Saudi Self-Drive Road Trip

[Privately guided sightseeing] Step back in time and discover the World Heritage Site of Diriyah where the story of modern Saudi Arabia began. Within Diriyah’s historic At Turaif district you’ll see stunning examples of traditional Najdi mudbrick architecture and get a sense of the way of life in the first Saudi capital some two hundred years ago. Your journey continues this afternoon to the National Museum for a crash course in Saudi history. After an orientation tour of downtown Riyadh where you will have a magnificent panorama over the Saudi capital from the Kingdom Tower’s Sky Bridge observation deck, you will pick-up your SUV rental vehicle for the next eight days.

Leaving Riyadh behind, a scenic drive of two hours and thirty minutes will bring you through the Akroushiah Red Sands to Ushaiger. This stunning walled village is a superb example of traditional Najdi architecture. Within the maze of alleys are museums and hundreds of mudbrick houses. After your visit, your Saudi Self-Drive tour continues to Unaizah (two hours) with its lovely old souq.

[Day with guide-Pathfinder] Rise early to visit one of Saudi Arabia’s most colourful and photogenic spectacles – the Buraidah Camel Market – the largest camel market in the world where some 700 animals are traded daily (swelling to two thousand animals on Saturdays). The noise and theatre as dealers attract eager huddles of merchants as they auction camels that can reach as much as one million US$ is incredible! Then, visit the nearby high-tech Camel Hospital and have coffee in a beautiful date garden. Drive on to the massive Hutaymah Crater – the result of a volcanic explosion millions of years ago – before continuing (without guide) to Ha’il.

Travel north through the Great Nefud Desert to reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Jubbah. Here, on the walls of Jabal Umm Sinman the finely accomplished rock art may be as much as 11,000 years old and sheds light on human activities, hairstyles and clothing during the Palaeolithic period. Lady Anne Blunt, one of the first Europeans to witness Jubbah’s art, wrote in 1879: ‘Jubbah is one of the most curious places in the world, and to my mind one of the most beautiful.’ On leaving Jubbah you may wish to explore the scenic Jabal Aja mountains.

This morning, you might like to visit Hail’s imposing 17th-century A’arif Castle or the Qishlah Fortress, which has eight distinctive towers. A scenic drive through the desert to the west brings you to the stunning oasis of AlUla. It is also possible to drive straight to AlUla this morning and spend the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the facilities of your stunningly located desert resort.

Today will be at leisure in AlUla to relax and enjoy the views and facilities at your hotel. Alternatively, choose from a wide range of adventurous activities (supplements apply) that include a dawn hot-air balloon flight over AlUla, heli-sightseeing, off-road desert adventure, the AlUla zip-line, a giant swing experience 85 metres above ground, hiking through a maze of canyons and stunning desert scenery, or gear up for a two-wheel cycling adventure along AlUla’s bike-friendly trails. Cultural enthusiasts might like to see Maraya, the world’s largest mirrored building, before joining a local ‘Rawi’ (storyteller) for a private tour in a vintage-style Land Rover tour to the 2000-year-old city of Dadan (noted for its Lion Tombs) and to Jabal Ikmah’s to see the centuries-old rock art.

Continue your AlUla sightseeing with a guided tour (shared) of Old AlUla where you will climb up to the fort and walk through a maze of crumbling mudbrick ruins that were once surrounded by 14 gates. Then, travel off-road to explore the canyon of Wadi Abu Aoud and admire the impressive rock art at that includes several ‘magic carpets’. This afternoon discover the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra on a private tour in a vintage-style Land Rover with a local ‘Rawi’ (storyteller). The fabulously situated tombs of the ‘second Petra’ are considered Saudi Arabia’s premier cultural attraction. Built by the Nabataean Arabs between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD, Hegra had been ‘lost’ to the world until its ‘rediscovery’ in 1876. You might wish to conclude your sightseeing by watching the sunset at Elephant Rock.

The morning will be at leisure or free to experience more of the magical open-air museum that is Al Ula on a series of optional excursions (supplements apply). After hotel checkout, drive south through deserts, mountains, and lava flows to Medina where you will hand back your rental vehicle.

[Privately guided sightseeing] Today is dedicated to exploring Medina, Islam’s second most holy city. Anciently known as Yathrib, the city was renamed Medina by the Prophet Mohammad after he and his followers were welcomed following their flight from Mecca – an event known as the ‘Hijrah’. Pilgrims recreate this journey every year as part of the Hajj. Non-Muslims are not permitted to enter the city’s mosques – but can now visit the previously off-limits ‘Haram’ area where the main places of pilgrimage, including the vast Prophet’s Mosque, are located. Early evening travel by High-Speed train to Jeddah on the Red Sea coast.

[Privately guided sightseeing] Jeddah, known as the ‘Bride of the Red Sea’, has been the port for nearby Mecca for centuries. Start your sightseeing at the Tayebat Museum – a fine example of traditional Hijazi architecture – then drive along the beautiful manicured modern seafront Corniche to the ‘floating Mosque’. This afternoon the new city is juxtaposed with the old as you walk through Mecca Gate and enter Jeddah’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Al Balad district. The lively souqs and multi-story houses built of coral stone with their distinctive ‘roshan’ wooden windows provide a fascinating insight into an age-old way of life in Saudi Arabia.

Private transfer to Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport and check in for your onward flight.