Uluru tours from Alice Springs

Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards

From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travellers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (excluding all Polar trips and select adventure cruises).

However, we continue to strongly recommend that all Intrepid travellers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.

The quickest way to get to Uluru is to fly to Yulara. You can fly direct from a few Australian cities including Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns with Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia. You can also fly direct to Alice Springs from most major Australian cities including Brisbane, Darwin and Adelaide (flights are generally more frequent from Alice than Yulara). From here, it's a 465 km (5.5 hours) drive to Uluru.

If your tour finishes in Yulara, we can drop you off in Alice Springs (at no additional cost), with an arrival back in town at around 6:30 pm.

The best way to get from Alice Springs to Uluru is on a guided tour like on our Red Centre Explorer as the transportation is already taken care of for you. If you have the time and don't mind spending several hours in the car, you can also drive from Alice Springs to Uluru with the journey taking just under 5 hours. While it's perfectly safe to drive, if you're not familiar with driving in the Outback it's recommended you avoid unsealed roads. 

Alice Springs sits in a subtropical hot desert climate zone with hot summers and cool winters. The summer (December-February) can see temperatures climb into the 40°Cs, so travelling during this time isn't advisable if you don't enjoy the heat. January sees the most rainfall and the weather can often be unpredictable and very humid.

Autumn (March-May) cools down a fair bit, with average temperatures of 12-27°C, but it can drop lower at nighttime. Winter and spring also enjoy fairly good weather, just bear in mind that nighttime temperatures can drop below 0°C so you'll need warm layers to rug up.

Uluru is awe-inspiring all year round, but the best time to visit is generally in the cooler months (between May and September) when the days are dry and warm, but not scorching. Uluru sits in a semi-arid desert climate zone, so summer is sweltering with occasional storms (the amount of rainfall varies from year to year), while winter is warm and dry during the day with cold nighttime temps that can plummet below zero.

At the top of your list should be pair of sturdy and comfortable walking shoes. There are lots of incredible landscapes to explore in the Red Centre, so making sure your feet are comfortable is a priority. When it comes to clothing, layering is key; think t-shirts and shorts for the day, plus a pair of long pants and a warm jumper and/or jacket for sunrise and sunset. No matter what time of year you visit, you'll always need a sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen to protect your body from the sun.

The Anangu (pronounced arn-ung-oo) people are the traditional owners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and other regions of the Central Western desert. They've been custodians of the land for over 60,000 years and are one of the world's oldest living cultures. For the Anangu people, Uluru and Kata Tjuta are places of deep spiritual connection; they are physical evidence of Tjukurpa (the creation period) and the ancestral spirits who reside in the land.

Intrepid is committed to making travel widely accessible, regardless of ability or disability. That’s why we do our best to help as many people see the world as possible, regardless of any physical or mental limitations they might have. However, we’re always happy to talk to travellers with disabilities and see if we can help guide them towards the most suitable itinerary for their needs and where possible, make reasonable adjustments to our itineraries.