A first-time guide to Australia's Red Centre

Far from the white-sand beaches and sparkling cities of Australia’s East Coast is the country’s beating heart – the Red Centre – where tens of thousands of years of human history and stories are etched into the features of the surrounding landscape.

For many, the remote and starkly beautiful region is considered a once-in-a-lifetime destination. Yet, even after three trips to the deserts of Central Australia – an expansive outback region that includes Uluru, Alice Springs and Kings Canyon – I’ve barely scratched the surface. This is a place that reveals itself to visitors over time. 

With 2025 marking 40 years since Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park was handed back to the Aṉangu people, and with the launch of new immersive light shows and festivals, there’s never been a better time to visit this iconic Australia destination. Here’s what you need to know before you go.

When should I go to Australia’s Red Centre?

If you’re timing your travels on weather alone, the Northern Territory’s Red Centre is best visited in the cool winter months between May and September, when daily temperatures typically sit in the 20°Cs (68–85°F). You’ll still want to pack layers, though; it can drop below freezing at night in the desert, making sunrise start times a chilly affair. The end of winter (August to September) is also the best time to see wildflowers in bloom.

Northern hemisphere visitors craving a blast of Australia’s heat may be tempted to visit in summer (October to March). In fact, most people do, with December through February being when Ayers Rock Resort – the main accommodation option just outside Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – hits full capacity. But consider this fair warning: summertime temperatures regularly skyrocket above 36°C (98°F). This is also the temperature at which park rangers close hiking trails at 11am for safety reasons.

If you’re thinking, “That’s fine, I’ll walk before 11am, then spend the rest of the day lounging by the pool,” then I’d like to introduce you to the next most important consideration: the outback’s famed flies. They may not bite, but they’re prolific and persistent and have zero respect for personal space. They land on every surface where they think they can find moisture: namely in your nostrils, eyes and ears. Don't let this put you off visiting: just come prepared. (The Australian cork hat isn’t just a gift shop gag; it has a true purpose. Most opt for a more effective head net though, made widely available for purchase.)

Avoiding the heat (and the flies) is also why most tour operators in Alice Springs (Mparntwe) and surrounds close their doors between November and February. Instead, time your visit for one of Alice Springs’ legendary festivals, like April’s Parrtjima light festival, when the Macdonnell Ranges are bathed in colorful light to tell the stories of the region’s Arrernte people.

How much time should I spend in Australia’s Red Centre?

Central Australia is massive. Yes, you can do it in a weekend, but a week will give you a better sense of the diversity of landscapes and the incredible knowledge that the Traditional Custodians have honed to help them live here for the last 65,000 years.

If you only have a long weekend

Fly directly to Yulara, the gateway to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. From your base at Ayers Rock Resort, dedicate your first full day to exploring Uluru, including visiting the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, taking a guided tour and enjoying a sunset experience, such as the Sounds of Silence dinner. The next day, after watching the sunrise over Uluru, head to Kata Tjuta to complete the three-hour Valley of the Winds walk.

If you have a week

Start your journey in Alice Springs. Spend a day touring the waterholes of the West MacDonnell Ranges. After a couple of nights in Alice Springs, follow the Red Centre Way to Watarrka National Park. You’ll only need one night to hike through Kings Canyon, before continuing your journey onwards for a two- or three-night stay at Yulara, where you can explore Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Is it easy to get in and around Australia’s Red Centre?

Central Australia has two major airports: Alice Springs and Yulara. Both airports have car rental locations.

Yulara Airport is the gateway to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Yulara is the closest major airport to Uluru, with direct flights daily from Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns and Brisbane. (Choose a left-hand window seat for the best views of Uluru from above.) It’s only a 10-minute drive to Ayers Rock Resort, your only real choice for accommodation.

If you only have enough time to visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, it’s possible to do so without renting a car. Free shuttles transfer passengers from arriving flights directly to their accommodation at Ayers Rock Resort. (No bookings are necessary.) All major experiences and tours offer shuttle bus pickup directly from Ayers Rock Resort, while a hop-on, hop-off bus service operates throughout the national park for self-guided visitors.

