If you're headed to the Australian outback to visit Uluru (also called Ayers Rock), you have a few different options to consider for getting there since it is literally in the middle-of-no-where

Most people travel from Alice Springs as its the nearest town, although about 5 hours away on the main highway (theres a shorter route but its over an unsealed road so can be risky). If you don't have your own camper van/car that your traveling around in, then your two best options from Alice Springs are:

1. Rent a car from Alice Springs and drive to Uluru
2. Take a tour

One major problem with renting a car is that no car rental agencies in Alice Springs will provide you with insurance coverage for driving from "dusk until dawn". This means that you have no insurance when driving in the dark. The reason for this is that there is a high risk of hitting wildlife on the road after night fall. Its a real danger as there are heaps of kangaroos, wild horses, and wild camels that live in the outback and are quite active at night. And since its roughly a 10 hour return trip to Uluru from Alice, you'll most likely have to stay overnight somewhere if looking to do a quick trip, and this is going to cost extra in addition to the rental car fees, food, and petrol.

The most practical way, and cost efficient, is to simply take a tour. One price covers your food and accommodation...and you don't even have to drive - you can relax and keep your eyes out for wildlife and scenery.

Out of the all the tour providers in Alice, Emu Run Tours offers the best Uluru tours. Why? Because they are in the same price range as the other "budget" tours, but the food they offer is much better quality and you get complimentary champagne when watching sunset at Uluru. its a nice way to watch the sunset, I guarantee...

Other tours include The Rock Tour and Adventure Tours, but the reason I suggest Emu Run over these two is because the quality of food on  Emu Run is better and sometimes the swags on the camping trips of The Rock Tour and Adventure Tours are not so "clean" or warm enough in the winter time. How do I know this? I lived in Alice on my working holiday for quite a few months and heard a lot of "cheers and jeers" from other travelers about the tours they went on. I also did both the Rock Tour and Emu Run, so I can personally vouch for the quality of food. Since the prices for similar tours are usually around the same, the differences are in the little things - like food and sleeping comfort.

If you want an idea of what the Emu Run tour is like, check out this movie I made from my 3 day camping tour with them. If your headed to Alice Springs for a working holiday, check out Working Holiday Alice Springs.

Tags: Alice Springs, Best Tours, Uluru