Uluru & Kata Tjuta Sights & Sounds

Reviews

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  CharlieV358 5

  26 Feb 2020

  I did this tour with my mother who has limited mobility and walks with a stick. Our guides, Jakob, Dylan, Terry, and Andy were really friendly and understanding of her needs. She was only able to walk, at a snails pace and for short distances, so they advised her of what parts she may be able to do and steered her away from parts that may be beyond her capability. Not once did she feel rushed, but at the same time, others werent held back by her, they even let her stay on the coach if she was tired. Top marks guys. I love an adventure holiday and getting my adrenalin fix, I'd be the first to avoid coach tours, thinking that id be bored and that they were for "old folk" but our guides kept us entertained. The guides had good knowledge of the sites and seemed to genuinely care about the subjects they spoke about. Jakob and Andy even attempted to impress us with their singing on the short journey back to town (never gonna win X-factor). We finished our tour with the sound of silence experience. An outdoor dinner in the park, with an astronomy presentation. The food was great and the wine flowed as fast as we could drink it, the staff were very attentive. Our night ended with a guide explaining to us how the aborigines in different regions interpret the stars and pointing out some of our western star signs. There were telescopes on hand to enable a closer look at some of the constelations and galaxies.my only criticism for this night was that the potatoes were presented in the same dish as the chicken which meant that vegetarians would have to go without, it didnt bother me, but there was a vegetarian queueing with us and the point was raised, there were plenty other veggies that were set out on their own so they didnt go without but it would have been nice for them to have the option. Flys are a problem in this area so buy a fly net, they're available in every shop, it's the best way of dealing with them, they're a part of the deal depending on the time of year and weather, like it or not, its a minor sacrifice for what you're there to see.

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  Melanie_H 5

  15 Dec 2019

  The tour company ATTKing does an outstanding job. They stay on time, do exactly what they promise, busses are excellent. We enjoyed their staff finding them professional and with enthusiasm. The sites we visited were all enjoyable and gave us a good view of this region.

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  Henry_W 4

  07 Nov 2019

  Sounds of silence dinner and sunset Always very nice with excellent service meeting new friends and of course the background scenery was fantastic. Having said that the only reason I don’t give it five stars is that I think the whole event is way overpriced

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  lovechristmastime 5

  24 May 2019

  What a way to start our getaway to Uluru! The views, the food, the wine, the service ! Could not have asked for anything better

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  Karen_Wif 5

  07 May 2019

  What a great experience! Bubbles and canopes on the dune, watching the sunset over Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Dinner in the open overlooking the Field of Lights. Didgeredoo playing and a great astronomy talk - where better to see the stars than at Uluru. Great experience. Great food

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  drckarcher 5

  20 Apr 2019

  This three day package was busy with early mornings and late evenings but so worth it! The AATKing busses were always on time, the guides knowledgeable, helpful and friendly and there were only a few things we would suggest for improvement: I booked through TripAdvisor months in advance and only received a text message as confirmation including a link to a ticket website. This didn’t contain information on the itinerary or departure times. The AATKing call centre was however very helpful with information and confirmation etc. The time in the Aboriginal Culture Centre at the base of Uluru was too short. We would have wanted more time in the exhibition and the arts centre. We felt a bit rushed there. 30minutes linger would have been great. At the Sound of Silence, it would be great to briefly turn off the fridges. When the guide asked everyone to be quiet and to listen to the silence of the outback, all we could hear was the humming of the fridge compressors in the outdoor kitchen ;-) Finally... The history of Aborigines during first European settlement is a sensitive topic and a sad chapter in Australia’s history without doubt. We think that this should be part of the educational aspect of such a tour. It’s like visiting Germany and not being taught about World War Two and the holocaust. All in all we can highly recommend AATKing tours for a hassle free stay in Uluru.

