Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Ancient tombs, red mountains and a coastline just opening to the world
- Visa
- Saudi Arabia offers an e-visa for Indian passport holders, typically processed within a few days — confirm current requirements before booking.
- Flight time
- 3–3.5 hours from Mumbai to Riyadh or Jeddah
- Best for
- Ancient history, desert landscapes, first-time Saudi travellers
A country that only started welcoming leisure travellers in 2019 — Nabataean tombs carved into desert sandstone, a capital rebuilding itself in real time, green highland villages, and a Red Sea coast still largely undiscovered.
AlUla is the reason Saudi tourism exists on a map at all — Hegra, Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a sister city to Petra: more than 100 Nabataean tombs carved directly into standalone sandstone outcrops, scattered across open desert rather than hidden in a canyon. Around it, palm oases, dramatic rock formations like Elephant Rock, and a valley now dotted with design-forward desert resorts.
Riyadh is the other half of the story — a capital that has changed faster than almost any city on earth over the last five years. Kingdom Tower and the Sky Bridge overlook a skyline still under construction, Diriyah's mudbrick At-Turaif district tells the older story, and Edge of the World, a two-hour drive out, is exactly what it sounds like: a cliff dropping onto empty desert as far as you can see.
The Aseer region, around the hill city of Abha, is the version of Saudi Arabia most visitors don't expect — green terraced mountains, cooler air, and traditional stone villages built into the cliffs, some of them, like Habala, reachable only by cable car.
Jeddah is the Red Sea gateway — Al-Balad's coral-stone old town and wooden latticed balconies, the King Fahd Fountain, and the Corniche's Al-Rahma mosque built out over the water. It is also the practical base for the Red Sea coast north of it: quiet reefs and beaches that package tourism hasn't reached yet.
North of AlUla, Tabuk province holds the Hisma desert — the same sandstone-mesa landscape that continues into Jordan's Wadi Rum, golden and largely empty, with the Gulf of Aqaba's coastline at its edge.
Particularly good for
- Ancient history and archaeology
- Desert landscapes
- Off-the-beaten-path travel
- Photography-led trips
- First-time Saudi travellers
Enquire
A Saudi Arabia journey, built for your dates
Tell us who is travelling and roughly when. You will have an itemised proposal within one working day.
No price listed here on purpose — hotel category, season and group size move the cost more than the destination does. Tell us the basics and it comes back itemised, not guessed.
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Riyadh
- Visa
- Saudi Arabia offers an e-visa for Indian passport holders, typically processed within a few days — confirm current requirements before booking.
- Flight time
- 3–3.5 hours from Mumbai to Riyadh or Jeddah
- Best for
- Ancient history, desert landscapes, first-time Saudi travellers
Or call +91 81085 31332
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- Currency
- Saudi Riyal (SAR)
- Language
- Arabic (official); English common in major cities and tourist sites
- Flight time
- 3–3.5 hours from Mumbai to Riyadh or Jeddah
Inside this circuit
What each country brings to Saudi Arabia
Where each stop sits in the itinerary, and the handful of places within it worth building a day around.
AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Hegra's Nabataean tombs carved into standalone sandstone, plus oases and desert resorts.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The fast-changing capital — Kingdom Tower, Diriyah's old town, and Edge of the World nearby.
Abha & Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia
Green highland mountains and traditional cliffside villages, cooler than the rest of the country.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
The Red Sea gateway — Al-Balad's old town, the Corniche, and the floating Al-Rahma mosque.
Tabuk Region, Saudi Arabia
The Hisma desert's sandstone mesas, and the Gulf of Aqaba coastline at the country's northern edge.
Beyond the highlights
Things to do in Saudi Arabia
Hegra's Nabataean tombs, AlUla
Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site — over 100 tombs carved into standalone sandstone outcrops, best visited early morning before the heat builds.
Elephant Rock and AlUla's desert formations
A short drive from Hegra, a naturally sculpted sandstone arch and several other formations worth an evening for sunset light.
Edge of the World, near Riyadh
A dramatic cliff-edge drop onto the Tuwaiq escarpment, roughly two hours from the capital — best timed for sunset.
Diriyah's At-Turaif district
A UNESCO-listed mudbrick old town on Riyadh's outskirts, the birthplace of the first Saudi state, now restored with restaurants and museums.
Al-Balad, Jeddah's historic old town
Coral-stone merchant houses with carved wooden lattice balconies (roshan), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Red Sea coast's most atmospheric old quarters.
Eat
Food in Saudi Arabia
- Kabsa (spiced rice with meat, usually chicken or lamb) is considered Saudi Arabia's national dish and widely available across the country.
- Jeddah's food scene reflects its history as a Red Sea trading port, with more regional variety than inland cities.
- Arabic coffee (qahwa) served with dates is the standard hospitality gesture across the country, worth experiencing as offered rather than sought out separately.
