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Travelers Can Spend the Night Near Uluru in Australia for the First Time Ever

Experience Uluru-Kata Tjuta like never before by spending five nights in the Australian national park.
ByCaLea Johnson|
People now have the privilege of seeing Uluru and Kata Tjuta after the sun goes down.
People now have the privilege of seeing Uluru and Kata Tjuta after the sun goes down. | simonbradfield/GettyImages

In the middle of the Central Australian desert lies the majestic Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its extraordinary geological beauty and cultural significance to the Anangu people—the traditional owners of the land. Visitors travel far and wide to see the enormous Uluru sandstone and Kata Tjuta’s 36 domes. Now, guests can stay overnight in the park for the first time ever.

As Travel + Leisure reports, Tasmanian Walking Company worked closely with the Anangu people to organize the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Signature Walk. On this desert journey, tourists will walk 54 kilometers (about 33.56 miles) from Kata Tjuta to Uluru, enjoying unforgettable moments in nature, such as watching sunsets and stargazing. Aboriginal landowners will act as guides and share their ancestral stories and folklore with tourists during the five-day trek through Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It’s a unique way of getting in touch with the indigenous culture, as participants will visit a traditional Wiltja shelter and eat meals served by their tour guides.

The whole experience costs $5395 AUD (about $3460 USD) per person. The fee covers luxury accommodations at a private lodge, transportation between the pick-up area and the start and finish points of the trek, meals, a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and a national park pass for the trip. Departure times start Wednesday, April 1, 2026, and end Wednesday, September 30, 2026, and trips are booking up fast. Luckily, there’s an option to join the waitlist for in-demand dates.

The overnight stay is just in time for the 40th anniversary of  “Handback,” when the government returned the title deeds to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to the Anangu people in 1985. But in the decades since, the area hasn’t remained free of controversy; the iconic Uluru monolith closed to climbers for good in 2019 due to tourists disrespecting the land. Many people would even take rocks from the landmark and then return them because of associations with bad luck. 

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