Sunset at Uluru

Wow.

Today I got up at 6:30 to catch a bus for the five-hour trip from Alice Springs to Uluru-Kata-Tjuta National Park. There is only one place to stay close to the park, a collection of hotels and resorts called Yulara. I got in at around 1 in the afternoon and booked a shuttle to the park for 3:30 to see the domes of Kata-Tjuta and see the sunset at Uluru itself. Kata-Tjuta is comprised of huge rock domes that rise straight from the ground.

The weather didn’t seem great when I got there; it was really cloudy and windy. I had wanted to do this hike that is supposed to be fantastic at Kata-Tjuta, but unfortunately I got there too late and it was closed. Instead I did a quick walk between two of the tallest domes and headed to the sunset lookout spot for Uluru.

It turns out that the weather made for a perfect sunset. The dark and moody clouds behind the rock provided a perfect contrast for the colors. The sun started out behind clouds, but as it dropped lower and started to hit Uluru, it gained this amazing orange color that looked like it was glowing from the inside. As the sun got lower, the colors changed from blazing orange to deep scarlet. I put together this little sequence of pictures so you can get some idea, but you really had to be there. Sorry there are an odd number.

Tomorrow I am planning to see the sunrise and go on a hike around the base. I’m so excited!