Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PARK ENTRANCE FEES
Entry to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is
A$16 (US$11) per adult, free for children under 16, valid for 3 days. The cost
of the pass is included in many organized tours.
ETIQUETTE
The Anangu ask you not to photograph sacred sites or Aborig-
inal people without permission, and to approach quietly and respectfully.
GETTING AROUND
Getting around the park is expensive. Ayers Rock Resort runs a
free shuttle
every 15 minutes or so around the resort complex from 10:30am to after mid-
night, but to get to the Rock or Kata Tjuta/the Olgas, you will need to take
transfers, join a tour, or have your own wheels.
BY SHUTTLE Uluru Express
(
&
08/8956 2152
) provides a minibus shut-
tle from Ayers Rock Resort to and from the Rock about every 50 minutes from
before sunrise to sundown, and several times a day to the Olgas. The basic shut-
tle costs A$35 (US$3) for adults and A$20 (US$13) for kids, while a sunrise trip
costs A$40 (US$26) for adults and A$20 (US$13) for kids. To the Olgas it costs
A$50 (US$33) for adults and A$25 (US$16) for children. A 3-day pass cover-
ing as many trips as you like to both sites costs A$130 (US$85) for adults and
A$60 (US$39) for kids, while a combined Uluru and Olgas trip costs A$55
(US$36) for adults and A$30 (US$20) for kids. All fares are round-trip.
BY CAR
If there are two of you, the easiest and cheapest way to get around is
likely to be renting a car. All roads in the area are paved, so a four-wheel-drive
is unnecessary. Expect to pay around A$70 to A$95 (US$46-US$62) per day
for a medium-size car. Rates drop a little in low season. Most car-rental compa-
nies give you the first 100km (63 miles) free, and then charge A30¢ (US20¢)
per kilometer after that. Take this into account, because the round-trip from the
resort to the Olgas is just over 100km (63 miles), and that's without driving
about 20km (12
1
⁄
2
miles) to the Rock and back.
Avis
(
&
08/8956 2266
),
Hertz
(
&
08/8956 2244
), and
Thrifty
(
&
08/8956 2030
) book four-wheel-drives
through their Darwin offices. All rent regular cars and four-wheel-drives.
Booking agent
The Outback Travel Shop
(
&
08/8955 5288;
www.outback
travelshop.com.au) in Alice Springs often has better deals on car-rental rates
than you'll get by booking direct.
BY ORGANIZED TOUR
Several tour companies run a big range of daily
sunrise and sunset viewings, circumnavigations of the Rock by coach or on foot,
guided walks at the Rock or the Olgas, camel rides, observatory evenings, visits
to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, and innumerable permutations and
combinations of all these. Some offer “passes” containing the most popular
activities. Virtually every company picks you up at your hotel. Among the most
reputable are
Discovery Ecotours
(formerly Uluru Experience and Alice Expe-
rience), AAT Kings, Tailormade Tours, and
VIP Travel Australia
(see “Explor-
ing the Red Centre” at the start of this chapter for details).
ABORIGINAL TOURS
Because
Anangu Tours
(
&
08/8956 2123;
www.
anangutours.com.au) is owned and run by the Rock's Aboriginal owners, its
tours give you firsthand insight into Aboriginal culture. Tours are in the Anangu
language and translated by an interpreter. They are not cheap, but if you are
going to spend money on just one tour, this group is a good choice.
The company does a
Kuniya
walk, where you visit the Kata Tjuta Cultural
Centre and the Mutitjulu water hole at the base of the Rock, learn about bush
foods, and see rock paintings, before watching the sunset. It departs daily at
