I don't know about you but Uluru (Ayers Rock) is one of the first things I think of when I think of Australia, maybe along with the kangaroo, Sydney Opera house, koalas & the Great Barrier Reef of course!
I was planning on leaving a visit to Uluru until later in the year but I was too eager and whilst I was in the area (just a mere 20 hour bus ride away from Alice Springs), it seemed silly not to go.
So off I went!
I arrived in Alice Springs and spent my time staying at the YHA.
As with most attractions there are loads of companies offering you 'the best deal' so it can often be overwhelming with who to go with.
I ended up choosing The Rock Tour and booked onto a 3 day / 2 night tour with our fabulous guide Ashleigh.
Day 1
An early pick-up at 5:30am was a shock to the system but knowing where I was heading was totally worth it. Ashleigh picked us all up from our hostels and we started on the long drive out of Alice Springs and into no mans land! This was the perfect opportunity to catch up on sleep or just gaze out at the changing colours of the landscape as the sun rose.
On route we had a couple of toilet and coffee stops before arriving into the National Park & got our first glimpse of Uluru.
Wow
Like with most things ive seen & done in Australia it never actually clicks that i'm there doing them, like even today I have to remind myself I'm in Australia.
But there I was, driving up to Uluru, the famous rock that I've wondered about for years!
We would be staying at Yulara Resort Campsite for the night so we dropped off our things before heading to the Aboriginal Cultural Centre to learn all about the importance of Uluru to the Aboriginal people.
It was fascinating to learn about what Uluru meant to these people and the dreamtime tales different parts of the rock represent.
It was now time for the Uluru Base Walk.
We walked maybe 3/4 of Uluru and it took a couple hours to complete. As I was walking round admiring the rock from so close it was hard to take in the size of it all! Its huge.
& what we could see was only the tip of the iceberg, Uluru is about 300m high above ground, but goes as far as 5.5KM underground!
We got to see some cave paintings close to the Mutijulu watering hole which were so beautiful to look at.
It was nearly time for our sunset dinner so we headed over to a prime viewpoint and joined hundreds of others as we waited for the sun to set and create those gorgeous colours across the rock that I'd been hoping for.
Back to camp & time to set up our swags around the fire whilst eating marshmallows and playing games. I still have no idea how to play the spoon / cup game!
Day 2
Another early start but waking up to the sweet sounds of Ashleigh's music wasn't as bad as expected.
We drove off to watch the sunrise at Uluru and it was so magical.
With The Circle of Life playing in the background we all stood in awe as the sun started to peak from the horizon and create gorgeous colours across the sky.
Back in the bus we headed for our new destination: Kata Tjuta & the Valley of the Winds walk.
Kata Tjuta is a scared aboriginal mens site and means "heads many' and is made up of 36 domes.
The whole area was underwater 550 million years ago until the Alice Springs orogeny occurred and made Uluru and Kata Tjuta twist at different angels to form the landscape we see today.
I preferred this hike to the the Uluru base walk tbh, the views were incredible especially from the top of the steep incline.
After lunch we headed on the road towards King Canyon where we would spend the night at Kings Creek Station. Ashleigh cooked us up yet another storm and we enjoyed our food round the fire with some chilled beers & ciders. Now as we were heading to bed Ashleigh did warn us that the following day would be an even earlier start but refrained from telling us exactly how early!
Day 3
4:30 am early!
It sounds horrendous but trust me its worth it. We had a short drive to Kings Canyon where we started our hike in the dark which was a whole new experience in itself.
As we climbed up and up the steep stairs in the rock we began to realise the treat we were in for; watching the sunrise from the top.
It didn't quite beat the sunrise at Uluru but was special all the same. The whole landscape lit up and the orange and reds came alive in the rocks. We hiked through the Lost City and visited the Amphitheaters and both North & South Walls.
We continued on our hike and visited the watering hole at the Garden of Eden where we stopped to reflect on the trip so far.
At top of the canyon the views were brilliant, you could see the distinctive beehive-like shaped rocks for miles.
I really loved the hike there, the fact we started in the dark was so cool & not something a lot of people can say they did.
After we finished Kings Canyon it was time to make the long drive back towards Alice Springs but not without a stop off at the camel farm for $7 rides if you wanted.
I had my fill of camel rides in Broome so I opted out and just walked around looking at all the other wildlife they had on the farm; emus , kangaroos & even a pet dingo.
A final stop at the famous Alice Springs sign before arriving back into town in the late afternoon but the tour wasn't quite over.
We had a tour dinner booked at The Rock Bar to toast to a great few days with a fun bunch of people.
Thank you to Ashleigh for being a brilliant tour guide & to everyone I met on the tour for making it so much fun!
If you're interested in booking this tour (they also do a 2 day option) then check out their website here for all the details.
Want to SEE what I did on the tour?
Check out my Rocks Tour GoPro video coming soon!
Thanks for reading & happy travels
♡ G
& follow me on my Australia Adventure! ☀
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