Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is one of the most famous national parks in all of Australia in the heart of the Northern Territory. It protects the massive Uluru, a giant red sandstone rock, the largest monolith in the entire world, weighing approximately four million tonnes, as well as the nearby rocks of Kata Tjuta.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
For over 30,000 years, the Aṉangu people lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived.
The first Europeans to see Kata Tjuta were led by explorer Ernest Giles in 1872 who named the largest dome of the group Mount Olga after Queen Olga of Württemberg. The first Europeans to see Uluru were led by explorer William Gosse the year after in 1873 naming it Ayers Rock after then-Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. Tourism took off in the late 1940s with the construction of a dirt road to the area.
Ayers Rock National Park was established in 1950 with guided camping tours led by Len Tuit of Alice Springs starting in 1955. Kata Tjuta was added to the existing national park in 1958, the same year permanent accommodation and an airstrip were established to support increased tourism. The deeds to the national park were returned from the government to the traditional Aboriginal owners in 1985 after a long campaign under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976. The park was then leased back to Parks Australia on a 99-year lease to enable joint management alongside the Aṉangu. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
→ Read the full history of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
I first visited Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in February 2019 on a solo backpacking trip and returned with my partner in our campervan in April and May 2026 and updated the original post with all the new things we did. This post was first published on 7 January 2019; last updated 1 May 2026.
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, the traditional language of the Anangu people is Pitjantjatjara.
→ Learn more about the language of the Anangu people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is in the centre of Australia, in the heart of the Northern Territory and can get very hot during the summer. I recommend visiting in autumn (March-May), winter (June-August) or spring (September-November) for pleasant, sunny days.
Length of stay: Across both my visits in 2019 and 2026, I spent just under a week exploring the national park. I would recommend three to four days to properly explore Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park as there is plenty of hiking, exploring and learning to do.
By flight: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is serviced by its own airport, Ayers Rock Airport. You can fly directly to the national park from Sydney, Cairns, Melbourne and Brisbane. The airport is just a ten-minute drive north of Yulara, the small town next to the national park where all the accommodations and restaurants are located.
→ Rent a car at Ayers Rock Airport.
If you don't plan to drive during your time in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park (how I did it when I first visited in 2019), then you can simply hop on one of the AATKings Resort Shuttles which runs regular free transfers between the airport and Yulara where all the accommodations are located. The price is included in your accommodation and the shuttles do not need to be pre-booked, simply hop on the next available one.
There is also a larger regional airport in nearby Alice Springs, the gateway town to both this national park as well as Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park. Alice Springs Airport connects nationally across Australia to Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney and Tennant Creek.
→ Rent a car at Alice Springs Airport.
If you are in Alice Springs already (which is also where the closest Greyhound coach stop is) and don't want to drive the five hours out to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, enjoy a comfortable coach journey instead.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is with your own wheels. This gives you the freedom to explore the national park at your own pace, stopping whenever and wherever you like.
→ Rent a campervan in Alice Springs with Apollo, Camplify or Indie.
By guided tour: There are a number of day and multi-day trips to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park from Alice Springs, some also in combination with Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park.
→ Book a guided day or multi-day tour of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park from Alice Springs!
The closest town to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is Yulara, just outside the park boundaries. All accommodations and restaurants are located here so it will be your base during your visit.
By car: Of course, the easiest way to explore is with your own wheels. We are traveling around the entire country in our campervan for a year and it gives so much freedom to get around. All the roads in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park are paved and suitable for any type of vehicle.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one at Ayers Rock Airport or in Alice Springs.
By shuttle: A free shuttle bus drives the 20-minute loop around Yulara stopping at all six accommodations along the way as well as Town Square where the art galleries, boutique shops and IGA Supermarket are. The shuttle runs between 5:30am-12:30am daily.
By hop-on, hop-off bus: The most convenient way of exploring the park without your own vehicle is to use the hop-on, hop-off bus which takes you between Yulara and all the main attractions at both Uluru or Kata Tjuta including sunset spots, sunrise spots and the best hikes. 1-, 2- or 3-day passes are available for the bus, depending on how many days you're in the park.
→ Book your day pass for the hop-on, hop-off bus.
By guided tour: If you don't have a vehicle or want to get more out of your time in the park beyond what the hop-on, hop-off bus offers, there are loads of guided tours available to explore Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park including guided walks, nighttime astronomy tours, camping trips, guided bus tours, helicopter rides, Segway tours, sunrise walks with breakfast, Aboriginal experiences and bike tours.
Ayers Rock Resort: All the paid accommodations of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park are located in Yulara, the town just north of the park gates, all part of the Ayers Rock Resort. There are seven different kind of accommodations to choose from, depending on your budget and style:
- Sails in the Desert - 5-star luxury, resort-style
- Desert Gardens Hotel - 4.5-star luxury hotel with gardens
- Emu Walk Apartments - self-contained 1- or 2-bedroom apartments
- The Lost Camel - contemporary boutique hotel
- Outback Hotel - casual hotel
- Outback Lodge - backpacker accommodations (I stayed here in 2019!)
- Ayers Rock Campground - powered and unpowered campsites for tents and campervans
→ Book your accommodation through Ayers Rock Resort.
