Arabia

Arrive on independently booked international flights into Dubai, where you will be met and transferred by private vehicle to your deluxe, five-star hotel. The remainder of the evening is at leisure to recover from the long flight.

Board an abra (water taxi) and cross Dubai Creek to the Bastakia area to visit the Al Fahidi Mosque and the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. Enjoy a private lunch at the center while staff provide an excellent introduction to Islam. In the afternoon, stop at the XVA Gallery, a contemporary local art collection housed in a traditional home. Then continue with an orientation tour of Dubai including a drive through the affluent neighborhood of Jumeirah. End the day with a visit to the observation  gallery of the world’s tallest building: the Burj Al Khalifa.

This morning check out of the hotel and enjoy an excursion to the Museum of the Future whose soaring, Arabic calligraphy-engraved stainless-steel presence sits in the heart of Dubai’s business district. Utilizing a variety of virtual and augmented reality, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and human machine interaction installations and displays, the museum takes visitors on a voyage into the future through the framework of five chapters, suggesting the idea of an unfurling global narrative. From the museum travel to Abu Dhabi (approx. 90-minute drive). First visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, UAE's largest and most ornate place of worship. Taking 12 years to complete at the reported cost of around $545 million, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is now the third-largest in the world, covering an area equivalent to nearly four football fields and capable of holding more than 40,000 people. Also stop at the Qasr Al Watan Palace, a working Palace and home to the UAE Supreme Council and Federal Cabinet. One of the few presidential palaces open to the public, it houses an impressive library with an extensive collection of 50,000 titles on different branches of science, as well as a wide range of literature about the UAE, references on historical and geographical topics, and the development of the UAE socially, economically, politically and culturally.

Enjoy a full day of exploration around Abu Dhabi, starting with Abu Dhabi’s Heritage Village that provides insights into the traditional ways of life in the desert. Continue to Saadiyat Island and visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Opened in 2017 under an agreement between the UAE and France, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has been described as France’s largest cultural project abroad and is the largest art museum in the Arabian Peninsula. Learn about its unique architecture and construction on a guided tour and discover the expansive art collection from around the world. Continue to the Zayed National Museum (scheduled to open in December 2025 with its dramatic architecture referencing falcon wings and galleries depicting the history of the Emirates from prehistoric times to the present day.

This morning transfer to the airport for a flight to Doha where you will be met and taken to the National Museum of Qatar. Opened in March 2019 and designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Jean Nouvel, the museum’s galleries leads visitors on a story from geological landscapes and Bedouin life to the discovery of oil and the modern nation.  Check into your hotel and take some time for lunch and rest. In the late afternoon head to the alleys of Souq Waqif, a reconstructed market built in the traditional style. Visit a local shop to observe leather-hooded falcons and to learn more about the popular local sport of falconry.

This morning, visit the impressive, I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, considered one of the world’s greatest collections of Islamic art, textiles and rugs. Then take a drive through Education City, the Qatar Foundation’s impressive 2,500-acre campus where an international collaboration with U.S. universities is helping to reform Qatar’s education system. After a lunch break, head to the Inland Sea, or Khor Al Adaid, where golden sand dunes cascade into the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf.

Check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport for your late-morning flight to Muscat. Upon arrival, transfer to our deluxe resort and enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

For centuries Oman dominated maritime trade in the Indian Ocean and ruled an empire that extended from India to Zanzibar. Observe how Muscat has retained much of its traditional architecture and beauty while it makes great strides toward modernization. Explore Mutrah Harbour and the National Museum before visiting the Royal Opera House Muscat on a backstage tour.

This morning transfer to the ancient oasis town of Nizwa, once the medieval capital of Oman. Enjoy a special visit to the weekly Friday market and animal souq where you’ll witness the traditional sale and purchase of livestock that dates back to medieval times. Visit Nizwa Fort, which served as a combination palace, seat of government, and prison for 300 years, and the fort of Jabrin with its spectacular hand-painted ceilings. Along the way enjoy a traditional Omani lunch in the village of Al Hamra with its well-preserved mud-brick houses. Return to Muscat at the end of the day.

