I visited this mixed WHS in January 2018 and spent 3 nights here. By renting a car and buying a 3 days pass, I was free to roam about quite freely within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The natural OUV is immediately visible from your airplane as you descend towards the tiny Yulara Airport. The massive red rocks of Uluru and Kata Tjuta are quite impressive surrounded by a never-ending red desert.

The exceptional natural beauty of the rock formations and the surrounding sand plains provide rare habitats for a variety of plants and animals. I was lucky (or unlucky) to experience a thunderstorm on one of the days I was visiting. Not only was it an unusual to see small waterfalls coming down of Ayers Rock but during rainfall the red desert is literally in full bloom. A few minutes after the thunderstorm, the flowers practically vanish, while the few puddles that form are filled with tadpoles and burrowing frogs. Among the several insects and reptiles, we spotted stick insects, praying mantis, leaf katydids, sand goannas and the peculiar thorny devil (photo).

A strong emphasis is made on the fact that the national park is on Anangu land and that Anangu customs and tradional laws are to be respected. Anangu are the traditional owners of this land and living cultural landscape. The land is believed to have been actively managed by generations of Anangu using traditional practices and knowledge. The land is still believed to hold powerful religious and cultural connections today, being one of the reasons climbing will be forbidden to tourists as of 2019, together with safety reasons. Hopefully the ugly handrail will also be removed eventually.

Anangu and Parks Australia jointly manage the park. Traditional land management and Western science work together to preserve the park's OUV under the guiding principle of Tjukurpa which is the basis of Anangu knowledge, law, religion, social structure and moral values. For many generations, Anangu have visited the Mala Walk area and lived in it as the Mala people did. Anangu continue to celebrate the adventures and battles of the Mala people through their stories and ceremonies (inma). The animals, plants and Anangu people are descendants of these ancestors, which is why Anangu attach great importance to safeguarding Uluru's biodiversity.

The longest Uluru walking track is the base walk which is a moderate 10.6km circuit (3-4hrs long with stops) and is made up of other small walking tracks/sections, namely the Mala Walk (2km return), the Kuniya Walk (1km return) and the Lungkata Walk (4km return). The first two are the highlights with rock art, caves, gorges and waterholes. The only walks which are not covered by the base walk are the Liru Walk (4km) to the Cultural Centre (worth visiting), the Dune Walk (sunset point for buses only) and the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku Walk (sunrise and sunset points). Their highlight is mainly the panoramic view rather than the walk itself.

I was determined to go for the Base Walk/Loop. It's wise to carry plenty of water, sturdy waterproof shoes (it gets very muddy especially after rainfalls), sunscreen and a hat with a net against the flies. It's easiest to start early at cooler temperatures from Mala or Kuniya car parks. The hottest time of the day is around 4pm so don't plan to walk in the afternoon. 36 degrees Celsius is regarded as extreme (it feels around 15 degrees more) and certains trails such as the Valley of the Winds near Kata Tjuta or parts of the Base Walk near Uluru are not recommended or even closed during the hottest times of the day. Even though I started earlier I took it very easy and there were times when I was still hiking till around 2pm. It all depends on how hydrated you keep yourself and how fit you are. However, it is not unusual that tourists die here due to heat exhaustion and dehydration so the park's approach is better safe than sorry. Apart from that, as much as 35 people died attempting to climb Uluru.

The highlight of the Mala Walk is definitely the teaching cave. For many generations, Anangu elders taught young boys in this cave how to travel in this land and how to survive like adults. Different generations of elders painted in this cave to teach the young boys how to track and hunt animals. They used to teach them where the waterholes are, where to find the animals, where to source materials for their tools and weapons, etc. The colours of the rock paintings come from a variety of materials such as red ochre and yellow ochre from iron-stained clays, black charcoal from burnt desert oak and white from ash.

The highlights of the Kuniya Walk are the Mutitjulu waterhole and family cave. Anangu families used to camp here. Men hunted for meat or traced honey ants and women and children collected bush foods. The food was then brought back here to share. The stories passed from generation to generation were based on the Tjukurpa. Desert animals were believed to be like gods or were used to describe stories about the creation of this land and mankind. Different features of Uluru and Kata Tjuta were used to recall such stories. The only one I managed to spot was the Woma python woman symbol which is a serpent like 'vein' in Uluru's upper surface.

Before reaching Kata Tjuta which is also known as the Olgas (around 30km from Yulara), we visited the Dune Walk viewing platform for a superb panoramic view of Kata Tjuta's 36 dome-like rocks and Uluru on the right. From here it's easy to appreciate the desert landscape with sand plains, scrubland, rocky areas and creek beds. Despite the low rainfalls and poor soils, there's great biodiversity with flora and fauna adapting to survive in this difficult climate. Next, we did the moderate Walpa Gorge Walk, which is a moderate 2.6km return walk on loose, rocky terrain between two of the bigger dome-rocks. Since it was a sunny day and we weren't exhausted yet, we also did part of the Valley of the Winds Walk till the Karu Lookout (another 2.2km return).

Having ample time, not only did we visit the rather crowded 'drive-in like' sunrise/sunset parking areas but we also visited the same spots at the opposite times which was rather rewarding from excellent silhouette views and some peace and quiet for a change. We also drove around Uluru's base at sunrise and sunset which was also very rewarding and in many ways better than the crowded parking areas. There is a UNESCO WHS board just before entering and exiting the national park but no inscription plaque. Food and accomodation in the monopoly hotel town of Yulara is pricey and really nothing special but the park is definitely worth the extra effort and money to get/stay here.