Short answer
The best Uluru tour for most backpackers is the Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon 4 Day Tour, Swag (Alice Springs to Yulara) from $799: all three Red Centre icons, three swag nights, meals and park fees in, and it ends at Yulara so you fly out of Uluru instead of driving back. Go five days from $1,539 if you want the MacDonnell Ranges too, or seven days from $1,909 if you are coming up from Adelaide and want the Flinders Ranges and Coober Pedy on the way.
Prices are per person in AUD, from our current listings (October 2026), and can change. Every tour in one list, sorted by today’s price, with what’s included and what costs extra: Uluru & Red Centre tours by price.
The Red Centre is a triangle: Uluru, Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Kings Canyon, with Alice Springs as the town and Yulara as the resort village at the rock. Every multi-day tour covers the triangle; the differences are start, length, bed and add-ons. The add-ons get their own table further down.
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Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon 4 Day Tour, Swag (Alice Springs to Yulara)4 days
from $799
Starts: Alice Springs -
Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon & MacDonnell Ranges 5 Day Tour (Alice Springs Return)5 days
from $1,539
Starts: Alice Springs -
Adelaide to Uluru 7 Day Outback Tour7 days
from $1,909
Starts: Adelaide
See it as a table
| Tour | Days | Starts | Ends | Sleeps | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon 4 Day Tour, Swag (Alice Springs to Yulara) | 4 | Alice Springs | Yulara | 3 swag nights, safari-style camps | $799 |
| Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon & MacDonnell Ranges 5 Day Tour (Alice Springs Return) | 5 | Alice Springs | Alice Springs | 2 nights eco tents, 2 nights swag | $1,539 |
| Adelaide to Uluru 7 Day Outback Tour | 7 | Adelaide | Uluru | 5 swag nights, 1 underground dorm | $1,909 |
By starting point
Alice Springs
The town with the airport, hostels and bus connections, and the start of both tours most people book. The Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon 4 Day Tour, Swag (Alice Springs to Yulara) from $799 runs one way, Alice to the rock, which is efficient: you do Kata Tjuta’s Walpa Gorge, Uluru at sunset and sunrise with the full 10 km base walk, and the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, then finish at Yulara. The Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon & MacDonnell Ranges 5 Day Tour (Alice Springs Return) from $1,539 loops back to Alice via the West MacDonnell Ranges (Ormiston Gorge among them) and an East Macs bush camp at Arltunga with a First Nations star talk.
Who it suits Anyone flying or bussing into Alice, and anyone who wants the gorges as well as the rock.
Yulara
The resort village beside Uluru, with its own airport. Nothing multi-day starts here in our listings, but it is where the 4-day tour ends and where the add-ons live: the Quarter Uluru Segway & Sunset from $239 includes transfers from the Yulara resort, the Uluru & Kata Tjuta Sunset Helicopter Flight from $489 departs the resort helipad, and the Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon Heli Safari from $1,809 picks you up from your Yulara hotel. The Uluru By Segway from $209 is a self-drive-to-the-start job. The three flights are compared side by side in our helicopter flights guide.
Who it suits Short stays flying straight into the rock, and anyone finishing the 4-day tour with a spare day before the flight out.
Adelaide
One tour, and it is the big one: the Adelaide to Uluru 7 Day Outback Tour from $1,909. Arkaroo Rock art, Ikara-Flinders Ranges hikes, a night underground in Coober Pedy, then the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, Walpa Gorge and an Uluru sunrise and base walk. Five swag nights, one underground dorm night, a storyteller guide, all park fees. The transfer from Uluru or Yulara back to Alice Springs is an optional extra.
Who it suits Travellers already in South Australia who want the whole outback, not just the end of it.
By length
There is no 3-day Uluru tour in our listings; the only 3-day trip out of Alice is the onward run to Darwin covered at the end. For a single day at the rock, the Heli Safari and the Segway tours are the shortest formats, and they assume you have already got yourself to Yulara.
4 days
The Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon 4 Day Tour, Swag (Alice Springs to Yulara) from $799 covers the triangle in full: Uluru Cultural Centre, sunset viewing area, sunrise, the complete base walk, Walpa Gorge, the Rim Walk and Ewings Lookout. 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, park entry fees, an all-terrain vehicle and a multilingual audio guide. Group size 8 to 29.
Who it suits The default. Best price per icon, and the one-way routing saves a day of backtracking.
5 days
The Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon & MacDonnell Ranges 5 Day Tour (Alice Springs Return) from $1,539 adds the West and East MacDonnell Ranges, which the 4-day skips entirely. 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners, sleeping bag included, group size 8 to 24. Because it returns to Alice, it suits people whose onward travel leaves from there.
Who it suits Gorge and swimming-hole people, and anyone continuing north from Alice afterwards.
7 days
The Adelaide to Uluru 7 Day Outback Tour from $1,909 is the full crossing. The meals list is leaner than the shorter tours (6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 3 dinners), so budget for the rest. Group size 4 to 20.
Who it suits People with a week, starting in Adelaide, who want the Flinders Ranges and Coober Pedy as much as Uluru itself.
