How To Visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

When visiting Australia it’s hard not to visualize the barren red desert that makes up so much of the Northern Territories.

The best-known area in this desert is Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru-Kata Tjuta is like nowhere else on earth and is a must-see when visiting Australia.

This UNESCO World Heritage site has some extraordinary rock formations found nowhere else in the world. It is also the ancestral and current home of the aboriginal people, the Anangu.

Visiting Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park provides a cultural and a nature experience in one place.

At Uluru-Kata Tjuta you can go for walks in nature, discover centuries-old rock art, go birdwatching, see original artwork, and more.

In this post, you will learn all about how to visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta, things to do, and a bonus if you stay in Alice Springs.

Getting to Uluru-Kata Tjuta

To reach the National Park, you can fly from any of the major cities to the Yuluru airport. You will need to rent a car and drive to the park from here.

Another alternative is to fly into Alice Springs and drive or take a tour bus. The drive from Alice Springs to Uluru is 5.5 hours in each direction. So plan for a fun but very long day.

It is possible to stay just outside Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Yuluru (Ayers Rock Resort), you can find more information on their website. But even if you stay at Yuluru you will need a car to move around the park or take an organized tour.

You’ll need a pass to enter the parks. These can be purchased at the entrance but it is easier to purchase through their website. The pass will allow you to skip the line when you arrive for your visit to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Uluru

Uluru is near the resort area and park entrance. Unless you arrive at the park early enough to see the sunrise at one of the sunrise viewing areas, we recommend you start at the Cultural Centre.

The Cultural Centre provides an introduction to the park environment, and the Anangu culture and has some amazing aboriginal art exhibitions.

Here you can also find a visitor desk, shops, a picnic area with a full view of Uluru, and a bicycle hire shop.

You can explore the base of Uluru on a bike and then sit for a BBQ picnic in one of the huts while contemplating Uluru.

From the Culture Center, you can explore the rocks, the rock art or go bird watching on your own or through Ranger-guided activities.

Many guided tours will take you into the park from Yuluru or from Alice Springs, be sure to check your options. Our tour included a sunset BBQ with views of Uluru before heading back to Alice Springs.

Despite the fact it had been raining that day, the views of Uluru at sunset were breathtaking. The BBQ experience was also fun. We even tasted barbecued kangaroo meat. Interesting.

Kata-Tjuta

Although technically the same park, getting to Kata Tjuta requires driving another 50km. The Kata-Tjuta area is great for hiking, bird watching, and photography as there are a few more green spaces.

The Kata-Tjuta side of the park also has a picnic area and restrooms but no shops. You will need to bring water, drinks, and food for your picnic or hike.

You can also find a designated sunrise and sunset viewing area for the Kata Tjuta rock formations. In many cases, they will be less crowded than the viewing areas for Uluru.

If you choose to see the sunset here the views and the shadows crawling across the rocks will not disappoint. Beautiful!

Bonus: Alice Springs

Alice Springs is the closest town to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It was the first European settlement in this area.

The main purpose of the town was to establish a telegraph to communicate Australia with Great Britain. Today the Telegraph Station is a museum and worthy of a visit if you stay in Alice Springs.

You can reach the Telegraph Station by car via the Stuart Highway. As an alternative, you can walk or cycle along the Riverside Path along the Todd River.

If you choose to walk or cycle make sure you take plenty of water, sunscreen, and a good hat because the sun can be tough. But the views are well worth it and you might even encounter some black-footed rock wallabies as we did during our walk.

We hope you enjoyed this post about visiting Uluru-Kata-Tjuta National Park with a little bonus and that you are inspired to visit this amazing part of the world.