Flying into Alice Springs offers a sense of the outback’s scale

Direct flights arrive in Alice Springs from Darwin, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. From there, you’ll need a set of wheels to set out along the easy-to-navigate Red Centre Way towards Uluru.

The Stuart and Lasseter Highways between Alice Springs and Uluru are fully paved, but a 4WD will come in handy for tackling any of the outback’s legendary red dirt roads, which can be corrugated and have washouts.

Roadhouses – which usually feature gas pumps, a small convenience store, a campground and restrooms – are few and far between. Plan your fuel stops in advance of losing cell phone coverage and make sure you have plenty of water (3 to 4L per person) and food on hand for emergency situations.

Most locals also advise that you travel early in the day. That way, if you breakdown, there’s a greater chance that someone will pass you on their own travels.

Top things to do in the Red Centre

Watch the sunrise over Uluru

Watching the colors of Uluru shift and change as the Earth starts or finishes its rotation is the most popular activity at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. But it’s not just about prettiness – it’s also about practicality. Daytime temperatures during the shoulder season and summer months can soar above 40°C (104°F).

There are dedicated sunrise and sunset viewing spots throughout the park, but if you’re here for multiple days, you’ll want to experience at least one of Yulara’s light shows or installations.

Sunrise Journeys – a new spine-tingling breakfast show that projects the artwork of three Aṉangu artists onto the trees and sand – will help you see the landscape through Aṉangu eyes. The kangaroo croissants and lemon myrtle muffins are just an added bonus. 

Then, after sunset, 1100 drones take to the sky in Wintjiri Wiru, which tells a chapter of an ancient Mala story. As custodians of the land, Aṉangu hold the Mala story from Kaltukatjara to Uluru. To share their story, RAMUS designed and produced an artistic platform using drones, light and sound to create an immersive storytelling experience. The award-winning Field of Light installation, which includes 50,000 spindles of ever-changing light spread out across the desert, is equally impressive.

These experiences can be booked through Ayers Rock Resort and are known to sell out, so be sure to book your spot well in advance of your visit.

Connect with the Traditional Custodians of the land

No trip to Australia is complete with connecting with its First Nations people – and there’s perhaps no place this is truer than in the Red Centre. Learning about the people who have made their home here for 65,000 years will give more  context and depth to everything you see and experience. At Watarrka National Park (Luritja Country), spend an hour with Karrke guides on Country learning about traditional hunting, contemporary art practices and bush foods, including witchetty grubs.

Or, at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Pitjantjatjara Country), learn how to dot paint from a skilled Aṉangu elder through Maruku Arts, a non-profit organization that supports Aṉangu across Australia.

Hike through Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park

One of the region’s best day hikes, the Kings Canyon Rim Walk takes visitors along 300m-high (984ft) sandstone walls and through palm-filled and Eden-like desert gardens. The 6km-hike (3.7-mile) features a tough uphill slog to start, but levels out when you reach the top of the canyon, from which you’ll have sweeping views across the surrounding landscape.

Plan an overnight stay at Kings Canyon Resort so you can wander through Bruce Munro’s Light Towers, an immersive after-dark light and sound installation featuring 69 towers lit by fiber optics. The next morning, start your walk before the day’s heat sets in, as there’s little shade at Kings Canyon. Budget three to four hours for the hike.

Tour Aboriginal art galleries in Alice Springs with a local artist

Thanks to new light installations and large-scale art festivals, Central Australia is making a name for itself as a contemporary art destination. But this reputation dates much further back. In the 1940s and ‘50s, Arrernte painter Albert Namatjira was celebrated for his European-style landscapes (which led to Namatjira being granted conditional Australian citizenship in 1957; the first Aboriginal person to do so). In the 1970s and ‘80s, the distinctive dot paintings now found at gift shops across the country began to emerge from the region. Then, in the ‘90s, the Hermannsburg Potters started crafting their now-internationally renowned ceramics.

The Red Centre is an environment that continues to inspire countless artists, including Anna Dakin, who offers beginner-friendly en plein air watercolor workshops through Art Tours of Australia. Looking for a little inspiration before you put paintbrush to paper? Dakin’s half-day tours through Alice Springs stop at art galleries and centers where you can see skilled Aboriginal artists at work, including the descendants of Namatjira, who carry on his legacy.

