Your guide to an unforgettable Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre trip in 2025

This dreamlike landscape seems impossible to get to – until you take to the skies.

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre holds major clout among the world’s environments. Why? It is one of its most extreme. Stretching over 9,500 square kilometres, Australia’s largest salt lake is spectacular and harsh at any angle. Most of the time Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is a vast plain, the majority of its surface is cracked from being so dry, with temperatures reaching up to 50°C. But every ten years – give or take – the rains arrive. Quick as a flash, an enormous inland lake appears, with waters ten times as salty as the sea and clouds of migrating birds settling into the wet.

Annoyingly, it is not as easy as packing a swag and hitting the road – it is also one of the hardest places to reach in the world. But if you’re about to sob at the idea of thousands of kilometres in the car, dry your eyes. There is an alternative. With BFC Air Safaris, this adventurous trip can become a reality. All you have to do is take to the skies.

Get a bird’s eye view of Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Should I see Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda in 2025?

Kati Thanda undergoes some dramatic changes. In the dry season, its endless salt plains glow underneath an outback sun and reflect the star-smudged skies at night. After heavy rains, the desert floodplain becomes an enormous mirror.

Despite both of these unreal states, it is the rain that draws most visitors. So, is 2025 a year of flood or drought? BFC Safaris point out that weather experts predict a high chance of cyclones in North Queensland – hinting at another spectacular flood year. All there is to do, to be certain, is wait and see.

There is tons to discover outside of the 2025 rains as well. Any respectful visit is one where you can learn about how Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda came to be, and what its future is. The lake’s ecology is hugely significant, with wildlife and bird populations heavily reliant on it, making finding out all about the conservation efforts incredibly insightful.

Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda also holds deep spiritual importance to the Arabana people. Hearing their stories about their sacred land adds a deeper layer of meaning to any trip here.

Kati Thanda undergoes dramatic changes after rain. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

What is the best time of day to see Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda?

Whether dry or wet, the lake shifts and shimmers, a dramatic and enormous creature of the Outback. There is never a wrong time to see Kati Thanda with camera in hand, but it’s during the twilight hours that its beauty hits an all-time high.

At dawn, the salt pan glows in soft blues and pinks against the yellow-orange sands of this desert landscape. By dusk, it burns in fiery orange hues. And when birds are in residence, the heavens come alive with soaring flocks, with swooping birds.

BFC Air Safaris offer flights at both times, meaning you get to soar through both golden hours from the world’s best vantage point: a cockpit in the sky.

See this incredible lake at both golden hours.

How can I get to Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda?

BFC Air Safaris has been flying out to Lake Eyre since 2018. Its emphasis is on comfort for the nine or fewer passengers who hop on these small-group flights.

Convenience is also on the agenda. To get to this distant destination, all guests have to do is board a Piper Chieftain or Cessna 208 Caravan in Brisbane and fly westwards.

Every two hours or less, touch down to delve into another hidden corner of the outback. Each stop is escorted by local experts and tour guides.

Fly into Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Making a trip of it

Even if – god forbid – you removed the desert basin from the itinerary, there is still a lot of action on this whirlwind trip. We’re talking about crisscrossing over the spinifex plains and glowing peaks of the Flinders Ranges, the green swamplands of Goyder Lagoon, soaring over the silent red expanse of the Simpson Desert. And touching town in the remote town of William Creek, the gateway to the outback route along Oodnadatta Track.

See the unique lines of Goyder Lagoon.

The past gets a major look in too. At your Winton stop, palaeontologists have discovered fossils dating back up to 98 million years, transporting visitors back to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs. The early days of Australia’s heritage airline is told at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach.

There will be downtime too, with meals and ensuite accommodation all included. Enjoy the rather memorable camel pie at Birdsville Bakery and sink a cold one at one of Australia’s most remote pubs.

Another stop is the simple delight of a good milky cuppa – drunk at the top of the mighty Big Red Outback dune, of course.

Enjoy a tea on top of Birdsville’s Big Red sand dune. (Image: TEQ)

Reaching for the Akubra? Find out more at bfcairsafaris.com