Wild Saudi & Neom

Travel out to the evocative dunes of the Red Sands, where you will kick-start the Saudi Explorer tour with a guided ATV adventure through a striking desert area surrounded by mountains known as the ‘Hidden Valley’. After a picnic lunch, your journey continues this afternoon through an Acacia studded desert towards the Tuwaiq escarpment, where you’ll watch the sunset from the towering cliffs of the Edge of the World – one of Saudi Arabia’s great natural wonders.

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. Then, drive to Riyadh King Khalid Airport and board a flight to Tabuk. You’ll be met on arrival and transferred to your hotel.

Ascend the rocky slopes of Jabal Al-Lawz, which are among the highest mountain ranges in Saudi Arabia. Some claim that this is the location of the ‘real Mt. Sinai’. On arrival, view Jabal Maqlah with its ‘burnt’ top, see rock covered with images of cow worshipers and discover the ruins of an ancient temple. Mountains are contrasted with desert this afternoon as you explore magnificent Wadi Bajdah on an off-road 4WD adventure that will take you across dunes and belts of blood-red sand and through a maze of vast sandstone monoliths.

Drive south to Wadi Al Disah, a place of spectacular natural beauty. The Al Disah valley extends for some 15km and is framed by giant columns of rock and perpendicular smooth cliffs that rise above the lush vegetation, water pools, and palm trees. This is a beautiful spot for hiking and off-roading. After an al fresco picnic lunch, you’ll drive on to AlUla, the location of your desert resort.

AlUla’s stunning natural beauty as well as its fascinating past will be revealed on today’s tour. Your first stop will be the Maraya, the world’s largest mirrored building. Then, travel off-road to explore the canyon of Wadi Abu Aoud and admire the impressive rock art 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. Conclude your sightseeing with a visit to Elephant Rock.

Today will be at leisure in AlUla to relax and enjoy the views and facilities at your hotel. Alternatively, we can arrange for a wide range of adventurous activities (supplements apply) that include a dawn hot-air balloon flight over AlUla, heli-sightseeing to view five of AlUla’s great landmarks, discovering magnificent canyons from above on the AlUla zip-line, try your hand at Via Ferrata, swing over 85metres above the ground on a giant swing, 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.

Discover another of Saudi Arabia’s great natural wonders today: the Harrat Khaybar. This fabulous volcanic landscape extends over some 14,000 square kilometres and is complete with scoria, cones, lava domes, maars, and basalt lava flows. The white-coloured volcanoes of Jabal Abiyadh and Jabal Baydah, along with the nearby black cone of Jabal Qidr, make an amazing spectacle. After your visit, continue to Medina, from where you will catch a high-speed train to Jeddah on the Red Sea coast.

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.