The best walks at Uluru

What is the best walk to do at Uluru?

The base walk: 10.6 km around the whole rock, flat and signposted, about 3.5 hours. If that is too long, combine the Mala walk and the Kuniya walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole, which cover the best of it in under two hours of walking.

Each walk at Uluru is part of the base walk loop or a link to it, so the choice is really how much of the loop you want to do. The table below lists every marked walk in the park with the park's own distances, times and grades. Times are for a normal pace with short stops; return means out and back on the same track.

What do the walk grades mean?

The park uses the Australian Walking Track Grading System, from 1 (easiest) to 5. At Uluru the walks are Grades 1 to 3; at Kata Tjuta, Walpa Gorge is Grade 3 and every part of the Valley of the Winds is Grade 4.

• Grade 1: a short, flat, hard-surfaced path, suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. No walking experience needed. The Minymaku and Watiku loops at Talinguru Nyakunytjaku.
• Grade 2: a formed track with gentle gradients, fine for most people. The Mala, Kuniya and Liru walks, and the ranger walk (the Mala walk is wheelchair accessible).
• Grade 3: a longer or rougher track, where some walking experience helps. At Uluru this is mostly about distance and exposure, not steepness: the base walk, Lungkata and North-east sections are flat. At Walpa Gorge it means a rocky floor.
• Grade 4: a rough track with steep sections, loose stones and many steps. Good shoes and some fitness are needed. The Valley of the Winds, which has steep, rocky steps on the way to Karingana Lookout.

Some gradings have recently changed, so an older guidebook may differ from the trailhead sign. Grades describe the track, not the weather: a Grade 2 walk at 1 pm in January is harder than a Grade 4 walk at dawn in July.

Which short walks at Uluru are worth doing?

The Mala walk with the ranger and the Kuniya walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole are the two essentials. Add the Lungkata walk if you want to be right beside the rock, and the Liru walk if you are coming from the Cultural Centre.

The Mala walk runs from the Mala carpark along caves used by the Mala people, with rock art on the walls, to Kantju Gorge, where the rock folds into a high V above a seasonal waterhole. The ranger-guided Mala walk runs every day (8 am from October to April, 10 am from May to September), takes about 1.5 hours, is included with your park pass and needs no booking. The Kuniya walk is a short path from the Kuniya carpark to Mutitjulu Waterhole, one of the few permanent waterholes in the park, under curved walls marked by the battle between Kuniya, the woma python woman, and Liru, the brown snake man. It is quieter at sunrise, lunchtime and sunset, and waterfalls pour into it after rain.

The Lungkata walk links the Kuniya walk and the Mala carpark along the south side, close to the rock, with caves, nesting birds and the story of Lungkata, the blue-tongue lizard man; it is the section where the park invites you to touch the rock. The Liru walk leaves the Cultural Centre through mulga woodland to the base of the rock, with a shade shelter on the way; it is less crowded and full of flowers after rain. How the sections join into the full loop is in the base walk guide.

What are the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku walks?

Two short, flat loops at the park's main sunrise area: the Minymaku walk (1 km, about 30 minutes) and the Watiku walk (1.5 km, about 45 minutes). Both are Grade 1, wheelchair accessible and open to everyone with a park pass.

Talinguru Nyakunytjaku sits on the dunes east of Uluru, about 30 minutes' drive from the resort, with shelters, two viewing platforms and toilets. Its platforms look towards both Uluru and Kata Tjuta, which makes it the park's main sunrise area. The two walks start from the viewing area, so they fit neatly after sunrise while the air is still cool.

• Minymaku walk (women's walk): signs on women's work, bush foods and children's games. Everyone is welcome.
• Watiku walk (men's walk): signs on men's tools and the use of fire to hunt. Everyone is welcome.

Neither walk goes near the rock; they are about culture and country, and ideal with young children or a wheelchair.

Valley of the Winds: Karu, Karingana or the full circuit?

Go to Karingana Lookout (5.4 km return, about 2.5 hours) if you want the classic view, or walk the full 7.4 km circuit (about 4 hours) if you are fit and it is cool. On hot days, Karu Lookout (2.2 km return) may be as far as you can go after 11 am.

