{"id":23189,"date":"2017-11-02T11:20:33","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T00:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=23189&preview=true&preview_id=23189"},"modified":"2024-09-18T12:32:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T02:32:32","slug":"uluru-climbing-banned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/uluru-climbing-banned\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s about time: Uluru finally bans climbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you wander around the base of Uluru<\/a> \u2013 in the heart of Australia\u2019s Red Centre<\/a> \u2013 you reach a point that has divided travellers, locals and politicians for decades. A simple sign states: We don\u2019t climb. Behind it, a chain handrail snakes up the rock face. This is the point at which you need to make a decision: do I or don\u2019t I?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On November 1, 2017, that decision was made for you. A management board meeting of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park voted unanimously to ban the practice from October 2019 onwards. If you visit the rock in the meantime, however, you\u2019ll still have the choice. So \u2013 should you climb?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo by Patrick O’Neill<\/p><\/div>\n

Since tourism came to the centre of Australia, thousands of people\u00a0have climbed Uluru; some 35 people have died in the process. But to the local Anangu people, climbing Uluru is a desecration of one of Australia\u2019s most sacred sites. This is why, in 1998 along with our sister company Adventure Tours Australia<\/a>, we were among the first tour operators to stop climbing the rock, and why we\u2019ve spent nearly every day since campaigning for others to stop as well.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: ULURU THROUGH THE LENS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Anangu people have dissuaded visitors from climbing for decades; as traditional owners of the land they feel a deep responsibility for everyone who travels to the area. So when a visitor climbs Uluru, falls and gets hurt, the Anangu are put in a terrible position; they feel personally responsible. As such, they\u2019ve been asking for years that travellers don\u2019t take unnecessary risks in a harsh landscape they don\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

Why people would even want to climb it is another matter. Sure, the view from the top might be nice, but not nearly as spectacular \u2013 and humbling \u2013 as the view gazing up from the bottom. The iconic red sandstone of Uluru is easily eroded; it\u2019s not hard to spot the climbing route that twists up the rock. Locals refer to the trail as the scar of Uluru.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo by Patrick O’Neill<\/p><\/div>\n

There aren\u2019t any facilities atop the rock either. Many climbers, not finding any bins, leave their rubbish up there. Food wrappers, batteries \u2013 even clothing and cameras \u2013 fall down the crevices in the rock, polluting the sacred waterholes below; for wildlife in the area, this is one of their only sources of fresh water, and becomes far less inviting.<\/p>\n

And with no toilets, several travellers choose to relieve themselves there and then, which is incredibly disrespectful, and \u2013 well \u2013 just plain gross.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: HOW I FELL BACK IN LOVE WITH AUSTRALIA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In the last few years we\u2019ve seen the numbers of climbers dwindle. There\u2019s a few reasons for this. First, the number of adult park entry tickets has fallen from 480,000 a year in 2004 to about 280,000 now. Secondly, travellers are becoming more sensitive to cultural issues.\u00a0After all, climbing Uluru is akin to climbing onto the altar in a cathedral, or having a picnic on a grave in a cemetery \u2013 not cool.<\/p>\n

Director of the Central Land Council, David Ross said of the ruling, \u201cThis decision has been a very long time coming, and our thoughts are with the elders who have longed for this day but are no longer with us to celebrate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intrepid Travel and Adventure Tours\u00a0Australia<\/a> are proud to be involved with the local communities in Uluru and to have an ongoing commitment to providing employment for\u00a0the Anangu people. Our passengers show respect when they choose not to climb Uluru, but walk with\u00a0Anangu throughout the area\u00a0and share their stories instead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To experience the beauty of Uluru for yourself, jump on one of our small group adventures in the Red Centre<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To the local Anangu people, climbing Uluru is a desecration of one of Australia\u2019s most sacred sites. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15098,"featured_media":30288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14,47],"tags":[26,725,551],"class_list":["post-23189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-responsible-travel","tag-australia","tag-red-centre","tag-uluru","ipf_region-australia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIt's About Time: Uluru Finally Bans Climbers | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thousands of people\u00a0have climbed Uluru. 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