- AlUla and the Aseer region both have their own local specialities tied to their agricultural produce (dates, pomegranates in AlUla; coffee and honey in Aseer).
Shop
Shopping in Saudi Arabia
- Riyadh's malls and souks for a mix of international retail and traditional goods.
- AlUla's Old Town for local crafts and dates from the surrounding oases.
- Jeddah's Al-Balad for antiques, textiles and traditional Hijazi crafts.
- Saudi dates, grown across the country's oases, as a widely appreciated and portable souvenir.
Who this suits
Is Saudi Arabia right for your trip?
Family travel
Increasingly set up for family tourism since the country opened to leisure travel in 2019 — AlUla's desert resorts, Riyadh's modern attractions (including Boulevard Riyadh City) and family-friendly hotel infrastructure in major cities are all reasonably well developed for a newer destination.
Honeymoons
An emerging rather than established honeymoon destination, but a genuinely distinctive one — AlUla's design-forward desert resorts and dramatic Hegra backdrop offer scenery unlike more conventional honeymoon spots, suited to couples drawn to history and landscape over beach-resort convention.
Adventure
- Hiking and canyon walks through the Hisma desert's sandstone mesas in Tabuk province.
- Hot-air ballooning over AlUla's desert landscape.
- Hiking the terraced mountains around Abha in the Aseer region, cooler than the rest of the country.
- Stargazing in AlUla's dark-sky desert, increasingly promoted as one of the region's clearest night skies.
One way to plan it
A suggested Saudi Arabia itinerary
A realistic starting outline, not a fixed or booked itinerary — your consultant adjusts the pace, order and length once they know your dates.
- Day 1–2
AlUla
Hegra's Nabataean tombs, Elephant Rock, and the surrounding desert formations.
- Day 3–4
Riyadh
Diriyah's At-Turaif district, Kingdom Tower, and a day trip to Edge of the World.
- Day 5
Abha and the Aseer region
A flight south to the green highland mountains and cliffside villages, a different climate and landscape from the rest of the trip.
- Day 6–7
Jeddah
Al-Balad's historic old town, the Corniche, and the Al-Rahma floating mosque before departure.
What we arrange
The Saudi Arabia we actually book
Not an exhaustive list of everything possible — the handful of things we think are worth building days around.
A day among the tombs of Hegra
More than 100 Nabataean facades carved into freestanding sandstone outcrops, spread across open desert rather than hidden in a canyon like Petra — Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, best walked in the cool of early morning.
Edge of the World, outside Riyadh
A two-hour drive from the capital ends at a cliff edge dropping onto the Tuwaiq escarpment — empty desert stretching to the horizon, best timed for sunset.
Habala's cliffside villages, Aseer
Stone houses built directly into the cliff face in the green Aseer highlands, reached by cable car — a completely different climate and landscape from the rest of the country.
Al-Balad's old town, Jeddah
Coral-stone merchant houses with carved wooden lattice balconies (roshan), narrow lanes, and some of the country's best regional food, a short walk from the Red Sea Corniche.
When to go
Honest seasons, written for departures out of India
Including the months we would talk you out of.
September — this month
23 to 40°C
Slowly cooling but still hot. Late in the month becomes more manageable.
October — next month
19 to 35°C
Heat easing off noticeably — a good shoulder-season month.
November – February
The best travel window — mild days, cool desert nights, comfortable for AlUla and Riyadh outdoor sites.
March – April
Warming up but still pleasant, especially in the Aseer highlands.
May – September
Very hot, especially in Riyadh and AlUla. Aseer's higher altitude stays more bearable — this is when Saudi families head there.
October
Early autumn — heat easing off, one of the better shoulder-season months.
Before you go
Travel tips
- Saudi Arabia's dress code has relaxed considerably since 2019, but modest clothing (covering shoulders and knees) remains expected in public, and is required at religious sites.
- AlUla and Riyadh sit at considerable distance from each other — a domestic flight, not a road trip, is the practical way to combine both in one itinerary.
- Alcohol is not sold or served anywhere in Saudi Arabia, including in hotels — a firm difference from neighbouring Gulf destinations like Dubai.
- Friday is the start of the weekend in Saudi Arabia; some sites and businesses adjust their hours accordingly.
- The country's desert climate means summer heat (June–September) makes outdoor sightseeing in AlUla and Riyadh impractical for much of the day — the Aseer highlands are the exception.
Questions
Saudi Arabia — frequently asked questions
Yes — Saudi Arabia began issuing tourist e-visas in 2019, and the country has been actively developing sites like AlUla specifically for international leisure travel since then.
Also worth a look
Other journeys
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Let's plan your Saudi Arabia journey.
One conversation, then an itinerary with the reasoning attached — hotels named, inclusions listed, exclusions stated plainly.
Or call +91 81085 31332 · Monday – Saturday, 10:00 – 19:00 IST