Jeddah & AlUla

📍 Jeddah Airport - Jeddah City center (25 km): 30 mins

Jeddah is a commercial hub sitting to the west along the Red Sea with the second busiest seaport in the Middle East. It’s the principal gateway to Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, and sees over a million pilgrims a year on their way to perform the Hajj. Despite this, Jeddah is perceived to be the most liberal city in Saudi Arabia and is a popular tourist destination, offering the beauty of ancient architecture mixed with the latest luxuries.

Celebrate arrival in the Kingdom with sunset drinks on the city’s attractive corniche. First, take a stroll to admire the art works in the open-air museum and spread out carpet and ‘takwa’, the smart Saudi picnic seat. Join the Jeddahwi when the sun sets, the call for prayer sounds and the world's tallest fountain comes to life in front of the beachwalk. Complete the first day in Saudi Arabia with a welcome dinner in modern style, befitting fast-paced Jeddah.

Overnight in Jeddah

Inclusions:

🍗 Dinner

Start the day working on the Saudi bigger picture in the Tayebat museum to gain background about Islam, Saudi Arabia and Jeddah, the city to be explored first. The Tayebat museum is ideal for this, consisting of real-live, real-size examples of Saudi and especially Jeddahwi building styles, everyday tools and utensils, art and of course details about the Two Holy Cities; Mecca and Medina. which make a good base for a first talk about Islam. After visiting a selection of what is on display, let’s head out into the real Saudi!

Jeddah’s proximity to the Red Sea puts local seafood at the forefront, unlike elsewhere in the country. The Central Fish Market is the hotspot where buyers and sellers come together. Squid, shrimp, lobster and a great variety of fish, some only native to the Red Sea, are all fresh and on display. Follow the flow of the market where customers first choose their pick. Next they move on to have it weighed and get a ticket for the cleaning section, All set? Now it can be prepared in the restaurant right in the market or taken home. To stay in style, enjoy a seafood lunch in a nearby restaurant.

After lunch, visit the House of Islamic Arts, where explore a stunning collection of Islamic art, artifacts, and rare manuscripts. This cultural gem offers a deep insight into the rich heritage and artistic traditions of the Islamic world.

Then explore  the atmospheric old town Al Balad, which achieved UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014. Its traditional multi storey buildings and merchant houses are an architectural treasure trove. It is a dive back in time with the buzz of trading, pilgrims shopping and the occasional tourist mixed in. The roshan or wooden window covers are the ancient way to create shade and cool in this hot and humid climate, and they make these alleys especially picturesque. Visiting Al Balad is like a dive back in time with the buzz of trading, pilgrims shopping and the occasional tourist mixed in. In a quickly modernizing Kingdom, this area might be the last one to find that ‘real Middle Eastern mix of sights and smells’ that you can find in the old souks across the region.

Overnight in Jeddah

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Jeddah City Center - Jeddah Airport (25 km): 30 mins AlUla Airport - AlUla City Center (50 km): 45 mins AlUla - Jabal AlFil (Elephant Rock) (5 km): 10 mins

Leave the coastal city by air for AlUla, home to Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, which sits deep in the desert in the northwestern region of the country. It is an area rich in historical and geographical significance and for most travelers the biggest highlight of their Saudi adventure.

To appreciate this, let’s first climb up to the Harrat Viewpoint before diving into all the history around. The road snakes up sharply, away from the red rocks and onto a black and seemingly endless plateau. Discover the viewpoint towering over the old city and let your guide put things into perspective.

Closer to sunset it is time for a pilgrimage to Elephant Rock. Set in golden desert sands and climbing into the blue Arabian skies, the rock (also known as Jabal Alfil) is one of AlUla’s most impressive geological marvels.

Overnight in AlUla

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 AlUla - Hegra (20 km): 20 mins Hegra - AlUla ‘new town’ (20 km): 25 mins

The draw to AlUla is its remarkable natural rock formations and canyons, extensive and varied pre-Arabic rock art, and immaculately preserved tombs built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans. You’ll start the day with a visit to the Nabataean site of Hegra, which was the southern capital of the Nabataean kingdom, dating back to the first century BCE. Today, visitors follow their ‘rawee’ or storyteller, to explore several of the more than 100 well-preserved monumental tombs, most with elaborate facades carved from rock formations scattered around the desert.

Beyond the old town in the wadi or valley are numerous farms where lush palm trees sway gently and the smell of citrus fills the fresh air, adding to the oasis-feeling that AlUla still retains. Walk the winding, shaded Oasis Heritage trail through the fields that provide fresh herbs and vegetables to AlUla’s restaurants. Hear the birds sing and imagine how the nomads of the past found water and refuge from the desert here.

Pop out of the valley in area often called ‘the art city’ which has a colorful vibe with street art and exhibits spread out in its walking streets, making for a great stroll with numerous options for a drink on a terrace, watching the world go by while the sun changes the colors of the towering cliffs around.

Overnight in AlUla

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

No trip to Saudi Arabia is complete without a 4x4 excursion into the desert. Start this day with an unforgettable sortie around the towering cliffs, rocky plains and dunes of sand  that surround AlUla. Following the ups and downs of the four-wheel safari, guests will settle down in the middle of the desert for a delicious Bedouin-style, picnic lunch, encompassing a traditional range of Saudi and other Middle Eastern delicacies. As true navigators of the deserts, we set up camp with protection from the elements and the finest of Arabian hospitality awaits. 

Enjoy the remaining afternoon at leisure. Enjoy the facilities of the hotel or continue exploration of AlUla’s landscapes with an optional activity: to name a few; see the sandstone mountains from above in a helicopter or hot air balloon, venture off the beaten path into the hidden valley  or climb the valley’s edge to better soak in AlUla’s expansive vistas.

Overnight in AlUla

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 AlUla City Center - AlUla Airport (50 km): 45 mins

Enjoy leisure time before checking out of the hotel and transferring to the airport for onward flight. Departures are available from both Jeddah and Riyadh, international airports offering direct connections to destinations in Europe and Asia. 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast