This idyllic track runs right next to Uluru, providing many opportunities for you to touch the rock and feel its textures. The area is also home to thousands of birds.

Connecting the Kuniya walk with the Mala carpark, the Lungkata walk is one of the most geologically impressive and visually diverse sections of the Uluru base walk.

There are sections where the sides of Uluru slant down to meet the path. Here you’ll encounter spectacular elevated caves and crevices – carved by millennia of wind and water erosion – which are home to thousands of birds.

Culture

This walk will teach you about Lungkata (the cheeky blue-tongue lizard man) and why Tjukurpa teaches us to not steal from others. As one of Uluru’s first visitors, Lungkata discovered the hard way the dangers of climbing Uluru.

If you’re lucky, you may hear the panpanpalala birds singing. Panpanpalala are ancestral birds that play a part in the Lungkata creation story. You’ll recognise them if you hear them – they are named after the sound of their call.

Beat the crowds

The Lungkata walk isn’t as well travelled as Uluru’s other tracks. If you’ve already seen an Uluru sunset from a distance, consider coming here for a front-row seat of the rock glowing bright red at dusk. You’ll feel the warmth emanating from the rock as the sun sets over the horizon.

Tip for photographers and birdwatchers

Park beside the road near the stretch of track that connects the ring road with the base walk (near the Mala carpark). Bring your binoculars or a long lens to see hundreds of tiny birds nesting high up in the caves.

Closure in hot weather

The Lungkata Walk closes for the day from 2 pm when the forecast or actual temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius and above.

Map