The trip from Uluru to Kings Canyon is one that cuts right through the spiritual heart of Australia and its infamous red centre. This thrilling landscape is one of the most unique on earth, blushing red, dusty, with colours constantly changing in the light, from dawn to dusk.
It’s easy to understand why these lands, monoliths and natural monuments are sacred to Indigenous Australians. To any visitor not from this part of the world, there is no more alien feeling than witnessing the colour and infinite expanse of the Northern Territory’s desert landscape.
For those willing to take on the adventure, this is a journey that will live on in the heart for a lifetime.
Stop 1: Ayers Rock Airport
Begin your trip by flying to Ayers Rock Airport from any of Australia’s major cities.TheairportservesasthegatewaytoUluru, Kata Tjuta and the Red Centre. From here you can pick up your Hertz rental car and set out on an adventure through some of the world’s most beautiful landscape.If your budget stretches further than the average traveller or back packer, Ayers Rock Airport also serves as a hub for helicopter and aeroplane tours of Uluru, Kata Tjuta, the salt flats of Lake Amadeus, and Kings Canyon.
For a more up-close view of Uluru, hire a Hertz car from Ayers Rock Airport. After, Uluru is a 30 minute drive away. While the traditional land owners, the Pitjantjatjara Anangu people, ask visitors not to climb the rock, there are some impressive perimeter walks around Uluru to tackle.
Try the 10.6km walk around the base of Uluru, or the more manageable 2km return walk to Kantju Gorge. Regardless of what way you choose to explore, you have to see Uluru at sunset or sunrise, when the red rock glows with ethereal, celestial light.
Stop 2: Kata Tjuta National Park
Kata Tjuta is often overlooked because of its formidable, world-famous neighbour, Uluru. ButKata Tjuta (The Olgas) is a place of equally dramatic beauty. Located 50kmfromUluru, this impressive multi-domed geological formation offerstheopportunitytoescapethethrongsoftouriststhatvisitUluru and take on the 7.4km Valley of the Winds walk, which takes around three hours and is a definite highlight of the trip.Stop 3: Watarrka National Park & Kings Canyon
The final leg of this journey is a mammoth drive, stretching for over 300 kilometres through iconic Australian landscape – red and rugged – vast and unforgiving. Begin early in the morning with a good breakfast before setting out. WatarrkaNationalParkandKingsCanyonarelocatedbetweenAliceSpringsandUluru, deep in Australia's Northern Territory. The most popular attraction in the park is the famous Kings Canyon, with its steep red sandstone walls that strike awe into the hearts of all visitors. The canyon can be explored from the air, or by foot, with walking tracks for both adventurous hikers and leisure walkers.After circling the canyon on a solo or guided walk, the best times to come back are at sunrise and sunset. We recommend climbing up to the rim to watch the light spill over the canyon and into the gorge below. The lush, green oasis of The Garden of Eden and the otherworldly rocky landscape of The Lost City are two more spots to explore around the canyon.
Australia’s red centre is iconic. With a rental car from Hertz you can take in all the sights and sounds along the way.
