Kings Canyon in Watarrka NP is included in our 21 day Australia Outback camping tour.

Kings Canyon is in the Watarrka National Park. Watarrka is from the Aboriginal meaning of Umbrella Bush that thrives in this area. The local Luritja people have been living here for about 20,000 years with the first white explorer Ernest Giles first discovering Kings Canyon in 1872. He also discovered Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) in the same year with William Gosse discovering Uluru (Ayers Rock) the year after.

Watarrka National Park is an important refuge for many plants and animals with rugged ranges, rock-holes and gorges – with the most spectacular being Kings Canyon. Recent scientific expeditions into the park have identified over 600 species of plants and many native animals in the area. Kings Canyon gets its name from the Kings Creek that flows through it. The sheer rock face towers to a depth of 270 metres, shelters the rich and fertile garden protecting it from the surrounding desert conditions. This enables the palms, ferns, cycads to survive this harsh environment.

There are two great walks to do here -

The Kings Creek Walk. This is about a 2km and 1 hour return walk. It meanders along the centre of the canyon along Kings Creek ending at a lookout offering a great view of the sheer cliff face at the end of the canyon. There are several information signs on the Aboriginal culture of the area along the way.
The Canyon Walk. This is about 6km return and will take 3-4 hours. The initial part of this walk is a very steep climb to the top of the Canyon then follows the canyon rim in a magnificent walk through the domes with excellent views down the canyon walls. During the walk we see the “Lost City” (a series of weathered rock that look like the ruins of an ancient city) and “Garden of Eden” (a delightful area with clumps of palm trees around a cool waterhole).

Have a look at where Kings Canyon is included as part of our 21 Day Tour.

Have a look at where Our other tours go in Western Australia.

Other places of interest we visit on this tour located in this area are -

SBI!