Riyadh and Alula

Upon arrival to Riyadh Airport, proceed to Passport Control for immigration followed by baggage collection and clearing customs formalities. After baggage collection, walk towards the arrival lounge where you shall be met by our representative who will assist while transferring to hotel and check in formalities.

Welcome to one of the wealthiest cities in the world, home to Saudi Arabia's best museum, a World Heritage Site that relates the Kingdom's genesis story, and some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the country. Overnight Riyadh hotel.

Morning after breakfast, enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of the city including  Murabba palace is among the most important palace built by King Abdul-Aziz. this Palace was to accommodate his family. It was built on the local traditional Nadji style by using local building material only,  visit the Masmak fort and National museum, Enjoy and step back in time and explore Saudi Arabia’s roots. A short documentary also re-enacts the capture of the fortress by King Abdul Aziz, whose spearhead you can still see embedded in its wooden gate & Dira Souq is famous for its variety of old copper and brass objects including silver daggers, silver Bedouins Jewelry and dresses. Dira Souq is worth buying antique carpets and other useful Saudi heritage antiques. After the visit we will stop for lunch break at Nakheel Mall (Food Court)   at own expense.

After Lunch continue on a cultural journey of Historical Diriyah, exploring the richness of At-Turaif World Heritage Site and the traditional charm of Al Bujairy district. In the evening enjoy a mesmerizing view of the city from Skybridge at Kingdom tower. Overnight at Riyadh hotel.

Morning after breakfast, transfer to the airport to catch your flight to the heritage city of Alula (self-arranged) .Upon arrival met and transferred to your hotel in Alula. Overnight stay in Alula.

Remainder of the day is at leisure.

In the morning after breakfast enjoy a visit to Hegra. Hegra is the most iconic historical site of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the first to be listed as a UNESCO Word Heritage, back in 2008. The Nabateans, called it Hijra (as it appears in some ancient inscriptions at the site), and the Romans used to call it Hegra.

The extensive settlement of the site took place during the 1st century AD, when it came under the rule of the Nabatean king Arêtes IV Philopatries (Al-Harith IV) (9 – 40 BC), who made Madain Saleh the kingdom's first capital, before Petra, located 500 kilometers to the north.

Later visit Maraya Maraya is an architectural wonder that has quickly reached icon status. Upon approaching this magnificent mirrored structure in AlUla’s Ashar Valley you may feel your eyes are deceiving you as Maraya seems to disappear into the surrounding sandstone cliffs before swiftly reappearing. Also visit Dadan & Jabal Ikmah The first stop on this journey back in time is Dadan, the ancient Kingdom of the Lihyanite and Dadanite civilisations. Next,  a 10-minute drive take you to Jabal Ikmah. Set in a stunning desert canyon, this ‘open-air library’ has the most impressive collection of inscriptions, rock art, and petroglyphs in AlUla and is the largest of its kind in Saudi Arabia. Overnight at Alula Hotel.

P.S – (Outside vehicles are not permitted to go Hegra & Dadan & Jabal Ikmah, thus we will use shared bus  for these visits) 

Today after breakfast we explore Al Ulla, the birthplace of two ancient Arabian kingdoms. During the 1st millennium BC, Al-Ulla saw the rise of the ancient city of Dadan that became the capital of two successive kingdoms, Dadan and Lihyan that ruled over the northwest of the Arabian Peninsula. 

Our tour includes the visit to Alula Old Town, Alula public library, Madrasat Addeera, Almashiyah Plaza, Alula Oasis & Daimumah. Al-Ula Heritage Village (ghost town), also known as Ad-Deerah, is the traditional Arabian village where people of the oasis moved some 8 centuries ago and inhabited until the 20th century. It was built on a higher part of the valley to be clear from the floods that can occur during the raining season. At its maximum expansion the town contained over 1 000 houses that were built adjacent to one another thereby forming a wall around the town to defend the population. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant on your own expense.

At sunset enjoy the majestic view of Elephant Rock.  Elephant Rock is particularly magical at dusk when the fading sun casts a bewitching deep crimson light over the trunk and body of AlUla’s famous geological pachyderm.  Dinner  & overnight in AlUla Hotel.

In time transfer to Alula airport to board your return flight back home (TBA).