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Jeddah, arriving in the early afternoon. Once an important caravan stop, Jeddah has long been a center for pilgrimage as Mecca’s outlet to the sea. En route from the airport, stop at the Al Tayebat Museum which is part of the International Tayebat City of Science and Knowledge, a 300-year-old building that was originally the palace of Sheikh Abdul Rauf Khalil. This privately owned collection includes pre-Islamic artifacts, exquisite Islamic manuscripts, and traditional Saudi clothing. Continue into town and check into your deluxe hotel.

This morning enjoy a private meeting with journalist Ahmed Al Omran, currently with the Financial Times who has previously worked as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. He will provide an introduction to Saudi Arabia. Continue to visit Jeddah’s historical district, a World Heritage site known as Al Balad and situated on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. Explore the old town by foot and golf cart, discovering old merchants’ houses, souks that still teem with produce sellers, and coral-colored mosques. Conclude the day at TeamLab Borderless Jeddah, the digital art collective’s first permanent museum in the Middle East. Opened in 2024 after a multi-year collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, the museum invites visitors into a labyrinthine, map-free environment with over 80 immersive installations.

After a morning at leisure, transfer to the airport for your flight to AlUla, an ancient oasis city that is home to the country’s most spectacular archaeological site at Mada’in Salih. Built by the Nabataeans around 50 B.C., Mada’in Salih (also known as Hegra) was the Nabataean’s second city, situation roughly halfway between Petra and Mecca. Upon arrival in AlUla, stop at Elephant Rock, an intriguing rock formation that resembles its eponymous animal. Continue to your luxurious desert tented camp resort and enjoy an evening at leisure.

The day is devoted to exploring the spectacular archaeological sites in and around Mada’in Salih or Hegra. Begin at the Hegra Visitor Center where we transfer into vintage Land Rovers to better access the surrounding terrain. Explore the many well-preserved tombs that were hewn out of the rock and carved from top to bottom. Return to the town of AlUla for lunch and continue with a visit to the Old Town, an ancient walled city constructed of 2,000-year-old mud-brick and stone houses. Reconstructed over the centuries before being completely abandoned in the 1980s, many of the original structures remain intact. Also visit Athr Gallery, which has nurtured the region’s contemporary art scene and features vibrant exhibitions of emerging and established artists. Finally stop to admire the breathtaking Maraya Concert Hall, a 500-seat concert hall contstructed with giant mirrors uniquely designed to both reflect and enhance the stunning landscape surrounding it. Return to your desert camp for overnight.

This morning explore the ancient city of Dadan, located on the famed Incense Route and capital city of the Lihyan and Dadan kingdoms. Admire the “lion tombs” that are carved directly into the stone cliffs and examine the hundreds of inscriptions and carvings among the rock faces. Transfer to the airport for an afternoon flight to Riyadh. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel and enjoy an evening at leisure.

Spend the day exploring Riyadh. Start at Al Rajhi Mosque for a private discussion with an imam on the role of Islam in Saudi life and society. Continue to the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, which details the history of the ancient kingdoms of Arabia and Islam, and Murabba Palace with its exhibits on the history of Riyadh. Visit the archaeological site of Diriyyah whose zenith as capital of most of Arabia came during the reign of Saud the Great who ruled here from 1802-1814. What remains of Diriyyah today is remarkably extensive and evocative of traditional settled life in the region. The city is also home to the Diriyah Biennale Foundation for Contemporary Art, which will be hosting its second biennale in spring 2026. Pending the festival schedule, we will include visits to some of the collections and exhibits that are open to the public. This evening we recommend for your final dinner one of the many globally renowned restaurants in Diriyyah’s Bujairi Terrace which offers wonderful views overlooking the ancient city.

Private transfers will be provided to the Riyadh airport for independently arranged flights home.