The Painted Desert tour

What is the Painted Desert tour from Coober Pedy?

A full Saturday in a 4WD with a local guide, from Coober Pedy to the Arckaringa Hills and back, for up to four people.

The operator is Outback Mail Run South Australia, and the listing pitches the day as joining the Outback Mail Man. It runs 10 hours, every Saturday, in an air-conditioned 4WD driven by an accredited guide with live commentary. Pickup is included; the listing asks you to check the start time when you pick your date. The South Australian Tourism Commission's listing also gives Saturday departures from Coober Pedy.

The price covers a picnic lunch and refreshments, a snack pack and drinking water refills along the track. It is from US$225 per person and rated 4.4 from 5 reviews, which is few, for a tour that takes four people a week. With free cancellation up to 24 hours before, holding a Saturday is low-risk while you sort out flights or the coach.

The Moon Plain, the Kempe Road and the Arckaringa Hills in an air-conditioned 4WD, with a picnic lunch, water refills and four guests at most.

★ 4.4 · 10 hours · from $225

Explore the Painted Desert day tour → Tour details

Where does the Painted Desert tour go?

North on the Kempe Road across the Moon Plain and through pastoral country to the Arckaringa Hills, then back past the Breakaways country.

The first stretch crosses the Moon Plain, a flat gibber country of polished stones that film crews have used for Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Pitch Black and Red Planet, according to Ausfilm. Then come the cattle stations, and finally the Arckaringa Hills. The slopes show orange, yellow and white shale from a seabed about 80 million years old, worn back as the land rose, per Wikipedia.

At the hills you get out and walk. The listing promises time on foot to look at the plants and wildlife, a picnic lunch among the hills, and stops for photos and short walks, with "a bit of a time frame to adhere to". On the way home the route passes the Breakaways country, the mesas north of town. For the park itself, with permits and lookouts, see our Breakaways, Moon Plain and Dog Fence guide.

When is the best time for the Painted Desert?

April or May to September, when days are mild. Summer days at Coober Pedy average 35°C to 37°C, and winter mornings are cold.

The tour is in an air-conditioned 4WD, and the listing does not name a summer break. The walks are outside, though. ExplorOz says travel on the Painted Desert tracks is not recommended between October and March because of the heat, with summer days that can reach 45°C to 50°C. A guided day takes the driving risk out of it. Comfort is a different question, which is why the cooler months are the pick.

In winter, July averages 18.7°C by day and 6.3°C at night, per the Bureau of Meteorology, so the jacket on the packing list matters for an early start. With four seats a week, the school holidays fill first. SA government schools break from 10 to 25 April and from 3 to 18 July 2027, per the Department for Education: book those Saturdays early.

What should you bring on the Painted Desert tour?

Comfortable shoes, sunglasses, a hat, a camera, water, a jacket and insect repellent: the listing's own list.

Lunch, snacks and water refills are covered, so pack light. Add sunscreen and a fly net for the walks; the flies can be thick on warm, still days. A phone power bank helps on a 10-hour day with lots of photos.

• Shoes with grip. The walks are on stony slopes and loose shale.
• Layers. Cold mornings in winter, warm afternoons most of the year.
• A refillable bottle. The guide tops it up along the track.
• A camera with a wide lens. The South Australian Tourism Commission says the hills are perhaps best seen in bright sunlight.

Check the restrictions before you book. The listing says the tour is not suitable for children under 5, pregnant women, people with back, heart or mobility problems, wheelchair users or people over 70. Much of the day is on gravel and stony tracks, which explains the back and heart warnings.

Can you drive to the Painted Desert yourself?

Yes, in dry weather, but it is about 148 km each way by the ExplorOz route via Arckaringa, on gravel, with no fuel or supplies.

ExplorOz describes the roads as anything from well-formed wide gravel to stony track with bulldust holes. A 2WD can manage when it is dry, but a 4WD is recommended, and may be needed after rain. Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta are the only places to restock, and no permit is needed. The Arckaringa homestead has camping and cabins for those who want to stay.

The SA Arid Lands landscape board's advice applies in full: about 10 litres of water per person per day in warm weather, a reserve supply, and someone at home who knows your route. If you hire a car in town from Budget or Enterprise, check that the agreement covers unsealed roads before you go.

How does the Painted Desert tour fit a stay in Coober Pedy?

Build the stay around Saturday: arrive by Friday, see the town, take the tour, and keep Sunday for the Breakaways at sunrise.

The Greyhound from Adelaide runs daily and arrives early in the morning, and Rex flies usually four times a week, so Thursday or Friday arrivals are easy to set up. Spend Friday underground at Old Timers Mine and Umoona, with the Big Winch at sunset. Saturday is the tour. On Sunday, drive the 25 km to Kanku-Breakaways at first light before you leave. Two or three nights in a dugout room makes it work; our guide to sleeping underground covers the choice.

The 7-day tours pass through town in a single evening and morning, so the Saturday tour is for people based in Coober Pedy. If you are on the road anyway, the 7-day camping trip still gives you the Breakaways and the Dog Fence, and our getting there post has the flight and coach details.

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