Visiting Uluru in Central Australia is a bucket list experience and it can be budget friendly with the right planning.
Whether you’re a backpacker or a traveller looking for affordable options, this guide will show you how to see Uluru on a budget, including tips on low cost accommodation, free activities and the best ways to save on transport and food.
I visited Uluru in March 2025, so this information is up to date.
If you’re travelling around Australia, check out the Ultimate Guide to Melbourne’s Chinatown and the Guide to visiting the Islamic Museum of Australia
MUST KNOW INFORMATION
When visiting Uluru, you’ll stay at Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara, the only accommodation in the area. The resort offers seven types of lodging, from five star hotels to campgrounds and dorm rooms.
You’ll also find a variety of restaurants, cafes, a petrol station, an IGA supermarket, museums, art galleries and souvenir shops.
A free shuttle bus operates within the resort for easy transportation, so you can get from your accommodation to restaurants (this does not include transport into the National Park where Uluru is). This will be your base during your visit to Uluru.
If you’re flying in, you’ll arrive at Ayers Rock Airport, where free shuttle buses will take you directly to the resort.
Alice Springs is 450kms away, a 4 and a half hour drive. So it’s not suitable to stay in Alice Springs and visit Uluru. You must stay in Yulara.
The Ayers Rock Resort is a 10 minute drive from Ayers Rock Airport and a 20 minute drive from the Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park.
CHEAPEST TIME TO VISIT
The cheapest months to visit Uluru are from November to March. This is the off season (the weather is hot) and the Northern Territory government has 25% off accomodation, tours, experiences and car hire. Flights are also cheaper for these months.
FLIGHTS
Keep an eye out for Jetstar sales! I paid $188 AUD return from Melbourne to Ayers Rock Airport with Jetstar when I stumbled upon a sale. I booked in the middle of December for an early March flight.
(TIP: book a seat on the left side of the plane going there, and the right side when leaving. Then you’ll get a view of Uluru from the plane!)
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation in Ayers Rock Resort can be expensive but booking a bed in a dorm room is the cheapest option. At the Outback Hotel & Lodge, they have female dorm rooms, mixed dorm rooms and dorm rooms that have 4 beds (so would be good for groups of friends). I paid $42 AUD a night for my bed in a female dorm room.
The Outback Hotel & Lodge also has private rooms without an ensuite (so you would use the communal showers and toilets) for about $210 AUD a night. And they also have private rooms with your own private bathroom for about $250 a night.
There is also a campground but you must bring your own tent and if you’re travelling on a budget flight that has carry on only, you can’t bring a tent. The campground might suit you if you’re driving around Central Australia already. It costs $50 AUD a night for an unpowered site.
All accommodation must be booked well ahead of time as they do sell out and you don’t want to be left in the desert with nowhere to sleep!
HOW TO GET AROUND THE RESORT
There are free daily shuttle buses that transports guests around the resort every 20 minutes from 10:30am to 12:30am. It stops at all hotels, campgrounds, resort town square, gallery of central Australia and the Uluru camel farm. It does not go into the National Park. HERE is a map of the resort shuttle bus route.
HOW TO GET AROUND THE AREA AND INTO THE NATIONAL PARK
If you don’t drive, or choose not to hire a car, the Uluru Hop On/Hop Off Bus is the best budget friendly transport option. It’s $220 AUD for 3 days. But if you book it from Tourism Central Australia and travel between November to March, you can get it for 25% off and it will come down to $165 AUD which is what I paid. They also have 1 and 2 day passes.
Before you book the bus, look at the monthly timetables HERE and work out your plan. You must contact them beforehand and let them know the times you want the bus so they save you a seat and you aren’t stuck somewhere at the park for hours because there’s no room on the bus for you until the next one. I have seen people who haven’t booked seats, be asked to leave the bus while the booked people get on. It’s so important to contact them and get your name down on the booked seats list.
The Hop on/Hop off bus makes 5 trips into the National Park daily. You can use it to see the sunrise and sunset at Uluru. And it also goes to Kata Tjuṯa to see the sunrise and sunset there.
I love travelling independently so this option of using the bus was perfect for me. It gave me the freedom to choose exactly where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see.
FREE EXPERIENCES
There is a variety of free experiences at Ayers Rock Resort. You can find them all listed HERE.
Bush Food Experience: daily at 1pm.
Bush Yarns: daily at 10am and 10:30am.
Capturing the Cosmos Documentary: daily at 2pm.
Didgeridoo Workshop: daily at 11am and 3pm.
Guided Garden Walks: daily at 9am.
Movies: daily at 10am and 3pm.
Gallery of Central Australia (Indigenous Art): open daily from 9am to 5pm.
The Making of Wintjiri Wiru (a documentary showcasing how they used drones and lights to show the ancient Aṉangu creation story): daily at 3pm.
The Lawn Gallery (local Aṉangu artists showcase their Indigenous artwork. You can buy directly from these artists): weekdays from 4pm to sunset. Weekends from 10am to sunset.
There is also a free guided park ranger walk that begins at the Mala Carpark inside the National Park at the base of Uluru. It takes 90 minutes and is wheelchair accessible. It starts at 8am between October and April, and 10am between May and September.
At the cultural centre, inside the National Park, there is a cultural experience you can attend that begins at 11:30am. I definitely recommend it. It was so interesting learning about the Aṉangu culture and about Pitjantjatjara Country.
FOOD
Food at the restaurants are not cheap. It’s in the middle of the desert and everything needs to be flown or driven in. I’ll write about food options soon and will list it here.
HOW MUCH DID I PAY FOR 4 NIGHTS IN ULURU?
Here is what I paid for 4 nights in Uluru. You can easily make this cheaper by reducing a night, not hiring a bicycle (I used it to cycle around the rock), getting someone to take you to the airport instead of using the SkyBus.
Flights with Jetstar: $188 AUD
Accommodation in a dorm room: $168 AUD
Hop on/Hop off Bus for 3 days: $165 AUD
Bicycle Hire to cycle around Uluru: $70 AUD
National Park Ticket for 3 days: $40 AUD
Melbourne SkyBus: $40 AUD
TOTAL = $671 AUD for 4 nights in Uluru (plus extra for food and souvenirs).
IMPORTANT TIPS
Book flights when there are sales.
Stay in a dorm room for cheapest accommodation.
Instead of eating at the restaurants, get food at the IGA or the Shell Service Station and bring your own protein bars and snacks in your carry on luggage.
If you stay in a dorm room at the Outback Hotel & Lodge, you can cook your own food in the guest kitchen which also makes things cheaper.
Do all the free experiences at the resort.
Travel between November to March for discounts.
Take a water bottle with you and refill it during the day.
If you’re not entering into the National Park on any day, watch the free sunrise and sunset views around the resort.
Check out my Uluru Highlights on my Instagram as it has lots more information there too!
