Uluru: Back then we camped in the outback

Uluru: Back then we camped in the outback

We spent two nights camping in the outback in the presence of one of the world's most famous natural wonders. Here's our detailed guide to visiting Uluru.

Uluru, that iconic behemoth, that clay-red monolith, that sunburnt sentinel... Nothing can truly prepare you for the vastness, majesty, color and tranquility of the UNESCO-listed sandstone formations in Australia's 'red centre'.

Located in the southern part of the Northern Territory, it is almost in the middle of Australia. Almost all of the other major attractions are scattered along the coast, meaning Uluru is an exciting inland adventure.

We discussed how to get to Uluru for ages. Level? Train? Automobile? Summon the god of logistics? In the end we decided to fly to Alice Springs and hop to Uluru. What looks like a stone's throw on the map is of course a six-hour drive in the vast section of the "red center".

alt=“An aerial view of Uluru”>Karin George/ShutterstockUluru is located in the center of Australia

Since we didn't have a car yet, we booked a three day tour to get us there from Alice Springs. We met our guide Kurt in the city center at 5am and headed to Uluru with 11 other guests.

Different in every way

Sweeping views of lonely bushes turning into sand and dunes, glowing under the extreme summer sun. The temperature reached 38°C (100°F), causing our engine to overheat. A few hours later, Kurt turned off the air conditioning to cool the engine, causing the passengers to melt. Welcome to Australia, folks!

Of course, we visited in February – Australia’s summer time – arguably the worst time to visit the region! The best time to visit Uluru is from May to September, when temperatures are cooler and the rock's changing hues are likely to be more vibrant.

Atlas & BootsAustralia's “red center” during our visit to Uluru

Luckily, Kurt had a plan and flagged down a sister vehicle returning from a previous tour. We swapped vehicles with very little guilt about each other's long journeys. Eventually they ended the tour while we were just getting started.

With cool sweat on our skin, we settled in for the journey to Kings Canyon, a yawning chasm of steep red cliffs and vertiginous walls halfway between Alice Springs and Uluru.

There we began an hour-long hike, but were soon thwarted by closures on the trail that were deemed too dangerous in the heat.

Atlas & BootsSome trails around Kings Canyon were closed due to heat during our Uluru Rock tour

We packed back into our van and headed to camp. I say “camp,” but there was no such thing. Instead, we settled down for the night in an exposed spot in the vast outback, clinging to our swag bags (a type of sleeping bag made of heavy canvas).

I'd known we'd be camping in the outback, but as we unrolled our bags in the gathering darkness, I wondered what the hell I was going to do there. This is Australia, I thought. This is the hinterland. This is the Australian outback and I would be sleeping outdoors where things could crawl into my bag and over my skin and into my nose and ears.

Atlas & BootsOur campsite in the Australian outback

I won't lie. The first night of our Uluru Rock tour was a test, not least because of the ants that literally besieged us. Of course, they weren't the only challenge. As I slipped into my loot bag, Peter told me to freeze. I narrowed my eyes and begged him, “Take it from me, take it from me, take it from me.” I still don’t know what “it” was. Peter described it as a brown, inch-thick centipede crawling up my loot bag.

Kurt told us to tuck our shoes well into our bags as dingoes - wild Australian dogs - have a penchant for smelly shoes. We were actually visited by a dingo, but I didn't see him and didn't want to. I was more worried about the creepy crawlies.

I put on my eye mask, pressed in my earplugs, closed my loot bag, and tried to ignore everything around me.

Atlas & BootsIt's getting dark in the outback

You may have guessed that I survived. In fact, in the early hours of the morning, instead of an alarm clock, I woke up to a huge starry sky and the Lord of the Rings theme song. The surreal, magical quality of this moment negated the struggle of the previous evening. Never before had I seen the Milky Way so clearly with the naked eye. It wasn't quite euphoria, but I felt something more subtle in that moment: a deep sense of calm and a keen awareness of my own smallness. This, I realized, is Australia.

After a leisurely breakfast, we set up camp and headed to a more traditional campsite where we took refreshing showers. Soon we drove to Kata Tjuta, an impressive group of 36 voluminous domes huddled together to form deep valleys and gorges. We set off for the Valley of the Wind, all in high spirits because we had survived the night before. We could officially say we had camped in the Australian outback.

alt=“The domes of Kata Tjuta during our Uluru rock tour”>Atlas & BootsThe domes of Kata Tjuta

We finally made our way to Uluru in the afternoon, stopping for a viewpoint or two along the way. Soon we reached the most famous sight in all of Oceania.

Travel writer Bill Bryson described Uluru as strangely familiar and I felt the same way. Here was the rock I had seen in films, postcards and documentaries, a rock that symbolized past conflict and ongoing pain, a rock held sacred by Australia's indigenous people.

Atlas & BootsUluru, the most famous attraction in all of Oceania

I had long wondered whether Uluru was worth the trip – it was, after all, “just a rock”, but I was wrong. Uluru lives up to the hype. It looms long and heavy and has an inevitable impact. Walking around its base, you almost feel a presence: imposing and gloomy, as if Uluru had been placed there intentionally rather than by accident. It's silly, I know, but that's how I felt.

