Suggested flight to arrive Riyadh (from Hong Kong)

Hong Kong/Dubai EK 381 0035/0535 9hr 
Dubai/Riyadh EK 819 0700/0800 2 hr 

Upon arrival, be met by our local guide and transfer to downtown Riyadh.

We will step back in time and discover the Diriyah Old City, the birthplace of Saudi Arabia and home of an UNESCO Heritage Sites, where you will see stunning examples of traditional Najdi mudbricks architecture including the Salwa Palace and some small but beautifully presented museums.

Browse the on-site souq , famous for famous for various old cooper and brass.

After lunch, we will have a crash course in Saudi history at the National Museum, return to Riyadh and disembark from your coach at the Kingdom Centre for the sunset from the SkyBridge Observation Deck and enjoy a bird’s-eye view over Saudi capital.

Enjoy dinner at the Globe and return to hotel for rest.

Enjoy a leisure morning.

Drive 200km northwest of Riyadh to the Ushaiger Heritage Village, a stunning example of traditional Najdi architecture, that was once a stopping point on the Hajj pilgrim route.

On arrival, visit one of the village’s heritage museums and wander through the Ushaiger’s warren of shaded winding alleys where you’ll find many fine examples of traditional mudbrick buildings. Then, stroll through the peaceful fields that surround the village.

Return to Riyadh and have dinner

Drive to Riyadh airport and fly to Abha in the mountainous southern province of Asir.

Riyadh / Abha                SV 1669             1025/1210                      1h 45m

Upon arrival, you will be met and drive the short distance to Khamis Mushait. After having a traditional Asiri lunch, explore the colorful restored Bin Hamsan Village,  which is an excellent example of traditional Asiri architecture.

Continue to the 400-years-old “hanging village” of Habala, dramatically located part the way down a sheer cliff, we will peer down on Habala from the cliffs above.

Next visit the traditional village of Tamniah and visit one of the most fascinating of Asir’s heritage museum, surrounded by an abandoned neighbourhood of stone and mudbrick buildings.

Check in at your hotel followed by dinner.

After breakfast, embark your 4WD vehicles to explore the dramatic landscape of the mountainous and rugged Jabal Soudah （3,000m）- part of the vast Asir national Park.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Rijal Almaa is famous for its multi-story Yemen-styled stone buildings clustered on a hillside.  Explore peaceful lanes, visit the local museums that are housed in several of the “forts” and call-in at the honey shop of Mr. Ahmed Mansoor to taste some of the best honey in Asir.

After a traditional lunch, return to Abha to visit Fatimah Museum of Home Decoration and Women’s Clothes showcases the unique geometric patterns.  Time permits, we will explore the Tuesday market “Thulatha”.

This evening, be treated to a dinner at your hotel.

Transfer to the airport in the morning for your flight to Jeddah.

Riyadh / Abha                SV 1645             1210/1325                      1h 15m

On arrival in Jeddah, transferred to your hotel situated overlooking the Red Sea on Jeddah’s famous corniche.

Jeddah, the “bride of the Red Sea”, is a historic city that for centuries has been a gateway of annual Hajj pilgrimage.  This buzzing hub of commerce and melting pot of peoples where, according to local lore, Eve is buried, is one of the most liberal cities in Saudi Arabia and has a notably different tempo from the rest of the country.

After lunch, enjoy our curated walking tour to the city’s UNESCO World Heritage listed Old Town of Al Balad, founded in the 7^th century.  On passing through the Mecca Gate into Al Balad, be impressed by the lively incense-scented souqs, multi-story houses built of coral stone with their distinctive “roshan” wooden windows, art galleries and anqiue mosques that include the Shafi Masjid – the oldest in Jeddah. Will have opportunity to enjoy tea with the locals.

This evening, we will visit the southern corniche to view of Jeddah’s iconic King Fadh Fountain  – the tallest of its kind in the world, then enjoy an Arabian dinner on the outside terrace of Naufora restaurant overlooking Jeddah’s landmark fountain.

