Dubai and AlUla: Skyscrapers & Sandstone

Arrival at Dubai airport. Meet & Greet by our representative. Transfer to your hotel by air-conditioned vehicle. Check in & overnight in Dubai.

Breakfast at your hotel. Departure for a half day guided tour. You will have the opportunity to discover the spectacular and lively metropolis of Dubai. The city, developed from a small fishing village at the Dubai Creek, nowadays presents itself as a glamorous metropolis at the Arabian Gulf. The distinctive skyscrapers and gigantic shopping-malls will impress every visitor. We start with Bastakyia, the old town district of Dubai.

Next, set along the historic waters of Dubai Creek, Al Shindagha Museum tells the proud story of the nation’s past and reverent traditions. The museum’s ‘Dubai Creek: Birth of a City’ is a state-of-the-art experience that guides visitors through the area’s dramatic development over centuries. The carefully-curated tour features interactive videos, touch displays and photographs and artefacts so visitors can gain insight into what it was like for Emiratis to raise a family by the waterways, and how maritime trade affected their livelihoods.

Another highlight will follow: you will use the local water taxis, called “Abras”, to cross the Dubai Creek. Enjoy the spectacular view of the city while heading towards the district of Deira. Here you will be enchanted by the large variety of exotic spices in the famous Spice Souk. Take the chance to get a unique and affordable souvenir when you visit the adjacent Gold Souk.

We then proceed to Jumeirah area, where we will have a photo stop of the awe-inspiring Grand Mosque of Jumeirah. Built in the medieval Fatimid tradition, this stone structure is a tribute to modern Islamic architecture. After that, photo stop of Burj Al Arab hotel and continue to Atlantis hotel located at crescent of Palm Jumeirah. We will experiment the Monorail which is a good vantage point to see the Palm Jumeirah.

After that trip by train we will join back our bus. Photo stop at the Palm. We will pass the DUBAI Marina area and Jumeirah before we proceed to the new development area of Dubai, where the tallest tower – Burj Khalifa stands for photo stop (Optional: Climb Burj Khalifa, world Tallest Building). Lunch at leisure at Dubai Mall. We will spend some time at the mall to discover it, and then we continue our visit of DUBAI.

During the day, we will pass also by the DUBAI Falcon center where we will discover the history of falcons in UAE and its traditions. Visit a Craft Center in Dubai we before return to the hotel. In the evening transfer to Dubai Marina for a relaxing evening on our traditional Arabian dhow for an evening’s cruise on the Marina. Enjoy a sumptuous feast of Arabic and International cuisine while gently gliding past illuminated souks, banks and palaces. Overnight in Dubai.

Breakfast at your hotel. Departure for a full day private guided tour to Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. This comprehensive tour is the ideal introduction to the UAE capital and the island on which it stands. The name Abu Dhabi means: “Father of the Gazelle”. Our first stop will be at Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque, one of the largest Mosques in the world; able to accommodate more than 30,000 worshipers. The beautiful Mosque is completely clad in marble and also features intricate Islamic decoration and carvings as well as extensive landscaping works.

We will continue our tour towards Abu Dhabi downtown. We will pass by Qasr Al Watan, which is a working Presidential palace in Abu Dhabi and a majestic cultural landmark that invites you to discover the rich legacy of knowledge and tradition that has shaped the UAE’s journey. And then we will pass by Qasr Al Hosn fort, the ancestral home of the Al Nahyan and the symbolic heart of Abu Dhabi.

Lunch will be served in a buffet style restaurant. In the afternoon, we will drive along the spectacular Corniche, past gleaming white mosques, glass-clad offices and elegant high-rise apartments to the tip of the breakwater for a superb view of the city’s magnificent skyline. The remaining part of the afternoon will be devoted to drive through the famous giant Saadiyat Island project where Louvre Museum is built to complete the image of ABU DHABI as a cultural city. The tour will continue towards the Abrahamic Family House, which is dedicated to the pursuit of peaceful coexistence for generations to come. It’s space serves to bridge our common humanity through the exchange of knowledge, ongoing dialogue, and the practice of faith.

After this moving experience, we head towards the Louvre Museum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is an art and civilization museum, located on the Cultural District. After the visit, we will transfer to famous Yas Island which houses the FORMULA 1 YAS circuit, the WARNER bros park & the first attraction park of Ferrari in the world. An impressive attraction park, the largest covered air-conditioned park in the world with a huge RED FERRARI sign as landmark. Visit a Craft Centre in Abu Dhabi before returning to Dubai. In the evening, dinner will be served in hotel. Overnight in Dubai.

Breakfast at your hotel. Check out at 12h00 (noon). Depending on your departure time, you will be transferred to Dubai airport. Lunch at leisure. Arrival at AlUla International airport, after visa and immigration formalities our representative will meet and escort the guests to their air-conditioned vehicle for their transfer to the hotel. Dinner & overnight in AlUla.
Note: International flight not included in the rate.

Breakfast in the hotel. Today we will start our journey with the visit of the famous Hegra (Madain Saleh) which is the first site of Saudi Arabia that was listed as UNESCO World Heritage site. Madain Saleh, whose original name was Al-Hijr or Hegra in Greek, is the southernmost important city of the Nabatean Kingdom that flourished thanks to the caravan trade between the 2nd century BCE until the Roman conquest in 106 CE.

It is the second richest Nabatean city in terms of monumental tombs with over a hundred decorated funeral monuments including some of the most vibrant and well conserved architectural prowess of the Nabateans builders. We will lead you through this fascinating site and reveal to you the secrets of its tombs, ancient inscriptions, stone structures, and many others.

Lunch at leisure. After lunch, we depart for Dedan/ Ikmah tour. AlUla is an ancient oasis that is inhabited for the last 7000 years as testify ancient carvings in and around the oasis. During the 1st millennium BCE the city of Dedan develops thanks to its strategic location on the frankincense trade road to become one of the oldest Arabian kingdoms that ruled over most of what is today Tabuk and Madinah provinces. Then will pass by the ancient city of Dedan that was an important oasis on the frankincense trade route between Southern Arabia and the Mediterranean World. Return to hotel. Dinner & overnight in ALULA.

Breakfast in the hotel. Today we get a glimpse into AlUla’s not-so-distant past on the AlUla Old Town Tour. We will go through AlUla Old Town, where pilgrims, travelers and permanent settlers congregated through the ages. Inhabited from before the 12th century up until the early 1980s, AlUla Old Town offers researchers unique oral histories and living memory that the area’s other heritage sites cannot. Lunch at leisure. Then we head to the top of the Harrat Al-Uwayrid for an amazing viewpoint of the oasis of AlUla. Before heading to the hotel, we will visit Jebel Al-Fil (Elephant rock) for a relaxing time. Dinner & overnight in ALULA.

Breakfast at your hotel. Check-out Transfer to Alula International airport for your departure flight back to your hometown. END OF SERVICE.