Australia’s red centre in 5 days | Uluru itinerary

Uluru is one of Australia’s iconic landmarks, and rightly so – no number of photos and videos could do it justice. From the moment you’re flying over the desert and you step out onto the red sand, you’re transported into a vastly different world from the cityscapes of Australia where everything is tinged red and the land is flat, bar the awe-inspiring, giant monolith known as Uluru and beautiful neighbouring rock structures at Kata Tjuta (The Olgas).

The stunning Uluru during golden hour (sunset).

Australia is one of those countries that seems a lot smaller to foreigners than it actually is – the flight time from Sydney to Ayers Rock (Uluru) Airport took 3.5 hours but it’s well worth it. Uluru is one of those destinations where once you’re there, you can expect to be driving for up to a few hours between the different sites as they’re quite spread out – a lot of people will fly into Alice Springs thinking they’ll do the short drive to Uluru, the ‘short’ drive being 5.5 hours in itself.

If you’re looking to do a short trip to Uluru (which I would highly recommend), I’ve put together a 5 day itinerary to cover all the sites around Uluru itself, and if you have a few extra days I would suggest heading towards Alice Springs to explore the canyons and waterfalls along the way as well.

Itinerary summary

Stunning sunrises and sunsets over the red desert at Uluru and neighbouring Kata Tjuta site
Scenic day hikes through valleys and canyons
Learn about the cultural significance of Uluru and support local communities
Add on 1-2 days to explore the waterfalls and canyons on the way from Kings Canyon to Alice Springs

Getting to and around Uluru - flights, transport options and tours

There are various airlines that fly from across Australia to Uluru including Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar taking about 3.5hrs from the east coast and 3hrs from the west coast. From Ayers Rock Airport you can either choose to rent a car for the duration of your stay or catch the shuttle bus from the airport to the Ayers Rock Resort area (fun fact: there’s only one resort!)

Whether you choose to rent a car or join tours to get around is up to you – all tours from Ayers Rock Resort include hotel pick up for the different activities including sunrise and sunset tours, guided bicycle and segway tours around Uluru, fine dining experiences and the Field of Light (more on this later).

You also have the option of flying to Alice Springs which is a slightly bigger airport and driving out to Uluru – noting that this drive will take half a day in itself but would allow you to explore the series of waterfalls and canyons along the way to or from Uluru, before joining the rest of the itinerary in exploring Kings Canyon, Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

We chose to fly to Ayers Rock Airport as we only had 5 days and didn’t want to lose 2 days to driving, and hired a car with Avis so we had the freedom and flexibility to set our own schedule.

Kat Tjuta (The Olgas) at sunset - also just as beautiful.

Where to stay – accommodation and food options at Ayers Rock Resort

Accomodation

There are quite a few options to choose from at Ayers Rock Resort including campgrounds, serviced apartments and hotels. By the time we booked, the serviced apartments and budget hotels had been booked out for our dates, so we chose to stay at the Desert Gardens Hotel in a room that faced the giant monolith rock – and that was worth it for the experience of being able to wake up and see it in all its beauty, and watch how the light on it would change over the day.

The options include:

Ayers Rock Campground - from $40/night
Outback Hotel & Lodge (3.5 star) - from $350/night (hotel), $38/night (hostel-style accomodation)
The Lost Camel Hotel (3.5 star) - from $330/night (sleeps up to 2)
Emu Walk Apartments (4 star) - from $500/night (1 bedroom apartment, sleeps up to 4)
Desert Garden Hotel (4.5 star) - from $420/night (sleeps up to 4)
Sails in the Desert (5 star) - from $475/night (sleeps up to 4)

These are all connected by a walking path as well as a resort shuttle bus that runs regularly.

