7 things that surprise visitors to Uluru

Visitors to Uluru have a few surprises in store. In particular, prepare for wildlife, unexpected temperatures and the location of the sunset viewing area…

Uluru – formerly known as Ayers Rock – is one of Australia’s great tourist attractions. And justifiably so. Even cynics are won over by the Big Red Rock’s almost magnetic presence. This giant inselberg rises out of the surrounding desert, dominating all around it.

This once-in-a-lifetime dune-top dinner experience, with special stargazing session included, is our top Uluru recommendation.

You can no longer climb Uluru, but there is plenty to do here, from the Field of Light art installation to the Sounds of Silence dune-top dinner.

However, despite this Red Centre stunner being firmly on Australia’s tourist map, there are still some things that take visitors by surprise. Here are seven things you should really look out for…

Book your Uluru accommodation in advance for the best deals.

Uluru surprises: You need to start early

If you were thinking of a leisurely lie-in or two, forget it. Most activities start early in the morning.

There are two reasons for this, with the main one beating the afternoon heat. On particularly hot summer afternoons, many of the walking tracks are closed in the afternoon for safety reasons.

Parks Australia also advises anyone attempting the Base Walk to start early and finish by 11.00.

The other reason for the early starts is that seeing the sunrise is a big part of the experience. But that means starting out before dawn.

For a sunrise tour, that can mean being picked up as early as 04.10.

Uluru surprises: You don’t watch the sun set over Uluru

The other big time of day at Uluru is sunset. Some visitors mistakenly think this means they’ll watch the sun set over Uluru. That’s not the case.

Uluru sunset tours head to the sunset viewing area, which is west of Uluru. As you’re looking at the Rock, the sun is setting behind you.

The magic of the Uluru sunset comes from watching the colours change as the sun goes down. If you really want to see the sun setting behind Uluru, then you need to get counterintuitive and head to the

Unexpected Uluru: It isn’t a mountain

Uluru is massive, but it is not tall enough to be classed as a mountain. It’s 863 metres tall – and mountains start at 1,000 metres.

It’s the prominence of Uluru that’s staggering – it rises abruptly from a flat plain.

Unexpected Uluru: It can get really cold

Most visitors are prepared for it to get ferociously hot at Uluru. It’s in the middle of the desert, after all.

The big surprise, though, is how cold it can be at the Ayers Rock Resort at night. During the winter months in particular, average lows can get down to one degree Celsius. The lack of cloud cover is the key factor – and an early morning dip in the resort pool can be spectacularly chilly.

What tourists don’t expect at Uluru: The flies

The plus side of visiting Uluru in winter is that the fly situation isn’t nearly as bad. It’s still pretty bad though – the constant buzzing of flies sends many a visitor crazy.

Come in summer, however, and they’re everywhere. Including in your mouth and up your nostrils. It becomes very clear why Australians have a reputation for wearing cork hats, although a hat with a fly screen should suffice.

8 great Uluru experiences to book before you arrive

• 1. Understand Uluru’s caves, bulges, gullies and spiritual stories on a guided base walk.
• 2. Be awe-struck by the changing colours on a SUNRISE tour.
• 3. Eat great food on a dune top, and enjoy an expert-guided stargazing session during a once-in-a-lifetime desert dune-top dinner.
• 4. See an entirely different kind of dramatic outback scenery on Kings Canyon day trip.
• 5. Do a lap of Uluru by Segway.
• 6. See the big picture on an outback helicopter flight.
• 7. See Australia’s most spectacular light show – the Field of Light at sunrise.
• 8. Admire the colour-shifting giant rock domes on a Kata-tjuta sunset trip.

Uluru shocks: The distance from Alice Springs

Alice Springs is the nearest town to Uluru, and it is the hub for the Northern Territory’s Red Centre. But that doesn’t mean it’s actually near Uluru – the 468km drive from Alice Springs to Uluru takes nearly five hours.

For those foolish enough to fly into Alice Springs as a base for visiting Uluru, there are gruelling day trips available. You can also take the shuttle service to the Ayers Rock Resort if you don’t want to drive. But it isn’t cheap.

Uluru shocks: Tour prices don’t include the Uluru Park Pass

The Uluru Park Pass, which allows you into the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, costs $38 for three days. However, most Uluru tours do not include this park pass in their price. You’ll have to pay it on top of the tour cost.

This isn’t a case of tour operators swizzing guests, however. Most visitors enter the national park more than once, and many will do so on several different tours. If the park pass was included in the tour price, lots of visitors would end up shelling out unnecessarily for multiple park passes. So it’s better for all concerned that the pass is paid for separately.

Which Uluru accommodation should I book?

Let’s not sugar-coat it: Accommodation at Uluru is expensive. Specialist Australian accommodation website Wotif lists Uluru accommodation for from $300. Check the top deals page to search through the options.

However, if you stay for three nights rather than two, hefty discounts tend to kick in.

The Uluru accommodation options are designed with different target markets in mind. Book which one fits you best.

• For the lowest prices: Ayers Rock Campground.
• For best quality: Sails in the Desert.
• For families and self-caterers: Emu Walk Apartments.
• For mid-range solidity: Desert Gardens.