2026 Trekking Itinerary
Celebrating a half-century of adventure, endurance, and connection to Country
Great Desert Walks is the banner under which the Outback Camel Company and Australian Desert Expeditions conduct their respective desert trekking operations. And 2026 marks a milestone year for the Outback Camel Company: the 50th Anniversary of Australia’s original desert camel-trekking enterprise.
It all began in the summer of 1976, when the late Rex Ellis started leading camel treks through the Flinders Ranges before attempting something truly audacious: a full crossing of the Simpson Desert that winter. No one had made such a journey since Cecil Madigan’s 1939 expedition. Concluding outside the Birdsville Hotel, the 1976 crossing became Australia’s first commercial camel expedition, firmly establishing Rex Ellis as a pioneer of adventurous outback tourism.
Today, we continue Rex’s vision for “getting out there and having a go,” with our yearly trekking schedule now incorporating the Australian Desert Expeditions +science ecological and scientific surveys.
The guiding ethos of all our treks remains the same as it was on that first Simpson Desert expedition in 1976: simplicity, slowness, respect for Country, and a willingness to be changed by the power of the landscape and the remarkable personalities of the camels who walk beside you.
Outback Camel Company founder Rex Ellis (1942-2025)
2026 Great Desert Walks Trekking Schedule
Listed below, in sequential order from April to September, are all the walking treks for 2026, identified as either Outback Camel Company (OCC) or Australian Desert Expeditions +science (ADE).
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By clicking on each trek/expedition, you will be taken to the summary below, from where you can link to the appropriate webpage for full trip details, further information, and booking options.
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BOOKINGS ARE NOW OPEN​​​​​​​​
Western Simpson Desert Trek - OCC
Western Red Dunes Survey - ADE
Simpson Desert Expedition - OCC
Eastern Simpson Desert Trek - OCC
Eastern Munga-Thirri Survey -ADE
Watti Watti/Koomarinna Survey -ADE
Kallakoopah Creek Megafauna Expedition
April 23 - May 2
May 1 - May 8
May 10 - June 12
June 12 - June 15
June 19 - June 22
June 23 - July 2
July 3 - July 13
July 14 - July 27
July 28 - August 6
August 7 - August 20
August 21 - August 31
September 1 - September 10
Western Simpson Desert Trek
Outback Camel Company
We begin our 50th Anniversary trekking season with a return to a classic: our journey through the beautiful red and crimson dunes of the western Simpson Desert in the Northern Territory. This trek has long been a favourite, cherished by first-time adventurers and by the many walkers who have travelled with us again and again over the decades. There’s something about this landscape, its colours, its quietness, and the rhythm of travelling with our camels that keeps drawing people back.
Dates: April 23 to May 2
Walking days: 8
Departs from/concludes in: Alice Springs
Trek price: $7600 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $7220
Western Red Dunes Survey
Australian Desert Expeditions +science
This shorter trek marks the first ADE survey we’ve conducted in the Northern Territory since 2021, and it will be our only survey on the western side in 2026. Walking amongst the red dunes, our field ecologists will be focusing on the rejuvenation of flora and fauna following the substantial rains of 2025.
Dates: May 1 to May 8
Walking days: 6
Departs from/concludes in: Alice Springs
Trek price: $7100 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $6745
50th Anniversary Simpson Desert Expedition
Outback Camel Company
In tribute to Outback pioneer Rex Ellis, whose vision shaped a generation of desert travellers
Australia’s greatest - and most challenging - desert walk returns!
Next May, we return to our spiritual heart for the 50th Anniversary Simpson Desert Expedition: a 30-day, 430-kilometre journey that begins in the Northern Territory and concludes outside the Birdsville Hotel a month later.
This remarkable expedition celebrates not only half a century of exploration, but the enduring legacy of Walking Country, moving quietly, respectfully, and with deep connection to the land.
The entire route is walked cross-country - no roads, no tracks, no vehicle backup.
Just walkers, camels and the desert itself.
Raw. Remote. Real. A challenge for all who join, and for the camels who carry the journey with us.
Recognised far beyond Australia’s borders, this journey was featured in National Geographic Adventure as one of the “25 Greatest Adventures in the World.”
Dates: May 10 to June 12
Total days: 34
Walking days: 30
Departs from: Alice Springs
Concludes in: Brisbane
Expedition price: $20400 (Birdsville accommodation (2 nights) and Birdsville to Brisbane flight included)
1976
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Birdsville to Big Red
Outback Camel Company
This will be the first time we’ve ever offered a short walk from Birdsville back to the edge of the great Simpson Desert dune field. This three-day trek begins on the outskirts of town, crossing the smaller, scattered white dunes that rise gently from the gibber plains. As we approach Big Red, the landscape transforms and the pale dunes deepen into the classic rich red for which the Simpson Desert is renowned. A trek ideally suited to those short on time, or for anyone simply wanting a taste of what walking with camels can offer.
