If you travel to Australia, you have to see the real outback, after all this is what makes Australia so special. Actually, I wanted to go to Uluru during my big trip after I was in Sydney, but the flights to Ayers Rock from Sydney are the cheapest, so I decided to fly from Sydney to Uluru and then back to Sydney.

Mixed feeling for the upcoming trip

It wasn’t the best idea to do the tour in December of all days, because that’s when the summer session is, but since I never had problems with the heat I didn’t think it was that bad.

The week before my flight to Ayers Rock, I have always watched the temperatures at the Uluru. The weather was between 40 – 44 degrees and no clouds. Then, nevertheless, I had a little fear of the heat especially in the Outback where then also hardly shade is. Besides, camping isn’t really my thing. So I was really nervous but I was also excited because it will be a completely different experience than everything I had experienced before in my life.

Welcome to the red centre

At the airport in Ayers Rock I was picked up by our tour bus together with some other people. It was 1pm and it felt like walking into a wall as soon as we left the air-conditioned airport. We were then brought from there directly to the camp.

There we met the rest of the group. Once again I was by far the youngest. A friend of mine had done the tour three weeks before me and the oldest ones there were about 27 while those in my group were the youngest. But there were still very nice people there. We first had lunch and then we started. With our pink tour bus we went straight to Uluru. Before we started, we all had to show that we had enough to drink with us, after all it was 43 degrees at that time.

We stopped the bus right in front of the Uluru and then started walking. It was slightly cloudy and there was a little wind. As soon as the clouds came in front of the sun it was a bit bearable but as soon as the sun shone down on us it was just unbearable. I was really grateful for every bit of shadow. The wind didn’t really help because it was also really hot. Then we did a little hike at the Uluru after we learned something about the history of the Aboriginals and the Uluru from our tour guide.

Fear, tears and almost dehydrated

Shortly after that we should walk alone for the remaining 30 minutes of the hike, while our tour guide got the bus. We should then definitely stay in groups of four people in case something happens to us, so that one can stay with the person and two can get further help.

We all started walking together, but after a while we spread out a bit, as some of us run faster and some slower. In the beginning I was even in the front but with time I fell back a lot. I was too warm, I just drank and stopped at every bit of shade.

I cannot describe this feeling but at that moment I was not sure if I would make it to the bus. Probably, the fear that you can dehydrate very fast at such temperatures and then also the fact that our tour guide was not there was also a little part of it. While I was already crying in front of the Uluru two women from my group gave me a good talk and with their help I made it back to the bus.

At first I really wanted to ask if I could be dropped off at the airport again. The idea that I would have to endure this for three days was simply unbearable for me. Now, I am of course glad I didn’t do it but at that moment I was really scared!

At the bus I was supplied with cold water and wet cloths. After I felt a little better we drove on. We then arrived at a small resort where there was also a café where I was able to calm down. When we drove on it was already after five o’clock in the afternoon and it became slowly getting cooler outside.

Dinner at Uluru and the stars at night

Then we drove to a Lookout Point where we could see the Uluru. Shortly afterwards, we drove straight on to our last stop for this day, to the Uluru Sunset Viewing Area. With the view to the sunset at the Uluru, we also had our dinner.

After the sun had set, we had eaten and everything was stowed away in the bus again, we started the way back to the camp.

There we rolled out our sleeping bags outside in a circle for the night. In the city you can never see the starry sky but in the outback it is even better. It was really wonderful to lie in the sleeping bag and then look up into the sky.

I ever thought there’d be more stars. What I saw I had already seen while camping with my host family. But it was still beautiful.

Sunrise in the Outback

The next morning we were woken up at 3.30 a.m. with the news that the mobile phone from our tour guid had been stolen during the night. Fortunately, more has not been stolen. We then had breakfast and an hour later we started. It was still dark and we were all still really tired but the temperatures around these times were very pleasant. Then we drove to our first Lookout Point and watched there the sunrise over the Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Shortly after that we went straight on.

