If you’re looking for the best things to do in Uluru, you absolutely cannot miss the spectacular Wintjiri Wiru drone show experience. Honestly, it took my breath away.
I came away from an amazing evening watching the largest permanent drone show on earth. It was easily one of the most memorable experiences I had in the Red Centre.
There are three tours to choose from, so I’m going to share what the Wintjiri Wiru Sunset Dinner looks like and what you can expect from the evening. Hopefully, this will help you decide whether to book this wonderful experience for your own Uluru trip.
I must admit, Wintjiri Wiru was my favourite Uluru tour. You’ll soon see why.
If you are wondering which Uluru experiences to consider, check out my 12 Best Uluru Tours Guide.
What is Wintjiri Wiru drone show at Uluru?
Wintjiri Wiru means “beautiful view out to the horizon” in the Pitjantjatjara language. It’s an absolutely incredible drone show that uses groundbreaking technology, light and sound to tell the ancestral Mala story of the local Anangu people.
As custodians of the land, Anangu hold the Mala story from Kaltukatjara to Uluru. To share their story in this unique way, RAMUS designed and produced an artistic platform using drones, light and sound to create an immersive storytelling experience.
Over 1,100 choreographed drones, lasers and projections bring the story to life, with Uluru sitting in the distance. It really is a sublime visual delight, and it’s also the first time an Indigenous story has been told using this technology at such a massive scale.
If you’re looking to immerse yourself in Country and appreciate the world’s oldest continuous living culture, this is such a special experience. The ancestral Mala story has been passed down through thousands of generations, and Wintjiri Wiru retells it in a way you absolutely shouldn’t miss.
Which tour to choose to see Wintjiri Wiru
You must pre-book one of the three tours to see Wintjiri Wiru, as you cannot just turn up and wander in.
Wintjiri Wiru After Dark
You’ll arrive shortly before the Mala story begins and enjoy Australian wines with light refreshments, including cheeses and desserts.
Wintjiri Wiru Twilight
You’ll arrive 30 minutes before sunset, which gives you time to watch the sun set over Uluru. This tour also includes Australian wines, cheeses and a dessert selection.
Wintjiri Wiru Sunset Dinner
This is the tour I did. You’ll arrive 1.5 hours before sunset and enjoy a native ingredient cocktail and canapés while taking in the 360-degree views over Uluru. Afterwards, you’ll take a seat in the amphitheatre with a gourmet dinner hamper and wines before the 20-minute drone show begins.
What the Wintjiri Wiru Sunset Dinner experience looks like
When you arrive at Wintjiri Wiru, you’ll soon realise this is a premium experience at Uluru. The waiters make you feel like you’re entering a fine dining restaurant, although it still feels relaxed and connected to the incredible desert setting around you.
The service is impeccable, with waiters filling up glasses and walking around with trays of delicious native ingredient cocktails. Even as a non-gin drinker, I absolutely loved them.
The canapés are excellent too. This was my first time trying native ingredients such as crocodile curry pie and kangaroo, even after living in Australia for 13 years. I was a little unsure about eating kangaroo and crocodile at first, but I have to admit, the chef’s modern culinary techniques really are fantastic.
We were in awe of the amazing platform we stood on to enjoy the cocktails and canapés. There was only a small group of people, which gave us enough space to really enjoy the 360-degree views. This was our first sunset at Uluru, and we both felt completely in awe seeing it for the first time together.
As darkness started to fall, staff guided us down to the open-air desert theatre. With rugs at every seating area to keep us cosy under the starlit Australian desert sky, we sat down with a gourmet hamper and Australian wines to try.
The chef came out and introduced himself to the group, then explained all of the amazing food in our hamper. It included everything from prawns, fresh bread and cheeses to quinoa salad and an array of desserts.
What the drone show looks like
When the drone show begins, the ancient Mala story comes to life through narration in the local Pitjantjatjara language. The quality surround sound instantly gave me goosebumps.
The living story continues as the drones light up the sky, and by the time the show finished, I had tears running down my face.
It was one of those moments where you feel completely still and just take everything in.
The beautiful and immersive Mala story had me completely in awe. Watching it on some of the most spiritual and sacred land in Australia felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
There is something incredibly special about hearing an ancient story that has been passed down through generations. I found it a real privilege to watch and listen to it in such a unique setting.
Would I do this tour again?
If I did this tour again knowing what to expect, I would 100% book the Wintjiri Wiru Sunset Dinner experience. There’s something that feels extra special about getting there early to enjoy the cocktails, canapés and sunset views before sitting down with a fantastic hamper.
While you might think you could spend less and still see the show, the entire experience is what made it so memorable for me. It wasn’t just the drone show. It was the setting, the food, the storytelling, the service and that incredible feeling of being in the desert under the stars.
Do not miss out on this wonderful experience — trust me!
Other Uluru tours to consider
While Wintjiri Wiru was my favourite experience at Uluru, there are a few other tours I’d absolutely recommend looking into while you’re there.
If you love the idea of a special dinner experience in the desert, have a look at my full review of the Uluru Field of Light Dinner. It’s another magical evening experience, but it feels quite different to Wintjiri Wiru.
For something completely different, I also loved seeing Uluru from above on the 15-minute Uluru helicopter flight. It’s short, but the views are absolutely incredible, and it gives you a completely new perspective of just how vast and beautiful the landscape is.
I’d also recommend doing a Segway tour around the base of Uluru if you want to get closer to the rock without doing the full base walk. It’s a really fun way to learn more about the area, and it gives you a better sense of the scale of Uluru when you’re right beside it.
If you’re still planning your itinerary, I’ve also put together a full guide to the best Uluru tours to help you decide which experiences are worth adding to your trip.
More Uluru travel guides to read
If you’re planning a bigger Red Centre adventure, I’ve got a couple more guides that will help you plan your trip properly.
If you’re thinking about driving through the Northern Territory, read my full Darwin to Uluru road trip guide. It covers the route, stops and what to expect along the way, especially if you’re turning your Uluru trip into a bigger outback adventure.
You can also read my guide to the best things to do in Uluru if you’re still working out what to book. It includes the main experiences I’d recommend, so you can make the most of your time in Uluru without feeling like you’ve missed anything.
