Planning a trip to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Visitor Information
The Central Australian Tourism Industry Association is your best one-stop source of information.
Most of the Red Centre lies within the Northern Territory. Tourism NT has a great website (www.travelnt.com) withspecial sections tailored for international travelers (choose your country) and for the self-drive market. It can help you find a travel agent who specializes in the Northern Territory and details many hotels, tour operators, car-rental companies, and attractions, as well as lots of information on local Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal tours. Tourism NT’s Territory Discoveries division (www.holidaysnt.com) offers package deals.
When to Go
April, May, September, and October have sunny days (coolish in May, hot in Oct). Winter (June–Aug) means mild temperatures with cold nights. Summer (Nov–Mar) is ferociously hot and best avoided. In summer, limit exertions to early morning and late afternoon and choose air-conditioned accommodations. Rain is rare but can come at any time of year.
Driving Tips
The Automobile Association of the Northern Territory, 14 Knuckey St., Darwin, NT 0800 ([tel] 08/8925 5901; www.aant.com.au), offers emergency-breakdown service to members of affiliated overseas automobile associations and dispenses maps and advice. It has no office in the Red Centre. For a recorded report of road conditions, call [tel] 1800/246 199 in Australia.
Only a handful of highways and arterial roads in the Northern Territory are sealed (paved) roads. A conventional two-wheel-drive car will get you to most of what you want to see, but consider renting a four-wheel-drive for complete freedom. All the big car-rental chains have them. Some attractions are on unpaved roads good enough for a two-wheel-drive car, but your car-rental company will not insure a two-wheel-drive for driving on them.
Normal restricted speed limits apply in all urban areas, but speed limits on Northern Territory highways (introduced only in 2006) are considerably higher than in other states. The speed limit is set at 130 kmph (81 mph) on the Stuart, Arnhem, Barkly, and Victoria highways, while rural roads are designated 110 kmph (68 mph) speed limits unless otherwise signposted. However, drivers should be careful to keep to a reasonable speed and leave enough distance to stop safely. The road fatality toll in the Northern Territory is high: 27 fatalities per 100,000 people each year, compared with the Australian average of 8 per 100,000.
Another considerable risk while driving is that of hitting wildlife: camels, kangaroos, and other protected native species. Avoid driving at night, early morning, and late afternoon, when [’]roos are more active; beware of cattle lying down on the warm bitumen at night.
Road trains (trucks hauling more than one container) and fatigue caused by driving long distances are two other major threats. For details on safe driving, review the tips in the “By Car”section of “Getting Around”in Chapter 9.
Buzz Off!
Uluru is notorious for plagues of flies in summer. Don’t be embarrassed to cover your head with the fly nets sold in souvenir stores—there will be “no flies on you, mate,”an Aussie way of saying you are clever.
Other Travel Tips
Always carry drinking water. When hiking, carry 4 liters (about a gallon) per person per day in winter and a liter 1/4 gal.) per person per hour in summer. Wear a broad-brimmed hat, high-factor sunscreen, and insect repellant.
Bring warm clothing for chilly evenings in winter. Make sure you have a full tank of gas before setting out and check distances between places you can fill up.
Tour Operators
Numerous coach, minicoach, and four-wheel-drive tour operators run tours that take in Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, and Uluru. These depart from Alice Springs or Uluru, offering accommodations ranging from spiffy resorts, comfortable motels, and basic cabins to shared bunkhouses, tents, or swags (sleeping bags) under the stars. Most pack the highlights into a 2- or 3-day trip, though leisurely trips of 6 days or more are available. Many offer one-way itineraries between Alice and the Rock (via Kings Canyon if you like), or vice versa, which will allow you to avoid backtracking.
Among the reputable companies are AAT Kings ([tel] 1300/228 546 in Australia, or 08/8952 1700 for the Alice Springs office; www.aatkings.com), which specializes in coach tours but also has four-wheel-drive camping itineraries; Alice Springs Holidays ([tel] 1800/801 401 in Australia or 08/8631 1331; www.alicespringsholidays.com.au), which does upscale soft-adventure tours for groups; and Intrepid Connections ([tel] 1300/018 871 in Australia; www.intrepidtravel.com), which conducts camping safaris (or if you prefer, hotel, motel, or lodge accommodation) in small groups for all ages. Tailormade Tours ([tel] 08/8952 1731; www.tailormadetours.com.au) offers public tours as well as customized luxury charters.
