Australia: a weekend in Uluru

Australia is one of the largest countries in the world; there are so many things to see and discover that several years would not be enough to see everything, and sometimes you have to make choices when it comes to a trip of a few weeks… In my first article about Australia I had already presented you with the itinerary of our road trip on Explorers Way from Darmin to Adelaide. Today, I wanted to talk to you about from the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.

This park is famous for this gigantic rock, known as the’Ayer Rock And it is considered one of the most famous monoliths in the world! This place is full of mystery; I find it crazy to find a rock of this size in the middle of nowhere, right in the heart of the Australian desert…

What to do in Uluru? 

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, The immense Uluru and its natural park are very popular hiking destinations. Unfortunately, we only stayed there for 24 hours due to lack of time, but it was a must-see on the Explorers Way route. We arrived in Uluru in the afternoon, we had time to settle in the hotel and prepare for our hike.’ Uluru Sunset Viewing  » (about 50 €). It’s a very touristy activity, but you absolutely have to see a sunset at Uluru! What I enjoyed about this outing was the freedom to go on a small section of the trail and avoid the crowd gathered around the buffet! We had an excellent time around some Australian sparkling wine while watching the sunset…

The next morning we had the choice between several experiences at sunrise:

The Skydive This is the kind of unforgettable experience, I think I’ll have to live at least once in my life. Well, I’ve let go of my fears, even though I like the adventure and the sensations… I don’t feel ready for this kind of experience. I congratulate Anne and Bruno who had the courage to jump into the void and if you’re interested in it, I recommend you to go and have a look. Anne’s blog by clicking here, She tells her experience in the video.

Price : about 275 €. More information here 

A ride on a Harley Davidson I’m not the right person to talk about a Harley ride because I don’t really like two-wheeled vehicles, but according to our friends Vuthéara and Joanna, it was really cool to be able to ride on the Australian roads.

Price starting from about 137 €. Here is the link for more information, click here.

A ride on a donky at sunrise: In his article about Northern Australia, Juliette seems to have enjoyed her walk and adds: »The light at sunrise is incredible, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful I have seen in my life...« 

For my part, I had already done several hikes in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt; it wasn’t really my priority as an activity, but I admit that for someone who’s never done it before, it must be very cool to experience it in the middle of the Australian desert!

Price starting from about 55 €. All the details here

The exhibition field of light I might seem like a bit of an adventurer, but I’m fully prepared to take on the challenge 😉 I chose a very quiet and pleasant morning walk to see this exhibition of 50,000 lights at the foot of Uluru. For your information, I didn’t experience any strong sensations, but I had to get up earlier than my friends ahah because we were supposed to arrive in the most total darkness. In my first article about Australia, I explained my love for this exhibition (click here to read the article). To sum up, I had a magical, even fairy-tale-like time with all those solar lights; and yes, I’m not a girl for nothing! I also found it to be a truly unique activity; the exhibition only lasting for a year was the perfect time to be able to experience an artist’s work. Bruce Munro. If I use the verb »to live», it’s because for an hour we were able to walk in this field of light in the greatest of silence, all while admiring the sunrise over Uluru. This is the kind of experience I love 🙂

Price 27 € , More information here 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG6QSYMhAB0

How to get to Uluru?

Uluru Rock is located in the middle of the desert, far from everything, and transportation options are therefore not very numerous. Yet, tourism development requires the construction of an airport nearby so that travelers can get there more easily from Sydney or Melbourne (click here to view the flight prices) I compared the prices; the price for a flight like ours departing from Alice Springs is around €200 / $ $235. There are also other alternatives like the bus, the train or even the car, but personally I find it too long; for the bus, for example, there are 29 hours of bus travel from Alice Springs…

Where to sleep in Uluru?

It takes two or three days to fully explore the rock and its surroundings, so it is necessary to plan a place to sleep 😉

For luxury lovers, head to Sail in the desert hotel, This five-star resort in the middle of the desert offers all the necessary comfort: a swimming pool, a gourmet restaurant, and the environment is really nice! We were lucky enough to spend a night there; the rooms were very spacious and I loved the breakfast buffet. To be very honest with you, this is the most expensive hotel in Uluru and you have to expect to pay around €400 per night.

The smaller budgets will turn to the’Outback Pioneer lodge. The adventurers will not hesitate to share a dormitory for 20 people for less than 40 $ /27 € per night, even though the hotel also offers more comfortable rooms but much more expensive ones. The establishment is renowned for being in keeping with the Australian way of life: welcoming, friendly and simple.

To book a hotel, I recommend you this site which brings together all the hotels in Uluru.

 

To conclude this article, here is a video from the tourist office Australia’s Outback, In it you will find videos of all the activities offered on site, and I hope it will inspire you to discover this amazing place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYO8ylMueE

PS: I recommend you to buy it a hat with a net for the flies, There are so many of them!