Best Time to Visit Uluru

The best time to visit Uluru for walking is May to September, when daytime highs at Yulara average 20 to 29°C and the park’s walks are comfortable all morning. The rest of the year still works if you plan around the heat: from October to March the average high runs from 32 to 38°C, so you see the rock at sunrise and sunset and rest in the middle of the day. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park opens every day of the year, and tours run in every month.

Uluru weather by month

The figures below are long-term averages for Yulara from the Bureau of Meteorology. Park hours are the official opening times, and sunrise and sunset are approximate mid-month times (ACST), so expect a few minutes either way.

Two things stand out. Sunrise moves by well over an hour through the year, from before 6 am in November and December to about 7:30 am in June and July, and every sunrise tour shifts its pickup time with it. And the park closes earlier in winter, at 7:30 pm from May to September, so evening plans inside the park finish sooner. Our sunrise tours and sunset tours pages cover the viewing areas in detail.

Winter, May to September

This is the season the park itself recommends. Days are clear and mild, and you can walk the 10.6 km Uluru base walk or the full Valley of the Winds loop at Kata Tjuta without racing the clock. Rain is lowest in August and September, and those two months are usually the best for wildflowers.

The catch is the nights. June and July average minimums of 5.6 and 4.4°C, and frosts settle on some mornings. Sunrise tours leave in the cold and the dark, so pack a warm jacket, a beanie and gloves along with your sun hat. Dinners under the stars are colder than they look in photos; dress in layers for the dune. Hire cars at Yulara are limited in any month, and in the popular season it pays to book them, and your tours, a few weeks ahead.

Summer, October to March

Summer means heat, storms and flies. Daytime temperatures regularly pass 35°C, and the park asks walkers to finish by 11 am in hot weather. Several walks have fixed heat rules:

• Valley of the Winds closes at Karu Lookout from 11 am when the forecast or actual temperature reaches 36°C or more, so only the short return to the first lookout stays open.
• The Lungkata walk at Uluru closes for the day from 2 pm, and the North-east walk from 11 am, when the forecast or actual temperature reaches 40°C or more.
• At Kings Canyon, on days forecast to reach 36°C or more, Rim Walk walkers must start before 9 am.

Flies arrive in large numbers in summer. A head net solves most of it, and you can buy one on arrival. Summer storms bring most of the year’s rain, and after a downpour water can pour off Uluru in temporary waterfalls and fill the waterholes, a sight the dry months never show.

Summer also has the longest days. In December and January the park stays open until 9 pm and sunset comes after 7:30 pm, which leaves a long evening for a sunset tour, a barbecue or stargazing after the heat breaks.

Shoulder months: April and October

April and October sit between the two seasons. April averages 29.9°C by day and 14.5°C at night, and October 32.3°C and 14.9°C, warm enough for summer rules to apply on hot days but often fine for a morning walk. They are good months if you want warm evenings without the deepest summer heat. The free ranger-guided Mala walk starts at 8 am from October to April and at 10 am from May to September, a small sign of how the park adjusts its day to the heat.

The Anangu seasons

Anangu, the Traditional Owners of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, describe five seasons, not four. Itjanu or inuntji runs roughly January to March, Wanitjunkupai about April to May, and Wari, the cold time, from late May to July. Piriyakutu follows from about August to October, and Mai wiyaringkupai or kuli, the hottest time, from late October to December. Rangers and Anangu guides often explain the country through these seasons, and they map closely onto what you will feel on the ground.

Which tours suit summer and which suit winter

In summer, book around dawn and dusk. The Uluru sunrise and Kata Tjuta half day is built for it: sunrise at Uluru with tea and coffee, Kata Tjuta, a short walk into Walpa Gorge and back at the resort before the hottest hours. The SEIT small-group Uluru highlights sunrise does three hours at Uluru with a picnic breakfast. For the evening, the small-group sunset with sparkling wine or the BBQ dinner under the stars fill the long summer twilight.

In winter, the longer walks come into their own. The SEIT guided full base walk at sunrise covers about 10.5 km with a picnic breakfast, and the AAT Kings morning guided base walk on Viator is listed for October and then June to October dates, skipping the hottest months. At Kata Tjuta, the Valley of the Winds circuit hike is a five-hour outing best kept for cooler days; our Valley of the Winds vs Walpa Gorge page compares the two walks.

Whichever month you pick, you need the park pass: A$38 for adults for 3 days, and free for under-18s. Our sunrise and Kata Tjuta review covers the morning tour in detail, and the Uluru itinerary shows how to fit it into one, two or three days.

When you have your dates, check availability for the sunrise and Kata Tjuta tour.