Alice Springs to Uluru bus: Fare prices and journey time

The only Alice Springs to Uluru bus is a coach transfer that takes six hours. But that’s a better alternative than a day tour from Alice Springs. Fare prices start at $199 each way.

Most people travelling to Uluru in Australia’s Red Centre fly into Ayers Rock Airport near the Ayers Rock Resort. However, Alice Springs is by far the biggest town in the Red Centre, and some people come from there. Many will end up taking the Alice Springs to Uluru bus.

To book an Alice Springs to Uluru bus transfer, click here.

Or here for the uluru to alice springs bus.

How to get to Uluru from Alice Springs

There’s plenty to do in Alice Springs. Alice Springs offers hot air ballooning over the rugged outback, spectacular adventures in the West MacDonnell Ranges and quirky camel rides. For a bigger range of Alice Springs activities, step this way, and for Alice Springs accommodation, book here.

Uluru experiences include a lavish dune-top desert dinner with stargazing, a guided walk around the perimeter full of Aboriginal cultural stories and a sunrise tour to the perfect photo stop. To browse a wide array of memorable Uluru experiences, head here. For the best Uluru accommodation deals, search here.

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

But it is a surprisingly long drive from Alice Springs to Uluru – it takes just under five hours. If you don’t particularly fancy that drive – and car hire in Alice Springs can be expensive – then another option is required.

Alice Springs to Uluru day tour

One option is to take a day tour to Uluru from Alice Springs. This is, quite frankly, brutal. It’s an 18 hour day with a very early start, and most of that day is spent sitting on a tour bus. It does work out cheaper than staying at the Ayers Rock Resort, but not by all that much.

Alice Springs to Uluru bus transfer

The other option is an Alice Springs to Uluru bus transfer.

There is no public transport between Alice Springs and Uluru.

Bus companies such as Greyhound that operate elsewhere in Australia do not run services on this route.

However, tour company AAT Kings does run a coach service. This Alice Springs to Uluru bus transfer starts picking up at Alice Springs hotels at 06.15, then does the run through the desert to the Ayers Rock Resort.

Alice Springs to Uluru bus fare prices

These Alice Springs to Ayers Rock Resort transfers cost $199 one way and can be booked online.

The return journey from Ayers Rock Resort to Alice Springs also costs $199, picking up from Uluru accommodation such as Sails In The Desert, the Emu Walk Apartments and the Desert Gardens Hotel.

To get from the Ayers Rock Resort to Uluru, the best bet is the $49 hop on, hop off shuttle bus.

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.

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.

More Northern Territory travel

Where to stop on the Daly Waters to Mataranka drive.

Is it worth doing a Katherine Gorge day trip from Darwin?

Brisbane to Uluru road trip itinerary.

Feast on pan-Asian dishes at Hanuman Darwin.

How long is the Mount Isa to Katherine drive?