A Day Trip to Uluru in Australia

While traveling through Australia, I made a detour to Uluru, a monolith that is one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks. Located in the middle of the country in the “Red Centre,” Uluru is far from any major cities and is surrounded by vast desert landscapes. I chose to spend one day visiting this unique site.

Day 0 – Arrival

To visit Uluru I first traveled to the town of Alice Springs, which is a 5-hour drive away. You can choose to fly to the town of Yulara which is much closer, but I had a Greyhound bus pass that included Alice Springs on its route. Alice Springs is known for being a very dangerous city, so I was thankful we arrived in the early afternoon. I made my way to the YHA Alice Springs hostel which was surrounded by huge barbed wire fences. Not a great first impression of the city!

I checked in and then quickly headed one block into town for a 4 PM dinner (I wanted to be back at the hostel before the sun went down). I settled for Italian at Bella Alice which was one of the only places open. My pasta was surprisingly good, and I quickly ate and returned to the hostel before sunset. Some crazy drunk people were already out at this time, so I can’t imagine how bad it is after dark. I spent the rest of the evening in the safety of my “gated community” and headed to bed early since I had a big day planned.

Day 1 – A Full-Day Trip to Uluru

I had booked an Uluru tour on Viator with Emu Run Experience, and the bus picked me up around 7 AM from my hostel. Our bus was almost full since I had chosen to visit in July, which is winter in Australia (and the best time of year to visit the desert). We had a 5-hour drive to Uluru, with one stop at Erldunda Roadhouse for coffee and a bathroom break. The roadhouse also had an emu exhibit which was entertaining.

We arrived in the town of Yulara for lunch, and then a smaller group of us made the short drive to Uluru (most of the group was doing a multi-day tour to split up the driving). Our guide showed us around the area and explained the rock paintings and ancient beliefs surrounding the site. We learned that the landscape has been inhabited by the Anangu people for thousands of years. They believe that Uluru was formed by ancestral beings during the Dreaming, which is when the land and its people were created. It was very interesting to learn more about the area and why it is considered such a sacred place.

The sacred site of Uluru

Uluru up-close

After spending some time on one side of Uluru, we drove around to the other side for the second part of the tour. We passed the “sensitive side” on the way, which you aren’t supposed to take photographs of due to the sacredness of the area. Our guide told us more ancient stories related to this side of the rock, and we also saw the place where tourists were allowed to climb until 2019. Personally, I think it’s a good thing that you can no longer climb Uluru; not only is it disrespectful to the site, but there have also been many deaths throughout the years.

After spending a couple of hours touring Uluru, we visited the cultural center for a bit and learned even more from the various exhibits. Next, we headed to a viewing area to watch the sunset. This was the highlight of the trip for me. As the sun got lower and lower, Uluru changed colors with each passing minute, at one point turning a bright red color. I could see why the place was considered magical!

Our sunset viewing area

An incredible red color at sunset

Changing color as the sun continues to set

We had a BBQ dinner as the sun continued to set, which included steak, sausages, various side dishes, and alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. After dark, we got back on the bus and made the long 5-hour drive back to Alice Springs. We didn’t arrive back into town until around midnight, so I was glad I was dropped off right at my hostel.

While I only spent a short amount of time seeing Uluru, I’m glad I at least had the chance to visit this important site. The one-day tour made for a very long day, but it was a convenient option if you are short on time or want a stress-free journey to this beautiful place.