From Yulara: 3-Hour Small Group Kata Tjuta Afternoon Tour
Guided walkingPickup includedMax 15
From $133 per person
9 Things to Do at Kata Tjuta, and How Long Each One Takes
Short answer. The main things to do at Kata Tjuta are two walking tracks, two viewing areas and a scenic flight. Walpa Gorge takes about an hour and the full Valley of the Winds circuit three to four. The dune viewing area works at sunrise and at sunset. Allow a half-day, because the domes are a 45-minute drive from Yulara each way.
Things to do at Kata Tjuta, side by side
Here are nine things to do at Kata Tjuta, which older maps still call the Olgas, and what each one asks of you.
| Thing to do | Time to allow | Effort | Water and toilets | Best at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walpa Gorge walk | 1 hour, 2.6 km | Grade 3 | Water, no toilets | Late afternoon |
| Karu Lookout | 1 hour, 2.2 km | Moderate, loose rocks | Water, no toilets | Before 11 am |
| Valley of the Winds circuit | 3 to 4 hours, 7.4 km | Grade 4 | Water, no toilets | Early morning |
| Dune viewing area | 35-minute drive | Easy stroll | Neither | Sunrise |
| Sunset viewing area | 40-minute drive | Wheelchair access | Both | Dusk |
| Scenic flight | 36 minutes in the air | No walking | — | Sunset |
| Wallaroos and birds | On either walk | As the walk | As the walk | Early morning |
| Wildflowers | On either walk | As the walk | As the walk | August and September |
| Photography | At every stop | None | Varies by stop | Rules differ by stop |
Walk times and facilities are the ones Parks Australia publishes, and drive times are from Yulara. You will not fit all nine into one visit, so pick the two or three that match your hours.
Book the three-hour afternoon tour
1. Walk into Walpa Gorge
If you do one thing at the domes, do this. The track is 2.6 km return, takes you about an hour, and is Grade 3: rocky, rising gently to a seasonal stream and a grove of spearwood.
You can fill a bottle at the track, but there is no toilet and no wheelchair access. Both half-day tours from Yulara walk it. For the ground itself, read every track, walk by walk.
2. Climb to Karu Lookout
Karu is the first lookout on the Valley of the Winds track: 2.2 km return and about an hour, on a moderately difficult path with loose rocks. You will find drinking water at the start.
It matters in summer. When the temperature reaches 36 °C, the track closes at this lookout from 11 am, so Karu is as far as you can go.
3. Walk the full Valley of the Winds circuit
The full circuit is a 7.4 km loop and takes you three to four hours. It is Grade 4, steep and rocky in places, with drinking water halfway. You will meet very few people after the first lookout.
Among guided trips, the three-day itinerary from Alice Springs and the four-day one through the West MacDonnell Ranges both walk in the valley. Not sure which track is yours? Read which walk to choose.
Did you know? The park says the full circuit is easier than walking to Karingana, the second lookout, and back. That return trip is 5.4 km and about two and a half hours.
Walk the Valley of the Winds with a guide
The four-day trip from Ayers Rock Airport spends two hours in the valley on day
two. From $888 per person, park pass included.
Check Availability4. Watch sunrise from the dune viewing area
The dune viewing area is a 35-minute drive from Yulara, then an easy stroll. You get a panoramic view of the domes with Uluru on the horizon. It has wheelchair access and picnic shelters, and no water or toilets.
It can be crowded at sunrise. The park opens between 5:00 am and 6:30 am depending on the month, so check the gate time before you set your alarm.
You need your own vehicle here. The guided sunrise day trip watches the sun come up from Talinguru Nyakunytjaku, on the Uluru side, and drives to the domes afterwards. The Field of Light sunrise tour only has the domes in view from its dune top.
5. Bring dinner to the sunset viewing area
The sunset viewing area is 40 minutes from Yulara and has a picnic area, so bring your dinner. The domes change from pink to deep red as the sun goes down, and it is usually busy at dusk.
For quiet, the park’s own tip is that the benches along Walpa Gorge sit mostly empty at that hour. You must be out of the park by closing time, between 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm depending on the month. Visiting Kata Tjuta has the hours.
