Just got back from my outback safari and it was amazing! I flew into Alice Springs and as soon as I got off the plane I knew the flys were going to be a problem because they attacked me immediately! I then went to the hostel and checked in. After this I went to explore the town a little and soon realized there was nothing there. Although I did hike up to the top of Anzac Hill and get some good views and pictures of the city. Then I went back to the hostel and got ready to leave on my tour the next morning at 6 am! I got up at 6 and got all checked in and then we were on our way! Our guide told us it was going to take about 4 hours to get to Kata Tjutu and the Olgas. Along the way we stopped a few times to get water and refuel since there were hundreds of kms between houses or stations. The places we stopped at were called cattle stations and they were just huge farms (about 1.5 million acres with no fences and little water!) that had put in a convenience store and fuel station for the convenience and safety of travellers. The conditions in the Outback were so harsh that we had to have a huge container of water in the bus with us in case we broke down for a while. Once we arrived at the Olgas, we all put our fly nets on because the flies were horrible. Then we hiked the Valley of the Winds which was gorgeous but somewhat difficult and steep at times. Once we got to the lookout point however, it was well worth it. After the hike we drove to Uluru to watch the sunset. It was good for a bit but then it got cloudy so we didn't get to see much of a color change on the rock, but our guide said that the sunrise would hopefully be better in the morning. Then we went back to camp which was in the bush in the middle of nowhere. We had dinner and began to set up our beds which were swags, or padded sleeping bags, that zip up all around you. I was sort of scared because we weren't sleeping in tents but just out in the open and our guide had warned us about snakes, spiders, and dingoes but she said we would be fine. So i zipped myself very tightly into my swag and placed myself in the middle of everyone! I ended up not being scared because the stars in the night sky were so clear and amazing and I finally feel asleep. The next morning we had to be up at 5 am to eat breakfast, pack up camp, and get to Uluru in time to see the sunrise. the sunrise was amazing and you can definitely see the color change of the rock in my photos. After the sun rise we had a choice to hike the 9km around the rock or climb up it. The local Aboriginals that own the land ask people to respect their culture and not climb the rock as it is a sacred site to them so I decided to hike around it instead (also considering that about 35 people a year die climbing Uluru). The hike around was quite long but I got some great views of the rock and also learned the different Aboriginal stories that went with different areas of the rock, like how one side of the rock is for men and the other is for women and the two cannot go into the others sacred areas. After the hike we went down another short path and got to see where Aboriginals had painted on the rock wall and used different caves for different activities, like cooking, for millions of years. After this we hopped on the bus and went to the Aboriginal cultural center where we got to learn even more about Aboriginals and their stories. We also got to see some local Aboriginals painting their form of art. Once we were finished at the culutural center we hopped back on the bus and started the long drive around the salt lakes to King's Canyon. Along the way we stopped and King's Creek Station were some people tried camel burgers but I was to chicken! We finally made it to our camp site and set up camp for the night. Again I was scared maybe even more so than the night before because we were even more out in the bush this night and the guide advised us to take a torch with us wherever we went because Mulga snakes (one of the deadliest in the world) were common in the area. She also informed us that at this site dingoes like to come right up to camp in the night and sniff in our faces! After a long time looking at the stars I finally got to sleep, only to be woken up at 4 am by dingoes howling very loudly and very closely. They even ventured into camp a bit! It was kind of neat. Again we had to be up at 5 am to start hiking around King's Canyon before it got too hot. The hike around the rim of the Canyon was amazing after you got past the first 20 minutes of the steepiest climb I have ever done! Once at the top though the views were amazing and we got to see the ripples in the rock where the ocean floor had once been millions of years ago. We also got to learn about all the different plants and what the Aboriginals used them for. During the hike we got to go down into the area called the Garden of Eden which has thousands of different plants and is amazing! Then we finished our hike and started the long journey back to Alice Springs. We finally made it back and all agreed to meet up that night to eat at the local pub called Bojangles. Bojangles streams live online so peole at home can see you and buy you a drink or dinner; it's a realy neat place. The whole group sat and had dinner together and chatted; I realized it was really neat to get to know people from all over the world that had been in my tour group. We all exchanged email address. At dinner though, I tried camel pie (which is made with camel meat) and kangaroo steak and neither were too bad! After dinner we all hung around and said our goodbyes because we were all headed in different directions all over Australia and the Pacific region. This was my best trip so far and needless to say I was quitee dirty and tired when it was over!