AlUla Travel, Luxury Resorts and Hegra

For thousands of years AlUla was a stopping point on the incense road, home to the Dadanite and Lihyanite kingdoms and then the Nabataeans, the same people who built Petra. At Hegra, more than a hundred monumental tombs are carved into free-standing sandstone outcrops, their facades still crisp after two thousand years. Around them lie rock art, inscriptions and an old mud-brick town. Learn more on trade routes and UNESCO World Heritage.

The Royal Commission for AlUla has developed the region carefully, with low-rise resorts, trails and a cultural calendar. The landscape itself is the attraction: rock arches, canyons, the giant Elephant Rock and night skies dark enough for serious stargazing. Our AlUla projects page covers what is being built next.

Begin at Hegra with a guided tour led by local storytellers known as rawis; tours run several times a day and in the evening. Visit Maraya, the mirror-clad concert hall that reflects the canyon around it, and Elephant Rock at sunset, when lounges open at its base. Walk the lanes of AlUla Old Town and the farms of the oasis, and see Dadan and Jabal Ikmah, whose inscriptions are listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

For adventure, try hot-air ballooning at dawn, a helicopter flight over the canyons, horse riding, climbing or the via ferrata. The winter festival season brings concerts, art and wellness events from October to March; see the events calendar. Compare desert experiences on desert camps and lodges.

AlUla International Airport has domestic flights from Riyadh and Jeddah and seasonal regional services. From the US, fly nonstop to Riyadh or Jeddah with Saudia, or to Riyadh with Delta from Atlanta (planned for March 2027), then connect. Private jets are welcome; see private jets. A car with driver is the best way to get around.

US passport holders use the Saudi tourist eVisa. Dress modestly at heritage sites; resort dress is relaxed. Alcohol is not served. Days are warm in winter but nights can be cold, so pack layers. Summer is very hot, and many experiences pause; October to March is the season.