Swag camping versus other beds
A swag is a canvas bedroll with a mattress inside, laid out under the stars at a camp with shared facilities. On the 4-day tour it is three nights of swags at safari-style camps. On the 7-day tour it is five nights of swags with amenities plus one night in an underground multi-share dorm in Coober Pedy, with a deluxe double swag upgrade offered as an optional extra. The 5-day tour is the middle ground: two nights in a permanent tented camp (eco tents, shared facilities) and two nights in swags, with a sleeping bag included.
None of these tours offer hotel nights. If you want a bed with a door, base yourself in Yulara and book the add-ons as day activities instead.
Who it suits Swags suit anyone who is there for the stars, which in the Red Centre is the point. Eco tents suit people who want a roof for half the trip. Yulara suits people who want a room, and have the budget for one.
Add-ons: Segway and helicopter
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Uluru By Segway2 hours 30 minutes
from $209
Starts: Self-drive to the base -
Quarter Uluru Segway & Sunset5 hours
from $239
Starts: Yulara resort transfers -
Kings Canyon & George Gill Range Helicopter30 minutes
from $459
Starts: Resort van pickup at Kings Canyon -
Uluru & Kata Tjuta Sunset Helicopter Flight36 minutes
from $489
Starts: Yulara helipad -
Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon Heli Safari5 hours
from $1,809
Starts: Yulara hotel pickup
See it as a table
| Add-on | Length | Max group | Starts | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uluru By Segway | 2 hours 30 minutes | Up to 20 | Self-drive to the base | $209 |
| Quarter Uluru Segway & Sunset | 5 hours | Up to 20 (max ten riders per guide) | Yulara resort transfers | $239 |
| Kings Canyon & George Gill Range Helicopter | 30 minutes | Up to 4 | Resort van pickup at Kings Canyon | $459 |
| Uluru & Kata Tjuta Sunset Helicopter Flight | 36 minutes | Up to 6 | Yulara helipad | $489 |
| Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon Heli Safari | 5 hours | Up to 5 | Yulara hotel pickup | $1,809 |
Segway
Uluru By Segway from $209 does the full 10 km base circumnavigation on an early-morning glide with training included and commentary on history, geology and Anangu culture. You drive yourself to the meeting point, and park entry is not included. Quarter Uluru Segway & Sunset from $239 rides the most scenic quarter of the base, adds walks to Mutitjulu Waterhole and the Mala rock art, and ends at sunset with sparkling wine and nibbles; transfers from the Yulara resort are included, park entry is not.
Who it suits People who have already done the base walk on foot and want the rock again from a different seat, or anyone who wants the full lap without the full walk.
Helicopter
The Uluru & Kata Tjuta Sunset Helicopter Flight from $489 is 36 minutes over both landmarks at golden hour with headset commentary, max six passengers, flown to Anangu cultural protocols. The Kings Canyon & George Gill Range Helicopter from $459 is 30 minutes over the canyon walls and out to Petermann Pound, max four, with wild camels and brumbies possible but not promised. The Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon Heli Safari from $1,809 links all three with around two hours of flying, a Kings Creek bed walk in the middle and a Yulara hotel pickup; lunch and the Watarrka park pass are extra.
Who it suits The sunset flight is the one to save for. The Heli Safari is for someone with a day, a budget and no interest in the drive.
Onward: Alice Springs to Darwin
If you finish the 5-day tour back in Alice, or take the optional transfer from Yulara to Alice after the 4-day or 7-day, the Alice Springs to Darwin 3 Day Outback Tour from $839 is the natural next leg: Karlu Karlu (the Devils Marbles), a night at the Daly Waters pub, the thermal float at Mataranka and Bitter Springs, Edith Falls in Nitmiluk, and a last day swimming Litchfield’s waterfalls. It is a one-way run north, not an Uluru tour: the exit, not the main event.
FAQs
What is the best Uluru tour for backpackers? The Uluru, Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon 4 Day Tour, Swag (Alice Springs to Yulara) from $799. Three icons, three swag nights, all meals and park fees, and it ends at the rock so you fly out from Yulara.
Should I start in Alice Springs or Yulara? Alice Springs for a multi-day tour; both of ours out of the Centre start there. Yulara for a short stay built around the Segway and helicopter add-ons.
Are park fees included? On the 4-day, 5-day and 7-day tours, yes. On the Segway tours and helicopter flights, no; the Uluru-Kata Tjuta park pass (and the Watarrka pass for Kings Canyon on the Heli Safari) is bought separately.
What is swag camping actually like? A canvas bedroll with a mattress, laid out at a camp with shared facilities, sleeping under the open sky. The 5-day tour swaps two of its nights for permanent eco tents if you want a roof for part of it.
How many meals are included? 4-day: 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners. 5-day: 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners. 7-day from Adelaide: 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 3 dinners, so carry a food budget on that one.
Can I get from Uluru to Darwin? Yes, via Alice Springs. The Alice Springs to Darwin 3 Day Outback Tour from $839 runs the gap in three days; the 7-day Adelaide tour lists the Yulara to Alice transfer as an optional extra.
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