Your sightseeing will star at the Tayebat Museum, a landmark building built in the traditional Hijazi (western Saudi Arabia) architectural style that houses a vast eclectic collection of ethnographic items.  Then, enjoy a stroll along Jeddah’s most beautiful manicured modern seafront Corniche before arriving Al Rahma floating mosque (from outside).

After lunch, visit to the Jameel Gallery only opened its doors in Dec 2021, white building was designed by award-winning Wai Wai architectural studio, with a  facade that is decorated with a lively colourful artwork commissioned to Saudi artist Nasser Melhem. Explore the Jeddah Sculpture Museum brings together more than twenty of Jeddah’s world famous sculptures. 

Enjoy dinner at the Shang Palace for Chinese food at your hotel.

This morning, transfer to Jeddah’s Central Railway Station from where you will travel to Medina (1hr 48m)

Train     Jeddha / Medina           0900/1048           1h 48m

 Upon arrival, be greetings and started our sightseeing.  Visit the early battlefield site of Jabal Uhud, viewing the Qiblatain Mosque, seeing the location of the “Battle of the Trench” and visit to Medina’s attractive Ottoman Railway Station (currently closed) to see the Hijaz Rwailway memorabilia and early 20^th century locomotives.

A highlight of your Medina experience will be lunch at a hotel with a view of the exterior of the vast Masjid al-Nawabi (The Prophet’s Mosque) where the tombs of the prophet, as well as his daughter Fatima, and the first caliph Abu Bakr are to be found.

Drive 3.5 hours from Medina to Al Ula. 

The oasis of Al Ula has been called one of the world’s great natural masterpieces.  This historical rich valley at the crossroads of the Silk Road and the Incense Route is one of the world’s largest living museums and is a place of extraordinary beauty.

Check in your hotel and enjoy dinner at your hotel.

This morning, we will visit the giant mirrored cube that is the Miraya Concert Hall.  We will view this spectacular 500-seat venue that reflects the surrounding desertscape and is the largest mirror-clad building in the world.

Continue to the archaeological site of Dadan where we join an excursion to see the famous Lion Tombs that are chiselled into the cliff-face.  Across the valley at Jabal Ikmah to see the rock-art that tells the stories of travellers we have passed by the spot for millennia.

After lunch at Suhai in Al Ula Old Town, drive to Herga (formerly known as Madain Saleh) for a two-hour tour. Start from the Railway Station on the Ottoman built Hijaz Railway where you will see a German-built steam locomotive and numerous buildings that date to the early 20^th century. 

Built by the Nabatean Arabs as their southern capital, Herga is set in a spectacular desert landscape studded with sandstone monoliths.  The city was constructed around the 1^st century to protect the Nabataean’s lucrative long distance camel caravans brining precious trade goods from south Arabia to their principal settlement of Petra.  This magical UNESCO World Heritage site has a total of 111 monumental tombs (94 of which are decorated) carved into its perpendicular cliffs. 

At the sun nears the horizon, the day’s sightseeing will conclude at Elephant Rock,  where you will sit back to enjoy the sight of Al Ula’s most famous geological rock formations.

Farewell dinner this evening will be at Maraya Social by Jason Atherton on the top floor of the Maraya Concert Hall.

Enjoy a leisure morning.

Check out from your hotel and have lunch.

After lunch, we will explore the magnificent Madakhil Desert for the off-road desert safari.  Wonderful scenery will present panoramic vistas at every turn and includes the great span of the Madakhil Rock Arch (also known as Rainbow Arch).

Thereafter, we transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Suggested flight to depart Al Ula (back to Hong Kong)

Fly         Al Ula / Dubai            FZ 8032 1835/2210    2h 35m 
21 Nov Dubai / Hong Kong   EK 384 0305/1740      10h 35m (stopover in Bangkok)