I want to go to this mystical destination of Uluru. This article was sent to us from the Southern Hemisphere; written by Nicola Harvey, a traveler and mom of two boys.
Some holidays are jaw-dropping, leaving an imprint for life, with the tiniest memory taking you back to the place that made you stand still and reflect. Few destinations really have such an impact – the Aboriginal site of Uluru is one of them.
Famously known as Ayres Rock, located in the mystical Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park of Australia’s Northern Territory, this sacred spot has become accessible over recent years, with regular flights from Sydney. Long-haul, indirect travel is more comfortable when booking extras, such as airport hotels for a night’s rest, or convenient airport parking, try Heathrow airport parking.
When to visit? Depends how hot you like it! The temperature varies between 22 – 35°c. Come December and January, the temperature soars to around 40°c! Remember your sun-cream and hat!
A resort, respectful of Aboriginal culture, the area is popular with all travellers, including backpackers and group tours. A great way to meet new friends, a group tour will give you the opportunity to experience a spiritual experience out of your comfort zone, really reaping the benefits. Once a taboo, lone travelling is now a major trend, and having done it myself, I can certainly recommend it. The sense of achievement and confidence gained from meeting new people without your safety net is certainly something to try. The phrase “travel broadens your mind” really is true.
The park houses not only one of the world’s largest monolith, but also The Olgas, or Kata Tjuta. Translated as ‘many heads’, they consist of 36 red domes – spiritual to Aboriginal people. Due to the red colours, the ever-changing hues make sunset and sunrise a stunning and majestic experience.
There are many ways to travel around – take a camel across the dunes, or ride a Harley Davidson around the base of the rock with the wind in your hair. For an overall view, take a hot-air balloon ride – perfect! All this costs dollars, so save where you can, with pre-booked extras coming to the fore –give airport parking a try and Birmingham airport parking for great rates.
Want serenity and pampering? There are many hotels offering fantastic spa treatments. If you prefer to be at one with nature, there are campgrounds with great facilities. A night under the stars is legendary.
It would be a crime not to learn about Aboriginal culture, and Cave Hill is the place. Yankunytjatjara displays rock art, dating back 20,000 years, telling the story of Aboriginal dreamtime. To catch your breath, head to the top of Cave Hill for breathtaking views. Before you leave, be sure to try some traditional bush-tucker!
The nearby city of Alice Springs is accessible by bus and offers restaurants and shopping opportunities, or a visit to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Feeling energetic? Get your boots on and go bushwalking in the MacDonnell Ranges, pitch a tent and camp for the night, to be at one with nature.
Not so adventurous? Stay local and visit some wonderful displays of Indigenous art at one of many galleries.
I guarantee however you visit, you’ll leave with amazing memories you’ll never forget, and a sense of calm which seems to permeate the air. These experiences in life are few and far between. You can experience all this, with fantastic extras helping even more, such as Bristol airport parking when flying indirect to Sydney.
I’ve not met a single person who’s visited Uluru and been disappointed – truly a once in a lifetime destination, and too good an opportunity to miss.
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Lisa Ellen Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries and six continents. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she worked on cruise ships for seven years and backpacked for three years in Asia. She is the founder of the website WeSaidGoTravel which is read in 235 countries and was named #3 on Rise Global’s top 1,000 Travel Blogs. Niver is a speaker at the Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dallas Travel and Adventure Shows for 2023. Her podcast, “Make Your Own Map,” has been watched in more than 11 countries on 4 continents. Niver is represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary, Inc. Look for her memoir in Fall 2023 from Post Hill Press/Simon and Schuster.
You can find Lisa Niver talking travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, Satellite Media Tours, The Jet Set TV and Orbitz travel webisodes as well as her YouTube channel, where her WeSaidGoTravel videos have nearly 2 million views.
With more than 150,000 followers across social media, she has hosted Facebook Live for USA Today 10best, is verified on Twitter and listed on IMDb, and is the Social Media Manager for the Los Angeles Press Club.
As a journalist, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors and been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. She has been a judge for the Gracie Awards for the Alliance of Women in Media, and has run 15 travel competitions on her website, publishing over 2,500 writers and photographers from 75 countries.
For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty times.
Niver has published more than 2000 articles, in more than three dozen magazines and journals
including National Geographic, Wired, Teen Vogue, HuffPost Personal, POPSUGAR, Ms. Magazine, Luxury Magazine, Smithsonian, Sierra Club, Saturday Evening Post, AARP, AAA Explorer Magazine, American Airways, Delta Sky, enRoute (Air Canada), Hemispheres, Jewish Journal, Myanmar Times, BuzzFeed, Robb Report, Scuba Diver Life, Ski Utah, Trivago, Undomesticated, USA Today, TODAY, Wharton Magazine, and Yahoo.
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Awards
National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards
2021 Winner: Book Critic: Ms. Magazine “Untamed: Brave Means Living From the Inside Out”
2019 Winner: Soft News Feature for Film/TV: KTLA TV “Oscars Countdown to Gold with Lisa Niver”
2019 Finalist for: Soft News, Business/Music/Tech/Art
Southern California Journalism Awards
2022 Finalist: Book Criticism
2021 Winner: Technology Reporting
2021 Finalist: Book Criticism
2020 Winner: Print Magazine Feature: Hemispheres Magazine, “Painter by the Numbers, Rembrandt”
2020 Finalist: Online Journalist of the Year, Activism Journalism, Educational Reporting, Broadcast Lifestyle Feature
2019 Finalist: Broadcast Television Lifestyle Segment for “Ogden Ski Getaway”
2018 Finalist: Science/Technology Reporting, Travel Reporting, Personality Profile
2017 Winner: Print Column “A Journey to Freedom over Three Passovers”
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I want to go to this mystical destination of Uluru. This article was sent to us from the Southern Hemisphere; written by Nicola Harvey, a traveler and mom of two boys.
I haven’t been there, but I flew over it! Cara