The Valley of the Winds is the park's finest walk. The track leaves the Kata Tjuta carpark and runs between the domes on rocky ground, with loose stones and steep, rocky steps. Karu Lookout is the first viewpoint, about 1 hour return, looking into a wide valley between walls of pebbly conglomerate. Karingana Lookout is further on, over steeper ground, and looks deeper into the domes, with walls on both sides; this is the view most people come for. The full circuit continues past Karingana and loops back around the domes. The park notes that the full loop is actually easier than walking to Karingana Lookout and back.

There is water at the start and about halfway, but no toilets beyond the carpark. On days forecast or measured at 36 °C or hotter, the walk closes beyond Karu Lookout from 11 am, so on a warm day start at sunrise. A guided group suits people who would rather not drive the 45 minutes from the resort in the dark: the guided Valley of the Winds circuit (4.4 from 23 reviews) walks the full loop with morning tea, and reviewers praise how the guide explains the geology and the uses of desert plants.

The half-day Kata Tjuta tour starts with sunrise at the domes, then walks about 5.4 km into the Valley of the Winds to Karingana Lookout and back with a guide. A reviewer put it well: the route is not hard, but it is not a stroll either. Good if you want the best view without committing to the full circuit.

★ 4.6 (18) · 5 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the Kata Tjuta half day →

Is Walpa Gorge worth it?

Yes, if you want Kata Tjuta without the effort of the Valley of the Winds. It is 2.6 km return, about an hour, Grade 3, on a rocky path into a narrow gorge between two of the large domes.

Walpa Gorge follows a seasonal stream into the gap between two domes, with walls rising steeply on both sides. The path is rocky and uneven rather than steep, and there is water at the start but no toilets or wheelchair access. Look for spearwood thickets in the gorge and pink daisies in late winter. It is quietest late in the day and pairs well with the Kata Tjuta sunset viewing area.

For a morning at Kata Tjuta without driving, the Kata Tjuta sunrise tour (4.7 from 135 reviews) watches the sun rise from the dune viewing area, serves a picnic breakfast and then walks into Walpa Gorge; one reviewer notes the path is very rocky, just as the listing says. Children under 5 need a child car seat on this tour, a Northern Territory rule; arrange it with the operator when you book. The Culture and Kata Tjuta Trails day (4.9 from 19) combines a guided Walpa Gorge walk with the Cultural Centre and part of the Uluru base walk.

Which walk if you have one morning, or children with you?

With one morning, watch sunrise, then walk the Mala walk with the ranger and drive round to the Kuniya walk; if you are fit and it is cool, walk the whole base instead. With young children, pick the Mala, Kuniya and Talinguru Nyakunytjaku walks.

• One morning at Uluru: sunrise, then the full base walk before 11 am. If 10.6 km is too much, the Mala walk and the Kuniya walk together take about 2.5 to 3 hours with the drive between them.
• One morning at Kata Tjuta: sunrise at the dune viewing area, then the Valley of the Winds to Karingana Lookout or the full circuit. Walpa Gorge fits into the afternoon.
• Children: the Mala, Kuniya and Liru walks are flat and short, with plenty to look at; the Minymaku and Watiku loops are Grade 1 and pram-friendly. The Valley of the Winds suits older children who are steady on rocky steps.
• Limited mobility: the Mala walk and the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku walks are wheelchair accessible, and a Segway tour covers a longer stretch of the Uluru base with little effort.

Most visitors can fit the base walk one morning and Kata Tjuta the next; how to split two or three days is in how many days at Uluru.

Which walks are best for photos, and when do walks close in the heat?

For photos: Kantju Gorge and Mutitjulu Waterhole at Uluru, Karingana Lookout and Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta, and the sunrise areas. For heat: from October to March, walk at sunrise, and expect closures on the hottest days.

The rock's colours are strongest in the first two hours after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. Kantju Gorge and Mutitjulu Waterhole sit under high walls, so they stay attractive into mid-morning. At Walpa Gorge, photographers are asked to keep both sides of the gorge in frame. Signs mark culturally sensitive sites where photos are not allowed, and Anangu ask that the north-east face is only photographed in wide shots from a distance. The details are in the Uluru rules.

The heat closures are set by the park and applied on the day. On days of 36 °C or hotter, forecast or actual, the Valley of the Winds closes beyond Karu Lookout from 11 am. On days of 40 °C or more, the North-east walk closes from 11 am, and the Lungkata section also has a heat closure. Everywhere, carry and drink at least 1 litre of water per person per hour. Month-by-month temperatures are in the best time to visit Uluru.

Frequently asked questions