PRACTICAL GUIDE
Seven tours to get beneath the surface of Saudi
Want to explore Saudi with the experts? These tour operator-led trips will help you unveil the magic behind the Kingdom...
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Wild Frontiers’ Inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia trip balances the big historic sites with immersing yourself in some incredible landscapes. From the elegant townhouses of Jeddah’s historic district (Al-Balad), head north via high-speed train to the holy city of Madinah, whose centre was off-limits to non-Muslims as recently as late 2021. As the desert starts to take over, you’ll get the chance to walk parts of the Oasis Trail to the ruins of AlUla’s mud-brick Old Town, then visit the Nabataean city of Hegra, losing yourself in a region that thrived as far back as the 1st century AD. Rock art, camel markets and forts scatter the land as you loop east to Riyadh. One surprise highlight is the Hutaymah crater hike, offering a chance to stretch your legs on a 5km rim walk and breathe in some epic scenery.
11 days from £5,004pp, excluding international flights
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Exodus Travel’s Saudi Explorer: Across the Arabian Peninsula is another trip that shows off Saudi’s historic sights between Riyadh and Jeddah, but it also gives an interesting look at life in the communities in between. The big stars – AlUla’s ruins, Madinah, historic Al-Balad, the rock art of Jubbah – are all here, but the chance to delve into local life is where it shines. Community visits include wandering the Women’s and Al Jerredah souqs in Buraydah, where traditional arts and crafts offer a link to the past, and a trip to the rose factory in Taif, on the eastern side of the majestic Sarawat Mountains (2,000m), which lets you turn your lens on small-town Saudi. Add to that the largest camel market in the world and wandering the labyrinthine mud-brick alleyways of Ushaiger heritage village, once a popular stop for pilgrims en route to Mecca.
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Discover the roots of Saudi with Jules Verne’s (VJV) Kingdoms of Arabia trip, which heads first to Diriyah. This is where Ibn Saud retook his family’s seat in the 1920s from the Ottoman invaders, and the restored mud-brick walls of At-Turaif tell the captivating story of when this was the royal capital. Later, you can even see the wreck of two abandoned Ottoman trains, which were hit by Bedouin led by TE Lawrence during an attack on the Ottoman’s doomed Hijaz Railway during the Arab Revolt (1916–18) – a piece of history that appears almost frozen in time here. The rest of the trip threads the big hitters of the Riyadh-Jeddah route, via the Najd architecture of Ushaiger, the petroglyphs of Jubbah and the tombs of Dadan and Hegra, whose relics scatter the desert of AlUla likes ancient toys hurled across a sandpit.
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Sometimes it pays to see somewhere on two feet. Explore’s Explore the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia tour has a pair of interesting walking tours bookending the classic Riyadh-Jeddah route of Nabataean ruins and camel markets that let you compare two very different cities. The first of these is a walking tour with a female Saudi guide through capital Riyadh, which was just a small, walled oasis town before the 1930s. In a city where few do any walking beyond hopping between buildings and cars, it’s a discreet way to slip into city life, dropping in on local bakeries, families and a souk where the vendors are mostly women. At the other end of your visit, you’ll walk the UNESCO-listed historic centre of Jeddah’s Al-Balad, where you can wander beneath artfully carved wooden balconies in a city that dates back to the 7th century but slowly grew into a mighty port and entry point to Mecca.
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Abercrombie & Kent’s Classic Saudi Arabia tour from Riyadh to Jeddah spends much of its time in the archeologically rich region of AlUla, the gateway to Nabataean ruins and the ancient civilisations that came before them. Visit the oasis city of Dadan, capital of the Dadan and Lihyanite Kingdoms, which first emerged in the late 9th-century BC and was considered one of the most developed for its era. Its tombs, etched into red-rock cliffs (including incredible lion carvings) transport you to another era, though just as captivating is AlUla Old Town, whose labyrinth of 900 mud-brick houses offers a tactile glimpse of how life used to be here. But the star of the show is surely a visit to Hegra, the ‘second city’ of the Nabataeans (the other being Petra in Jordan), which is very much an open-air museum.
