Uluru sunrise and Kata Tjuta

I had signed up for an Uluru sunrise bus tour. This is the foyer of the lodge where we waited at about 0545 for the bus to pick us up. One advantage of visiting in winter, besides the cooler temperatures, is the short day. Other times of the year sunrise is earlier meaning an earlier start.

We drove the 27 km to the sunrise viewing area in darkness, stopping at the park entrance for the opening. Visitors are required to buy a pass, valid for 3 consecutive days. It was included in my tour ticket.

On the way we passed a road sign with the Pitjantjatjara words Talinguru Nyakunytjaku. The bus driver told us to remember them as it was the passphrase to get served coffee/tea and biscuits at the viewing site. A bit later on he retracted that and said it actually meant No Starbucks at Uluru. Finally he explained that it simply meant to look from the sand dunes.

We alighted from the bus in a large parking lot where there were several other tour buses. There was another lot for cars.

It was fairly cold and everybody was dressed warmly. We served ourselves drinks and picked up small packs of biscuits and nuts from the tables the tour company had set up beforehand.

And this is what we all came to see. It would be even better in a time-lapse sequence. I'm sure there are some on the Internet. Which raises the question, why travel when there are so many photos on the Internet now. Well, photos aren't the same as being there, despite the discomfort.

One of the viewing huts for people who want to sit.

A bit later on.

Kata Tjuta in the distance.

Finally, the sun rises above the horizon behind us.

Visitors at the viewing area.

One of the plump crested pigeons eager to scavenge for biscuit crumbs.

From Uluru we then drove 37 km to the Kata Tjuta viewing area. You need to be at a distance to capture all of it in a camera frame. Along the way, the tour guides explained Anangu culture and told stories. They also explained the vegetation and fauna.

Crested pigeon perching.

On the ground.

The platform is raised, minimising damage by footsteps on the land.

There wasn't time to explore all the peaks of Kata Tjuta, which means many heads, by the way, but we would be taking a short walk in the Valley of the Winds.

Closer to a peak.

Walls of the walk.

Notice the holes in the wall and the vertical strata. The latter has to do with the formation of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

A waterhole.

My fellow walkers at the end platform. If I recall correctly the rest of the walk to a lookout was closed off. Anyway our tour group didn't have the time to go that far, as it takes several hours return.

The valley has its microclimate which collects moisture and where many plants and animals can shelter from the heat.

By the time we had returned, the sun was higher in the sky.

Water runs down the valley.

Before leaving Kata Tjuta, they took us to another viewing area with a different angle. This foreign tourist was one of the many keen photographers visiting the area.