Alula - The Express

Arrival at Al Ula airport, after visa and immigration formalities our representative will meet and escort the guests to their air-conditioned vehicle for their transfer to the city. Upon arriving, we shall get a glimpse into AlUla’s not-so-distant past on the AlUla Old Town Tour. A Rawi (guide) will lead you through AlUla Old Town, where pilgrims, travellers and permanent settlers congregated through the ages. Inhabited from before the 12th century up until the early 1980s, AlUla Old Town offers researchers unique oral histories and living memory that the area’s other heritage sites cannot. With 900 houses, 500 shops and 5 town squares, you can explore a maze of remnants of the original stone and mudbrick buildings and enjoy views of an AlUla Castle dating back to the 10th century. Guest will learn about Old Town’s settlers and pilgrims, as well as their motives and methods in the city’s construction. Head towards the hotel & check-in. Lunch & dinner at leisure. Overnight in AL ULA.

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we will start our journey with the visit Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the largest preserved site of the Nabataean civilization south of Petra. Home to more than 110 tombs carved from giant rock formations, this ancient site is open for visitors to explore and learn about the culture, traditions, and history of its people. Lunch at leisure. Then we depart on a journey through time to discover the ancient and powerful civilizations of the Dadanite and Lihyanite kingdoms, that have built and shaped AlUla. After exploring the ruins, a bus service takes you on a 10- minute drive to Jabal Ikmah, an open library of inscriptions, rock art and petroglyphs set in a stunning desert canyon. Below, you’ll find tour details, planning tips and what to expect when visiting these extraordinary heritage sites. Before heading back to the hotel, we will visit Jebel Al-Fil (Elephant rock) for a relaxing time. Set in Golden Desert sands and climbing their storeys into the Saudi Arabian Sky, is the awe-inspiring elephant rock one of Al ula’s many geological Marvels. Unlike the ornate, hand-carved facades of nearby Hegra’s Nabataean tombs, the "trunk" and "body" of this monolithic red sandstone beast were shaped by natural forces — millions of years of wind and water erosion. The beauty of the unrefined structure is enhanced by a landscape of golden sands, studded with rocky outcops, many of which are equally impressive in size and have interesting shapes and figures. Dinner at leisure. Overnight in ALULA.

Breakfast in the hotel. Check-out time 1200 hrs. Depending on the flight time, transfer to Al Ula airport for your departure.