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The Saudi Arabia Small Group Tour with Undiscovered Destinations takes a number of fascinating detours from the standard Riyadh-Jeddah route. The usual stars – Diriyah, AlUla, the camel market at the Buraydah, Jubbah’s petroglyphs – tick all the right boxes, but it’s side-trips to the likes of the ancient burial site at Rajajil and the oasis of Tayma, one of the oldest settlements in the country, that catch the eye. Just as appealing are journeys out into the raw desert of Wadi Disah, wrapped by Mars-like mountains and the Kingdom’s answer to the Grand Canyon, or visits up to the summit of Jebel Al Lawz (Almond Mountain; 2,000m), which even gets a dusting of snow in winter. Views from its tip, over the scorched earth below, will stick with you as you continue on to the historic streets of Madinah and Jeddah.
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Corinthian Travel’s Saudi Arabia and The Hijaz Railway trip takes a look at the country through one of its most tumultuous eras, tracing the doomed Ottoman-built railway that was eventually destroyed by TE Lawrence and his Bedouin forces during the Arab Revolt (1916–18). In many ways it follows a similar route to other Riyadh-Jeddah trips by tracing the skeleton of the original line – the old blockhouses, embankments and culverts of which can still be seen despite it being abandoned in 1920. Most spectacular of all is the sight of a pair of locomotives that lie exactly where they were derailed, as if it was just yesterday. Along the way, side trips to the Tuwaiq Escarpment (dubbed the Edge of the World), the ruins of AlUla and the Hijaz Railway Museum in Madinah, site of the original railway terminus, help to tell a story that encompasses more than just a whistle-stop tour.
Practical information
Visas
It’s surprisingly simple and easy to get an e-Visa for Saudi and the process is very similar to applying for an ESTA for the USA. Over 50 nationalities are eligible to apply for an e-Visa, including people from the UK and USA, with it costing (at the time of writing) 535 Saudi riyals (about £115 or US$143). Applications are swift and nearly all applicants will receive a response within three working days – most within 24 hours. To apply for your Saudi e-Visa, visit the official Saudi Tourism Authority website. If you’re from the USA, UK or the Schengen Area, you can also apply for a visa on arrival into Saudi. It’s slightly cheaper than an e-Visa, too, at SAR480 (about £102 or US$128).
Getting there & around
It’s really easy to reach AlUla from both the UK and USA. You have a couple of different options. You can take a direct domestic flight from Riyadh (two hours) or Jeddah (one hour and 30 minutes) or, if you’d like to see a little more of the country, you can hire a car and embark on the 7.5-hour drive from Jeddah. A hire car is the best way of exploring AlUla when you’re there, too. It’s simple to get to Saudi from both the UK and USA, too. Saudi’s national airline SAUDIA flies to Riyadh three times daily from London Heathrow, while British Airways also offers a regular service from Heathrow with daily flights to the capital. SAUDIA also operates twice daily flights to Jeddah from London Heathrow and daily flights from London Gatwick. If you’re travelling from the US, SAUDIA offers direct flights to Riyadh from both New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as direct flights to Jeddah from New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
Local customs
To really embrace Saudi life and pay respect towards its traditions, there are a few local customs you should abide when travelling around the country. Both men and women should wear clothing that covers their elbows and below their knees when out in public. If you’re heading to the coast, it’s still expected you dress modestly. When meeting and greeting locals, whether it’s a market stallholder or a private guide, say hello with ‘salam alaykum’, which means ‘peace be upon you’, as well as offering a handshake.
Weather
You might think it’s hot all year round in Saudi but it’s a little more nuanced than that. The best time to visit the country is between October and March, when temperatures can dip as low as 20°C during the daytime, depending on where in the country you are, and rarely exceed 30°C. The summer months between June and September can get extremely hot, with temperatures often north of 40°C. But, do as the locals do and head out after dusk when it’s much cooler!
Is English spoken in Saudi?
Arabic is the official national language but English is widely spoken.
What is the currency of Saudi?
The currency of Saudi is the riyal, with the current rate (at the time of writing), around SAR4.76 to the UK£. You’ll need to pre-order money before you travel, as in the UK it’s not usually stocked in currency exchange booths.
What’s it like travelling in Saudi as a female?
We think you’d be surprised! To find out more, read our first-hand account on what it’s like to travel in Saudi.
What’s the time difference in Saudi?
Saudi follows Arabia Standard Time (GMT +3) all year round.
