Uluru is without a doubt one of the most magical places we have ever visited. Glowing a burning orange in the setting sun, rising from the vast, flat red plains, this natural wonder is a must-see for any visitor to Australia. It was very high on our bucket list for our Australia trip, but time was tight which got us thinking: Can you visit Uluru in just one day?
Short answer no. Not one calendar day, but if time is short, you can absolutely plan a whistle-stop 24 hour visit split over two days, including a one night stay, that will still give you a fantastic taste of the best of Uluru. Obviously in an ideal world you'd have two or three days there so that you can also visit Kata Tjuta and do some different hikes and cultural experiences, but Uluru is such a special, iconic place that even if you only get 24 hours there then it's better to visit it briefly than to not go at all. So before we get into the actual plans for your trip, here are a few things you can do to maximise the efficiency of your Uluru experience:
Top tips for saving time if you only have 24 hours to see Uluru:
Flights: You can't visit Uluru as an out and back day trip - firstly there aren't any flights late enough (by the time you landed you'd have to leave again an hour later), and secondly you must see a sunset and a sunrise there, which requires a sleepover! We travelled in and out of Sydney, catching the 10:30am flight one morning and the 14:15 flight out the next day.
Transport: With time being short you really need your own wheels, which means hiring a car. Imagine missing sunrise because the shuttle bus was full, or wasting time having to wait to catch one to the trailhead? Uluru/Ayers Rock airport has several car rental companies to choose from, including Hertz, Avis, Thrifty and Dollar but be sure to reserve your car in advance as numbers are limited. It's not the cheapest option, but independence is crucial if you're going to get the most out of your 24 hours at Uluru. We travelled in a group of 6 and hiring a car between all of us worked out less expensive than 6 shuttle bus passes.
Get your park passes in advance: Don't waste the time you could be spending bagging a great sunset watching spot queueing to buy an entry pass at the park barrier. Instead, book it online in advance and you can join the much shorter queue, show the QR code on your phone (or print it off) and head on in. Passes cost $38 AUD and are valid for 3 days. Under 18s are free, and part of the fee goes back to the Anangu people to support the community.
So with those tips in mind, here is your 24 hour Uluru itinerary:
Day One:
Fly out of Sydney at 10:30, landing at 13:35 - you'll get your first glimpse of Uluru as you come in to land! Collect your luggage and your rental car (the rental company desks are right next to the carousel) - we'd recommend getting straight into the queue for your car first, and them grabbing your bags afterwards once you've got the keys.
Head to your accommodation at the Ayers Rock Resort. You'll most likely be too early to check in (always worth asking) but should be able to leave your bags in reception. The resort is your only option for staying in the National Park, but has a wide range of options from the very glam Sails in the Desert Hotel to self catered apartments and even a campsite! We stayed in the Outback Hotel and Lodge in a budget quad room - a very basic hostel style room that was literally two sets of bunk beds and a mirror (communal showers/loos are close by), but with only 24 hours at Uluru we were barely in it, and it was the cheapest option (plus it has an amazing amenity that we'll write about later)! If you're travelling alone, you can even get a bed in a single sex dormitory for $38 AUD.
Time to go see Uluru! It's a 17 minute drive to the Uluru - Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre (you'll need to show your parks pass to pass though the National Park barrier) where you can learn about the area's traditional owners: the Anangu people, their culture and creation stories and why Uluru is so sacred to them.
Next drive about 9 minutes to the Kuniya car park where you can follow the short, flat, Kuniya walk to get up close and personal with Uluru and the Mutitjulu Waterhole. Words can't express how enormous Uluru is (it's about as tall as the Eiffel Tower!), but once you're stood immediately in front of it, the vast orange walls stretching up into the blue sky, you can understand why it's such a significant and spiritual site for the Aboriginal people. It has a really special energy. The year round presence of Mutijulu Waterhole means that this is quite a green area, with lots of grasses and trees. Look out for birds and wallabies, and don't miss the rock art cave with ancient paintings.
Keeping an eye on the time, it's time to drive to the sunset viewing area. We'd recommend getting there an hour before sunset in order to get a parking space and to enjoy the changing light. This is one of the most special experiences at Uluru, as the rock goes from orange to pink to fiery red to burgundy while the sun goes down behind you.
Ok, time to talk about that amazing amenity we mentioned earlier - once the sun is down, head back to the resort to check in and have dinner. If you're staying at the Outback Hotel and Lodge like we did, then get yourself to the Outback BBQ and Bar, a really fun casual restaurant where you cook your own dinner! You choose your meat or fish including steaks, emu sausages and barramundi and then cook it yourself on the big metal grill. You can help yourself to a wide variety of side dishes including a tasty salad bar, jacket potatoes and bread. The restaurant is open from 5pm until 9pm, the bar is open until midnight and they often have live music on!
To finish the day, take a walk up to Imalung Lookout, just a few minutes away from the Outback Hotel and Lodge, to see the stars. We actually found that the view was better from the bottom of the (small) hill, as at the top your eyes have to look out over the lights of the resort, where as at the bottom, you cam use the hill to block them out which makes the sky appear darker. You'll see what we mean.
Day Two:
Set an early alarm and drive to the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku sunrise viewing area - it's on the opposite side of Uluru to where you watched the sunset last night. As before, we'd suggest getting there an hour early to get a parking space, a good viewing spot and to really appreciate the changing light.
Next up, it's time to walk the Uluru Base Trail! This flat path follows the entire circumference of Uluru, starting from the Mala car park. It's really easy (I was 6 months pregnant when we did it) and should take you between 3 and 4 hours to complete, depending on how often you stop to take photos! We'd recommend starting around 7am so that you're done before the heat of the day really kicks in.
If you're also travelling while pregnant, we have a useful guide to maternity outdoor/hiking clothes that I wore in Australia, and a pregnancy hand luggage packing list for the plane.
If you're back in time, pop long to the Gallery of Central Australia to watch a free didgeridoo demonstration/workshop - it runs from 11-11:45am and you might even get to have a go!
By now it'll be time to head back to the airport to return your car and check in for your 14:15 flight back to Sydney, which gets you back in at 17:50.
And there you have it! A fleeting 24 hour visit to one of the natural wonders of the world, but if that's all the time you have, it's better to visit Uluru briefly than not at all.
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