Uluru/Kata Tjuta Region

Uluru rises 348 metres above the desert, sandstone formed roughly 550 million years ago, though what's visible is only a fraction of the rock's true size below ground. This is Anangu land, sacred and still cared for by its traditional owners, who ask visitors to walk the base track rather than climb, a request the Australian government formally honoured by closing the climb for good in 2019. Kata Tjuta, its equally significant neighbour, rises in dramatic domes just down the road, holding its own stories the Anangu keep close. Watch the colours shift at sunrise or sunset, when the whole rock seems to change with the light.