Exploring Australia's Red Center: Uluru National Park and Kings Canyon

Ayers Rock, Australia  (courtesy, Australia Tourism Commission)

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When it comes to Uluru (the Aboriginal landmark once known as Ayers Rock), believe the hype. This monolithic 650-million-year-old behemoth soars 1,141 feet from its barren foundation, a height that seems humble only when you remember that this 1.7-mile-wide sandstone block descends another 9,800 feet below the surface. Uluru is honeycombed with eerie caves, while Aboriginal carvings and paintings decorate its surface. However, the big show comes at sunset and sunrise when the sun's passage brings the colors of the Australian Outback alive, coating Uluru in a shifting, vibrant array of deep reds, oranges, and yellows. The popularity of Uluru has an additional benefit: it conveniently draws the crowds away from some of Uluru National Park's equally amazing, but less traveled, assets.
The Olgas (or Kata Tjuta in Aboriginal, meaning "Many Heads") is a jumble of 36 sandstone mounds of various sizes separated by valleys, gorges, and ravines some 17 miles west of Uluru. Many assert that the Olgas are even more impressive than Uluru because they are not as well traveled and are more tied to the region's sacred Aboriginal character. The Olga Gorge Walk will expose you to this maze of monoliths and is best done in the morning, when the neighboring Mount Wulpa and 2,100-foot Mount Olga are ablaze with fierce reds. The 4.4-mile circuit through the Valley of the Winds will take you up into the valley's saddle, where two magnificent domes stand on either side and the rusty-orange rock spills out into a surprisingly green expanse.
Those entranced by Aboriginal paintings should not miss Kings Canyon, 190 miles north of Uluru. A steep 3.7-mile walk up and around the canyon's rim will leave you gasping, and not only for want of shade. Cleanly split down the middle, the striped sandstone drops a dizzying 328 feet straight into a valley of gum trees. Inside the canyon lies a permanent water hole appropriately named the Garden of Eden. Lined by ferns and kept in cool shadow, the pool is best experienced floating on your back, muscles completely relaxed, and gazing up at the magnificent towers of sandstone looming above you.
Uluru is very popular—expect large crowds. Many tourists make the grueling two-hour hike to the top, although this is not recommended as Uluru is considered a sacred Aboriginal site. However, there are several fantastic sunrise and sunset hikes around the rock that will let you fully appreciate its ancient beauty. To dodge the crowds, arrange for a sunirse ballon ride with Oz Horizons (+617.412.49.943 www.ozhorizons.com (champagne optional), which will let you witness Australia's red heart from 400 feet above the region's flat plain. The nearby town of Yulara, built in 1984 expressly to support the burgeoning tourist industry, has all the expected trappings, and there are several high-end lodges in the region as well.