What is the best time of year to walk the Larapinta Trail?
What is the best time of year to walk the Larapinta Trail?
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We only run guided walking tours of the Larapinta Trail at the best time of year. So if you can’t see a departure date in a month you want to travel then we can assure you….it’s not the best time to be on the track. Remember the Larapinta trail is an arid inland range, which means desert like conditions, hot days and cold nights.
What is the Larapinta Trail like?
The Larapinta trail is rugged, exposed and unforgiveable. On the flipside (and the reason we run tours there) it’s unique, exhilarating and the vistas will knock your socks off, especially Reveal Saddle and Mount Sonder.
The optimum time to walk the track is the Australian winter, which is June-August. You will find that we only run departures of our guided walking tour of the Larapinta Trail and Central Australia during this time. During the day expect temperatures to sit between 20 and 27 degrees and at night temperatures will drop to between 6 and 10 degrees. Even during these times you may get the odd freezing night or the odd searing hot day so you will want to be prepared in the clothes department.
What should I wear to walk the Larapinta?
Layers are important for walking in the dessert. Brisk mornings will turn hot quickly and then once the sun drops in the evening the chill will creep in again. Think vests, zip pants or leggings under shorts, beanies, gloves, jackets and thermals for night times.
The change of seasons, Autumn and Spring also offer suitable walking conditions but with slightly warmer days. The nights are a little more mild and not quite so chilly.
We do not recommend you tackle the Larapinta Trail in summer with temperatures soaring into the 40’s and beyond. A lot of the track is exposed with hot winds and a parched landscape adding to your risk of heat stroke.
Besides knowing the best time of year to walk the Larapinta…
For more information on the Larapinta Trail check out this article we wrote on, ‘The 6 things you should know before hiking the Larapinta Trail.’
