Visiting the Uluru is definitely a once in a lifetime experience! If I had unlimited time, I could spend weeks exploring the red center. However, for many of us this is not feasible. Hence, in this itinerary you will find the perfect Uluru itinerary if you are short on time!
Best time to visit
As you may know, Uluru is located in the desert-y red center of Australia! Hence, in their summer months (which are November-February), the temperatures get insanely hot. Additionally, the summer months are the peak time for the outback flies, which can really impact your stay. Therefore, if you can avoid visiting between November-February, I would definitely recommend to visit any other time of the year!
Where to stay
If you are short on time, I highly recommend to stay in Yulara, as opposed to Alice Springs. Yulara is basically a hotel town with just a very small local population. You have I believe approx. 7 different hotels to choose from, all located within the “Ayers Rock Resort”. While they all have different price points, all of them have a free airport shuttle included, as well as an intra resort shuttle bus.
Accommodation options
Budget: Ayers Rock Campground
Mid-range: Desert Gardens Hotel
Luxury: Sails in the Desert
How to get around
Hop On Hop Off Bus
This is the option that we chose, and as someone who doesn’t love driving too much this Hop On Hop Off Bus option was perfect! The tickets are very flexible, meaning you can get single, return, day or multi day tickets. Whatever your needs, you’ll likely find a suitable ticket format For our stay we opted for a 2 day ticket, which costs 160 AUD per person and includes unlimited rides to Uluru, and one return ticket to Kata Tjuta.
Car
To have the fullest flexibility, you could of course also rent a car. The roads are pretty good, and there are road signs to help you navigate the area. I do believe that car rentals are quite expensive here, so keep that in mind.
Organized Tours
The last option to get around is by organized tours. While we were there, we saw many tours doing exactly the same things that we did. With this option you can fully relax and don’t have to think about anything, since you will have a guide taking care of all the organizational things. Check out a good option here. Out of all the mentioned ways to get around, this is of course the most expensive one.
Segways
This one only relates to the Uluru Base Walk. Instead of walking around the big rock, you can also rent some Segways and make the round tour a little more adventurous!
The perfect 2 day uluru itinerary
Day 1
12 pm – Arrive at Yulara Airport
You’ve made it to the red center, congrats!! After collecting your luggage, head over to the shuttle bus area and make your way to your accommodation of choice.
Once you reach your accommodation, take some time to relax and explore the immediate surroundings. You can visit the Ayers Rock Town Center, which has a little square, some cafés, a supermarket and some souvenir shops. While you’re there, you might want to grab some snacks and drinks for the sunset you’re going to catch later. Beware, if you want an alcoholic beverage, you’ll need to head to the liquor shop, which is on the other side of the Ayers Rock Resort, not at the Town Center.
If you have some time left, you can also visit several of the art galleries, which feature aboriginal art.
3 pm – Coffee break at Sails in the Desert
For a little boost before the evening activity, I’d recommend to check out the fanciest resort in the area: The Sails in the Desert. They have a lovely lobby area with a nice coffee and cakes selection. It’s worth a visit, especially since it’s within a walking distance from the town center!
We also decided to walk up to the Imalung Lookout, which is at the heart of the Ayers Rock Resort and will give you a first good glimpse of Uluru.
5 pm – Uluru for Sunset
As I already mentioned, we opted for the Hop On Hop Off Bus as our means of transportation. At 5 o’clock, they offer a pick up to take you to the Uluru Sunset Viewing Area and they will wait for you there until the sunset is done. Use the time to walk around a bit and just take in all the different colours as the sun is setting. It’s magical!
7:30 pm – Dinner at Mangata Bistro & Bar
After a long and eventful day, we were really looking forward to our first real sit-down meal of the day. Since it was already kind of late-ish for us, we decided to go with the cheese board and some wine. We were very full in the end 🙂
Make sure to go to bed early today, since you will have a VERY early start to the day tomorrow!
Step count day 1: 12’665 steps
Day 2
5 am – Sunrise at Kata Tjuta
The first bus in the morning departs at 4:40, which will get you to the Sunrise Viewing Area at Kata Tjuta (Olgas) just as dawn starts to crack. With this timing, you will once again get the opportunity to see how the colours change in the nature up to the point where the sun has crossed the horizon and it is bright daylight. It’s really fascinating. Also make sure to glimpse over to Uluru once in a while, since it is also visible from the Kata Tjuta Sunrise Viewing Area!
Directly after sunrise, the bus will take you to the foot of Kata Tjuta. You will be given the option of doing the shorter Walpa Gorge Walk (max. 1h), or the longer Valley of the Winds Walk (ca. 2-3h).
We opted for the Walpa Gorge Walk. Walpa is an Aboriginal word for wind, which is a foreshadowing to what you can expect. Nevertheless, the hike is gorgeous and you can really immerse yourself into the nature.
If you choose the Walpa Gorge Walk, you will be back at the hotel by 9am. That means you still have a full day ahead of you 😉
10 am – Breakfast at Geckos Café
After an eventful morning, it’s time to fuel your body right to get you through the rest of the day. We decided to have breakfast at Geckos Café, which is right on the main square of the resort.
11:40 am – Uluru Base Walk
Time for the next activity! Catch the 11:40 bus departing from the resort towards Uluru. For the Uluru Base Walk, you’ll want to get off at Mala Carpark and start walking anti-clockwise.
Personally, we were super super fast, and we managed to do the whole walk in approx. 2 hours. This allowed us to hop on the penultimate bus again and be back at the resort quite early. However, if you’re not crazy like us and you want to take your time, you can also take the walk slower and then walk over to the cultural center and wait for the next bus there. If you take the last bus, you’ll be taken to the sunset viewing area once again. But what’s wrong with that, right??
Some things you really need to bring on your walk:
- Fly nets: Even if it’s not November-February, you’ll still have some flies in the area. To really enjoy the walk, I’d recommend to bring fly nets irrespective of the season!
- Water: You really have to bring enough water!!! Don’t forget that you are walking in a desert, and the walk is advertised as taking 3+ hours, so bring at least 1l per person! There is at least one station along the way where you can refill your water, but I wouldn’t fully rely on this!
7 pm – Star Tour
If you are not dead tired yet, I would definitely go on an Astro Tour while you are here. Unfortunately, when I was visiting, all the slots for the 2 nights that we were visiting were already booked up. So, if you are interested in this, make sure to book this activity in advance! You can make a booking here.
Step count day 2: 18’332 steps
There you go, if you are short on time with this itinerary you will still manage to maximize your time there! If you’re looking for some more travel inspiration and itineraries for other Aussie destinations, check out my posts here.