Getting Around
Ayers Rock Resort runs a free shuttle every 20 minutes or so around the resort complex from 10:30am to after midnight, but to get to the Rock or Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), you will need to take transfers, join a tour, or have your own wheels. The shuttle also meets all flights. There are no taxis at Yulara.
By Shuttle
Uluru Express (tel. 08/8956 2152; www.uluruexpress.com.au) provides a minibus shuttle from Ayers Rock Resort to and from the Rock about every 50 minutes from before sunrise to sundown, and four times a day to Kata Tjuta. The basic shuttle costs A$43 for adults and A$30 for kids 1 to 14. To Kata Tjuta, it costs A$75 for adults and A$40 for children. A 2-day pass that enables you to explore Uluru and Kata Tjuta as many times as you wish costs A$155 adults and A$80 children; a 3-day pass costs A$170 for adults and A$80 for kids. All fares are round-trip. A National Park entry pass, if you don't already have one, is A$25 extra.
By Car
If there are two of you, the easiest and cheapest way to get around is likely to be a rental car. All roads in the area are paved, so a four-wheel-drive is unnecessary. Expect to pay around A$120 to A$140 per day for a medium-size car. Rates drop a little in low season. Most car-rental companies give you the first 100 or 200km (63-126 miles) free and charge between A17¢ and A25¢ per kilometer after that. Take this into account, because the round-trip from the resort to the Olgas is just over 100km (63 miles), and that's without driving about 20km (13 miles) to the Rock and back. Hire periods of under 3 days incur a one-way fee based on kilometers travelled, up to about A$330. Avis (tel. 08/8956 2266), Hertz (tel. 08/8956 2244), and Thrifty (tel. 08/8956 2030) all rent regular cars and four-wheel-drives.
The Outback Travel Shop (tel. 08/8955 5288; www.outbacktravelshop.com.au), a booking agent in Alice Springs, often has better deals on car- rental rates than you'll get by booking direct.
By Organized Tour
Several tour companies run a range of daily sunrise and sunset viewings, circumnavigations of the Rock by coach or on foot, guided walks at the Rock or the Olgas, camel rides, observatory evenings, visits to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, and innumerable permutations and combinations of all of these. Some offer "passes" containing the most popular activities. Virtually every company picks you up at your hotel. Among the most reputable are AAT Kings and Tailormade Tours.
Aboriginal Tours
Because Anangu Tours (tel. 08/8950 3030; www.ananguwaai.com.au) is owned and run by the Rock's Aboriginal owners, its excellent tours give you firsthand insight into Aboriginal culture. Tours are in the Anangu language and translated by an interpreter. If you are going to spend money on just one tour, this group is a good choice.
The company does a 3 1/2-hour Kuniya walk, during which you visit the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre and the Mutitjulu water hole at the base of the Rock, learn about bush foods, and see rock paintings before watching the sun set. It departs daily at 2:30pm March through October, 3:30pm November through February. With hotel pickup, the tour costs A$116 for adults and A$75 for children 5 to 15. There's also a 4 1/2-hour breakfast tour costing A$139 for adults and A$93 for children. It includes a base tour and demonstrations of bush skills and spear-throwing. A standard tour during the day costs A$87 for adults and A$58 for kids. Dot-painting workshops at the Uluru Cultural Centre cost A$87 for adults and A$61 for kids. There are various other combinations of tours to choose from.
Getting There
By Plane
Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia) flies to Ayers Rock (Connellan) Airport direct from Sydney, Alice Springs, Perth, and Cairns. Flights from other airports go via Alice Springs. Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia) flies direct from Sydney daily. The airport is 6km (3 3/4 miles) from Ayers Rock Resort. A free shuttle ferries all resort guests, including campers, to their door.
By Car
Take the Stuart Highway south from Alice Springs 199km (123 miles), turn right onto the Lasseter Highway, and go 244km (151 miles) to Ayers Rock Resort. The Rock is 18km (11 miles) farther on.
If you are renting a car in Alice Springs and want to drop it at Uluru and fly out from there, be prepared for a one-way penalty. Only Avis, Hertz, and Thrifty have Uluru depots.
