Excursion Al ula overnight experience (may 5th to 6th) tour at Jeddah

(This Overnight programme is designed for guests embarking on Voyage E4230503012. This Overnight programme requires advance booking no later than March 30, 2023. Requests received after this date may be accommodated on a space-available basis.)

Explore the best, and most compelling, archaeological gems of Al Ula during your overnight experience.

DAY ONE

Depart the pier for the transfer to Jeddah Airport for your chartered, approximately one-hour and half flight to Al Ula. Upon arrival transfer to Habitas Hotel Resort for check-in. Take some time to visit the stunning hotel and the surrounding area.

After lunch, travel to the Jabal Al Feel (Elephant Rock). Located near the Madain Saleh in Al Ula, the amazing Elephant Rock is so huge that people look like tiny creatures standing with it. Made naturally out of carved rocks and standing approximately 164 feet (about 50 metres) in height, the rock is named after its shape, which resembles that of an elephant.

Leaving the Elephant Rock, head to the Maraiah. Maraya is a stunning piece of art set in the desert canyon of Ashar Valley. Designed to blend into the surrounding landscape, it rises from the sand like a mirage. The state-of-the-art structure is covered in 9,740 mirrored panels reflecting AlUla's beauty and celebrates AlUla's significant role in history as a crossroads of cultures for centuries. As the perfect modern ode to the past, Maraya is the centerpiece of AlUla's growing cultural scene from spectacular concerts and thrilling performances to art residency programs and arthouse films.

Experience the enchantment of desert with stargazing. You will look up to a blanket of stars and enjoy a traditional grilled dinner. It is a day tours immersed in the magnificent desert landscape, but when night descends, the real magic happens. Experience the enchantment of a desert stargazing tour led by local experts. Far from city lights, vast open spaces in remote desert lands create some of the world's most enviable dark skies, making AlUla an idyllic locale for star-watching.

After the spectacular experience of stargazing drive back to the Shaden Hotel Resort for your overnight.

DAY TWO

After breakfast and check out travel to Hegra Archaeological Site, the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia and second-largest city of the Nabatean civilization. Founded around the 2nd century B.C., Hegra is an outstanding example of the Nabataeans' architectural accomplishment and hydraulic expertise. Journeying through Hegra can be an adventure in and of itself, a dramatic stone city with more than hundreds of artistically hewn well-preserved tombs that enliven the sandstone outcrops. Creating an enthralling mix of structures, these sheer cliffs lined with artistic carvings and inscriptions reminiscent of ancient architecture. Within these cliffs are borrowed some of the most elite burial places of the ancient society that symbolizes the extensive history of the region. In addition to the monumental tombs with decorated facades, the large number of artificial wells in Hegra, also bear witness to the Nabatean agricultural techniques.

Among the most significant archaeological discoveries in all of Al Ula, Dadan was the ancient capital of the Dadan and Lihyan kingdoms. Expertly carved from a towering, red-rock formation overlooking the valley's oasis, the Dadan Kingdom dates back between the late-9th and early-8th century B.C., and the Kingdom of Lihyan dates from the 5th-2nd century B.C. During your visit, see more than a dozen tombs cut into the red-rock cliff faces east of the city. From afar, these look like simple dark rectangles. A closer look reveals skilfully crafted funerary monuments, including the seated, approximately 164-foot-high (about 50-metre-high) lion sculptures that mark the famous Lion Tombs.

After lunch head to Al Ula Old Town located in the narrowest part of the AlUla Valley. Built on a slight elevation, the town is overlooked by the Musa bin Nusayr Castle, a citadel dating back approximately to the 10th century. Take a guided walk of this essential, 12th-century settlement along the pilgrimage route from Damascus to Makkah.

At the conclusion of your visit, re-board your coach and transfer to the airport in Al Ula for your chartered, approximately one-hour and half return flight to the Jeddah Airport. Upon arrival, transfer back to the ship.

The above description is a sample of the tour program. The order and the timing of the visits may vary without any previous notice.

OPTIONAL: Helicopter Flight is available at additional charge. In case of interest please contact us at shoreconcierge@silversea.com

Space on the helicopter tour is limited. We suggest to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Note

Please note: This tour involves a moderate to extensive amount of activity. The walking distance is approximately 2.5 miles or 4 km in total with some steps to negotiate at the sites visited and a few to negotiate to get on/off the coach and the train. This tour is not suitable for guests with limited mobility or those who utilise a wheelchair. Lightweight comfortable clothing, flat, closed-toe walking shoes and sun protection are recommended. In public, both men and women are asked to dress modestly, avoiding tight-fitting clothes and items with profane language or images. Women should cover their shoulders and knees in public. (Consider packing blouses with sleeves, scarves or shawls for the shoulders and mid- to maxi-length skirts and dresses, capris or pants to cover the knees and a jacket for the evening for cooler temperature). Guests are advised that the consumption of alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia. The travelling time between Jeddah and Al Ula is approximately two hours by chartered flight. The description is a sample of the tour program. The order and the timing of the visits may vary without any previous notice.

OPTIONAL: Helicopter Flight is available at additional charge. In case of interest please contact us at shoreconcierge@silversea.com

Space on the helicopter tour is limited. We suggest to book in advance to avoid disappointment.