Overview
Take a Trip to Ayers Rock on your Australia Vacation
Uluru / Ayers Rock is a sandstone rock formation and UNESCO World Heritage site situated 450 kilometres/280 miles southwest of Alice Springs. It is 348 metres/1140 feet high but the bulk of the rock is actually underneath the ground. To give an idea of its size, the distance around the circumference is 9.4 kilometres/5.8 miles. Despite its remoteness, Uluru / Ayers Rock makes an unforgettable addition to your Australia vacation.
A sacred site for the local aboriginal people, Uluru belongs to the Anangu who have lived in and cared for the land for tens of thousands of years. The rock changes colour at different times of the day and year, glowing particularly red at dawn and sunset.
The Uluru / Ayers Rock region is famous for its natural beauty, spectacular and majestic rock formations and red plains which provide an extraordinary habitat for a variety of plants and wildlife found here. The Olgas, also known as Kata Tjuta (meaning ‘many heads’), is a similarly impressive formation located 25 kilometres/16 miles west of Uluru / Ayers Rock. These 36 domes literally spring up out of the desert and are the eroded remains of a monolith that was once larger than Uluru / Ayers Rock.
After a decades-long legal battle, climbing Uluru / Ayers Rock was finally prohibited from October 26, 2019, in recognition of its sacred significance to the Anangu. Aboriginal guides offer escorted tours around the monolith’s base, revealing its long history, both scientific and in local folklore.
Book your Australia vacation package today and discover the massive sandstone monolith in the outback and experience the stunning desert landscapes, unique wildlife, and rich Aboriginal culture, on an Ayers Rock tour.
After a decades-long legal battle, climbing Uluru / Ayers Rock was finally prohibited from October 26, 2019, in recognition of its sacred significance to the Anangu. Aboriginal guides offer escorted tours around the monolith’s base, revealing its long history, both scientific and in local folklore.
Book your Australia vacation package today and discover the massive sandstone monolith in the outback and experience the stunning desert landscapes, unique wildlife, and rich Aboriginal culture, on an Ayers Rock tour.
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Tasmania is under the radar for many travelers, but it’s great for hikes, natural landscapes and now modern art!
Sydney and Melbourne are a great combination for first-time visitors to Australia, with Brisbane, Adelaide and/or the Outback added in, depending on how much time you have. Returnees should take in Perth, Darwin and the Kakadu National Park area and/or Tasmania if they can, plus spend some time in the cities they loved the first time around
It might sound cliche, but you really can visit year-round. Australia is a big country, so there is always somewhere with amazing weather!
Goway’s trips to Australia are not stock itineraries. We can put together trips of a few weeks or a few months, allowing you to see as much of the land Downunder as you can. And we offer a mix of travel options, from self-drives to train journeys to long stays.
Goway has partnerships with many unique inns and hotels in Australia. Among the most memorable are Qualia on Hamilton Island, Longitude 131 at Uluru and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island.
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ExcellentBased on 5,148 ReviewsWe were just back from an ambitious 42-day grand circle through seven of the ASEAN countries! An itinerary gestating over a period of time, carefully planned and pore over intently all the way through proved satisfying as expected, but the amazing "embarras de richesse" in six weeks such as we've never experienced before truly went beyond our imagination, both in terms of scenery and culture! Here we owe our destination specialist Taryn a profound gratitude for her insight and for her coordination efforts.
When our debit card was not retrievable in an airport ATM Taryn again went out of her way to approve a small loan through transfer to our local guide's bank account, who then withdrew cash from an ATM while we simply paid Goway Travel by credit card through an online payment link. This helped us tremendously through that difficult moment. We will always treasure this kindness on her part.Yuan LinAlice was most helpful - full of insider suggestions.
She was a good listener and able to provide tours, routes and guides tailored to our interests. She made our February trip to New Zealand entirely wonderful.
MarleneWe did a 19 day NZ Rail and Cruise Discovery Tour and then a 12 day Australian tour put together by out specialized travel operator Joanne Palanuik.
New Zealand- ABT Tours ran the actual tour and did a fabulous job. The Guide Sharon was great and worked very hard coordinating 32 people. Mostly all Australians and we has so much fun with them! Our driver Chris (a retired policeman) was especially great- he knew so many interesting things about NZ and shared them while driving throughout the trip. We loved him! So many highlights...overnight on a ship in the Milford Sound...cable car to a nature reserve then a Gold Class train ride back...Queenstown adventures..excellent meals along the way...all drivers and transfers were excellent too.
