Alice Springs Desert Park
Alice Springs Desert Park
Alice Springs Desert Park
4.5
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Alice Springs Desert Park is an inspiring portrayal of Australia’s central desert environment that effortlessly blends the plants, birds, animals and people of our arid regions within one, extraordinary tourism and conservation facility. Our ‘natural’ attraction is as distinctive as the Australian desert itself - a truly unique experience that continues to captivate and educate travellers from every corner of the globe. There’s much more to deserts than meets the eye and our visitors are astonished by the life and beauty they discover on their journey with us.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Restaurants
40 within 3 miles
Attractions
67 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,101 reviews
Excellent
1,448
Very good
498
Average
100
Poor
36
Terrible
19
Alvi2glass
Greater Melbourne, Australia148 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
Having lived in Melbourne most of my
Time in Australia - there is not much opportunity to learn or interact with our
First Nation People.
This is a terrific opportunity to get a first hand account from local indigenous people who are knowledgeable, proud and
erudite about their culture over 30,000 years old.
I would recommend going as early as possible and availing of all the many
Discussions, shows & talks ( talk on Nocturnal animals a must see)
Great value for money and very well presented .
Time in Australia - there is not much opportunity to learn or interact with our
First Nation People.
This is a terrific opportunity to get a first hand account from local indigenous people who are knowledgeable, proud and
erudite about their culture over 30,000 years old.
I would recommend going as early as possible and availing of all the many
Discussions, shows & talks ( talk on Nocturnal animals a must see)
Great value for money and very well presented .
Written June 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
swhealey
92 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
We spent a fantastic morning wandering around the park to see lots of Aussie animals in their natural habitat.
The bird show was excellent with some very clever feathered friends flying around in the open.
The staff are very good & knowledgeable. The talk by Kirsty on kangaroos was amazing & eye opening to this Aussie!
A great place to visit & ask questions.
The bird show was excellent with some very clever feathered friends flying around in the open.
The staff are very good & knowledgeable. The talk by Kirsty on kangaroos was amazing & eye opening to this Aussie!
A great place to visit & ask questions.
Written March 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jason R
Darwin, Australia158 contributions
Jan 2021 • Family
What a great little park. Staff at the front counter were friendly and informative. The park was filled with information and the big surprise was the nocturnal house, much bigger than expected from the outside. If traveling with young ones would recommend going early as we left it a little late and ended up walking around in the middle of the day, which was a little too hot. Cold water fountains throughout the walk so will not run dry. Great stop if visiting the red centre.
Written January 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
T & A Hardman
Newcastle, Australia10 contributions
May 2021
Really enjoyed our visit to the Desert Park, loved that it was basically the natural environment that was there. Not a lot of animals, but a really enjoyable experience. Loved the bird show, so clever that the birds are free birds that come down on cue and do exactly what they do in the wild. Have seen a few birds shows, but this was hands down the best I have ever seen.
Written June 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Margar550
Barossa Valley, Australia76 contributions
Oct 2022
We visited on a very warm day and really appreciated the fact that they were open at 8am and we could spend a few hours in the cool of the day. An excellent experience - don't miss the film at the very start as this sets you up proviing context and information about what you are about to see. Visit the nocturnal house, watch the dingos and there are several 'shows' where the guides talk you through different species. A must for young and old!
Written November 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wanderlust Family
Tolmie, Australia1,088 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
Immerse yourself in the raw natural beauty of Central Australia. Amazing experience for all the family. Lots of native flora and fauna, such a beautiful & peaceful park to walk around. Presentations given were very informative. A must when in Alice.
Written June 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David K
Norwich, UK161 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
We arrived later in the day having just arrived from Sydney and I believe we were the only guests in the park. We missed most of the ranger talks as these occur throughout the day. There was an array of very colourful birds making an amazing sound. The whole landscape seems very alien to us from The UK. The nocturnal house was full of strange looking (for us) animals which we could easily see when the eyes had adjusted to the dark. We wished we had more time to explore more thoroughly but it was still a good experience.
Written February 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Randall H
Everett, WA14 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
My wife and I visited this private park on October 8, 2022. We had not seen any Australian animals in the wild during our trip around the country and saw several in captivity here in addition to some in the Sydney Zoo. We participated in a couple of staff-lead talks, which were informative. The highlight of the park visit was a session in a bleachers area in which a fellow called out several birds in sequence, which flew over the participants at close range. We were disappointed that almost none of the National Parks in Australia offer much in the way of description of habitat or other facets of life in the wild. That task seems to fall to private entities.
Written October 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lorraine L
Tarwin Lower, Australia3,581 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
We arrived here early enough to see the bird exhibition at the amphitheatre, the show starts just after 10.00am and the gates are closed then and if you arrive late they don’t let you in. After the show we walked around the park visiting the various exhibits. This is a great little park and we really enjoyed our time here, it certainly helps that it is set with the backdrop of the West MacDonnell ranges. We thought the prices were fair and would recommend a visit to the park when in Alice Springs.
Written April 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandra Jay
Perth, Australia70 contributions
Sep 2021 • Solo
No cafe as advertised and the cinema was broken so I was bored after about an hour or two. Although the bird show was excellent so I would definitely recommend going to see that. I went with Emu Run and paid $70 which I feel was very over priced. I also felt very sorry for the 2 dingos. Their enclosure was so small, they must get so bored.
Written September 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Sandra, Thanks for visiting and taking the time to get in touch. The welfare of our animals is an absolute priority here at Alice Springs Desert Park. Please be assured that our zoology team monitor every animal closely and consistently, and all of our animals receive plenty of care and stimulating enrichment, including daily feeding, cleaning, enrichment and health and welfare practices. Digger and Marle can regularly be seen taking one of our keepers for a walk around the Desert Park. We are also a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) which has their own code of ethics and set of animal welfare standards that all member institutions must abide by. The Desert Park is one of two accredited members within the Northern Territory.
Written October 19, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Approximately how many hours should I allocate to see everything?
Written January 23, 2019
The show itself is about 1 hour, then there are walks around and kangaroos etc to see if you want.So I would say 2-3 hours.
Written February 1, 2019
I like my feet to be comfortable and in solid footwear. Is it worth wearing sturdy walking shoes/boots on the trails, or is this over the top? Are most of the walkways paved or natural?
Written November 4, 2017
You could actually just wear thongs as the paths are well maintained but it would be wiser to wear closed in shoes, just a light pair of runners or similar... Mostly I recommend the closed in shoe, just in case you encounter any slithery critters and to keep your feet less dusty... If doing the night tour, definately wear closed in decent shoes..
Written November 5, 2017
Why can I book online for only one traveller (your website booking page)?
My husband and I want to go together...
Written August 29, 2017
Hi Ray. My husband and I just turned up and purchased our tickets. No problems. With the different shows and talks it lets you know on the timetable where to be at what time if your interested. The first show starts at 8.30 which was fantastic and then there are talks about the aboriginal bush tucker and medicines which was very interesting.
Written August 30, 2017
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