Australian Outback, Alice Springs is the place to start. There are quite numerous tourist attractions in the area. The first and most famous attraction is Uluru, but those who want more from their trip than a sunset and a souvenir T-shirt should visit all Alice Springs Desert Park (this is the national park where Uluru can be found).

Undoubtedly the greatest tourist attraction on the Australian continent is Uluru (Ayers Rock), and Alice Springs sees so many tourists because Uluru is relatively close to it. However, many tourists fail to make a correct estimate about the distances in the Australian Outback: ‘close’ means Uluru is 450 km away from Alice Springs.

Those who spend some time in the Alice Springs area should also visit the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. It can be found only 50 km away from Uluru, so if you are at the Ayers Rock, you shouldn’t miss Kata Tjuta. The next great tourist attraction in the area is Wattarka – Kings Canyon. This is another national park, and if you want to visit, this means another 300 km trip from Uluru.

There are a lot of things to see in the Alice Springs area besides the top three tourists attractions. For those who have the time to explore the surroundings West MacDonnell Ranges and the East MacDonnell Ranges can be a good option, and Palm Valley, Hermannsburg, Chambers Pillar are also places to see.

If you are driving from Alice Springs to Darwin, you must prepare for a really long journey. Some people find the drive itself attractive. The great horizon, open space and ever changing landscape can be interesting. However, a lot of people complain because the drive can be also monotonous, with not much tourist attractions on the way.

One place to stop is Devils Marbles, 393 km north of Alice Springs. Mataranka, the next interesting place is 660 km away, and from here one must drive only 105 km to reach Katherine and one of the most beautiful places on the continent: Katherine Gorge. Those who arrive in Darwin will have a lot to see in the city itself, and also there are few national parks in the area, out of which Kakadu National Park and Litchfield National Park are the favorite with tourists.

If you are driving to the south from Alice Springs, halfway on the trip to Adelaide is the opal mining town Coober Pedy. This place is very different from the other Australian tourist attractions: a lot of people love it, others hate it.

For those who are looking for real adventure, there is the Outback of the Australian Outback, the Kimberley region in the remote north-west territory. This is the place where most of time 4WD jeeps are the only means of transportation. Among the must see thing there is the Great Northern Highway from Broome to Kununura, the Gibb River Road, and countless waterfalls, rock pools, secret fishing spots, national parks and one of the world’s top 5 beaches.

Isabella Olsen is a travel writer who has toured major destinations worldwide, including many European countries by car. To book a car hire Cyprus, or learn more about discount car hire worldwide, visit www.zencarhire.com