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ULURU – AYERS ROCK, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA
Uluru is one of those places that you need to pinch yourself to believe you are there. Everything about the area is beautiful, from sunrise to sunset there is so much to see and do, but if you only have 24 hours in this beautiful part of the world, then check out below what to do in Uluru in 1 day.
This area was once named Ayers Rock after Sir Henry Ayers, the Chief Secretary of South Australia at the time. Until 1993 this was the name used in this area. Now is has officially been renamed Uluru- Ayers Rock (Uluru which is what it was named long before English Settlement).
Things to know before you go before visiting Uluru in 1 day
Weather – Uluru in 1 day
October – March you will find that the days are hot and dry and the nights are pleasant. Head there during the colder months and the days are warm but being the desert; they can drop to uncomfortable 1 degrees Celcius.
Entrance into Uluru-Kata Tjuta
You can purchase your pass to Uluru – Kata Tjuta online here, to make life a little easier prior to arriving. Remember to be respectful of the land! Check opening times before arriving as opening times vary between 5 am – 6 am depending on the time of year you choose to travel to Uluru.
Getting around Uluru in 1 day
Free shuttle bus
This shuttle bus circulates the around the resort, departing approximately every 20 minutes from 10.30 am – 12.30 am. It stops at various spots around the resort; however, it does not stop at the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park and Kata Tjuta.
Hop On Hop Off pass
This hop on hop off pass enables you to explore Uluru at your own pace. Hop on and hop off as much as you like throughout the day. You can purchase the ticket online here, to get you to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park.
Visa
Check ivisa regarding visa requirements. Ivisa’s quick and easy system is an efficient way to organise your required visa’s online. It is the best way to ensure you aren’t caught looking silly when you arrive at immigration.
Insurance
SafetyWing is the world’s first International Travel Medical Insurance developed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and remote workers travelling or living abroad worldwide. I can not recommend travel medical insurance enough! For those who are going to be away for long periods of time, live and work abroad or are a nomad traveller.
Where to stay in Yulara – Uluru in 1 day
Budget Travel
Pioneer Hotel
The Pioneer Hotel is affordable and has all the amenities you need after a long trek through the Central Desert. The rooms are comfortable and best of all the rooms were clean (no red dirt anywhere). There are excellent amenities, including a pool, a laundry and a kitchen (if you choose to cook your own meal) or there are places to purchase a cooked meal. The outside bar at the Pioneer Hotel rocks at night, and overall it has a great outback feel about it. Sails in the Desert So for the next two nights, we spent our time at the
A little bit of luxury
Sails in the Desert Resort.
After spending our days covered in red dirt, camping out on the Larapinta Trail, this was such a welcome surprise at the end of the journey. It has a lot more amenities than the previous, and the rooms were much more comfortable. The buffet breakfast was a tremendous little-added extra that was worth every cent, and although the massage was more expensive than usual, it was worth every cent after that long walking expedition. For more details, you can book through booking.com!
Start the day – Uluru in 1 day
Sunrise
ULURU-KATA TJUTA NATIONAL PARK
Head over to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park where you will see how Uluru-Ayers Rock change colour. Explore the perimeter yourself, which is a 10.6km Uluru base walk or join one of the Free guided walks which are run daily from the Mala carpark to the base of Uluru. The Uluru Base walk should take approximately 3.5 hours to walk it, but this will vary depending on how long you would like to observe the indigenous art along the way. The Uluru Base walk can also be explored via Segway or bike if walking is not your preferred means of exploration.
Next stop
Head back to the resort where you can join one of the many free activities on offer.
All activities are within walking distance and may vary a little, but as of 2019, these are the free activities that were available.
Bush YarnÂ
You will find this activity next door to Sails in the desert, in the Yulara town square in a relaxed outdoor setting. The guide was fun, and the talk was informative, definitely worth checking out.
Ecology & Museum Tour
Ensure you arrive early (which we did not) as the place gets packed. There is also an interesting museum and gift shop attached.
Bushfood experienceÂ
This activity has a set time, so again don’t be late. Wintjiri Arts & Museum is where you will find the bush food experience, lead by an informative local guide. This activity is a great way to learn more about Indigenous culture.
OTHER FREE ACTIVITIES – Uluru in 1 day
- Garden walk – Desert Gardens hotel
- Mani Mani Indigenous cultural theatre
- Walk to Mutijulu Waterhole
Remember that – Climbing Uluru (Ayers Rock) – is now prohibited!
KATA TJUTA
An approximate 40 minute drive away, you can reach Kata Tjuta which is the landmark’s original name, and means ‘many heads’. Although, the first non-Aboriginal person to see Kata Tjuta who spotted it in 1872. He named the highest peak Mount Olga, after Queen Olga of Württemberg. Ensure you leave yourself enough time to get back to catch the bus for the Sounds of Silence tour.
SOUNDS OF SILENCE
The Sounds of Silence activity costs approximately $210 per person; the experience is worth every cent. If you have chosen to see the sunset this way, it really is pretty amazing. Once taken to the viewing area, you are served canapes and drinks where you can take many photos of this world heritage listed beauty. Once the sun starts to set, you have moved along towards the tables that are set out for a buffet-style dinner. During your time at Sound of Silence, you can hear from an astrologer and see the stars shine brighter than many other places in Australia after his talk then you can head over to the enormous telescope to look at some stars for yourself. Do not forget to bring a jacket, as it gets freezing once the sun goes down, and although there is a fire to warm you, it isn’t quite enough.
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We visited in October 2022 and found that it is very difficult to get around unless you have a car. We only had one day and 2 partial days and planned to visit the park itself on our full day. We purchased tickets for the hop on hop off bus (a two days pass was not available so we only did 1 day). Since we did the sunrise viewing over Uluru we were unable to catch the free guided walk which was only conducted at 9:00 am. To get the best of your visit, if you don’t have a care, you really need to spend a lot and book tours or you are very limited in what you can see and do.