5 / 5 - 2 reviews
How to get there
Five hours from Alice Springs by car
When to go
All year round
Minimum stay
One day
Ayers Rock (Australia)
©
David Debrincat
Practical information about Ayers Rock
Reviews of Ayers Rock
Ayers Rock, which is also known as Uluru and is used as the emblem of Australia, looks like a giant stone that's simply been set down right in the middle of the desert at the very heart of Australia.
My suggestion:
Try to avoid visiting in summer when temperatures are unbearably high and the thousands of thirsty flies make life unpleasant for visitors.
Summary:
Ayers Rock is a quite remarkable site, and definitely one of the essential places to see when visiting Australia. Used as an actual symbol for the country itself, it is too often forgotten that it also has great religious significance for the aboriginal Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara peoples, who quite literally venerate it.
Though it is possible to climb up to the 350-metre high summit, you should bear in mind that the aboriginal tribes consider this offensive due to it being a sacred site. I did, however, get to see and admire some magnificent several-thousand-year-old rock paintings here.
I advise you to avoid visiting Ayers Rock on a day trip from Alice Springs (more than 1,000 kilometres in total) if you possibly can. Stay a little longer here, at the heart of the desert, and enjoy the magic of the site without all the tourists around.
©
Corey Leopold
A must see, emblematic Australian place: a unique experience!
My suggestion:
If you want to go around it on foot, start the walk early in the morning because of the heat.
Summary:
Ayers Rock, from now on called Uluru, its Aboriginal name, is a must see on any Australian journey. As well as being a sacred Aboriginal place, it is a unique site in the middle of the desert which left me speechless.
I recommend that you go there either at sunrise or sunset. I saw both of them myself, and it's a magnificent show even if it's very touristy. At sunrise, it is then possible to walk around the sacred mountain (around 10km), but it is essential to leave very early in the morning to avoid the intense heat and a large number of people on the route!
Whilst walking around it, you can see several Aboriginal paintings and learn a little more about this culture. Some people chose to climb the mountain, something I didn't do due to the sacred character of the place and the respect that is owed to it. Uluru will remain one of my most beautiful memories of the country.
©
Sophie LIGER
257 travellers' photos