We had to keep pretty much to the time, because there were also many other groups there and we wanted to avoid having them around us. We drove to Kata Tjuta and started hike at 6.30 am. At this time the temperatures were still pleasant, it was warm but not too warm to hike.

As soon as the sun came up it became quite warm. We had the choice after the half of the route to get to a lookout point, to take the longer way where we should walk without a break to be on time at the meeting point or to take the shorter way which was of course also less exhausting and where we could take more breaks for photos. Of course I decided for the shorter one after what happened to me the day before. Together with three other people from the group I walked this way while everyone else decided to walk the longer way. From the Lookout Point we had a beautiful view from Kata Tjuta down to the desert.

With my small group I walked back before the others even arrived at the Lookout Point. We walked quite slowly and took many breaks, so that after some time the others caught up with us and we arrived together with them at the bus. But the many breaks were really necessary, as it was already quite warm then. After our hike from which we were all pretty exhausted we went back to the camp. There we all went directly to the pool and cooled down.

Shortly afterwards we had lunch. We then had burgers with camel meat. I was a little sceptical at first, but it tastes almost like beef. We sat in a hut in which we had a fan, but there was no more than hot air coming out of it so it was really warm there again.

Heading of to the Kings Canyon

After lunch we packed our stuff together and made our way to our other camp at Kings Canyon. We had to drive there for four hours in the heat of the afternoon. The bus had air conditioning, but it was still really warm in it. We stopped twice in the middle of nowhere. Once to collect wood for a campfire in the evening. And once at Mount Conner.

After we arrived in our new camp we all went back to the pool to cool off. In the evening we went to a Lookout Point near our camp and watched the sunset over the desert. As soon as the sun went down we all went to dinner in our hut.

After dinner we rolled out our sleeping bags around the camp fire. That night we did not have to worry about someone stealing our valuables, we had to worry more about the dingos stealing our stuff. But nothing got away that night.

500 Steps up to see the sunrise

Our third day was similar to the second day. We got up at 3.30 in the morning and then after breakfast we got on the bus at 4.30 a.m. to go to Kings Canyon. The sun had not yet risen and we already hiked up the Kings Canyon. But to get up there we had to walk 500 steps. That was exhausting enough, if we would have done that even in this heat it would have been impossible.

At the top we could see the sun rising over the canyon. The view over the desert was again incredible. Then we hiked up there. It was bearable from the temperatures but with the time it became warmer and warmer.

The second half of the hike was then in the sun and we didn’t have much shade either. Fortunately, most of the way was downhill again. I took my time again and took many breaks and so it was bearable. At 8.30 we all arrived at the bus quite exhausted. Then we drove back to the camp. So our tour was almost over. There we got our lunch. Afterwards we went directly into the pool again.

Uluru one last time

Around noon we packed all our things together again and went back to the camp where we stayed the first night.

After we got out of the much too warm bus we went straight back to the pool and spent the afternoon there. Around 7.30pm we could go again to a Lookout Point in our camp and from there we could see the sunset over the Uluru. And there I actually met two girls I met a few weeks ago in Cairns in the rainforest.

After the sun had set we had dinner. After a lot of burgers and wraps the days before we had pasta that evening.

That night we also had the opportunity to sleep at the Lookout Point, but I slept with some others downstairs.

Leaving the Outback with a heavy heart

Fortunately we were not woken up on the last morning and we could “sleep in“. Around 5 o’clock almost everybody was awake anyway. We then went back up to the Lookout Point where we watched the sunrise at Uluru. After that we had breakfast and then we started to pack everything together. Around 9 o’clock we were finished and we were brought to the airport.

At first I didn’t expect it but I was really excited about the tour into the outback. Actually I am not the kind of person who likes to go camping but sleeping under the stars was really incredible. I can’t describe how incredible the Australien outback is. The temperatures are actually the only thing that I will not miss but I can really only recommend such a tour to Uluru to everybody. Of all the trips I have made so far, this was the best one. It was something completely different and a completely new experience. Nevertheless I am glad to have a decent shower and a bed again.