Day trips from Uluru: Best tours and Red Centre excursions
The best day trips from Uluru include scenic flights over the Red Centre and tours to Kings Canyon or Mount Conner.
Over the last couple of decades, Uluru has morphed from being a big red rock in the middle of nowhere to being the activity hub of the Northern Territory’s Red Centre.
The rock itself is obviously the focus, but there is a massive array of options for things to do from the Ayers Rock Resort in neighbouring Yulara. These include Segway tours (BOOK HERE) and helicopter flights (BOOK HERE).
However, it is also possible to do day trips to other attractions in the Red Centre from Uluru. The prices of the day tour options listed below were correct at the time of writing.
Uluru day tours: Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon is arguably the second most spectacular sight in the Red Centre after Uluru. The canyon cuts dramatically through the George Gill Range, with the Rim Walk being both tough going and enormously rewarding. It’s better to stay overnight nearby, but if you can’t do that, then a Kings Canyon day tour from Uluru is an acceptable alternative. Just prepare for spending several hours on a bus. Prices start at $262. (BOOK HERE).
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Uluru day trips: Red Centre by air
A considerably quicker way to get to Kings Canyon is by air, and a Red Centre day tour in a fixed wing plane ticks off many of the highlights on the way. The scenic flight takes in Uluru and Kata-Tjuta, plus Lake Amadeus, before landing at Kings Creek Station. There’s then an hour long walk into Kings Canyon. It should be noted that this is not the Rim Walk. The tour costs from $925. (BOOK HERE).
Day trips from Uluru: Aboriginal Homelands experience
For a more cultural experience, there’s an Uluru day tour that takes in the sunset, but focuses on Aboriginal customs and beliefs. Led by a local Indigenous elder, this Aboriginal Homelands tour goes to private Aboriginal land, taking in historically important sites and learning how people have adapted to the desert environment. Prices start at $298. (BOOK HERE).
Day trips from Uluru: Mount Conner
Sometimes known as the fake Uluru, Mount Conner is another red rock inselberg that juts above the surrounding landscape. It is usually encountered on the drive from Alice Springs to Uluru, tricking many visitors into believing they’ve arrived at Uluru.
Mount Conner is on private land, so access is via guided tour only. The Mount Conner tour from Uluru makes concerted efforts to take in as much wildlife as possible along the way. Red kangaroos, of course, are the forte. Prices start at $298. (BOOK HERE).
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.