Getting There -- The best way is to drive. There's no regular air service to Kings Canyon. Numerous four-wheel-drive tours head to Kings Canyon from Alice Springs or Uluru, with time allowed for the rim walk.

With a four-wheel-drive, you can get to Kings Canyon from Alice Springs on the unpaved Mereenie Loop Road. The regular route is the 480km (298-mile) trip from Alice Springs south on the Stuart Highway, then west onto the Lasseter Highway, and then north and west on the Luritja Road. All three roads are paved. Uluru is 306km (190 miles) to the south on a paved road; from Yulara, take the Lasseter Highway east for 125km (78 miles), turn left onto Luritja Road and go 168km (104 miles) to Kings Canyon Resort. The resort sells gasoline and diesel.

Getting Around

AAT Kings (tel. 1300/228 546 in Australia, or 08/8956 2171; www.aatkings.com) provides a number of tours, including a 12-hour day tour to Kings Canyon from the Ayers Rock Resort for A$198 per person. You can book through AAT Kings or the resort. Be warned, you will have to start out at 4 or 5am, depending on the time of year.

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