ALULA EXPLORER - WONDER OF ARABIA

Fly into AlUla International Airport (ULH)* from where your Grand Tours Project guide will drive you through the magnificent canyons of the Ashar Valley to Banyan Tree AlUla – our 5-star desert base camp for the trip – to get settled into your luxurious canopied villa.

Our team will help get you set up with your bike, before we head out on an introductory ride for the afternoon to refresh our legs and to see how the desert roads compare.

It’s then a short roll to Banyan Tree’s award-winning Saffron restaurant for our full tour briefing and a welcome dinner of delicious modern Thai cuisine.

*A number of airlines now operate direct flights to AlUla, including Qatar Airways, flydubai and Saudia, via Doha, Dubai and Riyadh or Jeddah respectively.

Our first full day takes us out after breakfast on a route taking in the surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hegra. We have route options of 50 or 76km of cycling that will fully immerse us in the desert on quiet roads through farms, palms and ancient rock formations. You will feel like you are in a sci-fi fantasy movie, with Mars-like landscapes and camels walking alongside perfect roads!

After lunch at the hotel, we’ll head into the protected site of Hegra itself, with option to travel by vintage Land Rover, for a unique guided tour of some of the 100+ ancient monumental tombs.

The day culminates with a spectacular dining experience at Awna, an open air restaurant set amongst atmospherically-lit rocks, serving cuisine from visiting Michelin star chefs paying homage to the history of Hegra.

Today’s ride takes us on a loop to the city of AlUla, a crossroads of civilisations and oasis city on incense trading routes for thousands of years. We will break or finish with a reviving coffee in the old town, from where you can choose to either cycle or ride in the van back to the Banyan Tree for lunch.

Enjoy some leisure time, making use of the hotel’s spa or the option to book a horse ride if you wish.

Late afternoon we’ll transport you back to the old town – a labyrinth of tightly packed streets lined with mudbrick houses, shops and squares – for a guided tour of its sites, and an optional 3km oasis heritage walking trail to discover its importance in AlUla’s history.

We will re-gather at Somewhere restaurant to enjoy a magnificent Lebanese-Arabic dinner.

Explore the hidden gems of AlUla. After breakfast at the Banyan Tree hotel, we propose to leave the road bikes behind and embark on a mini expedition by mountain bike and hike. We’ll transport you to the start point, from where our adventure tour will take us on a discovery of the Hidden Valley of AlUla in search of historical treasures. For those preferring to road ride, this can also be arranged. The morning’s adventure is rounded off by a special lunch in the desert.

After the morning’s action, you may wish to retreat and enjoy a relaxed afternoon in the hotel. Or, if you’re looking for more adventure, a helicopter ride can be arranged (at additional cost) to see the beauty of AlUla from the sky.

Our day ends at AlUla’s most iconic rock formation, Elephant Rock, where we will have dinner while listening to Arabic music and watching special lighting effects projected on the rocks.

On our road bikes today we’ll take on routes from the Saudi Tour, including challenging ourselves on one of its punchiest climbs – Harrat Uwayrid. The 4km long climb includes 2.7km at 12% and ramps up to a gradient of more than 20% - no wonder the technical director of the Saudi Tour likens Harrat to the Angliru of La Vuelta!

We’ll be rewarded with lunch atop Harrat’s lunar-style plateau, with stunning views over the valley of AlUla. Our shorter route finishes there, or more experienced riders can take on a technical descent to continue on our longer route. Riders finishing at Harrat have the option to take a thrilling zipline down the mountain or – if that’s not for you – our van will transport you back to base.

Afternoon activities include a visit to the UNESCO listed heritage collections of Dadanitic and Lihyanite inscriptions, before a well-earned dinner.

To be sure to see all the best of the region, we’ll jump in the van for an early transfer to Abu Rakah – also featured in the Saudi Tour – from where we’ll start our point-to-point ride back to the Ashar Valley. Abu Rakah is known for its peculiar rock formations including the distinctive ‘mushroom rock’, a marvel of geology.

After refreshing back at base we’ll take you to the luxury desert resort of Habitas for a relaxed light lunch.

We then have a spectacular final evening in store with a visit to Maraya – the world’s largest mirrored building – and a world-class auditorium that has hosted musical icons including John Legend and Alicia Keys. Marvel at Maraya’s 9,740 mirrored panels and visit its concert hall before heading to the rooftop restaurant, led by acclaimed British chef Jason Atherton, for an unforgettable closing night dinner.

Sady, it’s time to pack our bags and say ‘yalla’ to our desert home and newfound friends. We’ll help you with your bike box and transport you the 50 minutes back to AlUla International airport. We guarantee you’ll be leaving with some incredible photos and memories to last a lifetime!