Join yoga teacher Ellie McGrath on this 7 day SLOW TREK
An opportunity to reconnect with nature, connect with our professional traveling colleagues (the camels), and unwind from the daily grind of Great Humbug
Bare Sole New Moon Connect
Departure Date: May 10 > May 16 1 day 4WD/5.5 days trekking/half day 4WD
Maximum group size: 10 trekkers
Bare Sole price: $4680
Trek Grade
Desert new moon. Photo by Carolyn Larcombe who will be on the Bare Sole Full Moon Connect in August
Bare Sole is specifically designed to for all of us - trekkers and cameleers - to start our 2024 trekking season off at a gentle pace as we prepare for the following 22 weeks of desert walking.
​
Every morning Ellie will be facilitating a yoga session on the nearest dune crest to the camel camp, awakening your senses as you prepare for the days walking. What a perfect way to begin the desert day!
Then in the late afternoon, a more focused yoga + meditation session will take place, again on the nearest dune crest, as we digest the days events and continue to allow our head to clear and our minds to rest.
​
Ellie has been practising yoga for over a decade and is currently teaching yoga and pilates. She is a strong advocate for the power of nature & landscape to reset our minds, helping to bring us to a more calmer alignment, which in turn helps us to manage the complexities that can sometimes overwhelm our daily lives.
The landscape is a powerful tonic, and as animals we need that direct connection to the earth, and to the other animals (the camels) that we walk with.
And she loves camels! Particularly Claude (pictured above) who happily provides guidance & tuition for the Camel Pose.
​
So we will supply the landscape, the camels, the desert silence, the SPACE, healthy tucker via campfire cooking and a fairly impressive canopy of stars.
Sorry, but we won't be supplying Wifi or mobile coverage or internet access or electric lights or diesel generators.
We do supply a yoga mat, and all you have to bring is an open mind.
​
What else is involved for baring my sole?
On this trek you will walk alongside our team of packcamels accompanied by 5 cameleers who are your crew for the duration of the trek.
Our cameleers are not 'tour guides', they are seasoned stockwomen/men who are specialists in handling and working with camels, and have a wealth of experience in walking the desert and knowledge of its flora & fauna, and are respectful of our First Nations people who call the desert home.
​
We will be walking in the dune fields and swales of the eastern Simpson Desert, west of Birdsville in Queensland. The landscape consists of towering red/washed out white dunes and includes the floodplain of Eyre Creek which fringes much of the eastern side of the desert.
​
Walking in this landscape is on firm sand and occasional claypans and gibber (small stones) flats. If the eastern Simpson receives good soaking rain in late March/early April, there may be a profusion of yellow flowers such as poached-egg daisy & 'Yellowtop' covering the landscape, and supplying our camels with fresh feed.... however it's not until we actually get out there in April 2024 that we will know the extent of any rainfall.
​
May is ideal walking weather in Central Australia and over the course of a 5 to 6 hour walking day you would walk approximately between 8 to 10 kilometres. Our pace of travel is determined by the camels and their ability to negotiate the dunes and other landforms in the landscape. They carry all your personal gear, and all you have to carry is a healthy attitude and your day pack. Best to leave everything else behind.
​
This is a very real, very Australian desert experience. Camels are the perfect cross-country vehicle and so we don't follow roads or tracks, and there is no vehicle back-up. Camps are chosen for the availability of camel feed, and we never camp in the same place twice. And in addition, as we are Australia's only trekking company that specialise in remote desert travel, you won't 'bump into' any other groups of trekkers.
​
All of our treks are active participation-based experiences and the cameleers will involve you with loading and unloading the camels as much as you wish to be involved. Similarly, your assistance is always greatly welcomed with the numerous camp chores to be done at the end of the day such as collecting firewood or helping to shepherd the camels as they feed.
What's included
4WD transfers to/from Birdsville to the eastern Simpson Desert fringe
All camping equipment - swags, stools, tents. You bring your own sleeping bag and eating utensils
All meals, though we do not provide snacks
LOTS of space...
Survey RFDS Medical Chest, First Aid and emergency communications equipment
Crew of 4 to 5 cameleers
Desert Silence!
Trekking with an environmentally aware responsible business
(A detailed Trek Information Guide is sent to you when you book)
What's not included
Pre and post survey airfares and accommodation. You are responsible for arranging your travel to/from Birdsville and any accommodation. We can help organise this for you
Please look at this page How To Get To Birdsville
What else is required?
Travel Insurance. You have the option to arrange your own travel insurance, or you can contact us for a quote.
Where are we trekking?
In the shaded area of the map in the Simpson Desert, Queensland. The Simpson is the world's largest parallel sand ridge desert