6 Days: Al Ula, Mada’in Saleh, Neom, Hisma, Tabuk

 Day 1: Monday – Tabuk Or Al Ula (Arrival)  

Arrival at TABUK or AL ULA International airport, after visa and immigration formalities our representative will meet and escort the guests to their air-conditioned vehicle for their transfer to the hotel. Check-in at our beautifully located permanent desert camp, our base for the night. Dinner and overnight in Al-Ula.

Day 2: Tuesday – Al Ula (B, L, D)

Breakfast at the hotel. Al-Ula is an ancient oasis that is inhabited for the last 7000 years as testify ancient carvings in and around the oasis. During the 1st millennium BCE the city of Dedan develops thanks to its strategic location on the frankincense trade road to become one of the oldest Arabian kingdoms that ruled over most of what is today Tabuk and Madinah provinces. During the 1st century BCE the Nabatean people coming from Petra settled 30 kilometers north of Dedan in Al-Hijr where they built 94 monumental tombs similar to the ones they dug in Petra. We will start our exciting day with the visit of two ancient carving sites in Al-Ula, then will pass by the ancient city of Dedan that was an important oasis on the frankincense trade route between Southern Arabia and the Mediterranean World. We continue then to the Old city of Al-Ula that became at the beginning of the Islamic era an important staging post along the pilgrimage route to Mecca. We will lunch en route then visit the ancient sites of Ekma and Abu ‘Aoud where the people of the oasis wrote texts in ancient scripts that we will decipher for you. We will finish this special day on top of the Harrat Al-Uwayrid for an amazing viewpoint of the oasis of Al-Ula. At the end of the afternoon, drive to the hotel, dinner & accommodation in Al-Ula.

Day 3: Wednsday – Al Ula – Mada’in Saleh – Tabuk (230 Km) (B, L, D)

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we will start our journey with the visit of the famous Hegra (Madain Saleh) which is the first site of Saudi Arabia that was listed as UNESCO World Heritage site. Madain Saleh, whose original name was Al-Hijr or Hegra in Greek, is the southernmost important city of the Nabatean Kingdom that flourished thanks to the caravan trade between the 2nd century BCE until the Roman conquest in 106 CE. It is the second richest Nabatean city in terms of monumental tombs with 94 decorated funeral monuments including some of the most vibrant and well conserved architectural prowess of the Nabateans builders. We will lead you through this fascinating site and reveal to you the secrets of its tombs, ancient inscriptions, stone structures, and many others.

Our visit will be followed by a lunch before we head towards Jibal Al-Rukkab & Leopard trail. We will then visit Jebel Al-Fil for a relaxing time next to the “Elephant rock”. In the afternoon, we will drive towards the city of TABUK. On arrival check in. Dinner & Overnight in Tabuk.

Day 4: Thursday – Tabuk – Neom – Tabuk – (350 Km) (B, L, D)

Breakfast at the hotel. Today, we will discover the ancient land of Madyan where Moses sought refuge after fleeing Egypt. Nowadays it is the area where is developed the gigantic Neom Project. Our visit will start with the archeological site of Al-Bada’ that was an ancient Nabatean city as attested by the monumental tombs that overlook the ruins of the ancient oasis city. Then we will drive to the coastal city of Maqna where are found the wells of Moses. Lunch en route. Few kilometers north along the shore we will explore the majestic Wadi Tayeb Ism also called the valley of Moses. After this fascinating exploration of the ancient land of Madyan. After that long day, back to TABUK for Dinner & overnight.

Day 5: Friday – Tabuk – Hisma – Neom (4×4) (B, L, D)

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we will visit a place called Hisma, which is also known as the Wadi Rum of Saudi Arabia because of its majestic grandiose formations similar to the ones found on the other side of the border with Jordan. Hisma is home to hundreds of ancient rock art and ancient inscriptions, some in pre-Islamic scripts dating back to the caravan trade, and some in old Arabic dating back to the first decades of Islam. We will have a picnic during the excursion in the middle of the magic sceneries of Hisma. In the afternoon we will drive up one of the highest mountains in Saudi Arabia, the Jebel Al Lawz, the mountain of almonds. People believe that this is the true site of the biblical Mount Sinai where Moses received the Tablets of Law. We will visit some sites that have features reminding the story of Moses. At the end of the day we will head back to our hotel. Dinner & Overnight in TABUK.

Day 6: Saturday – Tabuk – Departure (B)

Breakfast at your hotel, Transfer to TABUK airport for your departure flight.

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