Useful tip: use the toilets here. The park lists toilets and water at the sunset viewing area. There are no toilets on either walk, and none at the dune viewing area.
6. See the 36 domes from the air
Kata Tjuta is 36 domes spread over more than 20 square kilometres, and a flight shows you the spread with no walking. The sunset helicopter flight is 36 minutes in the air, most of it over the domes: the western face of Mount Olga, then Walpa Gorge and the Valley of the Winds. It is from $298 per person and rated 4.9 from 172 reviews.
The 25-minute flight is your shorter choice, from $270. No helicopter tour flies over the top of Uluru or Kata Tjuta. The scenic flights page compares them, and flying or walking helps if you can only do one.
Book the sunset helicopter flight
7. Look for wallaroos and desert birds
Walpa Gorge is one of the few places at Kata Tjuta where you might see kanyala, the common wallaroo. The park has also recorded 178 bird species. Both walks run through creekbeds and gullies, where it lists red-backed kingfishers and rainbow bee-eaters. Go early in the morning, and be quiet, patient and alert.
8. Catch the wildflowers in August and September
August and September are usually the best months for wildflowers, and in late winter you will find pink daisies at the entrance of Walpa Gorge. It is walking weather too. From May to September the daytime maximum usually sits between 20 and 30 degrees. The month-by-month page has the rest of the year.
9. Photograph the domes the way Anangu ask
You will find a different framing request at each stop.
- Dune viewing area — keep at least five domes in frame.
- Sunset viewing area — Anangu ask that you keep at least three domes in shot.
- Walpa Gorge — keep both sides of the gorge in frame.
- Valley of the Winds — no images of the rock formations. Close-ups of plants, animals and people are welcome.
Did you know? From the dune viewing area the sun does not hit the domes directly at sunrise or sunset, so they can look quite dark in your photographs.
For the light and the timing, read the photographer’s guide.
What you cannot do at Kata Tjuta
- Leave the marked tracks, climb onto boulders or go down into gullies.
- Swim in the waterholes. Anangu did not, and ask the same of you.
- Fly a drone anywhere in the national park.
- Stay past closing time.
You will not hear the stories of the place either. Kata Tjuta is an extremely important site for Anangu men’s work, and its cultural knowledge is not shared with visitors.
How much of this fits in the time you have?
Guided tours of Kata Tjuta each cover a different part of the list, so start from your hours.
If you have one afternoon
Take the three-hour afternoon tour. You spend the whole three hours at the domes, with a guided walk into Walpa Gorge, in a group of up to 15. It is from $133 per person, park entry not included.
If you have one morning
The sunrise day trip runs five hours and gives you around two of them at Kata Tjuta: a viewing point, then Walpa Gorge. Sunrise itself is on the Uluru side. It is from $150 per person, and you buy your park pass online first.
If you have a whole day
With your own car, walk the Valley of the Winds early and end your day at the sunset viewing area. Every road in the park is sealed. Without a car, a multi-day trip is how you reach the valley with a guide. Kata Tjuta Tours shows what each fare covers.
Things to do at Kata Tjuta: quick answers
How long do you need at Kata Tjuta?
A half-day. The drive is 45 minutes each way from Yulara, and the Walpa Gorge walk is about an hour. The full Valley of the Winds circuit takes three to four hours.
What can you do at Kata Tjuta without walking?
Both viewing areas have wheelchair access, and the dune one is an easy stroll to the lookout. A scenic flight needs no walking either.
Can you watch sunrise at Kata Tjuta?
Yes, from the dune viewing area, 35 minutes from Yulara, with your own vehicle. The guided sunrise day trip watches from the Uluru side and drives to the domes afterwards.
Are there toilets and drinking water at Kata Tjuta?
The park lists toilets and water at the sunset viewing area. Both walks have drinking water and no toilets. The dune viewing area has neither.
Pick the two or three that fit your hours, then book the tour that covers them.Every tour here refunds in full; each card states its own window.
See Top ToursThree ways to do the things above
4 Day Uluru Kata Tjuta Kings Canyon West MacDonnell ex.Ayers Rock
Park pass includedAll meals includedBeds included
From $888 per person