Alluring Al-Ula

Middle East » Saudi Arabia » Al-'Ula
March 3rd 2022

Published: March 14th 2022

Saudi Arabia is known for the largest sand desert in the world. Not to get too technical, but don't get hung up on the word "desert" here as many locations in the world have deserts. But....Saudi Arabia has both a desert and the requisite sand. And that is what most people think of when they think of a desert. For contrast, Antarctica is technically a desert....but most do not think of it that way... Read Full Entry

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Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

D MJ Binkley

Photographers, divers, writers, foodies, chefs and music enthusiasts. Travelers' Century Club Members: 12/2023. MJ 107 and Dave 104. We appreciate your feedback and if you like our stories we would appreciate it if you follow our blog. We live on North Hutchinson Island, Florida. If you are in Florida please send us a private message as we would love to meet you. Two retired nurses who are passionate about traveling the world. Our love of travel, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures will hopefully take us to wonderful plac... full info

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15th March 2022

Marsha
non-member comment

Al-Ulsan
Fantastic scenery!

15th March 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Al-Ula
Thank you Marsha for commenting. Saudi Arabia has a stark beauty.

15th March 2022

DaveandIssy
Dave and Issy Sheehan

Extraordinary
I think I want to go. Elephant Rock and Hegra in particular look amazing. I think I remember Petra being built by the Nabataeans and Hegra sure looks very Petra like. …and I don’t think I ever would have associated hot air ballooning with Saudi Arabia. Keep the posts coming please!

15th March 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Extraordinary
Dave and Issy, you must add this to your travel plans. Elephant Rock and Hegra are well worth the trip. Our guide is concerned that the Kingdom will do too much marketing for this area and not advertise the wonders of the rest of the country. I'm sure in time they will work it out. Saudi had many surprises for us.

20th March 2022

alex waring
Alexander Waring

Alluring!
Wow! Indeed, alluring! What beauty out there in the desert! The landscapes, the rock formations, the hot air balloons, and the friendly people! And I never knew Petra had a smaller sibling! You really were discovering some amazing and stunning places! ?

20th March 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Alluring!
The desert can be very beautiful. The geology in this country has much to offer. Yes, the same people built Petra and Hegra. This country is rich in history.

20th March 2022

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Fascinating
I've got to revisit this blog...oases, petroglyphs, Nabataean tombs, hot air balloons, portraits, water issues, black ice cream and then there was the music. Fascinating.

20th March 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Fascinating
Saudi Arabia has so much to offer. Rich in history. Thanks for commenting.

21st March 2022

Ake Och Emma
Ake Dahllof and Emma Holmbro

Is that some kind of festival?
That many baloons in one place seem odd. Is it a festival or is it perhaps a ballooning competition or race going on? /Ake

21st March 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Is that some kind of festival?
Yes, it was a balloon festival. There were about 150 in the sky.

21st March 2022

Ake Och Emma
Ake Dahllof and Emma Holmbro

So many interesting places
That remins me about photos I've seen that were taken in Utah. We have for years been having those canyons on our wish-list. The ones you saw in SA seems to be just as good actually. And yes, reading the blog a bit more carefully I noticed that it indeed was a balloon festival. So you can ignore or even delete my previous comment. /Ake

21st March 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

So many interesting places
Saudi has some interesting geology. Some of the rocks did look similar to Utah. The balloon festival was lovely.

21st March 2022

Waddads Travel
Lori & Susan

Hegra
What an interesting trip you are having! As soon as I saw the photos I was reminded of Petra - Hegra looks and sounds fascinating. I would love to see it and compare it to Petra. I imagine there are far fewer tourists in Hegra. You mentioned that the dress code is loosening up - does that include for women or are they mostly quite covered up?

21st March 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Hegra
It was an interesting trip and we enjoyed it. Thank you for following along. Being built by the same people Hegra and Petra are very similar. Yes, the dress code for women is loosening. Many women are still covered up. Change comes slowly even when you have choices. Often people stay with the familiar. We did see a number of women wearing more modern clothing. MJ

5th April 2022

Readingfcboi
Alan Atkinson

Balloon festival
How amazing watching those balloons all together in the sky

5th April 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Balloon Festival
It was cool. I love balloon festivals.

5th April 2022

Readingfcboi
Alan Atkinson

Black ice cream
How comes the ice cream is black?

5th April 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Black Ice Cream
It was vanilla ice cream and I have no idea how that got it so black.

1st June 2022

RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew

Black ice cream and group travel
I'd really love to try black vanilla ice cream (the only black ice cream I've had was black sesame flavoured and it was great). I'm so glad your travels were so enjoyable and your group leader was excellent - they can make or break a trip. The landscapes are fabulous and I have been taking note of the food too :)

1st June 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Black ice cream and group travel
We enjoyed our small group- we would consider traveling with this company again as the experience was so good. Elephant Rock was one of our favorites. The ice cream didn't hurt.... surprisingly we had more variety in food than we were expecting. Saudi is a beautiful country.

4th June 2022

lexispence10
Alexis M Spencer

Al ula is beautiful
Al Ula is by far my favorite place in Saudi Arabia. Naturally beautiful landscapes, friendly locals, archaeological history, and a great job with tourist development. It is amazing what they have accomplished in the just the last few years and I am so happy you got experience it!

4th June 2022

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Al ula is beautiful
It is a wonderful location. They have a vision for tourism which will serve them well. I'm glad we got there before it got too developed. We really enjoyed the trip.

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