Riyadh & AlUla

📍 Riyadh airport - Riyadh city center (35 km): 45 mins

One of the wealthiest cities in the world, Riyadh is a showcase for modern Saudi Arabia.  Once a walled, mud-brick way station along desert trading routes, the capital is now a hyper-contemporary metropolis with some of the best hotels and restaurants in the country. Its organized grid layout is lined with more than 4,000 mosques, numerous busy shopping centers and traditional souks, public parks, and a diverse set of communities and neighborhoods.

On this first day in the Kingdom, explore the city from above with a visit to the iconic Al Faisaliah Tower. Its distinctive design and observation deck provide breathtaking views of Riyadh’s sprawling skyline and surrounding landscapes. Conclude the day with a welcome dinner featuring traditional Saudi cuisine served in a contemporary setting, offering a warm introduction to Riyadh’s vibrant culture.

Overnight in Riyadh. 

Inclusions:

🍗 Dinner

Let’s begin with some pointers toward Saudi’s charismatic past. Find Al Masmak Fortress in the heart of the old town. A large clay and mud-brick citadel that witnessed the birth of a kingdom, the 150-year-old edifice stands as a reminder of Saudi’s storied past. Justice Square is another reminder of the past. Modern Saudi shop in supermarkets but a few old market areas remain, like  Souq al Zel and Souq Bisht, two of the most characteristic traditional marketplaces in town. Learn more about Saudi history at beautiful Murabba palace and at the modern National Museum of Saudi Arabia.

After lunch at a traditional restaurant, across town and pointing high into the sky as a symbol for power is KAFD, or King Abdullah Financial District, the strikingly modern heart of business of the Kingdom and more and more the wider Gulf region. Explore the mosque's striking design, followed by a coffee break in the financial district.

It is time to explore Ad Diriyah, the birthplace of the first Saudi state called At-Turaif which ruled between 1744 and 1818. The UNESCO World Heritage site has just been restored to its former glory and is poised to become a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s tourism offerings. Discover more about the architecture and heritage at the site. Find out how the mud-brick houses were built; how homes were cooled during the hot summer days; and how people lived without electricity and creature comforts.

Overnight in Riyadh.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Riyadh airport - Riyadh city center (35 km): 45 mins AlUla airport - AlUla (50 km): 45 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 - 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