Just south of Alice Springs, in the dead centre of Australia, the MacDonnell Ranges rise from the desert plains like creases on a tablecloth. With peaks up to 1,531 metres and cut through by deep gorges, these mountains are wild and spectacular, said Oliver Smith in the Financial Times.For the region’s Aboriginal inhabitants – the Arrernte people – the place “brims with stories, sanctity and secrets”. Winding through their western half for 220km is one of the greatest hiking paths in the outback, the Larapinta Trail. Even a single day’s walking on it is a “serious undertaking”, with water available only at 13 trailheads along the way (each accessible by 4WD), and food at three (through-hikers must arrange additional drops). But for lovers of remote places and untamed nature, the effort is well worth it.
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