Disappointment is an understatement.
Uluru is a magical place. I had been 10 years prior with my best friend. We book a sunset BBQ tour, spent a night in a hotel, and then came back for sunrise on another tour.
I was coming back to Australia with my husband, who had never been. When I saw this 2 day tour, I thought this would be such a better experience, having a chance to camp in a tent, and doing sunrise and sunset with one company. We did have a tight schedule and needed to leave the tour early the next day to make a flight at 12:15PM to Melbourne. After much negotiation with the company, I was charged $100 AUD a person for a "10:30AM transport" to the airport, so I would not have to worry about making the flight.
The beginning of the tour was as expected. There was a mix-up with the pickup but we then waited at the airport for pick up at 2pm. There were other customers there who were doing 3-day and 4-day trips with us. We were taken to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (formerly known as the Olgas) for a 2 hour hike. Our tour guide, Mitch, was quite friendly, laid back and knowledgeable. (NOTE: There were a lot of flies.). We finished the tour early and was taken to an area to watch the sunset over Uluru. We were provided snacks,, including cheese, crackers, cold cuts, dips, and sparkling juice.
Then things went quickly downhill. We drove to the shared camp site in the dark. The guide said that we were given a cook, so we were expecting a decent meal. (Apparently, usually the guide does the cooking.). We were provided with a basic salad, cole slaw, vegetable and chicken sausage, and overcooked ground meat pieces that I could not cut with a metal knife and that I would not even give to my dog. For the vegans, the cole slaw was not dressed. When asked about drinks, I was told that the tap was "drinkable" by the tour leader. (I did overhead him ask the cook to place a beer in the fridge for himself.). For $595 AUD a person, this was ridiculous. We were also asked to wash our own dishes.
Before dinner, Mitch sorted the customers' sleeping arrangement. Those customers staying more than one night were sleeping in "swags," which was basically a canvas sack that would go over a sleeping bag, but did not fully close. They were sleeping on the ground in 40 F and camp fire was to be started. For the three of us that were staying one night, we were to sleep in "tents," small one room structures with a cot and a battery to charge our phones, etc. Where our group was assigned, the "tents" were in shambles, so we were sent to sleep with another group across the camp site. The "tent" did not look like what was pictured on their website. Our battery also was broken and we could not plug anything in overnight. The campsite has a large gender-divided bathroom/shower area that was actually pretty well-maintained given the volume of people going through. There was a lot of hair on the female side.
Given our tight schedule, I asked Mitch what the plan was for tomorrow. He said that he would wake everyone up at 5AM, the camp fire would be going, and breakfast would be ready. The plan was to leave for Uluru at 6AM. We came to camp site at 5:20AM the next day and it was pitch black. Mitch was not awake, there was no fire and the meal area was locked. None of the other customers had gotten up yet. Mitch claimed to have overslept since his phone died. He also noted that it was a holiday and we would not leave until 6:15AM.
Breakfast was anything you could mix with hot water (tea, coffee, Milo), cold cereal, yogurt, and toast. There was a long line to get food and coffess. I placed the last 2 pieces of toast in the toaster, which Mitch then ate.
Mitch then move the departure time to 6:15AM, which did not happen.
I had previously been at Uluru at sunrise, where you could stand and watch the sun come up. However, with this tour, Mitch dropped us at an area, we were forbidden to take photos, and had to walk 2 km around Uluru before we could. We basically did not get any photos at sunrise. Once we met up with Mitch, we were given oranges and fruit cake. Mitch then walked with us around Uluru for another 2 hours, regaling us with stories about Uluru, which was quite enjoyable.
The night before Mitch also told me that we would leave Uluru at 10:30AM. The plan was for him to eave the other customers at the Cultural Center for a self-guided one hour tour. He would then take us to the airport afterwards. I asked about my "10:30AM transport, " which knew nothing about. He was supposed to take us. He did not know that we paid extra, but told us not to worry.
We did not leave Uluru on time. He dropped the other customers at the Cultural Center and did not leave for the airport from there until 11:15AM. We did not get to the airport until 11:40AM. This was quite stressful for me. I did not understand why the company charged me $200 AUD for a stress-free transport at 10:30AM, and did not deliver. I had sent them feedback regarding this tour right after the trip, and I have not heard anything from them
Definitely will never do another tour with this company. I cannot imagine why they have so many good reviews. Spent so much money and had such a below-average experience. (We travel a lot.) Seeing Uluru with my husband was the only saving grace.