Parking
Start and finish at Mala Car Park beside the ring road. A park pass is required for entry.
Overview
About Lungkaṯa Walk
Why go
- Eroded caves and crevices sit close above the path.
- A standalone way to see Uluṟu’s western and southern rock face.
Heads up
- The return uses the same corridor; this isn’t a loop.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Uluru-Kata Tjuta map
Full mapElevation512–534 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta Tour Guide
Your drive to Lungkaṯa Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Uluru-Kata Tjuta audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Uluṟu: Mala Walk and Kaṉtju Gorge0:00 / 0:36
“You're approaching Mala carpark at the base of Uluṟu. For a close look without spending the whole morning walking, I'd choose the Mala Walk to Kaṉtju Gorge: two kilometres return, allowing about ninety minutes.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Uluru-Kata Tjuta Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Finch Nest Built by Two
- An Emu Dad on Duty
- Cultural Centre: Stories, Art and a Café
- Uluṟu Car Sunset Viewing Area
- 40 audio storiesacross Uluru-Kata Tjuta’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Dromedary Camel, Black-breasted Kite, Brown Falcon, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 15 trails, 28 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Lungkaṯa Walk
What the walk coversLungkaṯa Walk is the official 4 km return route along Uluṟu’s western and southern base,…
Lungkaṯa Walk is the official 4 km return route along Uluṟu’s western and southern base, linking Mala Car Park with the Kuniya Walk connection. The mapped corridor is about 2.1 km one way, so the 4 km return figure is rounded and you walk the same path back. Allow about 1 hour 30 minutes; it’s graded 3 (moderate). Choose it for a close look at Uluṟu’s rock face without taking on the full base circuit.
Beside the rockThe track stays close to Uluṟu.
The track stays close to Uluṟu. In places, the rock face slants down toward the path, with elevated caves and crevices shaped by wind and water over millennia. This is an unpaved path, not a climb to one summit or one lookout; the interest is the changing face of the rock as you walk around its western and southern sides.
Look up near MalaNear the Mala end, small birds nest high in the caves above the track.
Near the Mala end, small birds nest high in the caves above the track. Binoculars or a long lens help you see them. The area is home to thousands of birds, so keep an ear out as well as looking up.
Lungkaṯa’s storyThe walk shares the story of Lungkaṯa, the cheeky blue-tongue lizard man.
The walk shares the story of Lungkaṯa, the cheeky blue-tongue lizard man. Tjukurpa teaches not to steal from others through his story, which also explains the danger of climbing Uluṟu. Paṉpaṉpalala are ancestral birds in the story; their name echoes their call, so listen for their song.
Start and finishBegin and finish at Mala Car Park; the 4 km figure includes the return along the same route.
Begin and finish at Mala Car Park; the 4 km figure includes the return along the same route. A park pass is required to enter the national park. Water and toilets are listed for the walk, but their locations aren’t specified. Ordinary pets aren’t permitted; assistance dogs are allowed under park rules.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Uluru-Kata Tjuta
32 sightingsDromedary CamelMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
14 sightingsBlack-breasted KiteMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
27 sightingsBrown FalconMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsWestern Brown SnakeMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
32 sightingsMain's FrogMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
17 sightingsRed-backed KingfisherMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Uluru-Kata Tjuta. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
