Check into Longitude 131º, the luxury desert basecamp comprised of a pearl string of secluded fixed glamping tents in the national park. Here you can wake up to ‘the rock’ and even fall asleep under the stars on the alfresco bed on your private deck. Of course there’s a fire pit, a fluffy duvet and a bedside of warming spirits and port to keep you toasty while you gaze up at the Milky Way and make out the dark emu – according to Aboriginal legend, emus were creator spirits; to spot the emu, look south to the Southern Cross; the dark cloud between the stars is the head, while the neck, body and legs are formed from dust lanes stretching across the Milky Way.

The Sounds of Silence dinner is the ultimate pop-up dining experience. It kicks off at sunset, when you are led to a secret location in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park for canapés and bubbles with a million-dollar view of Uluru. The menu has a subtle native bent, so you might start with smoked kangaroo on sourdough toast before heading to your candle-lit table for an impressive three-course bush buffet of native tomato soup, coconut barramundi, grilled lamb and native-pepper beef, followed by lemon-myrtle dusted watermelon (a revelation in itself!) and native fruit crumble. The dinner wraps up with a talk by the resident astronomer, who points out constellations and planets as you sip hot chocolate or a glass of dessert wine.

The Field of Light installation by artist Bruce Munro lights up the dark desert landscape with a sea of coloured lights fanning out like a field of luminescent flowers near the base of Uluru. Overwhelming in size, the interactive artwork covers more than seven football fields, and you can wander the paths of this fantasy garden, winding through the 50,000 spindles of light, whose stems pulse and sway as they change colour. You can combine the Field of Light experience with the Sounds of Silence dinner (see above) or head straight there as soon as the sun has set.

Uluru is renowned for its changing shades (caused by flecks of rust on the giant sandstone monolith’s surface that reflect the sun on different angles as it tracks across the sky). The best times to catch Uluru changing colour like a shimmering chameleon are sunrise and sunset. Follow the signs to the Sunset Viewing Point in the park, back up your car, open the boot and enjoy a sunset picnic with a full view of the rock changing from orange to sparkling lava red as the sun sets behind you.

Circumnavigating the 10km base of Uluru is rather flat affair, but the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta (which means ‘many heads’) has more thrilling terrain that curves around the bulbous contours of the domed rock formation. At its tallest point, Kata Tjuta is almost twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower, and The Valley of the Winds walk is a 3-hour circuit that weaves through the formation’s many heads offering breathtaking views at every turn, climb and descent. Set out at sunset so you are not walking in the heat of the day, and take plenty of drinking water.