Part 8: Ayers Rock (Uluru)I was kind of on the fence whether to visit Ayers Rock or not. On the one hand people were telling me that the local Australian communities laugh at the tourists who visit it. After all, it’s just a rock, right? On the other hand, I had a relative who had recently visited it and told me how amazing it was. In the back of my mind, I recalled a report on Australia I had done in the 4th grade, and how prominent a place Ayers Rock had when discussing Australia. In the end, we decided to give it a go, especially since the flights didn’t cost us anything extra. (We were on a Oneworld award.)
On the flight in, you start understanding why the area in which it’s located is called the “red center.”
As far as hotels go, all the hotels are located in the city of Yulara, a nice drive from the rock, and they are all owned by the same company. From a super luxury option (over $1000/night) to a budget option. We chose middle of the pack and stayed at the Sails in The Desert hotel.
Upon arrival at AYQ, all passengers are met by a shuttle which loops to all the hotels. I chose to rent a car since taxis from the hotels to the rock are extremely expensive. So I sent my family on the shuttle with the luggage, while I picked up a standard car from Avis.
After settling in, we decided to check out the other attraction in the area, called “Kata Tjuta.” Some even prefer this area to Uluru. As we aren’t the extreme hiker type, we took the beginner Walpa Gorge hike (2.6 km). It’s probably worthwhile to buy a fly net before heading out, as the flies can be quite annoying.
Topic Wiki
