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| Uluru up close and personal |
If there's one place in the Northern Territory, in fact in Australia, that you have to go it's Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Also known as Ayers Rock and the Olgas, Uluru is an iconic Australia landmark and the fact it's not man made make's it even more incredible.
The national park is about 446 km from Alice Springs, the nearest big town and will take between four and a half and five and a half hours to drive. You can also fly into Yulara airport with both Jetstar and Virgin Blue flying into the airport which will take around 3 hours from Sydney. Either way you're going to want to stay the night to take it all in and appreciate everything Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
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| Aboriginal rock art |
There's plenty of accommodation options that will work for any budget but none of it's overly cheap because let's be honest you're in the middle of nowhere they can charge what they like - you haven't got a bundle of options. However you can camp on a powered site from $42 and unpowered from $36.
Jack and I obviously chose the camping option. We enjoy camping and we were driving around the territory in a Food F250 that we kitted out with beds and living arrangements so of course we were going to camp. The campsite was fine. For the price it was nothing spectacular and we've definitely stayed in better for cheaper but it was clean and tidy. And like I said earlier you don't have much of an option.
If camping isn't for you don't worry there's far more non-camping options. Ranging from the Outback Pioneers hotel from $162.60 to Sails in the Desert from $242.40 a night.
When it comes to accommodation somewhere like this you really need to think about how much your going to be using the accommodation and what for. Obviously if money isn't an option then you don't need to worry too much but if it is really consider what you're going to Uluru for - the experience or excellent accommodation?
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| See we actually did go and see it. |
Another consideration is that the national park itself costs $25 each to enter. This includes getting up close and personal with Uluru and Kata Tjuta, the cultural centre and guided ranger walks. The pass lasts for three days and if you wanted to you could probably find three days worth of things to do.
As well as Uluru and Kata Tjuta there's also lots to do in Yulara, the town developed just before Uluru for tourists to make base at. There's cafe's and restaurants, shops, and art experiences to enjoy there as well as swimming pools at the accommodation. There's definitely not a shortage of things to get involved with.
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| Uluru at sunset |
Obviously the best part of the park is Uluru itself. There's plenty of ways to take in this spectacle and if I could I'd have done them all because you just can't get enough of it once you're there.
We made our first stop at the cultural centre and I'd recommend doing so. It gives you a real feeling of Uluru and what it means to the Aboriginal people there. There's also a great film about the history of Uluru including Aboriginal stories around it and history from western settlers arriving in the area until the land was handed back to the Aboriginal community there. It's a great place to start your Uluru adventure to give you an idea of what it's all about it and help appreciate what you're seeing and experiencing.
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| Kata Tjuta in the early morning |
There's plenty of ways to experience Uluru and a must do is either a sunset or sunrise viewing. It's spectacular and like nothing else you will experience. It's also a great idea to do at least one of the walking tracks around Uluru if not the base walk. It's a 10.6km walk but it's well worth it. If you don't fancy the walk there's also the option of cycling around the base of Uluru and taking it in from every angle and learn more as you do so.
The best thing we did was take a guided ranger walk. It gave us much more insight into what Uluru means to the local Aboriginal community and let us take it all in properly. The ranger also spoke about the Tjkurpa, which is what other Aboriginal cultures would call dreamtime, surrounding Uluru which was really interesting and beautiful.
If you're looking for a higher end Uluru adventure you can take scenic flights over the national park. There are also various packages that include camel tours and dinner, a sunset viewing and dinner and other similar things. So there's definitely something for everyone.
One thing I'd emplore is that you don't climb. It's not prohibited by law but the Aboriginal people ask that you don't. It's a huge part of their culture and is sacred to them. It would be disrespectful to climb it and it's not what Uluru is about. If you want to know more about why you shouldn't climb Uluru check out the Uluru - Kata Tjuta national park website. Also go to the website for more information about any trip you're planning to Uluru-Kata Tjuta.
This place is amazing and it's like nothing else you will experience. Photos are great but it doesn't do the place justice. You really need to experience it for yourself because it's more than just looking at it it's the feeling it gives you as well as soon as you're there. Its quite spiritual and overwhelming. That sounds odd because it's just a big sand dune in the desert. It's not it's so much more.
Until next time,
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