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  rckgrnds 1

  17 Mar 2019

  AAT sucks! It holds a monopoly in Ayers Rock because the agency runs most tours. I wish I had done more research because I would have realized I could have booked the same activities and my own choice of accomodations, at a lower price!!!! On February 21st, I received a message stating that due to an “operations reason, the Sounds of Silence Dinner was not going to be operating on the 2nd of March” as stated in my confirmed itinerary. Instead, the evening part of the itinerary, for the first two days, would be switched. I was asked if that was ok, which I was. I was willing to be accommodating. When I arrived at the Ayers Rock airport on March 2nd, there were several AAT Kings buses ready to transport guests to their respective overnight accommodations. One of the bus drivers asked me where I was going. Once confirmed, he took my luggage and told me to board the bus. So far everything was going according to plan and expectations. About 30 minutes later, we reached Sails in the Desert, where I was staying. We were told to be outside a few minutes before 3:00pm when we would be picked up for our sunset tour. We were also told our luggage would be placed curbside if we wanted to go inside and check in right away. I proceeded to the receptionist desk in the lobby where I was told our rooms wouldn’t be ready until 3:00pm. This was a lapse in planning by AAT Kings. The weather is hot in the Outback, and that day it was 97 degrees Fahrenheit. If the room wouldn’t be ready until 3:00pm, I wouldn’t have any time to refresh for the tour. There was nothing I could do so I proceeded to the curbside to pick up my luggage. To my surprise, my luggage wasn’t there! I became very upset. Nobody from AAT Kings was willing to help me, except for the Sails in the Desert Doorman. He knew I was upset and told me he would figure out what happened. About 20 minutes later, he informed me my luggage had been found and brought to the hotel. He said as soon as my room was ready, my luggage would be taken to my room. I emailed AAT Kings and asked them to contact me immediately but never received a response. At this point, I was sitting in the lobby waiting for the 3:00pm tour. Two men with blue shirts from the adjacent bar showed up in the lobby with a tray full of shot glasses with what I assume was a refreshment. First, guests had been on at least a four-hour flight so a nice refreshment would be a nice gesture. That means a glass not a shot glass. Second, the two men where in the lobby for about two minutes, and then went back to the bar. Only a few passengers got a shot glass. The rest of us were left without anything. Again, poor coordination and planning. During this time, I had the opportunity to walk around part of the grounds. Sails in the Desert is marketed by ATT Kings as being the premier hotel at Ayers Rock Resort, with spacious, airy and exquisitely furnished rooms set in park-like grounds. This is not the case! The hotel was a three-star hotel and not a premier hotel. The furniture is dated, the service is adequate, the grounds, especially around the swimming pool, look like a public park, and the rooms were common. About 2:00pm, I received a call on my cell phone letting me know my room was ready. I was happy I would get an opportunity to freshen up. I walked into my room, and it was like walking into an oven. The room was extremely hot, so I immediately turned on the air conditioner. Again, this was poor planning. The Outback is consistently hot so why wouldn’t the rooms be cool for their guests when they arrived? It made no sense. After an hour had passed and I was ready for my tour, the room had not cooled at all. It was still very hot. I made a mental note to tell the receptionist as soon as I got back from the tour. I boarded the bus for the Sunset tour, and we were on our way. We visited the Uluru Center and then proceeded to circle the Uluru Sandstone monolith. The tour guide was very informative and gave us opportunities to take ample pictures. After circling the monolith, we got off the bus to take a short walk to a watering hole and caves with paintings. The short walk was informative and interesting. Unfortunately, there were two kids around 4 and 6 years old. They were running around constantly and asking questions that were not pertinent to the tour. There should be an age requirement. After the walk, we mounted the bus to go the site where we would experience the Outback sunset. We arrived at the designated place, where I got ready to take pictures of Uluru as the sun set. About 15 minutes later, one of the passengers on my bus approached me and asked if I was going to the BBQ that night. He knew my schedule was changed by AAT Kings. He said there was a woman from ATT Kings on the other side of the parking lot gathering people for the BBQ. She never approached the area where I was so if it wasn’t for the other passenger, I wouldn’t have known because she wasn’t using any roster to gather the passengers. I walked over to her and said excuse me twice. She didn’t turn around, so I tapped her on the shoulder. I told her I believed I was scheduled to go to the BBQ. She said it was time to go. I told her the sun hadn’t set yet, and I was still taking pictures. That’s when she turned around, pointed at the sun and said, “You see that?! There’s the sun and it’s down. That’s your sunset.” I could not believe she had just said that to me. The people around us just looked at me to see what I would do. Out of courtesy and because I was a guest in a foreign land, I didn’t do or say anything. I approached my bus driver, told him the woman had been very disrespectful and there was no way I was going with her. By this time, she had already jumped in her bus and left. About 10-15 minutes later, I left with my group back to the hotel. I was left at the hotel not knowing the next day’s pick-up time and without dinner. I kept approaching AAT King personnel for help and no one cared to listen to me. Nobody bothered to follow up with me despite my repeated requests to AAT Kings personnel to have a manager contact me immediately. By this time, I had it! AAT Kings was not living up to the expectations and itinerary I was promised, and therefore since services were not being rendered and no one from AAT Kings was contacting me despite my repeated attempts, I had no choice but to leave the next day. Before I did, the receptionist connected me with the AAT Kings office where I spoke to a very sympathetic woman and told her my predicament. She was very apologetic and told me I would get a call the next morning from Laura, a Supervisor at AAT Kings to see if we could work something out. That call never came. In fact, to this day, I have not been contacted by AAT Kings. I went to my room, which was still hot as an oven. I took some items from the minibar in the room to eat and drink and went to sleep. The next day, I paid the tab for the items I consumed and left for the airport. The only expenses AAT Kings accrued on my behalf were the Sunset Tour and one day’s accommodations, which is the only thing I’m responsible for paying. DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS AGENCY....AAT KINGS. Do your homework and find other agencies.

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  karonb948 4

  10 Mar 2019

  Considering the remote location, the food served as good. Service excellent, wine pouring of decent Australian wines generous. Fabulous night sky with a knowledgeable interpreter. Worth the cost.

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  ElizabethL94 5

  08 Mar 2019

  Our greeting when we arrived at the site was a didgeridoo being played which gave a flavour of the outback.Whilst we had drinks we watched the sun going down over Uluru,it was magical. The staff were really helpful and friendly and they took us to our tables which had tablecloths as if we were at a restaurant but we were under the stars.The meal was very good and I tried kangaroo for the first time which was like beef only sweeter. After the meal an astronomer gave a short talk which was interesting and then we were able to look through the telescopes that had been set up,at the night sky. We both enjoyed this trip very much and could thoroughly recommend it.

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  Gcobley 4

  13 Feb 2019

  A unique travel destination with knowledgeable guides who presented the complex issues of indigenous cultures in a modern world carefully and respectfully (albeit with somewhat rose colored glasses). The sights and sounds were spectacular. The food so-so, and the organization a little opaque at times. Everything worked out as planned in the end however.

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