Uluru in 3 days
A sandstone monolith rising 348 metres from the red plain, 9.4 kilometres around, its surface changing colour through the day. The park has belonged to the Anangu since 1985, climbing has been banned since 2019, and everything here happens on foot around its base.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
The Uluru Base Walk2 to 3 hA flat 10.6-kilometre loop close to the rock, where the smooth shape of the photos turns into caves, water-cut grooves and rock paintings.
- Afternoon
Uluru Cultural Centreabout 1 hBuilt in 1995 in a shape recalling two ancestral snakes, it explains Tjukurpa and the 1985 handback, with Mutitjulu artists painting and selling on site.
- Late afternoon
Mutitjulu Waterholeabout 30 minA permanent pool at the foot of the south face, fed by runoff from the rock, a flat kilometre from the car park.
Day 2
- Morning
Sunrise at Talinguru Nyakunytjakuabout 1 hA viewing area on a dune south-east of the rock, opened in 2009, with Uluru and the domes of Kata Tjuta in the same view.
- Afternoon
Bruce Munro's Field of Lightabout 1 h 30Fifty thousand solar-powered glass stems spread over several hectares of desert, slowly changing colour after dark with Uluru behind them.
- Late afternoon
Valley of the Winds, Kata Tjuta2 to 3 hA 7.4-kilometre loop between the conglomerate domes of Kata Tjuta, up to two lookouts and down into a sheltered valley of fig trees.
Day 3
- Morning
Walpa Gorgeabout 1 hA 2.6-kilometre return walk between two of Kata Tjuta's domes; Walpa means wind in Pitjantjatjara, and the gorge funnels it.
- Afternoon
Kings Canyon and the Rim Walkfree · half a dayA sandstone canyon in Watarrka National Park, about 300 kilometres from Yulara; the 6-kilometre rim loop starts up the steps of Heart Attack Hill.
Where to sleep in Uluru
- The Lost Camel Hotel · €200 a night
- Emu Walk Apartments · €230 a night
- Outback Hotel · €190 a night
- Desert Gardens Hotel · €270 a night
- Sails in the Desert · €350 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.