In this Oct 26, 2019 photo, tourists gather to watch sunset colours on Uluru, also known as Ayers rock, after a permanent ban on climbing the monolith at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)

CANBERRA - Uluru in the heart of Australia's Red Centre has been named among the top three must-see places in the world.

International travel guide Lonely Planet on Thursday published its list of the world's top 500 travel experiences.

The iconic Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) came in third place, up from 33rd in 2019, behind only Petra in Jordan and the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean.

"There's something haunting about witnessing the golden and umber hues of Uluru at sunset," the guide said.

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In this Oct 27, 2019 photo, indigenous Anangu perform a traditional dance during a ceremony marking the permanent ban on climbing Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)

"Standing proud at 348 meters tall and stretching nearly 4 kilometers wide, the sandstone leviathan is not only an impressive spectacle and popular tourism spot, it's a sacred site."

Natasha Fyles, the NT's minister for tourism and hospitality, said that the recognition of Uluru would provide a major boost for the territory when borders re-open.

Visitors to Uluru were allowed to climb the rock until 2019 when the practice was banned at the behest of the traditional land owners, the Anangu people, to whom the site is sacred.

In this Oct 26, 2019 photo, stars trails are seen over Uluru, also known as Ayers rock, after a permanent ban on climbing the monolith at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)