In the red heart of Australia - 2 days Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta

The next destination of our Australia trip should be another absolute highlight and completely different from everything we have seen so far - the Uluru or better known as Ayers Rock in the red center of Australia.

For this we had already booked the flights about 1 year in advance, as they are otherwise incredibly expensive due to the monopoly position of Qantas and Jetstar. We paid about 200€ per person for the flights for the round trip from Melbourne. A good travel planning with early flight bookings is definitely worthwhile here ;-)

However, the journey to the airport in the morning in Melbourne was a bit stressful, so we had to get up at about 5:00 in the morning to take the first tram to the city center and the Skybus to the airport.

We then flew to Ayers Rock just after 9:00. The domestic flight over a whopping 1,917 km takes about 3 hours - which is about the distance across Europe.

When booking the flight, we also reserved seats on the left side by the window so that we had the best view of Ayers Rock and could admire the monolith from the plane (thanks to Sassi and Phil for all the great tips).

Upon arrival at the rather small airport, we were picked up by The Rock Tours in a slightly outdated bus, as we had already booked a tour in advance. Until all the other participants of the tour had arrived, we were driven to the Cultural Center in the National Park, where we could learn something about the history, significance and Aborigines.

Then we directly drove to Uluru and took a few short hikes before driving to the perfect but unfortunately overcrowded lookout point for the sunset.

We should spend the night in so-called swags directly in the Australian outback, which we thought would be a kind of mini tent with a great view of the stars. But for us, this turned out to be an absolute flop, as the swags were quite outdated and reminded us more of a shabby sleeping bag with a base, while instead of the expected mosquito net, there was a piece of cloth over the face, without a net in the Australian outback!!! Fortunately, we were well prepared through our previous weeks of camping and had our tent with us for the days after Ayers Rock. Without hesitation, we set it up and then took a short night hike, as we didn't want to miss the unique view of the stars.

Already shortly after 5, it was time for us to get up and dismantle the tent, as we wanted to be at the corresponding viewpoint for the sunrise at Uluru on time.

Afterwards, we continued to the rock formation Kata Tjuta and the Valley of the Winds. Many, like us before, are only familiar with Ayers Rock, which rises out of nowhere in the red center of Australia with a height of 348m. But 44km away, there are other rocks that rise up to 546m and also offer a stunning sight. Here we took a hike to the two viewpoints. Afterwards, the tour ended for us after lunch in Ayers Rock Village. For the following night, we had rented a room in the hostel there, as our flight back to Melbourne was booked for the next day.

During the tour, we also met Annika and Paul, a German couple who are also currently on a world trip and have become friends. It was incredibly fun to exchange our respective experiences and to realize that we have many similarities starting with our rough route around the globe, as well as with individual travel destinations. So it was not surprising that we met again 2 weeks after the tour in Bali (Indonesia) and also plan a joint exploration trip in Bali. =))

In summary, it can be said that the tour was significantly overpriced from our point of view and that we would explore Uluru and all the sights on our own with a rental car from Ayers Rock Airport to Ayers Rock Airport. Alternatively, a combo with sunset and sunrise over AAT Kings would be a good option, which is also much cheaper than a corresponding tour and includes almost the same program, except for the undesirable overnight stay in swags. However, with over 65 providers, it is easy to lose track. It may be worth trying the free guided Mala Walk with rangers, which takes place daily, or the free astronomy experiences - unfortunately, we did not have time for either during our stay.

Unfortunately, everything in Ayers Rock Village is outrageously overpriced, as the demand significantly exceeds the supply here (for example, a bottle of water costs 4 AUD in the supermarket, while it costs 3 AUD at the gas station - it is therefore better to bring most of the essentials). Nevertheless, Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park are extraordinary in every way and absolutely worth a trip - you will hardly find anything comparable anywhere else in the world. After all, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site twice since 1994, once because of its natural, spectacular beauty and secondly because of its cultural significance.

Tip: Visit Ayers Rock in April or May, as the temperatures are much more bearable here. We had pleasant 22 degrees during the day, while it was quite cold at night and especially during sunrise - but still more pleasant than the average 40 degrees in summer ;-)