AlUla's centrepiece is Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, where more than a hundred monumental Nabataean tombs are carved into the sandstone. Access is by official Experience AlUla tour with a rawi guide and a shuttle into the protected site. Around it sit the mudbrick Old Town, Elephant Rock and the wider valley — all of which need a vehicle, because the distances are real.
1 thing to do in AlUla
Starting prices, confirmed before you pay. Tours we run ourselves are priced per vehicle for the whole group.
Getting around AlUla
Hegra itself is closed to private vehicles — you join the official shuttle from the visitor centre, so there's no way around booking that tour. Everything else in the valley is the opposite problem: Elephant Rock, the Old Town and the viewpoints are spread across a wide area with no public transport between them. Arrange a car for your stay rather than assuming you'll find one, particularly if you're staying outside the main valley.
Private cars & transfersAlUla — common questions
No. Access is by official Experience AlUla tour with a shuttle into the site, which is how the tombs are protected. Tours are led by an AlUla rawi — a storyteller guide — and run about two and a half hours.
Two full days lets you do Hegra properly, walk the Old Town and see the valley without rushing. One day is enough for Hegra alone if that's your reason for coming.
Effectively yes, for everything except Hegra itself. The sites are spread across a wide landscape with little transport between them, so a car with a driver is the practical way to see more than one thing a day.