Food and restaurants

There are a range of restaurants ranging from signature dining experiences like the Sounds of Silence, to restaurants and buffets, and casual cafes and bbq/bars. We went a range of different bars and restaurants, our favourite being the Outback BBQ and Kiosk where you can order classic pizzas and burgers and eat at communal tables, and also do some bbq-ing whilst listening to live music. We also bought some tuna and biscuit snacks and instant noodles over from Sydney and supplemented this with groceries from the local IGA for some meals on the go as well.

Itinerary for 5 stunning days in iconic Uluru

This itinerary can be extended by 2 days if you’re flying in/out of Alice Springs Airport to include driving time, and a few stops along the way to the canyons and waterfalls near Kings Canyon. While joining tours is a great option, we found there was more freedom to set our own schedule with driving.

Day 1 - Fly into Ayers Rock Airport and experience Uluru sunset

Fly into Ayers Rock Airport and take the resort shuttle bus to Ayers Rock Resort, or pick up your hire car from the airport and drive across to your accommodation at the resort. Check in and explore the resort area, and head to the Uluru sunset viewing area for the first of many stunning views either via tour or car. Return to the resort for dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Day 2 - Uluru sunrise, Uluru base circut walk and Kata Tjuta sunset

For your second day in Uluru, head out early to catch the sunrise at the Uluru viewing point (different to the sunset view point!) and then head off on a walk or bike ride around the Uluru base circuit walk (10.6km if you do the whole way around). After you finish, you can head back to the resort to relax and explore until sunset, where you can head out to Kata Tjuta for a different desert sunset viewing experience.

We also managed to book 2 spots for the Field of Light on the day as other people cancelled - I would highly recommend booking this in advance as it is very likely to sell out. I really enjoyed viewing the light installations and marvelling at all the colours.

The Field of Light - this barely begins to capture how cool it was to wander through an expansive, well, field of light.

Day 3 - Kata Tjuta sunrise, Valley of the Winds walk

On your third day, head out to Kata Tjuta (also known as The Olgas) for sunrise and head to the nearby Valley of the Winds walk for a stunning hike through some varied landscape (7.4kms). This was my favourite hike of the three we did on this trip, with the changing landscape and stunning views when we got to the highest viewpoint next to the valley - we stopped here for a lunch break, taking in the wind whispering through the trees and how peaceful the landscape was.

Afterwards, head back to the resort to relax and enjoy dinner.

Day 4 - Kings Canyon Rim Walk

The reason why this walk is a whole day in itself is because it takes 3.5 hrs to drive there one way from Uluru - the drive itself is uneventful (one left turn once you leave the Ayers Rock Resort area) and as we learnt, only one toilet stop on the way. You can choose from a few walks, including an easy 2.6km Grade 2 walk or the 6km walk along the canyon rim wall.

The walk itself is magnificent - after the ascent up a series of stairs and rocks on the side of the 300m high canyon, you’re rewarded with beautiful views of the surrounding landscape and a moderate walk along the rim around to the otherside, where you would begin your descent. There are some restaurants/pubs nearby as well where you can enjoy a meal and a drink after your efforts, before you do the drive back to the resort.

Day 5 - Fly out of Ayers Rock Airport OR (optional) extend by staying near Kings Canyon to explore the canyons and waterfalls on the way to Alice Springs

If you only have 5 days, then your trip to the red centre ends here! If you have a day or two extra, you can spend the night near Kings Canyon and then explore the stunning gorges and waterfalls that are sprinkled along the road as you drive on towards to Alice Springs. If I were to go back, I would make sure to leave enough time to explore these as well!

You can also choose to extend your trip by heading north up towards Darwin and seeing more of the beautiful Northern Territory, or south down to the South Australia/Adelaide region as well for a longer, Australian red centre road trip.

Whether you choose to do a road trip style adventure, or join hassle-free tours from Ayers Rock Resort, you are bound to have a magnificent time in Australia’s iconic red centre with its stunning sunrises and beautiful scenery. As Australians sometimes we forget we have some of the most breathtaking landscapes in our backyard - definitely a must for both Aussies and non-Aussies alike!