Atlas & Boots

A few more scenes from our visit to Uluru

We spent the afternoon exploring small caves in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and hiking around the rock before heading to a sunset viewpoint. As Uluru slowly faded into shadow, I was grateful that we had camped in the outback, miles from anywhere comfortable. We had an experience. A real experience, as pretentious as that sounds.

We spent our second night at a more traditional campsite. We were still sleeping outside, and maybe there were a snake or two, or maybe they were legless lizards. We'll never know. It was Australia, after all. Don't worry. We all survived the outback and every single one of us would do it again.

Our guide to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Most Uluru travelers base themselves in Yulara, the service village of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Below are some suggestions on where to stay, where to eat and drink, how to get around, and some ideas about what to see and do in the area.

Katacarix/ShutterstockYulara is the nearest village to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Where to stay

All accommodation in Yulara is owned by Ayers Rock Resort. For more information on all accommodation options, please visit their website.

• Segeln in der Wüste (5-Sterne-Luxushotel)
• Desert Gardens Hotel (4-Sterne-Hotel)
• Emu Walk Wohnungen (Wohnungen)
• The Lost Camel Hotel (Boutique-Hotel)
• Outback Pioneer Hotel & Lodge (erschwingliche Lodge)
• Ayers Rock Campground (Camping und Hütten)

Where to eat and drink

Most restaurants in Yulara are attached to an accommodation complex. Check out the village's full range of restaurants and cafes in Parks Australia or head to Ayers Rock Resort for unique dining experiences such as sunrise breakfasts, private dining in the dunes and outback wine tastings and barbecues.

• Kulata Academy Cafe (Sandwiches, Smoothies, Snacks)
• Geckos Café (Pizza)
• Ayers Wok Nudelbar (Asiatisch)
• Pioneer BBQ & Bar (Barbecue und Getränke)
• Bough House (traditionell australisch)
• Ilkari (Frühstücksbuffet und Abendessen)
• Walpa Lobby Bar (Kaffee, Kuchen, kleine Mittagessen und Snacks)

ChameleonsEye/shutterstockThere are many restaurants around Uluru

Getting around

A free AAT Kings shuttle bus (included with accommodation reservation) meets all flights at Ayes Rock Connellan Airport and transports passengers to their accommodation in Yulara. It is a 15-20 minute drive from Ayers Rock Resort.

AAT Kings also offer several tours and transfers in the area, as well as Uluru Hop On Hop Off, offering a range of daily transfers to the main attractions. Multi-day passes are available.

A free shuttle bus operates daily in Yulara, departing every 20 minutes throughout the day. It stops at all hotels, campgrounds, Resort Town Square and the Visitor Center.

Maythee Voran/ShutterstockThe Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is well connected

If you are visiting Uluru from Alice Springs you can book on the Uluru Rock Tour website. Alice Springs is also served by Great Southern Rail's The Ghan Rail Service, which runs between Darwin and Adelaide.

Renting a car is a good option for exploring the region. We recommend Hertz Australia, but Avis and Thrifty also have offices in the area.

Things to do

There are over 100 tours and experiences in the region, so we've picked just a handful of experiences around Uluru that you shouldn't miss.

• Uluru-Basiswanderung
• Kulturzentrum der Aborigines
• Rock Art entlang des Mala Walk und des Kuniya Walk
• Sonnenaufgang und/oder Sonnenuntergang am Uluru
• Tal der Winde bei Kata Tjuta
• Kings Canyon (inkl. Verlorene Stadt, Garten Eden, Nord- und Südmauer)
• Field of Light-Anzeige

What's new in the NT

We are currently planning a return trip to the Northern Territory to explore more of Australia's 'red centre'. This time, however, we're heading to the city of Darwin to visit the “relatively” nearby Litchfield, Nitmiluk and Kakadu national parks. That's why we've been researching some of the new experiences and accommodation options that have been introduced since we were last in the NT.

• Kakadu Challenger: eine 6-tägige Wandertour durch den Kakadu-Nationalpark
• Best in the Wet: eine 3-tägige „Tropical Summer“-Tour durch die Nationalparks Litchfield und Kakadu
• Wasserfälle und Feuchtgebiete: eine zweitägige Tour entlang des Adelaide River ab Darwin
• Hideaway Litchfield: Im Litchfield National Park wurden Schiffscontainer zu luxuriösen Zufluchtsorten
• Finniss River Lodge: eine luxuriöse Lodge in Reichweite von Darwin und dem Litchfield National Park
• Katherine Outback Experience: Glamping in der Nähe des Nitmiluk-Nationalparks
• Freshwater Retreat: ein privater Rückzugsort in der Nähe von Darwin

Alexandra Martynova/ShutterstockThe Jim Jim Falls in Kakadu National Park

Top travel tip

Wear long sleeves and pants and pack insect repellent, ideally one that you can spray over your clothes and sleeping bag when camping. Some tour operators offer a head protection net for around $5 AUD. Buy it and always keep it in your daypack. It's worth the cost to keep flies at bay.

Start planning your trip

Start planning your trip at northernterritory.com. For inspiration, follow @ntaustralia on Instagram and visit her Facebook page.

This guide was written as part of a series in collaboration with Tourism Northern Territory.

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