Dates: June 12 to June 15
Walking days: 3
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Trek price: $3900
Munga-Thirri Explorer
Outback Camel Company
Like the previous trek, the Munga-Thirri Explorer is perfectly suited to first-time Great Desert Walk participants. On this short circuit around our base camp, we move through interdune swales where scattered coolibah and acacia thrive, all framed by the tall red dunes of the eastern Simpson Desert. It’s an inviting landscape, gentle yet immersive, and ideal for those seeking their first experience of walking with camels.
Dates: June 19 to June 22
Walking days: 3
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Trek price: $3900
Eastern Simpson Desert Trek
Outback Camel Company
The eastern counterpart to our popular Western Simpson Desert Trek, this eight-day walk leads us through the dunes toward Eyre Creek and beyond, offering a rich diversity of country to explore.
We move through gibber swales, coolibah-lined floodplains, broad expanses of lignum flats, and of course the sweeping red dunes themselves.
Dates: June 23 to July 2
Walking days: 8
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Trek price: $7600 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $7220
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For the remainder of the 2026 Great Desert Walks program, we turn our attention to the
Australian Desert Expeditions +science ecological survey program.
Alongside our renowned Slow Travel approach, each of the following journeys incorporates a dedicated element of scientific research. The specific focus may shift from trip to trip, but the purpose remains constant: to study the flora, fauna, and cultural history of the Simpson Desert.
Eastern Munga-Thirri Survey including NightSky
Australian Desert Expeditions +science
Centred west of Eyre Creek, this nine-day trip focuses on the creek’s floodplain and the surrounding coolibah and gidgee woodlands.
With Eyre Creek having experienced extensive flooding over the past three consecutive years, we anticipate a strong surge in both flora and fauna, a rare opportunity to observe the desert in a period of heightened ecological activity.
Dates: July 3 to July 13
Walking days: 9
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Trek price $8250 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $7838
Lost Oasis Expedition
Australian Desert Expeditions +science
As we make our slow journey south toward the Warburton River floodplain in South Australia, we explore the deep cultural history embedded in this ancient landscape.
This is white-dune country, where vegetation grows far more sparsely than in the great dune field across the border to the north. It is an immersive desert and cultural journey, one that reflects, with quiet respect, the enduring presence of the desert’s first peoples, and invites us to step into a history far older than any written record.
Dates: July 14 to July 27
Walking days: 12
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Expedition price: $10500 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $9975
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Watti Watti/Koomarinna Survey
Australian Desert Expeditions +science
This relatively short survey focuses on the outer Warburton River floodplain, where the dunes taper into broad, open flats. It is open country, broken by small dunes and the occasional coolibahs. Our scientific attention on this trip will centre on the mammals and marsupials that inhabit this distinct desert environment.
Dates: July 28 to August 6
Walking days: 8
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Trek price: $7900 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $7505
Kallakoopah Creek Megafauna Expedition
Australian Desert Expeditions +science
Our inaugural ADE expedition in 2007 focused on this magnificent salt creek and its remarkable megafauna deposits.
In the followup 2014 Expedition we successfully extracted a Diprotodon jaw bones (photo below), and we’ve been aiming to return to the site ever since - but consecutive floods have repeatedly kept us out. On our way to the Kallakoopah Creek, we will also visit several camps from explorer Charles Winnecke’s 1883 expedition, adding a layer of historical insight to our journey.
Dates: August 7 to August 20
Walking days: 12
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Expedition price: $10500 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $9975
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Watti Watti/White Lakes Paleo Survey
Australian Desert Expeditions +science
This survey will explore the many salt lakes where, in 2014, we uncovered an extraordinary range of material: fish bones, turtle shell, crocodile fragments, mammal remains, Diprotodon fragments, a molar from the extinct sthenurine kangaroo, a bettong jaw, and bones from the recently extinct Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby.
The 2014 survey confirmed just how much remains to be discovered in this remarkable area, and we look forward to returning next August.
Dates: August 21 to August 31
Walking days: 9
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Trek price: $8250 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $7838
Watti Watti/Mudhla Mudhla Survey
Australian Desert Expeditions +science
‘Mudhla Mudhla’ means ‘where the dunes meet the floodplain’, and this landscape is ideal for conducting detailed surveys. Here, the open, expansive desert is punctuated by small pockets of specialised vegetation, allowing us to focus our studies more closely within defined ecological zones. The warmer weather at this time of year may also encourage increased reptile activity.
Dates: September 1 to September 10
Walking days: 8
Departs from/concludes in: Birdsville
Trek price: $7900 DesertSaver price if paid in full by December 23 $7505