Swim in a waterhole in Tjoritja/West Macdonnell Ranges

Stretching for 161km (100 miles) west of Alice Springs, the peaks and waterholes of Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park deserve a full day to explore. Pack a picnic and hit the road. Stops along the way include the cool waters of Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge; the breathtaking beauty of Standley Chasm and Simpsons Gap; and the walls of the Ochre Pits.

My favorite thing to do in Australia’s Red Centre

Like many first-time visitors to the Red Centre, I’d heard a lot about Ayers Rock (the name given to Uluru by explorer William Gosse in 1873 and widely used until 1993) when I was growing up. So, on my first visit, I was surprised to discover that it’s not the national park’s only notable geological feature.

The other one, of course, is Kata Tjuta – 36 towering red domes in the middle of the desert. Many visitors don’t budget enough time to visit Kata Tjuta (it’s a 45-minute drive from Uluru) and end up skipping it entirely. But it’s my favorite place in the park, with the Valley of the Winds walk taking about three hours to complete.

Uluru itself also offers surprises. Rather than being a smooth and uniform rock – as it often appears in photos – the 10km (6 mile) walk around its base reveals caves, crevices and waterholes, all holding knowledge and stories (known as Tjukurpa) that have been passed down through generations of Aṉangu.

How much money do I need for Australia’s Red Centre?

Much like the rest of Australia, the Red Centre isn’t a budget destination, especially at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Ayers Rock Resort has a near-monopoly on accommodation, but fortunately offers accommodation ranging from unpowered campsites to more luxurious hotel stays.

·  Unpowered campsite at Ayers Rock Resort: from $22 (US$13.68)

·  Hostel-style accommodation at Ayers Rock Resort: from $210 (US$130)

·  Basic room for two at Ayers Rock Resort: from $310 (US$193)

·  Self-catering apartment at Ayers Rock Resort: from $500 (US$311)

·  Sandwich in Yulara Town Square: $12 (US$7.46)

·  Wintjiri Wiru dinner and drone show for two: $590 (US$367)

·  Entrance to the Field of Light: $48 (US$30)

·  Three-day pass to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: $38 (US$24)

Where is there to stay in the Red Centre?

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Don’t expect to book an Airbnb. Unless you have enough cash to splash out for the ultra-luxe Longitude 131, Ayers Rock Resort is your only real option near Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. (There’s a reason they call it the outback, after all.) The resort itself is actually a small township  – complete with a grocery store, post office, cafes, art galleries and multiple swimming pools – and features a range of accommodation to suit most budgets.

Watarrka National Park & Kings Canyon

Holiday parks in Australia aren’t just for campers – they often feature self-contained accommodation such as budget cabins or motel rooms. But the deluxe rooms at Kings Canyon Holiday Resort are truly next-level, with standalone soaker tubs looking out to the surrounding red rock escarpment. The entrance to Watarrka National Park is just a short drive away.

Alice Springs

With a population of 30,000 people, Alice Springs offers all the accommodation that you would come to expect from Central Australia’s biggest city, including Airbnbs, motels and hotels.

Alice Spring is a vibrant city well worth visiting, but it does have a reputation for its nighttime disturbances, including vehicle break-ins. Choosing a spot with a restaurant onsite can be advantageous if you don’t feel comfortable driving or walking after dark. Don’t leave anything (even if you think it’s not valuable) in your vehicle.

Nearly everything at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is timed around sunrise and sunset

Your wakeup time most days will be between 4am and 5am, with activities lasting until about 11am. Then it’s time to catch up on some shut-eye before evening activities begin around 4pm or 5pm and run until 10pm or 11pm.

If you drive from Alice Springs to Uluru, don’t be tricked by “Fool-uru” 

A monolith that looks much like Uluru to the uninitiated, the flat-topped Mt Connor soars around 300m (984ft) above the surrounding desert. Stop to take a picture and use the bathroom here, because you’ve still got about two hours of driving to go before you see Uluru.

Jessica Lockhart visited Central Australia at the invitation of Tourism Northern Territory and Voyages Indigenous Tourism. Lonely Planet does not accept freebies for positive coverage.