Uluru Map & Walks: Explore Ayers Rock! Mala Walk and Full Base Walk

We thoroughly planned our trip to Uluru, booked a room at the Ayers Rock Resort and it’s finally time to head to that big red Rock! Let the adventure begin…but not without an Uluru Map !

It’s very hard to get updated info on Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park, let it alone finding a decent map!

You’re in the right place.

In this post you can find all the latest maps you need to explore the site.

We will also have a brief look at the Mala Walk, which is part of the Full Base Walk.

Still not sure whether to climb Uluru or not? Check the last paragraph for some more info.

Let’s start!

Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park’s Map | Uluru Travel Guide

Let’s start with the map of the whole Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

As you can see from the map, Uluru Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta are 50 km far from each other.
The airport is located north of Yulara / Ayers Rock Resort and just 20 mins from Uluru.
Yulara / Ayers Rock Resort is just a few minutes drive from the airport.

The road that connects the Airport and Yulara with Uluru and Kata Tjuta is clean and sealed.

If you hire a car you won’t have any problem to get from one location to another. Roads are also (obviously) not busy at all. The only advice I’m going to give you is to drive carefully and watch out for any animal that might suddenly cross the road.

Return to Yulara before or immediately after the sunset.

Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta are equipped with toilets, and drinking water points, as well as small sheds to find shelter from the heat.

Now let’s check out Uluru’s map in detail!

Uluru Map | Uluru Travel Guide

Whether you come to Ayers Rock by car or by organized tour, the starting point for your exploration will almost certainly be the car park.

I explored Uluru Ayers Rock with Uluru Express (check my previous post for more options). This very basic, yet not so cheap, service offers various services such as:

transport from Yulara to the Uluru Sunrise / Sunset viewing areas at Talinguru Nyakunytiaku (yeah I’m sure I spelled it wrong!), and back to your hotel
transport from your accommodation to the car park, and trip back to your hotel ( does not include sunrise or sunset)
full lap around Uluru in a air conditioned van + sunset

The best option is surely the first one!

my day at Uluru choosing the Uluru Sunrise and Sunset package (70$ – return) included the followings:

they collected me and my friends at our accommodation at the Outback Pioneer Lodge and took us to the Sunrise point. (south east of Uluru).
after watching the sun rising, over a complimentary well appreciated cup of tea (it was FREEZING outside), they took us to the Mala car park.
once there, the driver gave us the map you see above and marked well on it the points of interest.
after completing the whole walk around the Ayers Rock at our own pace (no tour guide included) we met the driver in the afternoon at the Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
they drove us to the Sunset point (north west of Uluru).
dropped us right in front of our hotel after the sunset.

A very intense day!

Uluru walks | Uluru Travel Guide

?This oasis is called the Sacred Waters of #uluru and is a pool at the base of this giant rock. It has been essential for the surviving of the aboriginal people and the desert animals for millions of years! The blue stain is real (not photoshopped!) and it’s the result of the water running down from the top. It takes at least 6 hours to walk around the entire rock and this is the perfect place to cool down a bit ! ?? •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ?❤ tag a friend who is in love with Uluru ❤? •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ? #ayersrock , #northernterritory , Australia ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #NTaustralia @ausoutbacknt #outback #redcentre #exploreuluru #northernterritory #lpfanphoto #natgeotravel #wonderful_places #globe_travel_ #nakedplanet #worldtravelpics #seeaustralia #australiagram #igersaustralia #ig_australia #aussiephotos #australiaday #downunder #exploringaustralia #canonaustralia #discoveraustralia #au_nz_hotshotz #australia_oz #iloveaustralia #visitaustralia #wu_oceania
Un post condiviso da Joe ? Italian Vagabond ✈ (@italianvagabond) in data: 8 Set 2016 alle ore 04:29 PDT

The full base walk is what I strongly recommend.

It’s the only way to appreciate the Ayers Rock magnificence in its entirety.

I personally started the walk at the Mala car park (point B on the map) and returned back there before heading to the Aboriginal Center. It was really an inspiring journey over a very easy ground. We didn’t encounter any difficulty on our way around the Ayers Rock. Just be prepared for the heat or the cold (depending on the season) and remember to stay hydrated.

The full base walk is really the only way to truly understand the spiritual significance of Uluru, discovering its legends along the way and enjoy this amazing rock formation.

The renowned Mala walk is actually just a small section of the full base walk. Precisely, a gentle walk from B to C on the map.

This short 1 hour walk (return) takes you to the spectacular Kantju Gorge, formed long time ago by a vertical crack in the rock face.

The highlights of the full base walk were personally the Kuniya Piti (check one of my favourite photos ever on Instagram) and Mutijulu Waterhole (pic above).

It’s not my intention to describe every single feature of the Ayers Rock. I don’t wanna spoil the best part of your journey to the Outback! However, if you have any question feel free to ask in the comments below.

Climbing Uluru | Uluru Travel Guide

The pathway of the climb has a spiritual significance to the Anangu, the traditional owner of Uluru. Anangu ask tourists to respect their culture by not climbing as I thoroughly discussed before.

That being said, if you want to reach the summit there’s only one way to (legally) do that . Reach point B on the map, the path is right in front of the car park . Bear in mind that is a quite strenuous activity (2-3 hours return). Moreover, the park rangers can close it for whatever reason.