Uluṟu /Kata Tjuta

Visited: dry season

Recommendation: Go! If for nothing else, go because it is one of the most iconic places in Australia. You cannot be disappointed, even if you see no wildlife.  

I always suspected that Uluṟu would not be as good as the publicity. I avoided it for years because I thought it would be commercial, explotative and a let down. I am glad to say I was wrong. The dedicated resort at Yulara is pleasant (albeit very expensive), the National Park appears well managed and The Rock itself is mind blowing. 

Consequently, I did everything I could here. Sunrise viewings, sunset viewings, different angles but the most wonderful experience was walking around the base. It is around 10km and even in the dry season, it was hot. At certain points you can touch the base itself and there are a couple of permanent waterholes which are always good for wildlife. I saw birds and reptiles all the way round but the mutitjulu waterhole provided the highest concentration. It is also a very pleasant spot that you can sit and soak up the atmosphere of this incredible place.

Here are some of the birds I saw on the Uluṟu base walk.

What you may not know about Uluṟu is that there is another set of rock formations and while they are much less famous, they are equally as spectacular. Around 50km away from Uluṟu, Kata Tjuta (also known as The Olgas) are a set of smaller rocks in a group. You can see them from Uluṟu and vice versa. I thought they were every bit as wonderful as Uluṟu and equally as stunning in early morning and late afternoon light. You can also walk amongst the formations on set tracks.

Kata Tjuta at sunrise and sunset

While the reptiles around Uluṟu were elusive, there were animals about. It was with delight that some camels blocked the road one morning. And exploring local sand dunes at night brought the remarkably odd Pale Knob-tailed Gecko

The best view of Uluṟu is actually from Kata Tjuta and it has a dedicated viewing platform for just that time. It gets a bit crowded but it is worth the early start. Getting there well before daylight gives the most incredible views of the pre-dawn light.