Oceana Tours in Melbourne were great as well. A morning city tour and afternoon tour were wonderful. Then the next day to Philips Island for the Penguin moonlit march was sooo special. And the Ocean road cruise too!! Sydney was gorgeous...Bondi Beach...Barrier Reef...Ayers Rock (Uluru)
Both Australians and New Zealanders were so helpful and friendly...
In short I wish I could do it all over again..highly recommend. Every day was a new adventure :)
Kathleen Reardon
customerKatie was a dream to work with. We made many changes to the standard itinerary to customize our trip and she never missed a beat. Her responsiveness and humor made working together a joy and her most common response to our very packed activities was, “can I help with that?” Hotels, car rental all went smoothly and were very much to our liking. The super long flights were laid out to minimize travel time and maximize comfort. Katie and GoWay made this dream trip happen. FayeIts all about the journey, isn't it? And our journey through Kenya, Africa was amazing and we have Bijal Kana of Goway Travel to thank for it.
From the start when we first discussed a true Safari adventure, Bijal was being helpful. Her suggestions were helpful in where to go and how we could save a few dollars when possible. Never trying to be cheap but simply, cost conscious. This was the beginning of what will continue as a forever working relationship in travel. Bijal gained our confidence and trust. And that is a rare commodity these days.
Then too there was the staff from Goway and Sense of Africa like Ruth, Wilson and Francis who allowed us to see the non tourist side of Nairobi and became fast friends. The wonderful selections made by Bijal as to where we would stay and all the Serena locations were marvelous. And at the last minute, when a bridge got washed out and we could not get to the last lodge camp, Bijal responded to our whatsapp call immediately and we were placed in the Sorova lodge. True not the same, but in the middle of a game area, who complains? It was great and we had so much fun.
The tour selection took us through parks, reserves and conservancy locales. We saw the big 5 and much more. Lions fighting, Hyenas making a chase and ultimate dinner selection, A leopard resting on tree branches, A cheetah stalking and then at rest. Hyena pups and Honbeast babes being birthed. Hippopotamus in the water, Zebra grazing, Elephants crossing rivers en mass. You'd think we hit the National Geographic channel.
Great job Bijal. Good deal Goway.customerBram L. BottfeldGoway Travel helped us set up a Venice to Athens cruise on Viking and it was fantastic! Our agent (Kimberly) was responsive to all our questions and helpful navigating all the options for excursions, etc. She also gave us a cruise credit we could use while on the ship to help pay for extras. Overall great experience would use Goway again.StanleyFor the past four years, we have travelled to Perth, Australia to visit family. As part of our travels to Perth, we have had stays in Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. This year, as part of our trip, we are staying in Melbourne and Adelaide. Each year, we have contacted Joanne at Goway to arrange our trip. She has booked all our flights and accommodations. She has been a wonderful source of travel locations within Australia and New Zealand. Joanne has always been very helpful. She checks on the best flights, give us ideas on airplane seat selection and locates great places to stay. She also provides ideas about what we might want to see or do at each location. Every time we contact her she is willing to provide information and answers any questions we may have. She listens to our requests, explains reasons for her suggestions, and answers any concerns we have with patience and understanding. We are so fortunate to have such a helpful, friendly individual as our travel advisor!Bob and SuePaul at GoWay made this first GoWay trip a breeze from start to finish! He was very quick to respond and created an incredible itinerary that my clients absolutely loved. From the incredible hotel location to the private tours led by knowledgeable tour guides who show that they love their jobs, it couldn't have gone better. Can't wait to Yesenia RodriguezOnce again, Goway Travel has provided us with an amazing travel experience, and the customized itinerary prepared by Joanne Palanuik was second to none. She was the main reason that Australia is a "trip of a lifetime" for us. Her attention to detail and recognizing what would make this a special trip for us is noteworthy and much appreciated.WallyI would recommend GoWay for travel anytime. I had a private tour of India built for me, after I was invited to my friend's wedding. I travelled around northern India with my driver for 10 days. I had a new guide most every day, for the trip, as we went from location to location. Absolutely everything was amazing!! I honestly can't say there was a negative moment in any of it. I felt 100% safe travelling alone with GoWay's experts. My lodgings were excellent and someone was always available for support, if need be. This was one of the best experiences of my life!!! Thank you so much GoWay!!Trudy Buelow
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