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Discover Saudi Arabia's momentous capital city and ancient heritage sites on this revealing 5-night adventure.
Journey through this unexplored Middle Eastern destination to uncover its ever-evolving capital city, Riyadh, before venturing deep into Saudi Arabia's desert interior to visit enchanting historical sites. See the birthplace of modern Saudi Arabia, be awestruck by the splendour of ancient Nabatean tombs and abandoned cities that once flourished along the ancient spice route, and spend time in the city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, where stunning traditional architecture meets modern innovation and the bustle of commerce.Arrive in Riyadh
Upon your arrival at Riyadh International Airport, you will be greeted by a local representative and transferred to your hotel in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle.
Accommodation:
Riyadh Discovery
After breakfast at your hotel, you’ll embark on a captivating tour of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s intriguing capital. You’ll begin at the National Museum, an epicentre of education which showcases Saudi Arabia’s national cultural heritage as well as an overview of Arabian civilisation from prehistory through to our modern times. Afterwards, you’ll continue to the Murabba Palace, one of Riyadh’s most enchanting historic buildings and the first erected outside the boundaries of the old city.
After a replenishing lunch, you will visit the Masmak Fortress to admire its evocative clay-and-mudbrick façade as well as its museum, which depicts the history of the conquest of Arabia by the Al-Saud dynasty. The fortress was built during the reign of Abdullah bin Rashid in 1895, serving as a military garrison for his army. King Abdulaziz, father of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, captured the fort in 1902, essentially making the fort the birthplace of the 3rd Saudi Kingdom which continues today.
Then, visit Dirah Souq and learn about traditional Saudi clothing. The tour concludes with a visit to the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque, where you can admire its elaborate exterior and learn about this 17,000-person capacity place of worship, which is one of Saudi Arabia’s largest mosques.
Accommodation:
INCLUDES : Breakfast, Dinner
Discover Diriyah & Journey to AlUla
After breakfast, you will be driven to Diriyah, which lies on the western bank of the Wadi Hanifah, a dry riverbed which flows only after high rainfall. Diriyah was capital of the Najd (the Arabian Peninsula’s central plateau) between the 15th and 18th centuries and is the birthplace of the first Saudi kingdom under the ruling Al Saud dynasty. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, Diriyah provides insight into traditional Najdi architecture as well as thousands of years of history; it was once a crucial settlement along ancient trade and pilgrimage routes and a meeting point for travellers hailing from faraway lands across Asia, Africa and Europe.
After admiring Diriyah’s stunning architecture and history-rich streets you’ll return to Riyadh, learning about the capital’s rapid development and the Saudi Arabian government’s ambitious visions for the future along the way.
In the afternoon, you will transfer to the airport and board your flight to AlUla, an ancient oasis city in Saudi Arabia’s Medina Province. Arriving at AlUla, you’ll transfer to your next hotel in a private vehicle, arriving in time for dinner.
Accommodation:
INCLUDES : Breakfast, Dinner
Discover AlUla's Ancient Wonders
Following breakfast at the hotel, you’ll travel to the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra. This ancient city was the second city of the Nabataean Kingdom, which flourished as a trading civilisation from the 2nd century B.C. until the Roman conquest in 106 A.D. Hegra is characterised by a number of extraordinary monumental tombs carved into rockfaces in traditional Nabataean style and is second only to Jordan’s heritage site of Petra, the Nabataean capital, in terms of the number of Nabataean ruins it houses.
Your guide will lead you through this fascinating historical site, revealing to you the secrets of its tombs as well as its ancient inscriptions and impressive stone structures that would be well placed in an Indiana Jones movie. After a leisurely lunch, you will depart for the ancient settlements of Dedan and Ikmah in AlUla, now abandoned, which was inhabited for some 7,000 years and played a pivotal role along the frankincense trade route.
Visiting Jebel Akmah, you can explore its intriguing rock inscriptions before continuing to Dedan, an oasis city on the frankincense trade route between Arabia and the Mediterranean world. As you head back towards your hotel, you will visit Jebel Al-Fil (Elephant Rock), a striking rock formation in the desert whose shape resembles an elephant.
Accommodation:
INCLUDES : Breakfast, Dinner
Explore Jeddah
After breakfast you will check out of your hotel and transfer to the airport for your domestic flight to Jeddah, a city on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast and the kingdom’s commercial epicentre. Once you arrive in Jeddah, you will enjoy a city tour of Saudi Arabia’s second city. The tour begins with a visit to the beautifully architected Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum, which showcases both local and Arabia-wide heritage.
Following this, you will continue to Old Jeddah and embark on a walking tour of Al-Balad, home to hundreds of historic merchants’ and traders’ houses easily identified by their intricate Roshan windows and balconies. While in Al-Balad, you’ll explore its bustling souks, hidden galleries, local cuisine and traditional architecture.
After lunch, the tour concludes at the Jeddah Corniche, a waterfront area that stretches for 30km bordering the Red Sea. Enjoy a casual stroll to take in the picturesque coastal road, thriving recreational areas, large-scale civic sculptures and King Fahd’s Fountain, the highest fountain in the world which fires jets of water to a height of 312 metres.
Accommodation:
INCLUDES : Breakfast, Dinner
Depart Jeddah
Enjoy your final breakfast in Saudi Arabia before transferring to Jeddah International Airport to begin your onward journey.
INCLUDES : Breakfast
Inclusions
Exclusions