The 3 Cities

Today we will be welcoming you at the airport as our guide will be waiting for you holding a sign with 88 destinations on it, we will be taking you to your hotel where you can rest for a bit.
Welcome to Riyadh, the birthplace of modern Saudi Arabia, where old-world charm meets 21st-century vision. Riyadh Province – also known as Al-Wosta – is home to the country’s capital: a modern metropolis with a thriving financial and business center, and a growing cultural scene. It’s a city rich in history, boasting myriad forts, palaces and museums, and some of the country’s most colorful souks.

RIYADH CITY TOUR - AL MASMAK - NATIONAL MUSEUM

First visit is Ad Diriyah, northwest of the city and the original capital of the first Saudi state is a must-see. Its Al Turaif quarter, a carefully restored mud-brick district that was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, offers a glimpse into the country’s extraordinary heritage.
PLEASE NOTE that this site is closed for development and the visit will be from the outside however we will do our best and apply for a permit and request for access.
We will start our day with a historical brief about the capital of Saudi. In the National Museum you will be discovering Saudi Arabia’s rich past, an amazing journey that would bring you along thousands of kilometers around the whole Kingdom. An easier way to have an insight of Saudi Arabia’s rich History is to visit the King Abdulaziz Historical Center in Riyadh where artifacts from all periods are exhibited and with explanations about their historical significance.
For lunch, we suggest Al Qaria Al Najdya for traditional cuisine.
After our historical brief we will go see some by ourselves checking out Al Masmak Fortress. Surrounded by sand, this squat fortification was built around 1865 and is like a scene out of the movies: a big fortress representing an empire. It was the site of a daring 1902 raid by Ibn Saud, during which a spear was hurled at the main entrance door with such force that the head is still lodged in the doorway. Highlights among the exhibits include maps and fascinating photographs of Saudi Arabia dating from 1912 to 1937, in galleries converted from diwans (living rooms). The roofs are covered with painted palm-tree, ceramic and ethel wood and exude an old-world charm that evokes an Arabian painting. Inside, the information panels and short, chest-thumping films on the storming of the fortress and the ‘reunification’ of Saudi Arabia are reverential towards the Al Sauds but worth watching nonetheless.
In the same area and only in walking distance we will find ourselves in Souq Al-Zal which is one of the oldest traditional markets. They sell traditional dresses, antiques, Oud “ Arabic perfume” and jewelry.
Our last stop Kingdom Tower which is a 99-story, 302.3 m skyscraper. When completed in 2002, it overtook the 267-meter Faisaliyah Tower as the tallest tower in Saudi Arabia. It has since been surpassed and is now the fifth-tallest skyscraper in the country. It is the world’s third-tallest building with a hole after the Shanghai World Financial Center.

VISIT OF THE OLD TOWN - FREE TIME
Today early morning we will visit the old town of Al Ula.
In the 12th century, Al Ula Old Town became an essential settlement along the pilgrimage route from Damascus to Makkah. The city gradually replaced Qurh, to the south of Al Ula, and is favourably mentioned by travellers from the 12th to the 20th centuries, when modern Al Ula was constructed nearby. The houses were designed to be attached to one another, providing fortification, which hints to defense being a priority for the city’s early inhabitants. At one point, the city was accessed by 14 gates, which were opened in the morning to welcome travellers, pilgrims, and other visitors, and closed each evening. The ancient city’s recent occupation has enabled researchers to begin to gather oral histories, painting a picture of what life was like inside its walls. These stories will one day be available to visitors who can look forward to tapping into Al Ula Old Town’s living memory.

MADAIN SALEH - DEDAN - ELEPHANT ROCK

Today we will do 2 guided tours then end the tour with visiting the elephant rock to relax.
Tour 1: Hegra tour (the tomb)
The importance of Madain Saleh is ostensibly displayed by its 111 monumental tombs, among which 94 were decorated with majestic facades on the sandstone massifs of the area, especially the Jibal Ithlib. The smallest tomb is barely 2,7 meters tall but the biggest reaches an impressive 21,5 meters! Madain Saleh was the second largest city of the Nabatean kingdom whose capital was Petra (in today’s Jordan) where the Nabatean people created more than 600 tombs. What most people don’t know that there are many other fascinating archeological sites attest to the thousands of years of human occupation of the area thanks to the underground water available for millennia. Don’t worry we are showing everything you need to see!
Tour 2: Dedan, is also of great interest, not only for the extent of the remains of this ancient oasis city that once thrived there, but also because its history is much older than the neighboring Madain Saleh. The most famous oasis of the 1st millennium BCE the oasis of Dedan, where excavations on extensive archeological sites have revealed the existence of large fortified cities. These kingdoms developed their own culture including a specific language and alphabet, that resulted in a mix of Arabian traditions and strong influences from the surrounding empires.
Elephant Rock
Before we head to our last stop, we will pass by the Elephant Rock, also known as Jabal AlFil, one of Al Ula’s many geological marvels. This is a seating area with nice coffee to relax and enjoy the scenery. Best time to visit is usually from 4 to 5 PM with the sunset.
Please note that Hegra and Dedan/Ikma mountain are guided tours by bus and last each 2 to 3 hours max. These tours are done by Al Ula Tourism Board which is a third party and as such sometimes the inclusions of these tours or timeline are changed by the operator.

AL BALAD TOUR (JEDDAH HISTORICAL CITY)

Today we will explore and understand the country through its diverse and rich culture of food and people.
We will start our tour in Al Balad as local call it which means “the town” as reference to the base of Jeddah. Al-Balad was founded in the 7th century and historically served as the center of Jeddah. Al-Balad’s defensive walls were torn down in the 1940s. In the 1970s and 1980s, when Jeddah began to become wealthier due to the oil boom, many Jeddawis moved north, away from Al-Balad. Al Balad is registered as a world heritage UNISCO site and since then the old buildings with its unique window designs and doors are being preserved along with its unique buildings which some have been built using sea shells and stones! The old buildings once housed the famous Jeddah families and hosted the founder the late King Abdulaziz when first entered Jeddah. Our tour will go through the history of these buildings including going inside one of the buildings to see the interior designs, furniture, and life back then we will also explain the historical importance of some sites and locations while we wonder around the narrow streets to explain how merchants used to sell their goods and how pilgrims used to get their supplies of cloth and food before they head to Makkah through the Makkah Gate in Al Balad.
The old Mosques is another tourist attraction where some were founded over 300 years ago and still functional as a mosque. The main attraction in this tour is the food and snacks of Al Balad where we will pass by some famous vendors known to offer the best local snacks such as the local drink made of bread “Sobia” and the old bakery which its famous for its fresh bread. Another local snack is fresh chickpeas and pickles “Balilah”. We will stop to rest in one of the local open-air coffee shops and try the famous local tea mixed with milk and herbs. We will move to visit the center of Al Balad to see the first hotel built in Jeddah influenced by Italian architecture then pass by the first school built in Saudi. We will also visit one of the art houses and museum offering its unique local art collection and antiques.

Optional Tours
1. Taif Day Trip
2. Madinah Day Trip
3. Boat Trip or Beach Day

Today where we say goodbye to beautiful Saudi, we will be dropping you off to the airport according to your flight schedule.