Things to Do in Uluru

Beyond seeing the Rock, the best things to do at Uluru are walking its base, visiting the Cultural Centre, stargazing, the Field of Light, a dinner in the dunes, a scenic flight, a Segway or camel ride, an Aboriginal-hosted tour and a day trip to Kings Canyon. For a first evening, the Uluru National Park astronomy tour is the simplest choice: hotel pickup, telescopes under a desert sky with little light pollution, and a photo of you with the stars behind.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta are sacred to Anangu, the Traditional Owners, and the activities below work within that. Some sites are signposted as no-photography areas, drones are banned throughout the park, and the climb has been closed permanently since 2019.

The list at a glance

Prices with a plain $ are the US dollar platform prices on GetYourGuide and Viator. Prices marked A$ are Australian dollar gate prices from the operator or Ayers Rock Resort.

Stargazing

Uluru Astro Tours runs the astronomy tour inside the national park. You are collected from your accommodation and driven to a spot away from the resort lights, where guides show you planets and deep sky objects through powerful telescopes and binoculars and talk about the Australian night sky and Aboriginal astronomy. A photographer takes your picture under the stars for download later, and keen photographers can bring their own camera and tripod.

The tour is from $90 per person, rated 4.4 from 551 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Guiding is in English and Chinese. The listing says you do not need to bring your own park pass on this tour. Pack warm clothes, closed shoes and a water bottle, because desert nights get cold. Our astronomy tour review has more. If you would rather eat first, AAT Kings’ sunset BBQ with star talk ends with a guide pointing out constellations (weather permitting).

Field of Light

Bruce Munro’s Field of Light is more than 50,000 glowing spheres on slender stems in the desert. It opened in 2016 and has been extended, reportedly to the end of 2029. The Field of Light sunrise tour walks you through the lights in the dark, then serves tea, coffee or hot chocolate on a dune as the sun comes up behind Uluru. It is from $80 per person, rated 4.6 from 678 reviews. Ayers Rock Resort also sells after-dark entry, from A$50 per adult. Compare every version on our Field of Light page.

Dinners in the desert

Sounds of Silence is a four-hour dinner on a dune with a night-sky talk (children 10 and over). Tali Wiru, for ages 16 and over, runs April to October and its listed season ends on 27 October 2026. The Wintjiri Wiru After Dark drone and light show is closed until 1 May 2027. Our dinner under the stars page compares all of them with the AAT Kings BBQ dinners.

From the air

Professional Helicopter Services flies from Yulara. The 15-minute Uluru helicopter flight is from $161 per person, rated 4.9 from 670 reviews, with hotel pickup, and the 25-minute Uluru and Kata Tjuta flight is from $258. Out of respect for Anangu, the flights do not pass directly over or fully around either landmark. For a fixed-wing plane, the Rock Blast scenic flight is a 20-minute flight from $128. See Uluru helicopter tours.

Segway and camels

The Best of Uluru Segway and walking tour rides a quarter of the base after a training session, then adds guided walks to Mutitjulu Waterhole and along the Mala walk. It is from $153 per person, rated 4.8 from 294 reviews. See our Segway tours page.

Uluru Camel Tours runs sunrise and sunset rides of about 2.5 hours, from A$165 per person on Ayers Rock Resort’s listing. Children under 5 cannot ride, and there are no rides on 25 December or 1 January. Departure times differ between listings, so confirm with the operator when you book.

Culture: Cultural Centre, ranger walk and dot painting

The Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre opens 7:00 am to 5:45 pm and has Ininti Cafe and a souvenir shop. Park rangers lead a free guided Mala walk, starting at 8 am from October to April and at 10 am from May to September; you still need a park pass to be there.

A dot painting workshop of about 1.5 hours runs at Ininti Cafe, presented by the Mutitjulu community-owned businesses Ininti Cafe and Walkatjara Art. It takes group bookings only and the price is on enquiry (dotpainting@mutitjulu.com.au).

For a deeper day, SEIT’s Aboriginal Homelands Experience takes up to nine guests by 4WD onto homelands with an Aboriginal host. It is from $283 per person, rated 4.8 from 44 reviews, about seven hours, not for children under 5, and the Viator listing does not offer free cancellation. Our Homelands review has the details.

Free things to do

With a park pass (A$38 for adults, free for under-18s) most of the best things cost nothing more: the ranger-guided Mala walk, the Cultural Centre, the 1 km Kuniya walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole, the 2 km Mala walk, the 10.6 km base walk, and sunrise at Talinguru Nyakunytjaku or sunset from the car viewing area. In summer the park advises finishing walks before 11 am. Walk sections can close at short notice, so check uluru.gov.au/news.

Further afield

SEIT’s Mt Conner 4WD small-group tour crosses a working cattle station to watch sunset over Mt Conner, with dinner at Curtin Springs Station. It is from $283 per person, rated 4.8 from 51 reviews, eight hours, without free cancellation on Viator. Kings Canyon is about three hours away; the AAT Kings day trip is from $241 per person and includes the Rim Walk.

At night and with kids

After dark, choose between the astronomy tour, Field of Light, a dinner in the dunes or the BBQ with star talk.

Families on a budget can lean on the free walks and the Cultural Centre, then add one paid night out. For sequencing it all, see our Uluru itinerary; for getting around without a hire car, read Uluru without a car.

Ready for the night sky? Check availability for the astronomy tour.