Ultra-luxury accommodation: There is one ultra-luxury accommodation available at Longitude 131 also in Yulara but not part of Ayers Rock Resort. Starting at AUD $4,500 per night for a glamping tent or starting at AUD $9,000 per night for a glass pavilion, you'll have your own private view of Uluru. Minimum two night stay.
Free camping: As with the rest of Australia, the Northern Territory permits freedom camping on designated sites. These sites can vary greatly; some offer a variety of facilities such as toilets, trash bins, picnic tables, outdoor cooking stations and others have none of this and might simply be a pull-out on the side of the road.
The best way to find legal freedom camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
When we returned in our campervan in 2026 during our lap of Australia, we found two free campsites on either side of the national park. There is no free camping within the boundaries of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Both of the free campsites we found have no amenities so you must be fully self-contained to stay there.
20 minutes east of Yulara there is the Sandy View Rest Area with a view of Uluru on the horizon. It's located on the side of the road from Alice Springs but given how little traffic there is at night out here, it was surprisingly quiet!
Sandy View Rest Area
The other free campsite is on the other side of the national park and ideal for exploring the Kata Tjuṯa side. Russell's Gravel Pit is literally what the name says, just a gravel pit on the side of Tjukaruru Road with zero amenities. We were the only people the night we stayed there and it was completely silent with an amazing view of the national park. It's just five minutes from the park border.
Russell's Gravel Pit
In 2019 when I visited, I was on a solo backpacking trip and so took advantage of the kitchen in my hostel and the local IGA Supermarket in Yulara.
When we came back in 2026, we tried out two restaurants in Yulara, all part of the Ayers Rock Resort.
→ Check out all the dining options in Yulara.
We had dinner at Mangata Bistro & Bar, a big restaurant with Australian classics on the menu located behind the Desert Gardens Hotel. I appreciated that they had gluten-free and vegetarian options on the menu, something I wasn't expecting in the outback!
We had lunch at Waḻpa Lobby Bar in the lobby of Sails in the Desert. We really liked the airy, rustic interior and while the price tag was high for what you get (but as to be expected in remote areas), the food - mostly sandwiches, salads, burgers and noodles - was yummy and the drinks were delicious.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is one of the most famous national parks in all of Australia in the heart of the Northern Territory. There are two parts to the national park: Uluru, the giant red sandstone rock, the largest monolith in the entire world, as well as the nearby rocks of Kata Tjuta.
Entry to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is not included with an NT Annual Parks Visitor Pass and has its own separate entry fees. The smallest pass is a three-day pass which is AUD $38 per person, otherwise you can get an annual pass for AUD $50. Under 18s are free. You can easily buy the pass on arrival at the national park entry station or you can buy it online in advance.
Spot Mount Conner
As you're driving towards Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park from Alice Springs, there is a small pull out on the side of the road from which you can spot Mount Conner, also known as "Fool-uru", because at first glance if you've never been here before, you might mistakenly think it's Uluru!
Mount Conner is a flat-topped mesa called Artilla in Aṉangu thought to be about 700 million years old. It was named by the explorer William Gosse, the first European to spot Uluru, in 1873 after M. L. Conner, a then-South Australian politician.
Watch the sunrise from Kata Tjuta
You will need to depart your accommodations at approximately 4:30am to take the bus to the viewing platform at Kata Tjuta. Come early as it will get busy with people snapping beautiful photos of the sun peeking above the horizon behind Uluru and the pink light grazing the domes of Kata Tjuta.
Hike Valley of the Winds in Kata Tjuta
After you have watched sunrise, the hop-on, hop-off bus will drop you off at the start of the Valley of the Winds hike, a beautiful 7.4km circuit that loops all the way through the domes of the national park. Some of these domes are taller than Uluru! The signs in the park say to give yourself up to four hours to hike; I completed it in 1 hour 40 minutes. You must start this hike early as you cannot access the trail after 11am due to heat. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen and please don't wear flip flops or jeans...
Watch the sunrise over Uluru
The following day, catch the hop-on, hop-off bus at 4:45am to Uluru. A return pass (cheaper than an unlimited hop-on, hop-off day pass) will still take you first to the sunrise viewing platform before dropping you off at one spot and pick you up at another to return you home. The sun rises opposite Uluru so you won't get quite the same show as you do from Kata Tjuta but you do get a chance to see the morning light up close on Uluru.
Hike the base of Uluru
After sunrise, get off the bus at Mala Carpark to complete the 10km circumnavigation of Uluru. The walk does not touch the rock since it is a sacred place, but you get the full view of every single angle and curve of the magnificent rock. The entire loop took me 1 hour 45 minutes. Free tours operate here where local guides will tell you about the legends of the land. You can still climb the rock, but please just don't. It damages the rock and is against the Aboriginal culture.
Watch sunset over Uluru and Kata Tjuta
At the Outback Pioneer Hotel and Lodge, a viewing platform looks directly across to Uluru. If you don't have unlimited hop-on/hop-off's, this is a great, free spot to watch the sky come alive with vibrant colours over Kata Tjuta casting a pink glow on Australia's most famous rock.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
